Open Letter From An American Airlines Pilot

This pilot hit the nail right on the head in his open letter. 
We do need to see positive actions from all Muslims living in our free countries

CANADIAN COMMENT APPEARS AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE AND IS MEANINGFUL, TO SAY THE LEAST ALONG WITH SOME RECENTLY ADDED BRITISH COMMENT.
 

The paper stated that some Muslim doctor is saying we are profiling him because he has been checked three times while getting on an airplane. The following is a letter from a pilot.This well spoken man, who is a pilot with American Airlines, says what is in his heart, beautifully.... 
                          YOU WORRY ME!  
                        By Captain John Maniscalco, American Airlines Pilot
I've been trying to say this since 911, but you worry me.  I wish you didn't.  I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country.  But you don't blend in anymore.  I notice you, and it worries me.  

I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People from your homelands, professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now.  I don't fully understand their grievances and hate, but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks.  

On September 11, ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country.  They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings, killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and children's mothers.  

The Palestinians celebrated, the Iraqis were overjoyed as was most of the Arab world.  So, I notice you now. I don't want to be worried.  I don't want to be consumed by the same rage, hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these terrorists  But I need your help.  As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist. 

How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim Americans and the Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children? 

The events of September 11th changed the answer.  It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults.  It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me. 

I want to know, I demand to know and I have a right to know, whether or not you love America .  Do you pledge allegiance to its flag?  Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car?  Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation; that He will protect it and let it prosper?  Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your Jihads? Are you thankful for the freedom that this nation affords?  A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country?  Are you willing to preserve this freedom by also paying the ultimate sacrifice?  Do you love America ?  If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it. 

Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America .  Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent, because I worry about who you regard as innocent. No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks, because I worry about what is unprovoked to you.  I am not interested in any more sympathy;  I am interested only in action.  What will you do for America - our great country - at this time of crisis, at this time of war? 

I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets.  I want to hear you chanting 'Allah Bless America '.  I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.  

The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim communities.  You know them. 

You know where they are.  Hand them over to us, now!  But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action.  Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter.  You have disappeared from the streets.  You have posted armed security guards at your facilities.  You have threatened lawsuits.  You have screamed for protection from reprisals. 

The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating.  They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States proves who was responsible before taking action.  They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing 'leaders' like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat.   

If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up.  What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good, pure, and true, when your 'leaders' are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance?  It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion.  A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again.  A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide.  A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world.  A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air.  A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth.  A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam. 

We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us -our rights under the greatest constitution in the world.  I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it.  A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family.  

I am pleading with you to let me know.  I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American. But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance, and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. Until then,  “YOU WORRY  ME!”  
                                CANADIAN COMMENTS:
 I totally agree with this sentiment.  I hope you will forget all about the 'political correctness' mandate we've had rammed down our throats, and see if this doesn't ring true in your heart and mind.  For Canada , with all the multiculturalism we've been told is so important....why should we not, as Canadians, expect that the millions of new people immigrating to our country will show their love for our country, their allegiance to our country, their willingness to obey the laws of our country, and acceptance that we are a Christian country?  Just because they are able to enjoy exercising their own religion, they should not expect us to be ashamed of ours. They knew Canada was a Christian country when they came here. Why are we erasing Christianity because immigrants who are unwilling to adopt our way of life expect us to?  There is just too much insanity in the world, and we have to start taking a stand. 

I hope you will forward this, so that others will feel they are not alone if they are starting to feel the same.  

                               BRITAIN’S COMMENTS:

At last a clear non racist example of the concerns that the vast majority of our Nation’s population probably share. The pilot’s letter encapsulates all that is fair and just about national pride and protection of one’s national culture. I fear it may be too late here in UK but we too want our country back in the form that attracted all these different cultures to come here in the first place!! In all our conversations with a wide range of friends and acquaintances we have not met one that disagrees with our own views. If only we all had the courage of our convictions to pass this on – it is a statement that should be accepted as the heart-felt feelings of someone with honest commendable national pride. 

 TOO GOOD TO JUST READ AND DELETE -- LET'S SATURATE  NEW ZEALAND ,  AUSTRALIA ,  UK , EUROPE,  USA ,  CANADA  AND THE REST OF THE “FREE”  WORLD WITH THIS ONE!

