Obama Wins – Good or Bad?

OK there is a lot of controversey over this presidential election. Over this “Historical” presidential election.

Is Obama the right choice? Well according to the people he is. Weather that is good or bad is left to be determined.

I came across an article on another forum that I thought just sums up the whole thing. I aksed permission to repost their article here.

Originally written by Lizzie Day on the Deviantart web site lovely-demented.deviantart.com

****Original Post****

The election of Senator Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States of America has rightfully been hailed as history in the making. I couldn’t agree more, but that’s not what I want to talk about tonight. I want to remind my countrymen, countrywomen, countrydogs, countrycats, etc. of something I believe is being forgotten in the wake of last night’s election: unity. Ironic, right? Everyone speaks of the unification Obama brings to the government due to his ethnicity, and then those same people condemn, ridicule, and dismiss John McCain like he’s a plague upon the Earth. How are we unified when people are still split into Blue vs. Red, Republican vs. Democrat, Liberal vs. Conservative? Did anyone even listen to Obama’s speeches in which he calls us Americans, not Blue States and Red States? Did you hear him last night when he said repeatedly, “Yes, we can”? Notice the “we” part? He didn’t say, “Yes, we Blue States can.” We are one country split into fifty unified states. We are a team separated into offense and defense, or infield and outfield, but we are still one team (I hate sports metaphors, but they’re uncannily appropriate in so many situations). In this country, it is our right, our privilege to have differing beliefs, but once we choose our leadership we need to quit bickering and put our support behind the governing administration because if he or she fails, we all fail. You know the words: United We Stand, Divided We Fall. Remember those words, America, because they will never be untrue.

I will tell you all right now I voted for Barack Obama. I have voted Democrat in every local, state, and federal election since I was eligible to vote in 1995 (with the exception of an unopposed municipal judge election in 2004 that I wrote in Bob Vila rather than vote Republican. I know, not very unified of me, but I’ve matured since then). I tell you this because what I want to say next may cause some people to believe I voted differently and I want you to be certain that how I voted has no bearing on the validity of the following message. The point I want to make in this paragraph is about John McCain. He is a patriot, an ex-soldier, an elder statesman, and a good man. No, I don’t know him personally, but I did see his concession speech last night, which I consider to be one of the most gracious concessions in recorded history. When McCain’s crowd of supporters began booing Obama’s name as he spoke it, John McCain didn’t laugh or smile, he gave his people a stern look of disapproval and motioned for them to stop. He could easily have booed along with them like I’ve seen other politicians do over the years, but he didn’t. He showed respect, support, and loyalty toward his newly elected President. A coward mocks his political opponent, but a patriot accepts and supports him; this is John McCain. Today, I have heard people call McCain evil, stupid, or un-American simply because he lost an election or for having a different strategy for healing our country. Do not believe that because he had an alternate idea of how to run our country, he is wrong; there is always more than one way to do something. Less appealing, perhaps, but not wrong.

I’d like to say a little bit about beliefs. We all believe in something. Most tend to protect their beliefs with extreme vigilance. In nearly all cases, we fight for our beliefs to the point of becoming oppressive to people who are in direct opposition with those beliefs. We have this idea, like in Highlander, that there can be only one. But, this is America! We can all believe in whatever we want! It’s a land which allows its citizens to have differing beliefs. It’s a land founded by people who had differing beliefs from their mother countries. America is the Melting Pot of the world and not only because of the varying origins of its citizens, but also because of the mixture of so many different beliefs. Are we all so arrogant to think that our individual beliefs are the only ones with validity? I have the honor of being from a family that is of two opposite sides of the coin. My father’s side are Conservative Republican Christians, my mother’s side are Liberal Democratic Agnostics. I grew up with differing beliefs and I know what it feels like to be pulled in two directions by people I love, which is probably the exact reason I fight so passionately for unity.

I remind you, please do not see in terms of Blue State or Red State, black or white, Liberal or Conservative, male or female, gay or straight, old or young, rich or poor, rock or country, digital or traditional, married or single, Atheist or faithful, North or South, caffeinated or decaf, abridged or unabridged, VHS or DVD, tall or short, obese or skinny, Blu-Ray or HD, Linux or Windows or Mac, pro-choice or pro-life, blonde or brunette, Star Wars or Star Trek. You have choice because you have freedom. Protect them.

Some things to remember as our country fights to fulfill its’ promises:

• Stand together
• Use your voice, but use it wisely and responsibly
• Understand your opponent and make him/her your ally
• Take the initiative to change your surroundings for the benefit of all
• Open your mind and your heart will follow
• Respect all beliefs because you aren’t the only person who has them.

*********************

Thanks for reading!

Yes They Did!

Father Forgive Them by houstonaxl on deviantART

Careful What You Wish For

Be careful of what you wish for. The Philippines is a good example.

PAYBACK
Adios, Amigos

Do you remember when Puerto Rico was raising hell about the U. S. Navy using that nothing little island just off the coast of Puerto Rico for bombing practices, which they had used for the past 75 years?

Demonstrations were held; Hollywood left wingers, Al Sharpton and his fellow demagogues went down there to demonstrate to get the Navy out..

I am sure it infuriated you just as it did me at the time. Well, here is our revenge. Always be careful what you ask for, you just may get it!

One of the many headaches that the U. S. Has had was the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in the waning years of the Clinton Administration; protesters demanded that the U. S. Navy abandon bombing and naval gunfire exercises that had taken place on the largely uninhabited island for nearly 70 years.

In 2002, the bombing exercises were transferred to an Air Force bombing range in central Florida not far from Jacksonville and Pensacola Naval Air Stations. In January, many of the protesters were back in Puerto Rico, celebrating the final bombing exercise on Vieques and waved Puerto Rican flags and placards that read “U. S. Navy, get out of Puerto Rico.”

