Gerald Ford Presidential Museum

My thanks to Mike and Rivka for the great guest blogging while I was gone. I want to weigh in on numerous issues this week but I'll start off with something I did while on my trip.

I always go and visit family in Michigan every summer. While I was there this time, my Mom and my 2 youngest kids and I went to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. Ford wasn't one of my favorite presidents, but my goal is to make it to all of the presidential museums. So, Ford's was a lot easier than Clinton's will be, and I'm not sure I will even be able to bring myself to go to Carter's.

What I liked about the Museum:

--It was a very nice museum overall
--They had a really nice set-up covering Ford's funeral. They had recordings of the speeches at his funeral and you could hear each of them by pushing different buttons. I was able to hear Cheney, Bush and Rumsfeld's comments.
--A re-creation of what the Oval Office looked like during Ford's term
--They had a temporary exhibit of Caroline Kennedy's Doll Collection which was fascinating.

Interesting Facts that I learned:

--Ford was on the Warren Commission and he wrote a book on it
--Ford's vast experience
--That Rockefeller was his initial VP but because he was such a liberal Republican Ford dumped him for Bob Dole when he ran for President because of the challenge by the conservative Ronald Reagan

Some of my Thoughts:

--I always have to buy fun stuff at the Presidential Museum gift shops. I bought the book to the left by Betty Ford. Although, I didn't choose to get the autographed copy which was $50.
--While Ford and Dole are 2 of the most patriotic and experienced men to be on a ticket, I can't think of 2 more boring men. Is there any wonder why they lost? The best thing they did was deliver us Jimmy Carter who in turn gave us Ronald Reagan.

I'm Out of Here!

I'm going on vacation! Be nice to my guest bloggers, Rivka and Mike while I'm gone!

Optimism, Anger and Protesting in Iran!

Patrick asked, Who are the Protesters in Iran?

He then linked to Laura Secor's column over at The New Yorker entitled, Optimism and Anger in Tehran. Secor was able to contact a friend in Tehran and here is some of what she found out:

She was one of the millions in Azadi Square on Monday. The energy, she told me, was indescribable. You could not feel afraid; the sense of common purpose was too powerful, and it had left her with a profound and nearly serene certainty that this movement would succeed.

Later on her friend said this:

The worst they can do is execute me. I have prepared myself for that. If I am worried, it is not for myself. It’s for the Iranian people, for young people, today’s generation and future generations. My freedom and my life, and those of one or two people like me, don’t matter.”)

Gateway Pundit has done an excellent post on Iranian Hero Kianoosh Sanjari. Sanjari had this to say,

"The people of Iran will not forgive Obama for siding with the Regime."

And Mike says, U.S. May Have to Apologize for Obama as He Picks Wrong Side in Iran. Mike mentions that when it comes to foreign policy Obama is already starting to look worse than even Jimmy Carter. It is amazing the scary similarities that I was seeing between the 2 men way back when Obama started running for president.

The people of Iran need to know the U.S. supports them in their desire for freedom, but with Obama they are out of luck!!

65th Anniversary of D-Day!

You can't remember D-Day without Ronald Reagan! An excerpt from "The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc" speech on the beach of Normandy on the 40th Anniversary:

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought -- or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

Something else helped the men of D-day: their rockhard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we're about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''

These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.

Later in the day, Reagan made another D-Day speech where he concluded with these moving words:

It is enough for us to say about Private Zanatta and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him four decades ago: We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Mike remembers in 2 posts...

President Regan's Tribute at the U.S. Cemetery Above Omaha Beach

and
Reagan's D-Day Speech "The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc".

A Review of "The True Story of Black Hawk Down!"

"Winston Churchill said, 'We'll fight them in the air, we'll fight them in the water, we'll fight them on the beaches, we'll fight them from the cliffs. And we'll never, never surrender.'

