Friday, January 30, 2009

Open Letter to Prez B.O.

Open letter to President Obama.

Dear Sir,

In your effort to persuade some Republicans to vote for the current proposed stimulus bill you lower yourself and look a little bit like someone trying to cover his a**. Just pass the thing if you believe it will bring the economy around. Since you didn’t care to take any of the Republicans ideas, wasn’t “I won” the reason you gave for not taking Republican input, why exactly do you feel you must have their votes?

Wasn’t it that same meeting, what was it 3 or maybe 4 days into your presidency that you were also quoted as worrying about how this decision could hurt your chances of getting re-elected? Sir, may I be so bold as to suggest that if you are worrying now about that and using that as a measurement for decision making that it’s going to get very rough for you.

More to the point, sir, though are my thoughts on your requesting that folks should not listen to Rush Limbaugh. You, sir, have much growing up to do. There is never any reason for the Leader of the Free World to throw himself and the power of his office at a private businessman in the United States. Never.

You, sir, need very badly to take a look at your predecessor. Do you now regret your easy, glib, verbal attacks on President Bush? Do you remember how Bush behaved? You, who enjoys worldwide adoration, cannot withstand some criticism without lashing out at the speaker? (Oh, eh, wait now, I thought I had heard that dissent is patriotic?? Oh, nevermind that now.)

So, again, you, who enjoys worldwide adoration, have such thin skin that you can endure no dissent? In fact, it does seem that criticism actually compels you to court Republican votes as protective cover.

Wait, look back in time and contrast.

You enjoy worldwide adoration (I cannot wrap my mind around that one, but we’ll have to go with it), President Bush, on the other hand, faced worldwide opprobrium as he weighed his decision to keep America safe by invading Iraq. Yet, this man made his decision like a man. He stood firm in his belief in himself. With you and your ilk pissing on him daily he never once, not once, ever responded or even acknowledged the dreary slings and arrows, but stood like the grown man he is and governed as best he could with your incessant hordes trying to destroy him from below. Noble. I loathed seeing him attacked, but I so admired the magnificent way he withstood you all. Oh, yeah, by the way, thanks for that, I always enjoy having to see a man I admire ripped to shreds by overgrown, spoiled children who are supposed to be governing our nation.

So, please, grow up. The Presidency is not a plaything. You have to do the work, you have to take the hits. It was your admired Lincoln who said, “We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.”

Remember, “If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.” - Abraham Lincoln

Good luck, sir, may the grace and blessings of God help you in your herculean job as President of our beloved United State of America.

An American Citizen

Slim Times For American Newspapers. Good!

Peter Gadiel is president of 9/11 Families for a Secure America. His son, 9/11 World Trade Center victim James Gadiel (North Tower, 103rd floor), was 23 at the time of his murder.
clipped from vdare.com
January 28, 20098

Slim Times For American Newspapers. Good!

By
Peter
Gadiel

American newspapers are dying. Let
us celebrate, since in their extinction lies the only
hope for journalism—and (as I will illustrate via my
recent experience with the

Gannett-owned

Asbury
[NJ] Park Press) for the

patriotic immigration reform
so desperately needed
by the American nation.

In former Times (that’s Times with
a capital "T")
it would have been unthinkable to say such a thing.
Newspapers were
journalism and journalism
was
newspapers. But those days are long gone, and it’s not
just because of talk radio and the

internet
.

What we have in these Times are
newspapers engaging in the fraud of providing propaganda
in the guise of journalism. Until these publications
disappear, journalism as we once knew it can’t make a
comeback.

 blog it

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Website for Homeschoolers

Homeschooling Adventures

The Answer We've Been Waiting For


Finally...
Here it is!!!

The answer to the Question we
have all been hearing and asking
for so many years......

And the ANSWER IS.........

YES!!!!



