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Hallmark Doesn’t Support The Troops

01 Jun

I usually like Maxine. The sarcastic, crabby comic is usually pretty funny. She’s a product of the card company Hallmark, a company I’ve never had a problem with. And I’ve never noticed any anti-American, anti-military statements or actions from her or from Hallmark — until now.

I shopped at Hallmark quite a bit while Matt was deployed. When I found out we were having a boy, I wanted to send him a themed care package with a ton of “Its A Boy!” stuff to surprise him. Hallmark was where I got a lot of those things.

Had I known they would be so willing to disrespect the troops and their families, I would never have spent a cent there.

Monday was Memorial Day. Maxine — and thus Hallmark — chose to commemorate the holiday by running the following comic on Maxine’s official Facebook page:

This insulted and offended multiple military family members, including a Gold Star wife. They decided to express their feelings about the cartoon, and were summarily attacked, insulted, and degraded by the commenters there. After a good amount of time, Hallmark finally issued a weak apology. But it was far from over. Maxine’s fans continued to berate the family members, myself included, who had the gall to express our opinion: that we found the cartoon offensive. Yes, I know, most of America does indeed see Memorial Day as just another day off of work. That doesn’t mean any of us like it, or that we want a cartoon character furthering that sentiment. And this is where it got interesting.

The moderator for the Maxine page got to work. No, whoever it was did not delete the rude, insulting, vile comments directed towards military families. Instead, they were deleting our comments. Comments calling us “inbred hicks” and “retards” were allowed to stand. We were told that we didn’t support the military, that we were complainers and whiners just pretending to be offended, we were told to shut up and go away. We were insulted and attacked for merely expressing an opinion. And Hallmark didn’t delete a single of their comments. (Susan Katz Keating has just a few examples.) This action made it clear: their words said one thing but their actions said another, and that was that Hallmark does NOT support our troops and the military.

Now, this wouldn’t have been as big of a controversy as it has turned into if it wasn’t for this. Imagine being a Gold Star wife and having people insult you for merely saying that you were offended — and that Hallmark decided to side with them. Hallmark could have chosen to delete the comments attacking her and other military family members, but instead, they sided with them and allowed the abuse to continue. Here’s an example of the type of comment that Hallmark endorses:

“Yet I find it very disturbing that closed minded Inbred Hicks have nothing better to do than to trash a Cartoon Figure its a waste of Energy, really people get a grip on reality . Maybe the Bible Belt Inbred’s need to do something for their country than sit behind a computer & complain get a life seriously.”

That is simply inexcusable in my book. They censored dissenting comments while allowing insulting personal attacks on military families to continue. I can’t see how a company that supports the military would ever let that happen. Susan points out how the situation got worse and worse, and how Hallmark has even visited her website — but still has done nothing.

Stalwart troop supporter Carrie Costantini jumped into the discussion and tried to educate the Maxine fans on why the cartoon was offensive. Carrie even gave a tutorial on what Memorial Day actually is, and what it means to people who have lost a loved one in combat. The Maxine fans hooted ever louder. Their responses showed them to be people who care very deeply about when their new Keepsake Ornament catalogs will arrive, but not at all about telling a Gold Star mother to “get a life.”

Despite the fact that “Maxine” frequently responds to people who leave comments on the page, Hallmark allowed the dialog to continue unmonitored. The Maxine Brigade grew increasingly snide, belittling, and hostile. Anyone who objected to the cartoon was cast as a whiner, or stupid, and worthy of extreme mockery.

This extended “Hallmark Moment” continued much of the day.

I posted a couple neutral questions, myself, asking Hallmark to respond to the complaints. “Maxine” remained silent. I posted again. Still nothing. Finally, I questioned whether Hallmark would have been willing to use a different holiday in place of Memorial Day in the cartoon. What if, for example, the Maxine character joked about Martin Luther King Day. Within minutes, Hallmark removed my questions. Then they surfed into the blog and read a couple posts.

Are we all overreacting? I’d imagine that people without skin in the game might say yes. But as a Marine wife, this is insulting to me. I refuse to shop at Hallmark from now on and hope that everyone who reads this does the same. I sent Hallmark the following message expressing my displeasure — I have yet to receive a response. I encourage everyone reading this to also send a message of their own. I sincerely hope that word gets out about this and that Hallmark comes around.

