I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG,

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ,

AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS,

ONE NATION UNDER GOD,

INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is from an email. I was asked to send this on if I agree, or delete if I don’t.

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God.

Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a problem in having ‘In God! We Trust’ on our money and having ‘God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I believe it’s time we stand up for what we believe!

If you agree, pass this on, if not, delete.

PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING, EVEN IF YOU HAVE PASSED IT ON BEFORE!!

Thanks to my friend Bob at Boudica. Visit his site.

Boudica BPI Weblog.

I am praying for Peace on Earth.  Please say a special prayer for our local National Guard soldiers who are leaving home to go to war on our behalf this morning, from Milan, Tennessee.  I pray that God will watch over them as they train for the next two months in preparation for their deployment to Iraq in February, 2010.  I am overwhelmed with pride and compassion when I think of all our troops do to serve their country, and because I love them so much for what they are doing, I wish they didn’t have to go to war.

As the uncertainty of the world and our national government are seemingly spinning out of our control, we should take this day to be reminded that no matter how frustrated we may feel – We still live in America! We are still the most blessed country on earth. We have the highest standard of living and more individual freedoms than any other country on the planet despite all our recent setbacks.

This Thanksgiving, our country faces many game changing decisions. These decisions will affect future generations of Americans and could “fundamentally transform America” in ways we have never really considered. At this pivotal time in our history we should take a moment and reflect on what made America the place that draws freedom seeking people to its’ shores from all around the world.

As a citizen of the world we have been a good and giving nation. Can we be a better citizen of the world? Of course, so can every other country on the planet. However, to do that does not require that we throw our heritage and sovereignty out the window. So what can we do differently?

It is time for a change! We must find a way to return to our core national values. We need to restore a feeling of pride in America, a feeling of a national community, the desire to help your fellow citizens. Doing the right thing does not mean establishing an enormous federal government to provide nanny state oversight so that everything is equal among the citizens. Doing the right thing is creating an environment that fosters opportunity, charity and community.

Don’t take our way of life for granted. Give thanks for your blessings.  Pray for those who serve our country. Pray for our leaders, that they receive God’s guidance and wisdom. Pray for those on hard times.  Be accountable for yourself and your family. Treat your fellow citizens with the same dignity you want to be treated with. Lend a helping hand where ever you can.

 As I said earlier, we are at a turning point. The choice is ours. We will swim or sink together. I wish for all a better 2010. Thanks to God for all he has blessed our nation with and may he continue to bless America.

00356.0000 GOD BLESS AMERICA

God bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam;
God bless America, my home sweet home,
God bless America, my home sweet home.

We, the citizens of Rhodesia, had dared to follow in the glorious footsteps of the United States; to look the British Bulldog in the face and say “so far, and no further”.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on
CBS Sunday Morning 0n 12.18.2005.

Y'all want me mean, or cute?

Well, the times they are a changing.

And you get a sense of just how much, when the cornerstone of Disney (and general bastion of gawd bless Ameria), is getting a makeover.

And not just any makeover, nay. Disney are giving Mickey Mouse the 2.0 treatment. As his popularity is in decline (not terminal, but they are noticing the till receipts via sponsorship slip), Mickey is being toughened up.

Mickey aficionados will tell you in his first couple of outings, he was a mean mouse. He even forced Minnie to kiss him (hardly manga brutality, but still). But those canny kids at Disney aren’t butchering him on the Disney channel for all to see.

Oh no.

They are testing meaner Mickey via a video game. Quite sensible you could argue, and certainly a smarter way to connect with the kids they want to reach who might be giving their more traditional routes to market something of a wide berth…

Given the fanfare surrounding a certain war games release (bigger than the opening weekend of Harry Potter etc), perhaps this Mickey makeover will be the first of many…

Iain is a senior marketer in the British Tourism Industry. And can’t wait to face a meaner Mickey…

The Ft. Hood massacre just keeps unfolding in layers, more facts coming out each day and revealing the hearts of grieving Americans as the reality of it really hits us. Today, I was reading this touching post about the 14th victim, and I had not looked at it like this concerning the unborn child that was also killed by Monster Hasan.