The best of AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 -"The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration"

 

535,000 attendees - 10,000 airplanes. See it 1080 HD!:

This is a fantastic Air Show

The most inspirational, and unofficial, NASA advertisement that you'll see today. With readings from Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot".

VIDEO LINK

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The British soldier Please remember them.

Technorati Tags: The British soldier

They are doing their bit.....please do yours by reading this and forwarding the link to someone else:

The average British soldier is 19 years old.....he is a short haired, well built lad who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy.  Not yet dry behind the ears and just old enough to buy a round of drinks but old enough to die for his country - and for you.  He's not particularly keen on hard work but he'd rather be grafting in Afghanistan than unemployed in the UK.  He recently left comprehensive school where he was probably an average student, played some form of sport, drove a ten year old rust bucket, and knew a girl that either broke up with him when he left, or swore to be waiting when he returns home.  He moves easily to rock and roll or hip-hop or to the rattle of a 7.62mm machine gun.

He is about a stone lighter than when he left home because he is working or fighting from dawn to dusk and well beyond.  He has trouble spelling, so letter writing is a pain for him, but he can strip a rifle in 25 seconds and reassemble it in the dark.  He can recite every detail of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either effectively if he has to. He digs trenches and toilets without the aid of machines and can apply first aid like a professional paramedic.  He can march until he is told to stop, or stay dead still until he is told to move.

 

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation but he is not without a rebellious spirit or a sense of personal dignity.  He is confidently self-sufficient.  He has two sets of uniform with him: he washes one and wears the other.  He keeps his water bottle full and his feet dry.  He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never forgets to clean his rifle.  He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes and fix his own hurts.  If you are thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food is your food.  He'll even share his life-saving ammunition with you in the heat of a firefight if you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and regards his weapon as an extension of his own hands.  He can save your life or he can take it, because that is his job - it's what a soldier does.  He often works twice as long and hard as a civilian, draw half the pay and have nowhere to spend it, and can still find black ironic humour in it all.  There's an old saying in the British Army: 'If you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined!'

 

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and he is unashamed to show it or admit it. He feels every bugle note of the 'Last Post' or 'Sunset' vibrate through his body while standing rigidly to attention.  He's not afraid to 'Bollock' anyone who shows disrespect when the Regimental Colours are on display or the National Anthem is played; yet in an odd twist, he would defend anyone's right to be an individual.  Just as with generations of young people before him, he is paying the price for our freedom.  Clean shaven and baby faced he may be, but be prepared to defend yourself if you treat him like a kid. 

He is the latest in a long thin line of British Fighting Men that have kept this country free for hundreds of years.  He asks for nothing from us except our respect, friendship and understanding.  We may not like what he does, but sometimes he doesn't like it either - he just has it to do..  Remember him always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.  
And now we even have brave young women putting themselves in harm's way, doing their part in this tradition of going to war when our nation's politicians call on us to do so.

When you read this, please stop for a moment and if you are so inclined, feel free to say a prayer for our troops in the trouble spots of the world.

DONT PANIC

DONT PANIC
This is a great fave to start 2011. There will soon be seven billion people on the planet. National Geographic explains why you shouldn't panic:

Singing soldiers' anger as BBC snubs their charity hit.

Singing soldiers' anger as BBC snubs their charity hit

 

 

The above link will take you to a Story in the mail on Sunday. The article itself is disturbing if true but the following comment from one of the readers is worth its weight and I urge you to follow his recommendation and I have linked to it for your convenience.

Nothing new there then!!! They banned "Soldier" sung by Harvey Andrews

del.icio.us Tags: soldier, harvey andrews

back in 1972. Even now when you listen to it,it still is quite raw.Google it.

- Brian Clare, Gloucester UK, 15/11/2009 09:54

A Few Good Sayings....

1. A day without sunshine is night.
2. On the other hand... you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13.  ...OK, so what's the speed of dark?

14. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

15. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
16. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
17. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
20. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice? Do you die?
21 Why do psychics have to ask you your name?
22. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the h**l happened?'
23. Just remember: if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
24. Light travels faster than sound.  That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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Written by a 15 yr. old school kid in Ohio

Written by a 15 yr. old school kid in Ohio

(who must remain anonymous)

a new Pledge of Allegiance.