Our troops and their families have sacrificed too much to be disrespected this way.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to inform you that you have lost a Hallmark customer. On Memorial Day, you published an offensive cartoon from your character, Maxine. The text was as follows:

“Lots of people don’t have to work today. Which is why my motto is “Live every day like it’s Memorial Day!”

This was offensive to many people, including myself and some Gold Star families. I know many of the people who commented on Maxine’s Facebook page to express their disappointment. All of them are supportive of the military beyond just complaining on a Facebook page, as your fans would have you believe. It’s bad enough that most Americans view Memorial Day as a day only for a three-day weekend and barbecues. It’s even worse that Hallmark would further this idea.
After many of us posted that the cartoon offended us, Maxine fans responded extremely crudely. They attacked us, including a Gold Star mother. The page moderator did nothing. We were insulted, told to shut up and go away, and still the moderator did nothing. After a while, Hallmark issued a rather weak apology. However, they still took a stand against the military. Comments from military families who were offended were deleted. Comments from fans attacking military families, though, were let stand. Some of these included being called “inbred hicks”, “retards”, and much more. Why were comments from military families — respectful comments — deleted while vile, crude insulting comments directed at said military comments let stand? Clearly, the company apology was not sincere. Actions speak louder than words, and your actions clearly show that not only does Hallmark NOT support our troops and respect the sacrifices of the fallen, they actively side with those who disrespect and insult our troops and their families. This situation could have been handled differently, but Hallmark made a choice and took a stand. You chose which comments to delete and which comments to keep, and the comments you chose were vile, rabid, insulting, and disrespectful. Apparently those are the customers you value — not our troops and their families who are sacrificing for your fans to have the right to insult us.

My husband is a United States Marine. He recently returned home from his third combat deployment, this time to Afghanistan. We learned that I was pregnant shortly before he left. Throughout the deployment, I sent him several items from our local Hallmark store, including multiple “Its A Boy!” items that I put in his care package to let him know we were having a boy. If I had known that Hallmark had such little respect for our military and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, I never would have spent my money there. And now, I will never spend my money there again. We lost five Marines and a corpsman on this deployment. Memorial Day is not just a day off of work for me. Their sacrifice should be honored, and if Hallmark cannot do that, then they do not deserve the patronage of military families.

Sincerely,
Casandra Chesser

 
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If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it

30 Apr

It’s the bane of new parents everywhere: the unwanted, unsolicited deluge of advice, comments, touching and general reaction of the public towards a newborn. I’ve been dealing with this for the past month and frankly, I’m fed up. What is it about someone becoming a new parent that makes people think they suddenly need to intrude on your life, ask you ridiculously personal questions that are none of their business, touch your child without your permission, and give you unwanted advice?

I knew when I was pregnant that I would probably be overly protective of my baby. Or maybe appropriately protective — I’m not quite sure yet. I could tell by my reaction to watching movies and TV shows. I could tell by my reaction to people trying to touch my belly all the time (absolutely infuriating, by the way. If I don’t know you and haven’t given you permission, then what makes you think you can walk up to me and put your hands on me? Would you like it if I walked up to you and started rubbing your belly? I don’t think so.). I knew that I would absolutely go mama grizzly on someone if need be. And yep, I was right. For example: why is it that people feel like it’s OK to walk up to someone’s child and touch them? I get it, babies are cute, mine especially so. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK to touch him without asking me first. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable, either. For some reason I can’t quite understand, it’s the hands people automatically go for. I’m no germophobe, but I don’t know what people have on their hands. I don’t know if they washed their hands after they used the bathroom last, for example. Wouldn’t normally concern me except you’re touching Ben’s hands. And those hands will be in his mouth numerous times today. On top of that, if I don’t know you, then why is it OK to put your hands on my child without asking me first? I don’t mind people looking at him or asking how old he is. You want to touch him or hold him? Fine. Just have the common courtesy to ask first. Touch my child without asking me first and you are liable to get smacked. Fair warning.