While following some links related to the post, I came across this amazing, amazing article about President Bush and Laura and their private visit to Ft. Hood to offer comfort in the midst of this horrific event. It’s been almost a week now, and I think each day another layer is exposed in me as I move from one emotion to another, because honestly it was so hard to believe it was for real, it is taking a while to sink in. I’ve been shocked, numb, angry, and sad, and most of all outraged.

Some Hillary supporters here have expressed their admiration for what President Bush did for the country and for the devastated soldiers and their families at Ft. Hood. Here’s an excerpt and a link.

“”If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

[.....]

…..we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention,when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

[.....]

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.”"

See the entire post here.  Don’t miss the comments and the Halloween 2009 post.It makes me proud to be an American and so happy to see some genuine bipartisanship, because after all, when push comes to shove, we are “One nation, under God,  indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Posted: 11.12.09

IS IT ME OR DOES ANYONE ELSE FEEL THE GROWING TENSION IN THE USA. ALL THE TALK OF HEALTH BILLS AND TAXES, ABORTION RIGHTS,. AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. GROWING FEAR OF RADICAL MUSLIMS IN OUR COUNTRY DOMESTICLY IS ONE THING BUT IN THE MILITARY.WHATS UP WITH THAT? ARE THE CRAZY LIBERALS HEADED UP BY OUR NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT AND THE DEMS CAUSING ALOT OF VOTERS TO WISH THEY VOTED THE OTHER WAY,NOT THAT THE CONSERVETIVES OR THE REPUBLICANS HAD MUCH BETTER TO OFFER. EITHER WAY IM STARTING TO BELIEVE THAT COMMON SENSE WILL HOPEFULLY PREVAIL AND HELP US GET OUR ACT TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY AND OUR FAMILIES. LONG LIVE THE MILITARY AND THE HONEST PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY TO PROTECT THE WEAK AND THE STRONG ALIKE. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THE WORLD.  PS  I HOPE THIS PIC OF MARIA WILL CHEER YOU UP AS MUCH AS IT DID ME”   BIG LOU

to see more pics from this years Rock Academy Veteran’s Day Ceremony please look HERE

photo by Lucky Strikes'

All of us at the Recreational Music Center would like to wish everyone a happy Veterans Day! In particular we would like to extend our prayers and best wishes to everyone who is serving our country in the armed forces and to all of our veterans who have gone before us in brave service to this amazing country, the United States of America. So much of the freedoms we so treasure as Americans are directly related to the lifetime worth of sacrifices that our veterans have made on our behalf. For all that they have done we wish to say THANK YOU.

May God bless America and may God bless our troops both at home and abroad!

Get up from wherever you are. Go find a Veteran. Shake their hand and tell them thank you. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that today is Veteran’s Day.

If you happen to be one of those individuals who do live under a rock and have no idea what today is or where it came from don’t fret, I’m about to tell you so that you can catch up to the rest of us and show your respect.

I would assume that most of us have had a U.S. history class at least once or twice in our lives. If you have, then you know that the end of World War I came in 1918. How could you forget? The treaty to end the war was signed on the 11^th day of the 11^th month at the 11^th hour.

It was a year later in 1919 that President Wilson declared the first Armistice Day. A year later, other nations – including France and the United Kingdom, joined in on the Armistice Day tradition.

In 1921 Congress established the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is a large tomb in Arlington National Cemetery that is meant to be symbolic of all U.S. soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for this great nation.

As a side note, before the history lesson continues, I just wanted to interject that Arlington National Cemetery is a place that until you go there, you really have no grasp on. It is such a surreal feeling being there, surrounded by American heroes. The day that I went it was pouring down rain, but I made the trek up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier anyway. It was one of those situations in which there are no words to describe it. The precision of the guard and then the changing was really just beautiful to watch. If you ever have the chance to go, please do.