Since the Pledge of Allegiance & The Lords Prayer

are not allowed in schools anymore

because the word 'God' is mentioned,

this pupil has written the following...

(Totally awsome!)

My personal school prayer:

Now I sit me down in school
where praying is against the rule.
For this great nation under God
finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
it violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
it becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise,
prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice,

for praying in a public hall
might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
and pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
At last they've outlawed guns,

but FIRST it was the Bible...
quoting the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
and the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
But it's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
we're now taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles,
but the Ten Commandments are not allowed!
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
when chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot or stabbed to death;

my soul please take with my last breath!

Amen.

*

If you aren't ashamed to do so,
please copy and pass this on.

AN OBITUARY PRINTED IN THE LONDON TIMES.

AN OBITUARY PRINTED IN THE LONDON TIMES.

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, 'Common Sense', who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement .

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust. His wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on.

The Tory who told Brown to his face that he's a disaster

THIS Man is a TRUE Politician. Our Countryneeds more (lots more) like him

A Tory who criticised Gordon Brown to his face in a brutal personal attack has won an army of fans worldwide.

A video of MEP Daniel Hannan delivering a withering assessment of the Prime Minister's handling of the economic crisis has become a surprise hit on the internet.

More than 730,000 users have viewed it on YouTube, making it the most popular clip on the site two days in a row.

Mr Hannan's assault came after the Premier had given a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

As Mr Brown looked on through gritted teeth, shaking his head, the Tory lambasted him as a 'Brezhnev era apparatchik' who was ' pathologically incapable' of taking responsibility for his role in the financial crisis.

Insurance victory for gran who besieged head office

What  a GREAT Girl

When Dorothy Green needed to contact her insurance company, she encountered the sort of frustration familiar to millions.

One-gran demo: Mrs Green with her placardDozens of phonecallsfollowed over several days, during which she was kept on hold for a total of three hours, but got nowhere.

When others might have given up in despair, this 79-year-old grandmother refused to surrender to faceless bureaucracy.

The retired primary school teacher, who has just lost her husband to cancer, wanted to know why the £56,400 value of her life insurance policy had been halved.

Despite being 'very frightened', she travelled 130 miles in the snow from her home in Peterborough to the York office of Norwich Union chief executive Mark Hodges.

Staff refused to let her speak to the boss but, undaunted, Mrs Green returned three days later, only to be arrested after police were called.

Mrs Green spent several hours in a cell, but the next day she pressed on with her battle. After again being told Mr Hodges would not see her, she reported him to police - as a missing person.

In the end, bosses at the insurance giant decided they could ignore her no longer and promised to honour their original settlement. Mrs Green said they told her it was a 'misunderstanding'.

Her story has echoes of the 1989 film Roger and Me in which maverick director Michael Moore relentlessly pursues General Motors boss Roger Smith who closed the plant in his hometown.

Mrs Green was sold a life insurance plan in 1994, guaranteeing a payout of £56,400 when she died.

But over the past six years, Norwich Union has reduced this to £26,000, she said. A letter last month saying the new sum would be introduced unless her premiums soared left her 'shaking' with anger.

After drawing a blank with her phone calls, Mrs Green made her first visit by train to York on January 30, spending several hours in the offices.

She said staff initially claimed Mr Hodges was on holiday for a month and later that he was 'in a meeting'. Distressed, she returned home, only to return three days later. This time, the reception desk called the police.

'I was taken away in a car in a police cage,' said the pensioner. 'They didn't treat me badly, I just talked to a doctor to see if I was loopy. They decided I wasn't.'

She was released without charge and stayed the night in a hotel. 'The next day I went back to the offices one last time to ask if I could see Mr Hodges, but I never did.'

During this final visit, she posed outside the office with a placard around her neck reading 'Dorothy Jean Green' in a desperate attempt to attract attention.

Tragically, the day after her return home her husband Paul died.

However, Mrs Green now has the peace of mind of knowing the full amount of her policy will go to her four grandchildren on her death.