Uses for Coffee Filters

COFFEE FILTERS: Not just for making coffee....Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China. Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc., on them. Soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

Always check their homework


















Following is the response back to the teacher:
Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.
I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.
From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

Thomas Jefferson Quotes

Thomas Jefferson, in some regard could be called a prophet

When we get piled up on one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .
Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson

And finally, a Very Interesting Quote :

In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

'I believe that banking inst itutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

Go Cardinals!!!

KURTIS THE STOCK BOY AND BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy was busily working when a new voice came over the loud speaker asking for a carry out at register 4. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call. As he approached the check-out stand a distant smile caught his eye, the new check-out girl was beautiful. She was an older woman (maybe 26 and he was only 22) and he fell in love.

Later that day, after his shift was over, he waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him, took her card and punched out, then left. He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road.

Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, he asked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible. He pressed and she ex plained she had two children and she couldn't afford a baby-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday.

That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well, let's take the kids with us.” She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but again not taking no for an answer, he pressed. Finally Brenda brought him inside to meet her children.

She had an older daughter who was just as cute as a bug, Kurtis thought, and then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was born a paraplegic with Down syndrome. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come with us?"

Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids, especially if one had disabilities - just like e her first husband and20father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary - - - he had a different mindset. That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies.

When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair, took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?

Well Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona , where he is currently employed as the quarterback of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Kurtis and the Cardinals SHOCKED the world and are in Super Bowl 43.

Is this a surprise ending or could you have guessed that he was not an ordinary person. It should be noted that Kurt Warner also quarterbacked the Rams to the Super Bowl twice. He has also been the NLF's Most Valuable Player twice and the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.

It does not matter what team you’re rooting for in the super bowl, how can you not be rooting for Kurtis!

The previous post up to this point have been 'borrowed' from a good friend and mutual fan of mine on Stumble Upon ...a social website. His screen name was Squiote (squiote.stumbleupon.com). His real name was Donald Bartholomay. This is the description he provided on his profile:
squiote is a married guy from Florida, USA
"ILLIGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM"... I'm a retired U.S. Army CWO-4 Helicopter Pilot and a proud and patriotic American. I HATE SEEING MY AMERICA DENIGRATED..... MY WORLD, AS I KNOW IT, IS WHAT I POST ON THESE PAGES.

He was a modest man, but I did find these tidbits at the beginning of his SU (StumbleUpon) blog.



















Squiote died a few months ago...and today I discovered on another SU friends blog that there is a video on YouTube as a tribute to Don......In memory of Uncle Don.....gonna try to attach it with this post.

NY Times Report

N.Y. TIMES REPORT

A biker is riding by the zoo, when he sees a little
girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion
grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull
her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her
screaming parents. The biker jumps off his bike, runs
to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with
a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion
jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker
brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him
endlessly.

A NYT reporter has seen the whole scene, and
addressing the biker, says, "Sir, this was the most
gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole
life."

"Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind
bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted
as I felt right."

"Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a
journalist from the New York Times , you know, and
tomorrow's paper will have this on the first page.
What motorcycle do you ride and what political
affiliation do you have?"

" A Harley Davidson and I am a Republican. "

The journalist leaves.

The following morning the biker buys The New York
Times to see if it indeed brings news of his actions,
and reads, on first page:

BIKER GANG MEMBER ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND
STEALS HIS LUNCH.

George Carlin On Age

George Carlin on age.
(Absolutely Brilliant)

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends.The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil'sname is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

Still Waiting

















Still Waiting


I did what you told me...

I sent that email to10 people like you said.

I'm still waiting for that miracle to happen .

What a Pilot














From the text: What A Pilot! Description:
Afgan Helicopter Photo Can't add anything else to this one .. Picture is worth 1,000 words! If you don't think our military pilots earn their pay .. you need to take a look at this picture ... and then look again and realize what you're seeing . This photo was taken by a soldier in Afghanistan of a helo rescue mission. The pilot is a PA National Guard guy who flies EMS choppers in civilian life. Now how many people on the planet you reckon could set the a$$ end of a chopper down on the roof top of a shack on a steep mountain cliff and hold it there while soldiers load wounded men in the rear. If this does not impress you ... nothing ever will. Gives me the chills and a serious case of the vertigo ... I can't even imagine having the nerve ... much less the talent and ability ... God Bless our military.