Now, it was not until 1938 that Armistice Day was made a Federal holiday. This continued until 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day. In 1968 (went into effect in 1971) Congress passed a law that changed the date from November 11^th to the fourth Monday in October. As we all know, this didn’t last. In 1975 legislation was signed changing the Federal observance back to November 11^th and in the years following the States reverted back to observing Veteran’s Day on the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

The reason I’m able to sit and type this on my laptop is because someone was willing to sacrifice their life and in some cases gave their life so that I could have access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I have the utmost respect for those individuals. They stood up for the very ideals that America was founded upon, so thank you.  Thank you for what you did not only for me, but for America as a whole. If you have not found a Veteran to thank yet, what are you waiting for? Go now.

November 11^th is not just another day, even though my University seems to think so. It’s a day to remember those who put their country before themselves so that we can enjoy the freedoms and rights that our Creator and Constitution provide us.

the rock academy held their annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony today.  it was a blessing to see the rock academy students participate in the ceremony honoring the men and women of our armed forces.

i had the chance to sit down and talk with 2 brothers who served in wwII, both in their 80’s.  what a blessing that was.  i have some pics and will share some soon.  the pic here is 1 terry took.

today, nov 10 is also the birthday of the USMC.  Happy Birthday to pete, terry and all marines past and present.  Semper Fi!

pete posted this video, worth passing it on to all yall.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James T. Conway delivers the 234th Marine Corps Birthday message. ” Carrying On A Legacy Of Valor “
It honors all Marines past and present. A special tribute to today’s Heroes, Cpl Jonathan T. Yale, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines and LCpl Jordan C. Haerter, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. These fine Marines were KIA 22 April, 2008. Their heroic actions that day, saved the lives of over 50 Iraqis and Marines. They were both posthumously presented the Navy Cross for Extraordinary Heroism on February 20th, 2009. The Navy Cross is our nations second highest award for valor in combat. Jonathan was 21 years old, Jordan was 19 years old.

to see pics from this year’s Veteran’s Day Ceremony at the Rock, please go HERE

in observance of Veteran’s Day, we will not be meeting this wednesday.  go shoot, and thank a vet! cyall next week.

I was on the bus coming home from Boston this weekend and I heard a little boy in front of me softly singing “God Bless America”.   My heart melted, and not because he was adorable (which he was), but because he sang with such an innocent passion, that I couldn’t help, but think, I love America.

I love coming back to America after a long vacation, craving my own bed, an American beer that’s ice cold, not luke warm, and a real hamburger.  I actually look forward to packing my bags and coming home.  Home, to the country I love.

I love and deeply respect the service people who put their lives on the line to allow me to have the freedom to share my thoughts in this blog.  I understand that Freedom isn’t Free.

I love that we are a nation of equality.  If you want it, if you can dream it, it can be yours (provided you’re willing to work for it…there is no such thing as a free lunch, and if there is, strings are usually attached).

I love that I have the freedom to choose anything I want for myself.

During these hard times, we need to remember that feeling that we get when we put our hand over our heart to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” at baseball games.  We need to remember how we felt on 9-11, when we see our nation’s flag, or while we are driving through the nation’s heartland.

We cannot forget these feelings, as they are the ones that will lead us down the road to success in the quest for retaining America’s freedom.

Like the little boy on the bus, we have to be passionate for America at all times.  We cannot take her for granted.  For if we do, then we risk losing our freedom.

I end with a quote from a favorite song of mine in honor of them men and women who are sacrificing their lives to serve our country proudly in the Middle East.

“I thank God for my life, for the stars and stripes.  May freedom forever fly, let it ring.  Salute the ones who die, the ones who give their lives, so we don’t have to sacrifice all the things we love” – Zac Brown Band

I dedicate this article to my dad, a once fearless Air Force pilot, and Erik, a dedicated Marine who loves this country more than life.

-Lizzie

Voter turnout for election was far greater than what was projected.  Clearly the words and opinions of Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been heard.  The path of destruction under democratic party leadership has been derailed, as Republicans are on the rebound with victory  in key states.

As an election judge at our local polls, turnout was better than 50% in our precinct.  Previously a poll observer, this was the first time I have worked as an official.  I have to tell you, props go to ACORN for finding ways to deceive and influence an election because the sanctity of the voting process in our state is as tight as a flea’s ass.   Double and triple checking of id’s, addresses, etc., pissed of one out of thousands of voters.  The machines worked, the ballots were in English and all was fine.