'But it has taken nearly six years of worrying, two-and-a-half days in York, six hours on the telephone and sitting in a police cage,' she said.

'I just wanted to ask Mr Hodges why they kept asking for more money and trying to reduce the payout. It's not really about the money. I think something should be done to make things fairer. I have asked Norwich Union to come to my husband's funeral as a goodwill gesture.'

A spokesman for the insurer said: 'A director has spoken directly with Mrs Green and resolved her complaint.'

Is Peace Out Of Reach?

Has peace in the Middle East become nothing more than a pipe dream? As Bob Simon reports, a growing number of Israelis and Palestinians feel that a two-state solution is no longer possible. 

I agree with him. Its a pity that BOTH sides started acting like Humans

So Proud to be ENGLISH

From The Queen's Royal Lancers Website:




Goodbye to my England , So long my old friend
Your days are numbered, being brought to an end
To be Scottish, Irish or Welsh that's fine
But don't say you're English, that's way out of line.


The French and the Germans may call themselves such
So may Norwegians, the Swedes and the Dutch
You can say you are Russian or maybe a Dane
But don't say you're English ever again.


At Broadcasting House the word is taboo
In Brussels it's scrapped, in Parliament too
Even schools are affected, staff do as they're told
They must not teach children about England of old.


Writers like Shakespeare, Milton and Shaw
The pupils don't learn about them anymore
How about Agincourt, Hastings , Arnhem or Mons ?
When England lost hosts of her very brave sons.


We are not Europeans, how can we be?
Europe is miles away over the sea
We're the English from England , let's all be proud
Stand up and be counted - Shout it out loud !




Let's tell our Government and Brussels too
We're proud of our heritage and the Red, White and Blue
Fly the flag of Saint George or the Union Jack
Let the world know - WE WANT OUR ENGLAND BACK !!!!

Premium bonds reveal 600,000 fewer winners

For all those people with Premium Bonds I suggest you read this article. I was wondering why I had stopped getting even the odd £50 LOOKS LIKE YET ANOTHER SCAM BY THIS LAME GOVERNMENT.

Premium bonds reveal 600,000 fewer winners

• Stephen Bates
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 January 2009 01.25 GMT

The chance of winning prize money with premium bonds has plummeted in the last year, following cuts in the Bank of England's base rate, figures revealed last night.

The prize fund has been halved from £114m a year ago to £57m for the 20 million people who own the tax-free, but non-interest paying bonds, and over the past year the total number of winners has dropped 600,000 to 1.1million. The amount in the prizefund is based on the equivalent of a month's interest on the value of the bonds invested, and the Bank's base rate has been cut three times, from 5% to 2%, since the start of October. Monthly prizes range from £50 to £1m. Starkly, whereas last January 531 people won prizes of more than £1,000, last month only 26 did. A year ago 29 people won £50,000 prizes and 14 won £100,000, but this month there will be only one award for each amount, as well as two £1m prizes. Those with £1,000 in bonds this time last year had a 43% chance of winning, now reduced to 28%.

Angela Mason, spokeswoman for National Savings and Investments which runs the scheme, said: "The rate of return on premium bonds, as with other savings products, is influenced by economic circumstances. Given the historically low levels base rate has now reached, we are looking closely at all the options available to us so that we can make the right decision for all premium bond holders.

"People invest in premium bonds for different reasons. This may be for the chance and excitement of winning large prizes, or many regular tax free prizes or because premium bonds are simple to manage and can offer easy access to their investment."

• © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

A CHRISTMAS POEM TO REMEMBER

 The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
 I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. 
 My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
 My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
 Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
 Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

 The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
 Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. 
 My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
 Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
 In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
 So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

 The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
 But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. 
 Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
 sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
 My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
 And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

 Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
 A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. 
 A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
 Just a young man, huddled here in the cold.
 Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
 Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

 'What are you doing?' I asked without fear,
 'Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! 
 Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
 You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!'
 For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
 Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

 To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
 Then he sighed and he said 'Its really all right, 
 I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.'
 'It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
 That separates you from the darkest of times.

 No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
 I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. 
 My Gramps died in France on a day in December,'
 Then he sighed, 'That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.'
 My dad stood his watch in the Korean cold,
 And now it is my turn to try and be as bold.