Then there are the inappropriate questions. There’s the lady at Wal Mart that I’ve never met before who asks about whether I delivered vaginally or via c-section. There’s the woman who wants to know what his sleeping habits are, or whether I got him circumcised or not. I’ve been a mother for a little over a month, and I can already tell these women are trying to drag me into the Mommy Wars, something I have absolutely no interest in. I don’t care if so-and-so who just had a baby is breastfeeding, if she had her son circumcised, how she delivered her baby, how he’s sleeping, if she’s using a pacifier, or anything else. But for some reason, it seems like every woman I run into to just needs to know the answers to these questions. And they have to brag about their baby, too. Oh, little Hayden was sleeping through the night when he was only two weeks old! Is your baby sleeping through the night yet? No, of course not — he’s a NEWBORN, and I would bet good money that you’re LYING. How did you deliver? By c-section? Oh, don’t worry honey, that’s OK. No need to feel guilty. Oh, thank you so much for your approval. I don’t feel guilty, by the way, considering that my goal in childbirth was a healthy baby and not a “birth experience”, and had I continued with a vaginal delivery I would have been risking my son’s life. But thank you so much for letting me know it’s OK. I was awash with guilt until you told me that. Are you breastfeeding? No? Well, breast milk is better and all, but no need to feel bad. Formula’s OK too. Oh, gee, thanks for letting me know that breast milk is better. I’ve been told that a million times already, but until YOU pointed it out I guess it hadn’t really sunk in yet. And nevermind that I probably have my own reasons for formula feeding and not breastfeeding. Why do so many women feel the need to find out so many details about how other women parent? It’s really none of their damn business.

But the worst is the unsolicited advice. Now, I don’t mind advice. I’m a first time mom, after all. I have questions. A lot. And when I do, I’ll ask someone — my mom, usually, or one of my friends that already has kids, or a friend of mine that’s a nurse. That’s who I go to when I have questions. The advice I don’t appreciate, though, is the kind that comes completely out of nowhere from a complete stranger. I’ve been hearing a lot lately, for example, that I need to put cereal into Ben’s bottle to get him to sleep at night. When I’m told that, I politely point out that my pediatrician told me not to do this for any reason. Oh, yeah, my pediatrician told me the same thing. But I have ____ kids, and I did it with all of them, and they were just fine. Trust me, when you have ____ kids, you know better than the doctors! Riiiiight… have children means you are somehow more knowledgeable than Ben’s doctor, who went to medical school, had years of training, and has been practicing medicine for years on top of that. Obviously I should listen to the complete stranger at Home Depot simply because she has kids. But hey, fine. The advice the stranger is doling out obviously worked for them. But if I did not ask for your advice, then why do you feel the need to share it with me? Do I look lost, confused, or stupid (or some sad combination of all three)? I don’t get why people feel the need to tell me do something a certain way when it comes to parenting my son when I didn’t ask them to. Like I said, I’ve got a lot of questions. I often do want advice — just not from a complete stranger whose opinion and/or advice I didn’t ask for.

I think I’ve come up with a solution, though. I’ll just get a T-shirt made. On the front, I’ll have printed “I am not an idiot” and on the back, “If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it”. And I’ll order a million little onesies that say “HANDS OFF” on them. Maybe then people will learn to remember that just because I have a newborn, it doesn’t mean that they get to throw all of their manners out of the window and act like a nosy idiot.

 
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Berkeley To Honor Suspected Wikileaks Traitor Bradley Manning

09 Dec

For most Americans, someone who betrays their country and puts the lives of our troops in danger is considered a traitor.

In Berkeley, that person — Bradley Manning — is considered a hero.

An Army private jailed for allegedly leaking sensitive military data is a hero and should be freed, according to a resolution under consideration by the Berkeley City Council.

The council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to declare its support for Pfc. Bradley Manning, who’s suspected of providing WikiLeaks with classified military documents and a video depicting an Army helicopter attack in Baghdad in which 11 civilians were killed.

Manning, 22, currently in the brig in Quantico, Va., faces 52 years in prison if convicted. Manning has not commented on his guilt or innocence.

“If he did what he’s accused of doing, he’s a patriot and should get a medal,” said Bob Meola, the Berkeley peace and justice commissioner who authored the resolution. “I think the war criminals should be the ones prosecuted, not the whistle-blowers.”

The proposed resolution originated from the same commission that declared the Marine Corps “unwanted intruders” in Berkeley in 2008. The council’s ensuing approval – and reversal – ignited some of the city’s most raucous protest in years and prompted more than 25,000 e-mails to City Hall.