Well, this episode sent the message that we'll fight them on the beaches, we'll fight them on the hills, but if they kill a few of our soldiers we'll give up and go away."--Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

During the Battle of Mogadishu, on October 3-4, 1993, 18 American soldiers were killed and 73 were wounded. Mark Bowden wrote a book about the battle entitled, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. The book was quickly turned into a movie by Jerry Bruckheimer and Ridley Scott and called, Black Hawk Down.

I own, and have seen the movie numerous times. Yet, it wasn't until this past week that I got a chance to watch the History Channel's, The True Story of Black Hawk Down. It was well done and showed that the movie had been, for the most part, accurate and it made me want to read Bowden's book even more.

It drove home how ruthless the Warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid was in using starvation as a weapon against his own people. President Bush Sr. sent in 20,000 Marines in December of 1992 that were literally able to end the famine. The problems started again when the Marines were replaced by the UN national force.

Finally, it became evident that Aidid needed to be taken care of, but it was taking awhile to get to him. On October 3rd, Task Force Ranger took place and consisted of:

...an assault force made up of US Army Delta Force, Ranger teams, an air element provided by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, four Navy SEAL operators from SEAL Team 6, and members of the Air Force Pararescue/Air Force Combat Controllers, executed an operation which involved traveling from their compound on the outskirts of the city to capture tier one personalities of the Habr Gidr clan, headed by Aidid.

Aidid had the whole city of Mogadishu ready for them. They were able to shoot down 2 of the Black Hawk helicopters and damaged 3 others. Aidid's soldiers also set up numerous blockades so that the American Soldiers were trapped, many of whom were wounded.

When "Nightstalker Pilot" Michael Durant was trapped in a downed helicopter, unable to walk, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart voluntarily went in to help. Gordon and Shughart literally fended off thousands of Somali's by themselves until they died. They were both posthumously awarded the medal of honor. After watching "The True Story" documentary, I re-watched the movie. When I saw Gordon and Shughart facing all of those Somali's to protect Durant, knowing they wouldn't make it, I got teary eyed. Especially, when I realized that their deaths were in vain because Clinton never allowed the other soldiers to finish the mission.

Mark Bowden said that he's often asked if any of the soldiers are bitter about being a part of the battle. He said they aren't bitter about having been a part of it but, "they're bitter about the fact that the day after this battle, their mission was called off."

Also, U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Dan Schilling had this to say about Clinton's unwillingness to finish the mission and actually go back in and get Aidid:

As the Commander-in-Chief, and leader of this country, which is always the same person, you absolutely have the the obligation to be as strong as the people you send out to die.

OUCH!!

In conclusion, one of Bowden's quotes:

One of the things that struck me working on the story of 'Blackhawk Down' was the tremendous courage and nobility of these young men. None of these young men who were trapped on the streets of Mogadishu, being shot at, wounded and killed had any part in the decision that put them there. They were there representing you and me as American citizens.

Memorial Day 2009--Thank-You!!

"People across this country are praying."

"We thank God that Liberty found such brave defenders."

"I want you to know that our nation appreciates your commitment and your sacrifice in the cause of peace and freedom."--President George W. Bush

"Let us not mourn for those who have died fighting but rather let us be glad that such heroes have lived."

Video Hat Tip: Wake Up America

The above video is one of the most moving Memorial Day tributes that I've seen.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."--John Stuart Mill

This video tribute is set to the song Amazing Grace sung by LeAnn Rimes.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."--Ronald Reagan

Taylor Hicks - Do I Make You Proud

I've posted this one before but it is so good I had to post it again. Our soldiers make me extremely proud to be an American and to live in a free country.

"Freedom is never free."


I've linked to this one and posted it numerous times because it makes me tear up every time I see it. I pray this would happen every time a U.S. soldier would come home.

May we never forget what our military men and women do for us. May we be patriots who show our love for our country and for our soldiers, not just on Memorial Day, but every day. U.S. soldiers sacrifice a lot for our freedoms and all they want is our thanks, love and appreciation. May they feel it in abundance today!!

