26 Nov
World War II veteran Stanley Letkiewicz befriends a homeless man and allows him to live under his roof. The vagrant repays the “good deed” by attempting to rob Mr. Letkiewicz of $100 and failing that, beats the 94-year-old to death. Find the news link here. As they say, “No good deed goes unpunished!”
SparkChaser4
26 Nov
After reading the article here at Military.com, I can understand the viewpoint of the Secret Service taking this as an honest threat. I mean they pretty much have to take all these “threats” seriously, don’t they?
But think about it for a minute. The guy is a vet, was in the Navy for four years, and was a former New York City police officer and a fire captain. And to top it all off, he is 78 years old! Hardly the age conducive to prowling the grounds of the White House wouldn’t you think? Might he just possibly have made the statement to the V.A. nurse in jest? Sick joke, or in bad taste it might be but, it still could be one, right?
And I’m sure after these first two years of the current Prez, this Veteran wasn’t the only one to have vocalized his thoughts on this Administration’s Leader, nor will he be the last. As for the guns, he was ex-military and a former New York City police officer. It would be odd for a man of his training and background not to own some guns, wouldn’t you think? As for the mental evaluation . . . good idea. Better than shooting the man down in the future. If he needs help, get it for him! Just my opinion.
SparkChaser4
14 Nov
From UPI.Com comes this article concerning a young man’s right to show an American Flag on his bicycle in Denair, California. Apparently it is upsetting to the school officials who told him to remove it! Here’s part of the article:
Student told to take U.S. flag off bike
DENAIR, Calif., Nov. 11 (UPI) — Officials in a California school district said a middle school student was told to take a U.S. flag off his bike to avoid “racial tension.”
Denair Unified School District Superintendent Edward Parraz said Cody Alicea, 13, was told not to fly the U.S. flag from his bike while at Denair Middle School after complaints from other students, KCRA-TV, Sacramento, Calif., reported.
“(The) First Amendment is important,” Parraz said. “We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsibility.”
Parraz said racial tensions boiled over at the school this year around the Cinco de Mayo holiday.
“Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they’ll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don’t really want,” Parraz said. “We want them to appreciate the cultures.”
Alicea’s parents said he flies the flag from his bike as a tribute to veterans in his family.
“He’s got that flag on his bike because he’s proud of where he comes from,” Alicea’s father, Robert Kisner, said.
Alicea folds up the flag and keeps it in his backpack while attend class, the TV station said.
Let me get this straight, a young boy wants to show his patriotism by displaying an American Flag on American soil, (California is still part of the United States isn’t it?) and he is censored for this? But it’s okay to fly another nation’s flag on our soil because of “Racial Tension”? Give me a break!!! Come on people, write or phone these so-called “officials” and remind them of their locale! Doesn’t the First Amendment protect young Cody’s right to display the American Flag also? The “official’s” contact information follows, and thanks to “American and Proud” for the list!
The number to the School District is 209-632-7514 or 209-632-2510, and here is contact info/email addresses for the Board:
Louisa Allen
lallen@dusd.k12.ca.usCarolyn Brown
cbrown@dusd.k12.ca.usKelley Day
kday@dusd.k12.ca.usTim Ellis
tellis@dusd.k12.ca.usRobert Hodges
rhodges@dusd.k12.ca.usRead more: http://chicksontheright.com/#ixzz156QTilKu
Here’s the original article located here.
SparkChaser4
11 Nov
I got this from Old NFO over at “Nobody Asked Me“. With today being Veteran’s Day, I thought I would repost it here for my fellow Veteran’s and Veteran Supporters to read. Thanks to Old NFO for this letter, and please be sure to thank a Veteran today, they’ve earned it.
A friend sent this to me today, reminding me of the upcoming Veterans Day. Everything in this is true, and goes a long way to explaining some of the wistfulness your significant other might exhibit driving past a military base…
Occasionally, I venture back out to the air base where I’m greeted by an imposing security guard who looks carefully at my identification card, hands it back and says, “Have a good day, tech sergeant.” Every time I go back onto Charleston Air Force Base it feels good to be called by my previous rank, but odd to be in civilian clothes, walking among the servicemen and servicewomen going about their duties as I once did, years ago.
The military, for all its flaws, is a comfort zone for anyone who has ever worn the uniform. It’s a place where you know the rules and know they are enforced; a place where everybody is busy but not too busy to take care of business. Because there exists behind the gates of every military facility an institutional understanding of respect, order, uniformity, accountability and dedication that becomes part of your marrow and never, ever leaves you.
Personally, I miss the fact that you always knew where you stood in the military, and who you were dealing with. That’s because you could read somebody’s uniform from 20 feet away and know the score. Service personnel wear their careers on their sleeves, so to speak. When you approach each other, you can read their name tag, examine their rank and, if they are in dress uniform, read their ribbons and know where they’ve served.
I miss all those little things you take for granted when you’re in the ranks, like breaking starch on a set of fatigues fresh from the laundry and standing in a perfectly straight line that looks like a mirror as it stretches to the endless horizon. I miss the sight of troops marching in the early morning mist, the sound of boot heels thumping in unison on the sidewalks, the bark of sergeants and the sing-song answers from the squads as they pass by in review.
To romanticize military service is to be far removed from its reality, because it’s very serious business, especially in times of war. But I miss the salutes I’d throw at officers and the crisp returns as we crisscrossed on the flight line. I miss the smell of jet fuel hanging heavily on the night air and the sound of engines roaring down runways and disappearing into the clouds. I even miss the hurry-up-and-wait mentality that enlisted men gripe about constantly, a masterful invention that bonded people more than they’ll ever know or admit.
I miss people taking off their hats when they enter a building, speaking directly and clearly to others and never showing disrespect for rank, race, religion or gender. Mostly I miss being a small cog in a machine so complex it constantly circumnavigates the Earth and so simple it feeds everyone on time, three times a day, on the ground, in the air or at sea. Mostly, I don’t know anyone who has served who regrets it, and doesn’t feel a sense of pride when they pass through those gates and re-enter the world they left behind with their youth.
Face it guys [and gals], we all miss it. Whether you had one tour or a career, it shaped your life.
And yes Old NFO, I do miss it very much! May He Bless us all.
SparkChaser4
11 Nov
In regards to our new Oregon Governor John Kibitzer Kitzhaber, Dad always told me that if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, then keep it to yourself. Enough said!
SparkChaser4
2 Nov
Even this old guy enjoyed this video by Jeremy Dodge. It’s called: “I Am American“. Excellent video! Tomorrow is the last chance to tell them all what you think they are doing wrong by casting your vote. Be sure to vote, it matters!
SparkChaser4
Hello, my name is Dennis C. Marsh, but I also go by Denny or D.C.
In this blog you will find information about such things as diabetes to home maintenance and guns to building dollhouses. As you can see from my background found in “About Me”, I have experience in many fields. Please leave any comments or questions you wish me to answer. Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!
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