This time, however, the commission’s vote was not unanimous. The resolution passed on a 7-3 vote, and it’s likely to be just as contentious when it meets the City Council.

… Berkeley’s proposed resolution thanks Manning “for his courage in bringing the truth to the American people and the people of the world.”

The courage of the men and women in uniform currently defending the freedom of the Berkeley buffoons doesn’t matter. Berkeley moonbats have a long history of attacking the military, and the Marine Corps in particular. When a Marine Corps recruiting center opened in Berkeley, all hell broke loose, with Code Pink leading the way. The center was vandalized twice. Protestors started a near riot and attacked the police. The same commission looking to honor Bradley Manning passed a resolution, along with the City Council, calling the Marines “uninvited unwelcome intruders”.

Considering Berkeley’s anti-military history, it’s not altogether surprising that they would choose to honor someone like Bradley Manning. What exactly did Bradley Manning do that was do despicable? Well, he is allegedly the person who gave Wikileaks access to thousands upon thousands of files which have been released and are potentially harmful to our military.

The first to debut was the “Collateral Murder” video, which showed the deaths of two Reuters journalists who had chosen to embed with terrorists. This caused a firestorm of controversy against our military, which was once again smeared and slandered as being made up of ruthless, cold-blooded murderers.

Wikileaks then proceeded to release 90,000 pages of classified documents, which outed Afghan informants. This was unforgivable. The bravery of our United States troops is known and appreciated by most Americans, but many underestimate the danger that Afghan civilians put themselves in when they choose to work with us to bring the Taliban down. These informants, if discovered, will be murdered. Their families will be murdered. They took an incredible risk, and displayed unbelievable courage and bravery, and were rewarded by being sold out by a gay soldier who apparently felt like he was teased too much. (Because, you know, if someone hurts your feelings in high school you should definitely betray your country, put your fellow troops at increased risk, and sell out Afghan informants whose lives are on the line.) It’s reprehensible, and if any of these informants are killed, it’s Bradley Manning who has their blood on his hands.

Of course, saying all of this is like preaching to the choir. Most Americans find Manning’s actions to be despicable. Not the residents of Berkeley, however. No, to them Manning’s a hero. Someone to be honored. (This is also likely to be the only time that Berkeley ever sees fit to honor an American soldier.) Interestingly, this news report comes fresh on the heels of the news that Al Jazeera is now going to be broadcast over Berkeley radio waves.

These people don’t just drink the moonbat Kool-Aid, they bathe in it.

 
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Remember The Cole: 10 Years

12 Oct

10 years ago today, two Al Qaeda terrorists pulled alongside the USS Cole during a routine refueling in Aden, Yemen and detonated a suicide bomb. It was the deadliest attack on a United States naval vessel since 1987.

17 sailors were killed. 39 more were wounded. The 17 sailors who died left behind 11 children. Never forget the names of the fallen who gave their lives in service to our country.

1. Electronics Technician 1st Class Richard Costelow
2. Mess Management Specialist Lakina Francis
3. Information Systems Technician Tim Guana
4. Signalman Seaman Recruit Cherone Gunn
5. Seaman James McDaniels
6. Engineman 2nd Class Mark Nieto
7. Electronics Warfare Technician 3rd Class Ronald Owens
8. Seaman Recruit Lakiba Parker
9. Engineman Fireman Joshua Parlett
10. Fireman Apprentice Patrick Roy
11. Electronics Warfare Technician Kevin Rux
12. Petty Officer 3rd Class Ron Santiago
13. Operations Special 2nd Class Timothy Sanders
14. Fireman Gary Swenchonis Jr
15. Ensign Andrew Triplett
16. Seaman Apprentice Craig Wibberly
17. Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Clodfelter.

This was a deliberate act of war by the Al Qaeda organization, and it went ignored by the Clinton administration. The Bush administration responded on November 3, 2002, when the CIA fired a AGM-114 Hellfire missile from a Predator UAV at a vehicle carrying Abu Ali al-Harithi, a suspected planner of the bombing plot and Ahmed Hijazi, a U.S. citizen. Both men died. Now, the Obama administration has shelved prosecution of Abd al-Rahim Al-Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the bombing.

Indeed, October 12 has become a forgotten day of infamy. Don’t let the memory of the horror of that day fade away, and don’t let the memories of the sailors who were murdered die. Remember their sacrifices today. Remember the Cole.