I will declare right now my thanks, love and appreciation for all those who have served and are serving. THANK-YOU!!! I am and will always be a cheerleader for you.

Support the Troops!
Freedom Alliance
Protest Warrior
Families United
Soldiers' Angels
Adopt Our Troops
MIL Blogs
Wednesday Hero Blogroll

**This is a re-posting of my 2007 Memorial Day post. I liked it so much I thought it was worth re-posting, with the addition of the Thank-you video by Rebecca St. James and the quotes that go with it.

U.S. Journalist Roxana Saberi Finally Freed from Iranian Prison!

I talked on the radio show and my blog about Roxana's outrageous arrest, treatment and unlawful imprisonment in Iran. She had been on a hunger strike for 2 weeks to protest her arrest, but ended it when her parents expressed concern for her health. Yesterday, she was finally released. This Fox News article has the details, here is an excerpt:

An American journalist imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran for four months was freed Monday and reunited with her smiling, tearful parents — a move that clears a major obstacle to President Barack Obama's attempts at dialogue with the top U.S. adversary in the Middle East.

The United States had said the charges against Roxana Saberi, a 32-year-old dual Iranian-American citizen, were baseless and repeatedly demanded her release.

Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could also win some domestic political points a month before he faces a re-election challenge from reformers who seek to ease Iran's bitter rivalry with the United States.

Saberi's Iranian-born father, Reza Saberi, wiped away tears, then flashed a broad smile as he and his wife, Akiko, arrived at Tehran's Evin prison — notorious for holding political prisoners — to meet their daughter. Akiko Saberi, who is of Japanese origin, wore a flowered headscarf.

"I'm very happy that she is free. Roxana is in good condition," Reza Saberi said later at his family home in Tehran. "We had expected her release but not so soon. She will be preparing to leave (Iran) tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

The younger Saberi, who was taken out of Evin through a back door away from journalists, was not seen after her release. She was staying with her parents at a friend's home, apparently to avoid publicity before leaving Iran.

Her release came when an appeals court reduced her eight-year prison sentence on charges of spying for the U.S. to a two-year suspended sentence, said Iranian judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi. He said Saberi was free to leave Iran.

The court ordered the reduction as a gesture of "Islamic mercy" because she had cooperated with authorities and had expressed regret, he said.

Previously:
Free Roxana Saberi

Others blogging:
Gateway Pundit
Born Again Middle-Class Republican Bore

Allison & Adam on American Idol!

Its hard to top last year's American Idol with David Cook. Not only was David Cook the whole package, but he was from right here in Kansas City. And speaking of David Cook, sadly his brother Adam Cook lost his fight with cancer this past Saturday. My prayers and thoughts are with him and his family.

So, this season its been a little tougher to pick a favorite. My top 3 have been Adam, Allison and Danny. I started out leaning towards Adam but he's gotten a little strange as of late, so I've switched to Allison. I don't think she has much of a chance of winning but I'd at least like to see her make it to the top 3. Tonight is when we find out.

I'm hoping Kris gets sent home instead of her. No matter what, I think Allison has a great career ahead of her, especially for someone who is only 17. The above video is the duet that Adam and Allison did on last night's show that I thought was excellent. They have a great singing chemistry together.

2009 Clay County Republican Lincoln Days!

For my 3rd year in a row, I got to attend Clay County's Lincoln Days. It was a packed house, full of people proud to be Republicans. As I mentioned in my Silver Linings posts after Election Day, Republicans did very well in Clay County. It wasn't our fault that the rest of the nation didn't follow suit ;-).

KCMO 710's, Chris Stigall Mc'd the event again, for the 2nd year in a row. He always sets such a great, optimistic and fun tone to the night. There were numerous speakers, not the least of whom was Lt. Governor Peter Kinder who kicked off the evening. He along with several others mentioned and gave tribute to the tea parties that took place on April 15th.