Dropping off the votes was almost like pulling into a FEMA camp with tight security.  Do not exit your vehicle, hand over the master record of the votes, open your trunk for an officer to remove the voting materials, sign here that you verify everything is on the up and up.  Rather an intimidating and successful means of participating in the democracy that makes this nation great.

Congratulations to the winners.  More importantly congratulations to the voters for taking the time to speak out loud and clear in the voting booth against the gross injustices that the democrats have procured upon the United States of America.

Would anyone like to join me for a cup of Tea?    http://www.teapartyexpress.org/

      Open wide, say ahhh and check out more posts on the H1N1 Swine Flu from Ahrcanum, where the conspiracy spreads as fast as the virus itself.   http://ahrcanum.wordpress.com/swine-flu-report/            

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I believe that every American citizen should read The 5,000 Year Leap.

This incredible book, written by noted historian and scholar, W. Cleon Skousen, is not a conservative manifesto, nor is it a book that supports the ‘right-wing agenda.’

If you don’t believe me, here is an example:

If the Founders had used the modern yardstick of “Communism on the left” and “Fascism on the right,” they never would have found the balanced center which they were seeking.

It is extremely unfortunate that the writers on political philosophy today have undertaken to measure various issues in terms of political parties instead of political power. No doubt the American Founding Fathers would have considered this modern measuring stick most objectionable, even meaningless. The 5,000 Year Leap, pg. 9

This is a book that advocates the principles and beliefs of our Founding Fathers, their experiences, their beliefs and their profound wisdom.

In our modern space-age of Third Encounters and Superman, the Founders’ thinking may sound terrible old-fashioned and even pre-Victorian, but their principles have the advantage o fan impressive track record of empirical proof that they are practical and true–eternally true. That is their primary credential. The 5,000 Year Leap, pg. 6

This book addresses five key points (stated by Ronald M. Mann) that need to be addressed in order for a country “course-correction”:

1. We have not followed the admonition of our Founding Fathers.

2. We have not assigned the maintaining of our Freedom a high priority.

3. We have allowed the mortal enemies of freedom to dominate the debate.

4. We have elected some of the most underirable persons to high office.

5. We have evicted “Providence” from our counsels, schools, courts, and assemblies. The 5,000 Year Leap, pg. xviii

Skousen then gives his solutions to these (and other) problems through an in depth, well-researched and wonderfully articulated presentation of 28 great ideas of our Founding Fathers.

If you are a patriot and are as concerned about this country as I am, then I stronly encourage you to educate yourself on the principles found in The 5,000 Year Leap.

[The video shown above was not made by me. It was made by my friend, David. You can check out his other videos on his YouTube Channel.]

From the Daily News:

Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sings a first-rate “God Bless America,” at Yankee Stadium, but his attempt at telling a joke offended a Jewish doctor who found it to be anti-Semitic.

Tynan apologized, telling WNBC, “I would never want to hurt anybody’s feelings. It was stupid of me to be so callous.”

But the Yankees still canceled his appearance at the stadium Friday night.

The trouble started when Tynan, 49, bumped into a real estate agent showing an apartment in his East Side apartment building to a doctor from NYU Medical Center.

The agent told Tynan, “Don’t worry, they are not Red Sox fans,” according to apartment-hunter Gabrielle Gold-von Simson.

“I don’t care about that, as long as they are not Jewish,” was Tynan’s reply.

What an idiot. Maybe now the Yankees can actually bring in an attractive singer to do “God Bless America.” What’s Beyonce up to? Jay-Z is always at Yankee Stadium, so it makes sense. Please, let it happen.

Should anyone have this much power? Rush Limbaugh is constantly purported as the head of the Republican Party; liberals continue to box him into that corner and would love for him to stay there. Why you ask? The answer is simple, liberals need a demon; and when Bush left, they had no one to persecute. Of course, Rush is a simple and effective target. Not only is he white, he is unabashedly conservative and going bald, he fits the bill for what distractocrats need to point at and demonize.