 
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Celebrating 234 years of liberty and freedom: Happy Birthday, America

04 Jul

234 years ago today, our great nation declared independence. A group of men signed a document declaring independence from tyranny, a document that changed the world forever, that built a nation that would become the greatest country in the world. 56 brave men risked everything — their lives, their liberty, their honor, to build this nation. It’s easy now, centuries later, to take that for granted. But the risk that they took was extraordinary, it was enormous, and it was their courage, their bravery, and their principles that became the foundation of the United States of America. The blood of patriots was spilled to build a nation of free men, and since then, has continued to be spilled to bring freedom to millions around the world. 234 years later, despite all of our problems, we remain the greatest country in the world… the last, best hope for mankind.

It’s easy to get caught up in the politics of today. And while we should continue to always fight to defend freedom and uphold the values and principles of the Constitution, we should never forget how blessed we are as a nation. Here, we can practice any faith we choose, we can work where we choose, marry who we choose, and raise our children how we choose. We may have problems, but we are still free. Not only are we free, but we have hundreds of thousands of good, brave men and women willing to fight and die defending that freedom for us.

Remember that today isn’t just the Fourth of July. Today is Independence Day, the day our country was born.

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!
– Thomas Jefferson

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

Happy Independence Day, everyone, and may freedom always ring.

 
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Remembering the Forgotten War

25 Jun

Today is the 60th anniversary of start of the Korean War. It’s now come to be remembered as America’s Forgotten War, a sad statement in and of itself, considering the tens of thousands of lives we lost in that war. Here’s a quote to remind you of how bad it was in Korea, courtesy of Blackfive:

“The thing that bothered me worse than anything that winter was the cold. I’d always gone through life bitching about it being too hot or too cold; during the pullback from the Yalu, I decided I would never complain about the heat again if I could only just get warm. And the thing you had to realize, with life expectancy being what it was on the battlefield, was that chances were you weren’t going to live until spring anyway. You had to realize that you might never get warm again.”

- Col. Allan D. Bell, Jr. USA, Ret.
G/27th Artillery Forward Observer
Korea, 1950-51

Some poignant thoughts from Rabbi Brad Hirschfield:

Sixty years ago today, North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th Parallel and began the Korean War – what has come to be called America’s Forgotten War. Oddly, by naming it the Forgotten War, it began to be remembered, and that raises the larger questions of why we forget or remember events in our lives and in our history.

Do we forget because it’s too painful to recall? Perhaps it’s because the forgotten events simply have no meaningful place in our lives. After all, nothing is simply remembered for its own sake. With nothing to attach to in our ongoing lives, nothing can be remembered.

On the other hand, we are always free to create pegs in our current lives upon which to hang memories that we hope to preserve. But that just begs the question of why we feel compelled to create those pegs.

Ultimately memory is not simply a fact or reality; it is something to be created and pursued. And in many ways, so is forgetting, which brings me back to Korea. Why is it that a conflict that dragged on (why, by the way, do conflicts always “drag on”?) and ultimately cost 2 million lives, including the lives of 54,000 U.S. military personnel, went largely ignored and mostly forgotten for so many years? And why now are we returning to try and recall it with everything from national memorials to TV shows and books about “America’s Forgotten War”?

Could it be that with fewer and fewer World War II veterans around, we need new faces to fill out the picture of our nation’s past? Is it that the squeakiest wheel really does get the grease? Could it be that poised between the heroic victors of WWII and the angry voices about Vietnam ─ the quiet soldiers who fought an ambiguous conflict with an ambiguous ending, at a time when ambiguity was discouraged even more harshly than today ─ neither they nor we knew how to remember what happened?

The Korean War has been overshadowed by the simple fact that it was sandwiched between World War II and the Vietnam War. It’s easy to overlook. My grandfather served in the Navy during the Korean war, and fought on the ground there. We owe it to those heroes who fought so valiantly and especially to those who gave their lives to not forget them.

It’s not so much to ask, really. To remember. Something so little, yet so difficult to do.

Remember Korea today, and especially remember the heroes who fought there.