 I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
 But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. 
 Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
 The red and white flag... the Union flag.
 I can live through the cold and the being alone,
 Away from my family, my house and my home.

 I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
 I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. 
 I can carry the weight of killing another,
 Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
 Who stand at the front against any and all,
 To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.'

 'So go back inside,' he said, 'harbor no fright,
 Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.'
 'But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
 'Give you money,' I asked, 'or prepare you a feast?
 It seems all too little for all that you've done, 
 For being away from your wife and your son.'

 Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
 'Just tell us you love us, and never forget. 
 To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
 To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
 For when we come home, either standing or dead,
 To know you remember we fought and we bled.
 Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, 
 That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.'

 PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many  people as you can?

 Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.

Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.

Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

 

 

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!

Sheriff JoeGotta love this guy............He has my vote

You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb.  Well.........

 

SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!

 

Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!

 

Maricopa County was spending approx.  $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs.  Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

 

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. 
They feed and care for the strays.  Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily.  He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior.  They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal.  He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

 

The best part?  His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million.  Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago.  He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. 
Cost us $78.

 

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. 
Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc.  He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

 

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas.  He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

 

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer.  It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later.  We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

 

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again.  He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens.  Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border.  He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

 

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO

 HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF

 AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

 

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City Jail':
He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

 

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails.  Took away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.

 

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

 

Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination.

 

He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel.

 

When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs.

 

He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value.

 

When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The Ritz/ Carlton......If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.' More On The Arizona Sheriff:

 

With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports:
About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts.

 

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached
138 Degrees Inside The Week Before.

 

Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS.

 

'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year.  'It's Inhumane.' Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic.  He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Mouths!' 

Way To Go, Sheriff!

 

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders.  Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

 

If you agree, pass this on.  If not, you must have been aquainted withe the Sherrif

UK's biggest ever property competition

Great Ormond StreetHospital Children's Charity has teamed up with London
property developers MIA Developments Ltd to launch WinALondonPad - the biggest free prize
draw in the UK.
The competition is aiming to raise enough money to fund the construction of

a purpose built four bed ward in the Cardiac Daycare unit.

Great Ormond Street Hospital has established one of the largest paediatric heart-lung

transplant centres in the world, and was the first centre in the world to
replace pulmonary heart valves without open heart surgery.

However, the world class cardiac and respiratory team have

to work in some of the most difficult and cramped facilities in the hospital.

A strategic priority for the hospital is the creation of a new Heart and Lung
Centre for children, on which the four bed ward will be located.

The new ward will be used by children who are admitted to have essential
same-day heart procedures or investigations. They will be using the beds prior
to their procedures as well as during their recovery period immediately after.

Every year Great Ormond Street receives more than 150,000 patient

visits from the youngest, most vulnerable and seriously ill children in the UK and overseas
- over 40 per cent are under three years old and over 60 per cent require
intensive care or have high-dependency needs.
Tickets for the competition - backed by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's
Charity - will go on sale on Wednesday October 29^th this year with MIA Developments aiming to donate
£600,000 to the world famous charity to re-develop the hospital's cardiac ward.
The face of the campaign, one of Britain's most popular celebrities,
will be announced when the competition launches.
Visit www.winalondonpad.com to
enter.
When entrants purchase a 4GB MP4 player for £60 complete with full warranty,

they receive free entry into the prize draw. Entrants have a one in 200,000
chance of winning - and never having to work again.
Limited to 200,000 tickets available at www.winalondonpad.com,
the winner will scoop an entire development consisting of eleven luxury serviced
apartments worth in excess of £8 million.

York House on Myrdle Street
in E1, London
is a block of 11 service apartments that is undergoing refurbishment works. It
contains two one-bed apartments and nine two-bed apartments, all with Italian
design kitchens with stone worktops, hard wood floors, remote control lighting,
jacuzzi baths and en-suite to master bedrooms and steam rooms.

York House is situated close to the Square mile and is conveniently placed

for getting around London. The
development is a short walk from Aldgate and Aldgate East stations while the
Docklands Light Railway at nearby Tower Gateway provides easy access to Canary Wharf,
The Docklands and City
Airport.