Lessons from Vietnam Helicopter Pilot

This if from Lee Komich, a UHI pilot that flew with the 229th during the I Drang, and later with the 228th. There is a chapter about him in Robert F. Door's book "Chopper".
I consider him a true "Hero". RJ

Be sure to read all the way to the last lesson. Lee
As a high time chopper pilot, I thought passing this along would be very informative. Chopper pilots are different than airplane
pilots, and those that flew in Vietnam are the cream of the crop.

Lessons of a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot
1. Once you are in the fight, it is way too late to wonder if it was a good idea.
2. There is no such thing as "fun" hot LZ.
3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While it may be possible to ward off this natural
event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. It's just what they do.
4. NEVER get into a fight without more ammunition than the other guy.
5. The engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale of the crew.
6. There are only two kinds of helicopter pilots: those that have crashed, and those who are going to.
7. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover you.
8. Letters from home are not always great.
9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll. Please have exact change.
10. Always remember that helicopters are different from airplanes. Helicopters are thousands of pounds of parts all flying in oppostion to each other,
and unlike airplanes, they fly by beating the air into submission.
11. Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best interest.
12. The terms "Protective Armor" and "Helicopter" are mutually exclusive.
13. The further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is that they can help you when you really need them the most.
14. Being good and lucky is not enough, there is always payback.
15. "Chicken Plates" are not something you order in a restaurant.
16. If everything is as clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
17. The B.S.R. (Bang, Stare, Read) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges.
18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time it takes them to move from green to red.
19. The sole purpose of our helcopters is to support our grunts. Anyone who forgets that has forgotten the mission.
20. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. So too can the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern".
21. Gravity may not be fair, but it is the law.
22. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need.
23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will probably miss that part.
24. It hurts less to die with a uniform on than to die in a hospital bed.
25. Happiness is a belt-fed weapon.
26. If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to.
27. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can. Visit the head when you can. The next opportunity may not come around for a long time, if ever.
28. Combat pay is a flawed concept.
29. Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury.
31. If you are allergic to lead it is best to avoid a war zone.
31. It is always a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time.
32. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and runway behind you.
33. While the rest of the crew may be in the same predicament, it's almost always the pilot's job to arrive at the crash site first.
34. When you shoot your weapon, clean it the first chance you get.
35. Loud sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention.
36. Hot garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at all. All of these,
however, are preferable to cold rice balls even if they do have the little pieces of fish in them.
37. WHAT is often more important than WHY.
38. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
39. Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not.
40. Everybody's a hero on the ground in the officers club and after the fourth drink.
41. There is no such thing as a small firefight.
42. A free-fire zone has nothing to do with economics.
43. The farther you fly into the mountains (or over water), the louder the strange engine noises become.
44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is a whole lot better.
45. The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity Medal. 45. Being shot hurts.
46. Thousands of Vietnam Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even awarded.
47. In helicopters, there is no such thing as "a good vibration."
48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be deadly.
49. Nomex is NOT fire proof.
50. There is only one rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the Rules.
51. Living and dying can both hurt a lot.
53. While a Super Bomb could be considered one of the four essential building blocks of life, powdered eggs cannot.
54. C-4 can make a dull day fun.
55. Cocoa Powder is neither.
56. There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or lose.
57. If you win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose you don't care.
58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW to solve our problem.
59. If you have extra, share it quickly.
60. Always make sure someone has a P-38.
61. A sucking chest wound may be God's way of telling you it's time to go home.
62. Prayer may not help . . . but it can't hurt.
63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of these however, are better than extraction by a
Med-Evac, even if this is technically a form of flying.
64. If everyone does not come home, none of the rest of us can ever fully come home.
65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
66. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Every helicopter flown in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It is
unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life simply because someone forgot this fact.