 
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Names released of armed suspects who tried to enter MacDill AFB

16 Jun

The motives of the armed couple who tried to enter MacDill AFB are still unknown, but their names are now known. Army Spc. Paul Kilburn is being charged with desertion, and Micah Noel Goodier is facing as yet unknown charges.

MacDill Air Force Base officials have released the names of the two individuals that attempted to gain entry to the base Monday evening.

Army Spc. Christopher Paul Kilburn, Alpha Company, 1-16th 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. is charged with desertion. He will be turned over to Army authorities.

Additional charges will be pending as the investigation continues.

Micah Noel Goodier, Palm Beach, Fla. will face charges pending a decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The couple was arrested Monday evening, when they tried to gain access to the base. The base’s public affairs office did not know if either person had an attorney.

Air Force Col. Dave Cohen said during a news conference earlier Tuesday that it doesn’t appear to have been a terrorism attempt.

Investigators were still trying to get to the bottom of the couple’s motivation and intent, Cohen said.

“We’ve been talking to them since last night trying to get information, and we’re still trying to put that puzzle together,” he said.

So, we know who they are, but we’re no closer to knowing what their intentions were. I’m still skeptical about whether or not this was a terrorist attempt. Isn’t it far too early to be ruling that out?

 
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Heavily armed couple tries to access MacDill AFB; now detained; one is an AWOL soldier

15 Jun

Suspicious news today: a couple in an SUV tried to enter MacDill AFB with a cache of weapons and ammunition. MPs detained the duo, and it’s been discovered that one of them is an AWOL servicemember with a fraudulent ID.

A man who tried to enter MacDill Air Force Base with a cache of military gear and weapons Monday evening is an active duty member of the military listed absent without leave, a base official said Tuesday.

The official, speaking at a news conference, did not identify the man and woman who he said tried getting on the base at the Bayshore Boulevard gate in a sport utility vehicle with three rifles, three handguns and ammunition.

Their motive for accessing the base remains under investigation, said Col. Dave Cohen, 6th Air Mobility Wing vice commander.

“At this point there is no indication that it is a terrorist act,” Cohen said.

No indication? It may not be a terrorist attack, but it’s pretty damn suspicious. MacDill is the headquarters for US Central Command, which runs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also the headquarters for US Special Operations Command. There’s plenty of reason to be worried. It doesn’t sound like someone trying to go hunting. Servicemembers who go AWOL don’t usually go anywhere near a base. That’s the last place they want to be, because on base they’re more likely to get caught, put in the brig, and then sent back to their unit. So what was the intention here? It’s a scary thought, but at least the MacDill MPs were able to prevent another Fort Hood massacre.

And let’s remember, that according to the media, the Fort Hood massacre wasn’t a terrorist attack, either. This very well may not be — it seems far too early to tell — but it’s worrying nevertheless. I’ll keep you updated as more details emerge.

 
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Obama to skip wreath laying at Arlington for Memorial Day; makes sure not to miss Paul McCartney

25 May

Last year, Obama did his duty as Commander-in-Chief and paid his respects for the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day. This year, he’s sending Joe Biden in his place, because he’s got more important things to do… like go to Chicago.

President Barack Obama plans to spend a long holiday weekend in Chicago.

The White House says Obama and his family will travel to their hometown on Thursday and stay through the weekend. It will be their first trip back home since a visit for Valentine’s Day weekend in February 2009.

On Monday, Obama is scheduled to participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Ill.

In Obama’s absence, Vice President Joe Biden will participate in the customary wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.

As Doug Powers noted at Michelle’s blog, he won’t be missing a visit with Paul McCartney. Nice to see where his priorities lie.

Memorial Day should be a pretty big priority for the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces. The wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery is not just some arbitrary meaningless tradition. It actually means something, and Obama is just blowing it off so that he can go hang out in Chicago. I understand the desire to go home for a little while, but when you’re the president, Memorial Day ceases to be just another holiday where you get to take an extra day off for a weekend and have a barbecue. For him, he still has to work. It’s part of his responsibility as president. Blowing off paying his respects to the fallen at Arlington National Cemetery — our country’s most sacred shrine — on Memorial Day is inexcusable. It’s despicable and he does not deserve the title of Commander-in-Chief if he has this little respect for the heroes who have given their lives for their country.

If he doesn’t like it, he can always resign.

I’m curious how much golf he’ll play while he’s in Chicago.

 
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