The simple fact is Rush Limbaugh’s popularity is fact that the free market system makes sense. It is evidence of the invisible hand at work. The free market elected Rush into power and subsequently paved the road for conservative commentary. By voting with their radio dials, the American people created a market for people like Rush, Sean, Glenn, and a plethora of others. What liberals cannot stand is his popularity and the conservative movement gaining traction on the backs of conservative commentators. They cannot fathom a world where people actually like Rush, especially minorities like myself. They also hate having to argue with silly statistics and numbers that prove them to be the fear mongering liars they all are. Liberals have such thin skin, they cannot even bother to come up with a few facts, they just shuffle around the race and fascist cards long enough in the news cycle and hope it deters Americans from tuning in to those who disagree with them.

The left continues to prove that it does not understand America, freedom or basic human instinct. Like always, when the left doesn’t like something, they try to regulate it out of existence; but the question becomes how can anyone regulate opinion? We all know they cannot, and we can see how their advantageous idealism is killing their popularity. It is sheer insanity to watch the White House spend tax dollars going after Fox News. What if Bush had gone after CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, and CBS? Would not the world have gone mad, wouldn’t there be articles about the abuse of power?  

The attacks against conservatives are a simple way for the left to distract the world from what we are pointing out about this administration. Rather than confront the issues that are on the table, they go on the extreme offensive and attack us because they have no explanation for how quickly this administration is tanking the American way of life. They want to distract us from rising unemployment, the wars we are fighting and could lose if they aren’t addressed and the facts about their health care plans. They are so drunk with power; they do not see a need to be accountable to anyone but their own wallets.

It is becoming ever so clear to me that liberals in this administration and liberals otherwise do not have the foresight to see how bad things will become for them when the poop hit the fan. I for one have reserved my spot in the “I TOLD YOU SO, HA HA!” line and cannot wait to cast the first stone.

The Rockport Legion Band will be appearing at the annual Rockport Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:00 P.M. The band will be playing inside –in the Sanctuary of the Congregational Church in Rockport.

The program will be selected from the following:

New Colonial March

The Music Man

Pennsylvania Polka

A Santa Cecilia

Joshua

The Stripper

Gollmar Brother’s Triumphal

Nessun Dorma

Distant Greeting

Addah Polka (trumpet feature)

Watermelon Club Rag

Our Flirtations

42nd Street

The Muppet Show Theme

God Bless America

Copies of the band’s recent CD will be available for sale.

So, I think I’m going to start a new, unending, series called “Theology Gone Wild.” The series will catalog pictures, conversations, blog posts, etc. that set on display the humorous, disturbing, or completely contradictory aspects of Christian theology in American culture. For your viewing pleasure, here’s the first entry…

10pts. to anyone who can tell me what’s wrong with this slogan?

Most of us know the story of how The Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. They suffered and suffered and continued to cry out to God. At long last He sent them a leader, Moses.

My city of Schenectady could sure use a “Moses” right now.  The people in my city are slaves to an incompetent government.

We all know what’s going on at the federal level.  Things aren’t any better at the state and city levels either.  But at the school board level they’re at their worst.

Graduation levels have been just over 50%.  Last year several students committed suicide.  The police were called in several times to quell incidents of violence, during and after school hours.  One melee turned into a riot.  Then there’s the behavior of the school board members themselves.

But nothing could be as disturbing as the growing scandal over the school hiring a known terrorist and union hit man Steven Raucci.  What did the school board and the superintendent know and when did they know it?

Some were talking of the state completely taking over the school system.  That happened once in the state’s history.  Perhaps things aren’t that bad yet.

But as more stories come out about Raucci’s behavior, and as details from the latest probe are released, that may soon change.  But given New york state’s track record I’m not holding out much hope.

Some wonder why it took God so long to send Moses.  Was God waiting for Moses to be ready or was He waiting for the people to be ready?

God had to make sure the Israelites hated Egypt so much they’d be willing to do whatever it took to leave and never ever want to go back.

Are we willing to do what’s necessary to save our schools, our cities, and our county?  Maybe then God will send us the leaders we need.

-May God Bless America (and the world)

-In Jesus Name AMEN