An Open Letter to Vietnam Vets

AN OPEN LETTER TO ANYONE WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM

This was sent to me by a friend with whom I served in Viet Nam. Viet Nam Veterans are a strange lot. We have tasted war at it's worst and got eternally stuck in it. Politicians refer to Viet Nam continually and the memories won't go away. The pain of the war itself and the constant reminders we will all carry to our last breath on this earth seem to have us stopped in time and there is nothing short of a lobotomy that can remove those deeply seated emotions. If we step on your toes, or voice a difference of opinion from your own, then please forgive all of us. We hurt but we don't cry and when someone writes us a short no te such as the one below, we are deeply and respectfully grateful. Perhaps the time will come when society will forget us and we will all become, just as the names on the cold stone wall in Washington, just a name on a cold piece of stone etched into the pages of history. I watch constantly as one by one Viet Nam Veterans are laid to rest. We didn't die in the war - we died from it. Have a nice Thanksgiving and, while some may not be thankful for what the Viet Nam Veteran did, you can be assured that we, the Viet Nam Veterans, are thankful that we were afforded this short period of time we are spending with you.

Dear Hero,

I was in my twenties during the Vietnam era. I was a single mother and, I'm sad to say, I was probably one of the most self-centered people on the planet. To be perfectly honest, I didn't care one way or the other about the war. All I cared about was me - how I looked, what I wore, and where I was going.
I worked and I played. I was never politically involved in anything, but I allowed my opinions to be formed by the media. It happened without my ever being aware. I listened to the protest songs and I watched the six o'clock news and I listened to all the people who were talking. After awhile, I began to repeat their words and, if you were to ask me, I'd have told you I was against the war. It was very popular. Everyone was doing it, and we never saw what it was doing to our men. All we were shown was what they were doing to the people of Vietnam.
My brother joined the Navy and then he was sent to Vietnam. When he came home, I repeated the words to him. It surprised me at how angry he became. I hurt him very deeply and there were years of separation-not only of miles, but also of character. I didn't understand. In fact, I didn't understand anything, until one day I opened my newspaper and saw the anguished face of a Vietnam veteran. The picture was taken at the opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. His countenance revealed the terrible burden of his soul.
As I looked at his picture and his tears, I finally understood a tiny portion of what you had given for us and what we had done to you. I understood that I had been manipulated, but I also knew that I had failed to think for myself. It was like waking up out of a nightmare, except that the nightmare was real. I didn't know what to do.

One day about three years ago, I went to a member of the church I attended at that time, because he had served in Vietnam. I asked him if he had been in Vietnam, and he got a look on his face and said, "Yes." Then, I took his hand, looked him square in the face, and said, "Thank you for going." His jaw dropped, he got an amazed look on his face, and then he said, "No one has ever said that to me." He hugged me and I could see that he was about to get tears in his eyes.
It gave me an idea, because there is much more that needs to be said. How do we put into words, all the regret of so many years? I don't know, but when I have an opportunity, I take it. So here goes:

Have you been to Vietnam? If so, I have something I want to say to you. Thank you for going! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please forgive me for my insensitivity. I don't know how I could have been so blind, but I was. When I woke up, you were wounded and the damage was done, and I don't know how to fix it. I will never stop regretting my actions, and I will never let it happen again.
Please, understand that I am speaking for the general public, also. We know we blew it and we don't know how to make it up to you. We wish we had been there for you when you came home from Vietnam because you were a hero and you deserved better. Inside of you there is a pain that will never completely go away, and you know what? It's inside of us, too. Because when we let you down, we hurt ourselves, too. We all know it, and we suffer guilt and we don't know what to do. So, we cheer for our troops and write letters to "any soldier" and we hang out the yellow ribbons and fly the flag and we love America. We love you too, even if it doesn't feel like it to you.