Nearby Aldgate East and Tower Hill tube stations put you minutes away from

dozens of London's favorite destinations: Houses
of Parliament, Buckingham
Palace, The London Eye,
Tate Modern, Oxford Street,
King's Road, Regent's Park, and Madame Tussauds.

The Thames side Queen's Walk, the Tower

of London, Tower Bridge
and the shops and marina at St Katharine Docks are also close by.

The total rental that can be achieved on the block will be in excess of

£500,000 a year.

The winner will be given full financial advice on how to manage the property or
you could sell it.

Thnks to The Move Channel for this info.

One of the good stories

One of the good
stories

This needs to make
headline news...not some of the other junk that makes the news these days!!!

It's a tough, but
heart-warming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt in
Iraq


John
Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was
executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot
her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's
hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said
John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last
four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is
coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and
represents what the Western world is trying to do.

This,
my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD! Go for it!!

You'll never see
things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if
you don't, but the public needs to see pictures like this and needs to
realize that we're making a difference. Even if it is just one little girl at a time.

We
cannot direct the wind but we can adjust our
sails...

The £99 laptop: how can it be so cheap?

A new budget computer aimed at schoolchildren is about to be launched. Our correspondent tries it out

Read the article from the Sunday Times HERE

and see the specs HERE

Looks like the One could be a rebadge of a Fontastic A-View ultra-cheap Chinese "simple PC".

Parent Trap

A new web warning for families. More and more parents are getting burned when their kids spill family secrets online.

Sixteen
year old Shannon knows the drill: Anything she posts on social
networking sites can come back to haunt her when she applies for
college or a job.

Now, there's a new twist to the warning.

"I had no idea that things I post on the internet could come back to hurt my family, not just me," Shannon admits.

Many families are getting hurt according to internet safety expert Parry Aftab.

"I've
represented a lot of parents who've come to me when they have been
fired, they've been demoted, or they've been called on the carpet
because of what their kids posted online," Attab said.

Aftab says many teens still don't get it, that their posts on networking and blogging sites aren't private.

"I
always warn kids never to post anything that parents, principal,
predators can't see. Now, I have to warn them not to post anything that
their parents' boss or anybody in their neighborhood shouldn't be
seeing either," Attab said.

Sgt. Corey MacDonald agrees. He
tours the country speaking about internet safety, and says police and
employers are watching. They look for, and find, all kinds of dirt.

"Whether we're talking about dad's work secrets or problems between mom and dad with their relationship," Sgt. MacDonald said.

We asked him to show us just how easy it is to find incriminating posts. It didn't take long.

"Not
only do I have to live with my nagging mom, my dad does drugs. This
person, Tara, says her parents are lazy alcoholics," reads Sgt.
MacDonald.

He says it's not hard for police, or employers, to uncover the identity of teens from the details in their profiles.

"All
they have to do is narrow down who this person is that's posting this.
And then, it's relatively easy to search their name on one of the
online search sites and find out who their family is," Sgt. MacDonald
explains.

They're also getting a lot of anonymous tips. Some
posts are leading to arrests like the case of a boy who boasted online
about his mother buying a keg for his underage friends!

"This is a much bigger problem than people are aware of," Aftab points out.

Aftab says even innocent-sounding news can do damage.

"They
may be talking about how their father is losing a job, and perhaps a
neighbor who's the mortgage broker for the father isn't aware that the
father's job is in jeopardy," Attab said.

Experts say it's
critical for parents to talk to their teens about the repercussions of
revealing family business, and make sure they turn on all privacy
settings. Shannon does that, and is careful.

"I use social networking sites to connect with my friends. I leave my family life at home," Shannon says.

A good thing, says mom Margaret who checks Shannon's posts from time to time.

"It's
important to know what they're doing and to be able to help them if
they get into trouble. And to keep them safe and, apparently, now we
have to have them keep us safe as well," Margaret says.

More
than 12 million kids ages 12 to 17 used social networking sites in
August. That's up 15% from the same period last year. Many admit that
have online friends that they've never met. Those friends could, in
fact, be police officers or even their parents' employers!

A
note about privacy settings: Even if your kids turn their's on when
they send messages and pictures to friends, they have no control over
whether those friends keep their page private. So the images and info
may still get out there.

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