State Rep. Bob Nance did a comedy bit and asked if anyone had any questions. Jason Klindt had one and did a play on the now infamous NYTimes reporter's question to Obama asking him what surprised, troubled, humbled and enchanted him about the office.

State Rep. Doug Ervin had to follow that act with his Philosophy of the Republican Party speech. He had been asked to give it again, because it was so good last year. I cannot tell you how many times I have directed people to this speech when they've wanted to leave the party because of the likes of John McCain or some other problem. I asked him to send me the text again because he made a few subtle changes. Here are the few things that he added to the text from last year:

--That government does not create jobs, people do.
--That government does not create prosperity, people do.

Our current economic circumstances are being used by those in Washington to change the nature of the relationship that each one of us has with government. The Europeanization of America is well underway under the new administration.

As Reagan reminds us:

The difference between the path toward greater freedom or bigger government is the difference between success and failure; between opportunity and coercion; between faith in a glorious future and fear of mediocrity and despair; between respecting people as adults, each with a spark of greatness, and treating them as helpless children to be forever dependent; between a drab, materialistic world where Big Brother rules by promises to special interest groups, and a world of adventure where everyday people set their sights on impossible dreams, distant stars, and the Kingdom of God. We have the true message of hope for America.

The passive advocacy of our philosophy due to inaction is an active endorsement of our opponent’s philosophy.

We must always remember. We must always be proud. We must always be prepared, so we may always be free.

State Rep. Jerry Nolte talked about how he had the privilege of being able to speak at the Jefferson City Tea Party. He also talked about how crucial it was to vote for Bonnie Sue Cooper in the Special Election for Western County Commissioner on May 19th.

State Rep. Tim Flook talked about personal responsibility and stepping outside yourself and doing what is right. He referenced what he learned from reading some books by St. Thomas More and by seeing the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.

State Senator LuAnn Ridgeway gave a great history lesson on how Clay county was completely run by Democrats not too long ago. When she first got elected as a State Rep. in 1992 the Dems said it was a flook and pretty soon, the Republicans actually recruited a Flook to run. During this last election, Missouri actually picked up Republican seats and so Jay Nixon has a major hammer on him in the general assembly.

She also talked about how her and Sam Graves were specifically targeted by the Democrat party and they not only won, but by big margins during the Obama tsunami.

U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt spoke and talked about how he and Sam Graves voted against the budget this past week along with all the Republicans and 17 Democrats. He talked about hate crimes and how alls it does is create different levels of victims and the first targets are always those in the pulpits. He brought up a column by Charles Krauthammer where he had said forget about Obama being from the U.S. or Kenya or Indonesia, he must be from Sweden because of the socialistic policies he wants to implement.

Blunt said that no government program has ever replaced a family. He mentioned a Lincoln quote from an 1860 speech:

Government should only do for people, what people can't do for themselves.

I had never heard Roy Blunt speak before and I have to say I was impressed, which is a good thing since he is going to be running for Kit Bond's Senate seat.

Sam Graves was the keynote speaker. He thanked his staff and Clay county for whipping Kay Barnes. She and the Democrat party spent $4 million and only got 37% of the vote. He reiterated that Clay County got it right on election day in voting for Republicans. He also talked about how Obama was whining about the deficit he inherited and yet he has now tripled it in his first 100 days.

Finally, Jeff Roe came up to the microphone and mentioned that the night had been teleprompter free :-). He presented Chris Stigall with the Clay County Republican of the Year Award. It was a neat moment, as you could tell that Stigall got a little choked up. So, all in all, a great night!

Previously:
2008 Clay County Republican Lincoln Days
2007 Lincoln Days

My Book Sale Treasures!

I went to a church book sale and found these great books. All their hardbacks were only $1, no matter what they were. The huge, older Kennedy book and the Churchill ones were especially worth more than that.

I went hunting for pictures of all of these on the internet. I should've just taken my own pictures and uploaded them, but these are all pretty close to accurate pictures. Except, mine are actually in better condition. I look forward to delving into all of these someday.