I know in my heart that when we cheer wildly for our troops, part of the reason is trying to make up for Vietnam. And while it may work for us, it does nothing for you. We failed you. You didn't fail us, but we failed you, and we lost our only chance to be grateful to you at the time when you needed and deserved it. We have disgraced ourselves and brought shame to our country. We did it and we need your forgiveness.

Please, say you will forgive us and please take your rightful place as heroes of our country. We have learned a terribly painful lesson at your expense and we don't know how to fix it.

From the heart,


Julie

Burleson, Texas 76028-8948

Laws of Life

THE LAWS OF LIFE

Law of Mechanical Repair- After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop - Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi - If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

& Law of the Theater
At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

& Law of Coffee - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

& Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

& Law of Rugs/Carpets - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

& Law of Location - No matter where you go, there you are.

& Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

& Brown's Law - If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

& Oliver's Law - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

& Wilsonʼs Law - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it. (this one is true every time!)

& Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.

Only Man Standing

http://www.everafterimages.com/NoTextOnlyManStanding.jpg
Photo Credit:  Raymond Malkiewicz@Everimages.com
http://www.everafterimages.com/NoTextOnlyManStanding.jpg

When Veterans Retire

When Veterans Retire

When a good Veteran leaves the 'job' and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder. We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the 'job' and merely being allowed to leave 'active' duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that 'Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God,' and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.


Civilian Friends vs. Veteran Friends
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds' ass that left you behind.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences...
VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences
no citizen could ever dream of...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, 'You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!!'
Then carry you home safely and put you to bed...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out OF THEM..... for using your name in vain.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.

Another from Squoite SU Feb 2008

EVIL IN THE NAME OF ISLAM...."A German's point of view on Islam"
by Dr. Emanual Tanay, Psychiatrist


A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War ll owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.

'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp, and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals.

The hard quantifiable fact is that the 'peaceful majority', the 'silent majority', is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China 's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War ll was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet. And, who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun. Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, at the risk of offending, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems of expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world wide, read this - think about it - and send it on.

Emanuel Tanay, M.D.
Ann Arbor , MI

Idle Thought of a Retiree

IDLE THOUGHTS OF A RETIREE -

I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
*****
I had amnesia once -- or twice.
*****
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
*****
Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
*****
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
*****
If logic prevailed, men would be the ones who ride horses side saddle.
*****
What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
*****
They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
*****
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.
*****
Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
*****
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
*****
My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.
*****
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
*****
The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
*****
How can there be self-help "groups"?
*****
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
*****
Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
*****
Is it me--or do buffalo wings taste like chicken?

Squiote's SU on Feb 18, 2008

THIS SAYS IT ALL!!!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic.... "This Letter of Apology"

was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US Marine Corps, Retired:

For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.

I humbly offer my opinion here:

I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims ( Bosnia , Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait , etc.)

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.

I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.

I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause."

I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the U.S.A. has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems.

I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in "paradise."

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets.

I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."

I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc!

I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa .

America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do.

We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own

From Squiote's StumbleUpon 2/18/08

Image and video hosting by TinyPic......Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI. where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave Marines raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?"

I told him that we were from Wisconsin "Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story."

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who has since passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, D.C., but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

"My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers" which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.

"Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game A game called "War" But it didn't turn out to be a game.

Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old.

(He pointed to the statue) "You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. Boys won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys . Not old men.

"The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24 When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, Let's go kill some Japanese' or Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'

"The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes walked off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, You're a hero.' He told reporters, How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?' So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 .. ten years after this picture was taken.

"The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night. Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. The neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

"The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews When Walter Cronkite's producers, or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say, No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.

"You see, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed in pain.

"When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.
"So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time."

Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.

We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice. Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in between that sacrifice was made for our freedom. Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice.

God Bless You and God Bless America.

REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day.

From 2/20/08 post by Squiote

This guy taught College History for Univ. of Houston/Victoria, TX......writes a
pretty good blog!



THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA 'S WOES
BY CHARLEY REESE

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then
campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and
high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal
budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to
vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal
policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal
Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President and nine Supreme Court
justices - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally,
morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this
country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was
created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to
provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank. I
excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have
no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a
president to do one cotton- picking thing. I don't care if they offer a
politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept
or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to
determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they
did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of
gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER of the House, who
stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept
it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving
appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She
and fellow Democrats, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If
the president vetoes it , they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me th at a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545
people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and
irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense
overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully
grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the Federal Government,
then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ . There are no
insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to
bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose
gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to
regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied
mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them
from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are
responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone,
should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the
voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of
them out of office and clean up their mess.

Welfare

Welfare Ain't What It Use To Be!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Sharon Jasper has been victimized. Sharon Jasper has been

rabidly wronged. She has become a Section 8 'VICTIM' of

ever changing public housing policies.



Sharon Jasper has spent 57 or her 58 years dedicated to

one cause and one cause only, and has nothing to show for

her dedicated servitude. She has lived in Section 8

housing all but 1 of her 58 years. It was a legacy passed

down from her parents who moved into Section 8 housing in

1949 when she was six months old. She has passed the

legacy down to her children, but fears they may have to

get jobs to pay for the utilities and deposits. She

laments about her one year hiatus from the comfort of her

Section 8 nirvana, 'I tried it for a year..you know...

working and all. It's not anything I would want to go

through again, or wish on anyone in my family, but I am

damn proud of that year.'



Sharon was moved out of her St. Bernard housing project

after hurricane Katrina and into a new, yet albeit,

substandard quarterage. As can be noted from the above

photo of her new Section 8 home, it is repugnant and not

suitable for someone of Sharon Jasper's seniority status

in the system. 'Don't be fooled by them hardwood floors,'

says Sharon. 'They told me they were putting in scraped

wood floors cause it was more expensive and elegant, but

I am not a fool - that was just a way to make me take

scratched up wood because I am black. The 60 inch HD TV?

It may look nice but it is not a plasma. It's not a

plasma because I'm black. Now they want me to pay a

deposit and utilities on this dump. Do you know why?'



She has held her tongue in silence through the years of

abuse by the system, but it came to a head at the New

Orlean's city council meeting where discussions were

under way about the tearing down of the St. Bernard

projects. When a near riotous exchange between groups

opposing the tearing down of St. Bernard and groups

wanting the dilapidated buildings torn down and newer

ones built, Sharon unleashed verbal hell with her once

silenced tongue. The object of her oratory prowess was

an acquiescent poor white boy in attendance. The context

of her scathing rebuke was, 'Just because you pay for my

house, my car, my big screen and my food, I will not be

treated like a slave!' and 'Back up and Shut up! Shut up,

white boy! SHUT UP, WHITE BOY!'



Recapping from the mental log of the city council minutes

in her head, Sharon repines, 'Our families have been

displaced all over the United States. They are being

forced to commit crimes in cities they are unfamiliar

with. It is a very uncomfortable situation for them.

Bring them back, then let's talk about redevelopment.'

Sharon directs the reporter's attention across the street

to Duncan Plaza where homeless people are living in tents

and states that, 'I might do better out there with one of

these tents.' She further lamented her sentiments about her

situation, 'I might be poor, but I don't have to live poor.'

US One Dollar Bill

THE UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL

Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget.

In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut.

Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.

That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.

The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency.
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking."

The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "A new order has begun."

At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)

If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully,
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States

It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments.

Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England.

Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own.

At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.

In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM", meaning, "one nation from many people".

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this:

13 original colonies,
13 signers of the Declaration of Independence ,
13 stripes on our flag,
13 steps on the Pyramid,
13 letters in the Latin above,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum",
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 bars on that shield,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 fruits, and if you look closely,
13 arrows.

And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

I always ask people, "Why don't you know this?" Your children don't know
this, and their history teachers don't know this.

Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade.
Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care.

Too many veterans never came home at all.

Share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for... Otherwise, they will probably never know...