The following February, Rumsfeld announced that the US. Navy would close the Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico in 2004, eliminating 1,200 civilian jobs as well as 700 military positions. This naval facility is estimated to have put nearly $300 million annually into the local economy.

The next day, a stunned Governor Sila Calderon held a news conference in San Juan protesting the base closure as a serious blow to the Commonwealth’s fragile economy. The governor stated that “the people of Puerto Rico don’t now or never did have an interest in closing the Vieques bombing range or the Roosevelt Roads naval base. We are interested in both staying in Puerto
Rico “

When asked, the Commander-in-Chief, Western Atlantic Command, said, “Without Vieques, I see no further need for the facility at Roosevelt Roads. None.”

So, Yankee go home? Fine. But we’ll take our dollars with us. Hasta la Vista, baby!

On February 21, the Secretary of Defense also announced that starting this year, the U.S. European Command would begin moving most, if not all, 20 of its active combat and support units from bases in Germany to others being established in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey to “better position them for rapid deployment to likely hot spots in those parts of the
World.”

Immediately the business and government leaders in the German states of Hesse, Rhineland and Wurttemburg protested the loss ofnearly $6 billion in US revenue each year from the bases and manpower to be displaced. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry speculated that the move may be “what the Americans call ‘payback’ for the actions of this government in opposing military action in Iraq.”

“Does anyone know the German translation for: “Hasta la vista, Baby?” I Think “Aufwiedersehen” is a good translation.

Oh, isn’t it nice to see a government with guts and a good memory???

Also, here are some statistics and conclusions about a different subject.

If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq Theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, when this was written, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D. C. Is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. (…and that was while handguns were outlawed!!)

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the US Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation than you are in Iraq.

PASS THIS ON ‘cuz you can be sure that CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS won’t!

Conclusion: Just maybe the U.S. Should pull out of Washington , D.C. !!!!

REPENT!

AMERICANS, IN EVER STATE OF OURS:

The Bible plainly tells God’s people, if they will repent and return to Him, He will forgive their sins and heal their land – their country. Read Nehemiah 9:1-9.
Since we have stood (or sat) by and watched our God-given freedoms reduced to nothing, and have turned so far from Him and have allowed others to take Him our of so many places, in so many areas, it’s plain to see that WE are guilty of sinning against Him, and, we MUST ALL repent – asking His forgiveness and to heal our Nation, promising Him that WE will do everything in our power to restore Him as our Leader – our God!

Obama ‘Explains’

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008, ‘LTG Bill Ginn’ USAF ret. Forwarded the following:

Hot on the heels of his explanation for why he no longer wears a flag pin,  Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama was forced to explain why he doesn’t follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.

According to the United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171, “During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.“

“As I’ve said about the flag pin, I don’t want to be perceived as taking sides,” Obama said. “There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.’ If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this could possibly be our next president!!

I, for once, am speechless.  He has absolutely NO pride in this country!!!!!
This is outrageous!!!!  He doesn’t deserve to be dogcatcher!!!
(Oh, sorry dogcatchers, I mean you no disrespect.)

LET’S SEND THIS CLOWN DOWN THE ROAD KICKING ROCKS!!!! Or better yet, over to a country that he can ‘be proud of’!

******UPDATE******

OK I have never been one to be closed minded. So, shortly after posting this I had a comment saying it was not Obama’s stance on the subject. I looked it up…..which i should have done first I guess!

On Snopes.Com they explain this was an eMail circling around the internet for a while. It is actually part Satire and partially taken out of context.

Source for update – http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.asp

RED Fridays

This was forwarded to me in an eMail and I figured this was the best way to spread the word.

——Forwarded Message——

Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I’m not alone. I’m not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear of reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said ‘hi.’ The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.

The young soldier, who didn’t look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter’s name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mom was finished explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, ‘I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.’ He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying ‘your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.’

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom.

I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.  As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own.

That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.

At the end of the day, it’s good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS: Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the ’silent majority’. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. . We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans , like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops!!

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that…

Every red-blooded American that supports our service men and women will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV — let’s make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If everyone of us, who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once ’silent’ majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked ‘ What can we do to make things better for you?’ is…We need your support and your prayers.

Let’s get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE — THEN COPY THIS AND SEND IT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

IF YOU COULD CARE LESS JUST MOVE ON — IT IS YOUR CHOICE.

THEY HAVE PAID FOR & GIVEN THAT CHOICE TO YOU!

As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support ‘Red Fridays.’

Post Turtle

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75 year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our President. The old rancher said, ‘Well, ya know, Obama is a ‘post turtle’. Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was. The old rancher said, ‘When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a ‘post turtle’. The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. ‘You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, he doesn’t know what to do while he is up there, and you just wonder what kind of a dumb ass put him up there to begin with.’

Obama makes a SHOWING

Here is a Letter I recieved via eMail and wanted to pass it along to all of you!

———Forwarded Message———

Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to ‘The War Zone’. I wanted to share with you what happened.

He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn’t say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

So really he was just here to make a showing for the American’s back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheer leaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

———————————–

To borrow a phrase from the immortal Earl Pitts ‘WAKE UP UMERIKA!’

9/11 – Fly You Flag Program

On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this seventh anniversary of one our country’s worst tragedies. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn’t take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds

Action Plan:
So, here’s what we need you to do …

1. Forward this in an email to everyone you know or share this link with at least 11 people. Please don’t be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.
2. Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don’t, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America!

The Lord’s Prayer

Just a reminder, I feel that America need to remember this!

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9b-13 KJV