The Crucible of Nation Building

The main reason why this nation is great is because it is built on the selfless sacrifices of heroes unmindful of the cost of preserving freedom. This nation is great because it went through the crucible of war and the discipline that emanated therefrom was forged from the blood and spirit of heroes who did not plunge blindly into the valleys of death but rather with dogged resolve to keep the conflict away from succeeding generations of their children.. I honestly believe that this remembrance of today should be in spirit of nationhood totally untarnished by mundane pursuit of personal ambition, otherwise called politics. I am in total agreement with Paul Morin …

Keep politics out of Memorial Day

By Paul Morin,Fri May 25, 4:00 AM ET

Here is a surprise: I am not going to defend the Iraq war. I won't even explain the importance of the war on terrorism. Veterans Affairs budget? Not today. That's because this column is about Memorial Day, a hallowed day that should be about honoring the more than 1 million men and women who died in the service of this nation in wars and conflicts dating back to 1775. It should be above politics. Period.

Yet Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is calling on Americans to use Memorial Day weekend as a time to "bring an end to this war." Mr. Edwards is hardly the first politician from either political party to exploit this day, a holiday that was consecrated with the blood of American heroes. As national commander of the American Legion, I implore all candidates to refrain from politicking on Memorial Day.

The families of those killed in war should not be led to believe that their loved ones died for a less-than-worthy cause. They died because they took an oath to defend this nation and its Constitution. The sacrifice is the same whether it's for a "popular war" or an unpopular one. Memorial Day should be an occasion to bring Americans together to honor these heroes.

It brings to mind the words of Army Sergeant 1st Class Jack Robison, who recently wrote from Iraq, "Sometimes I think God must be creating an elite unit in heaven, because He only seems to select the very best soldiers to bring home early."

If you want to honor these heroes, visit a veterans' cemetery on Memorial Day. Attend a parade without the divisive political signs. Make cards for the comrades of the fallen who are recuperating in military and VA hospitals. Lay a wreath at the headstone of a departed hero.

Americans need to remember why Memorial Day is special. It's not about picnics or trips to the beach. It's not about making pro- or anti-war statements. It's not about supporting political candidates. It's about honor, duty, and the ultimate sacrifice. It's about people who have decided that the United States is worth dying for.

• Paul Morin is national commander of the American Legion, the nation's largest wartime veterans organization.

You Did Not Die In Vain

The Iraq war is a polarizing event such that even ex-presidents do not run short of acrimonious pontifications. It was not like we marched to Iraq like a knight in shining armor to deliver the Iraqis from Saddam. The images of Iraqis dancing in the streets while the Twin Towers were burning will never be blurred from memory but that is beside the point. 911 was not an accident in history – it was a well planned adventure in terrorism that served as a wakeup call for Americans, hitherto smug in the thought that the oceans are buffer zones for safety. 240 dead american servicemen in Lebanon and 17 dead sailors aboard USS Cole failed to shake us from stupor. The burning World Towers were jolting shocks in succession and only a zombie will not react to such pain.

Liberals and Conservatives were unanimous in declaring that retribution is imperative.The terrorist were confronted in their own game and terrirories. But soon the Liberals wavered in their resolve – after body bags started bringing casualties back to the homeland. The Liberals think that fighting terrorist is a game, and according to Harry Reid, one more casualty is one too many. The euphoria of winning the last elections made the Democrats think that they have the mandate to act like wannabe Napoleons and thus attempt to micromanage the Iraq war like it were the little house on the prairie.

Of course there is price to pay for defending the country from terrorism. The soldiers never wavered in their resolve by enlisting in a volunteer service and some even refused lucrative sports contracts . There is no honor more edifying and reward more gratifying than giving one’s life in service to the country. So while wimps and detractors are calumniating George dubya Bush to mask the shaking in their boots, a California family grieves dead soldier.

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press WriterThu May 24, 12:20 PM ET

The front steps of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr.'s old high school became a makeshift shrine of flowers, flags and balloons, marked with a sign reading: "You're our HERO."

The 20-year-old soldier's Web page was also flooded with condolences on Thursday, a day after word came that his body had been found in the Euphrates River following an ambush in Iraq.

At South High School, Arnack was self-assured, knowing early that he wanted to join the military.

"I just remember, as a sophomore or a junior in high school, he was set on it," said Kyle Flynn, the soldier's friend and football teammate. "'I'm ready to go,'" Flynn recalled Anzack saying.

Students went to the school to leave flowers and light candles. The sign on the school steps read, "We love & miss you Joe Anzack. You're our HERO."

Anzack was one of three soldiers who vanished after their combat team was ambushed May 12 about 20 miles outside Baghdad. Five others, including an Iraqi, were killed in the ambush, subsequently claimed by al-Qaida.

Click link for more details …

Gunboat Diplomacy

This image provided by the US Navy shows the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) strike groups steaming through the Gulf of Oman Tuesday May 22, 2007. The U.S. Navy staged its latest show of military force off the Iranian coastline sending the three strike groups through the narrow Strait of Hormus on Wednesday. Aircraft aboard the three carriers and the Bonhomme Richard were to conduct air training while the ships ran submarine, mine and other exercises. (AP Photo/US Navy - Denny Cantrell)

George W. Bush has been called lots of names but never a name for lack of courage. The US can not afford to become appeaser to international rogues and terrorists who are banking on America’s ‘weakness’ of giving values to each and every human life. Iran rants may just be bluff and bluster, but threats to wipe Israel off the map is no joke, not even for dubya. The Democrats would rather consult the UN and other countries before they make a move in the Persian gulf, simply because they do not have the courage of dubya … without realizing that it might be too late for consultations.

In the face of Iran’s intransigence and defiance of UN sanctions, I think the US opted to send diplomats - Nine U.S. warships enter Gulf for training – to convey the message that time is up.

By Mohammed Abbas

Nine U.S. military ships entered the Gulf on Wednesday for a rare daylight assembly off Iran's coast in what naval officials said was the largest such move since the 2003 Iraq war.

U.S. Navy officials said Iran had not been notified of plans to sail the vessels, which include two aircraft carriers, through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran's coast and a major artery for global oil shipments.

Most U.S. ships pass through the straits at night so as not to attract attention, and rarely move in such large numbers.

Navy officials said the decision to send a second aircraft carrier was made at the last minute, without giving a reason.

Pussyfoot Hillary

Hillary Clinton won't commit on Iraq deadline. She thinks she is at a party at Central Park when she cast her vote defunding the Iraq war. There is a noticiable absence of strength of character when she skirts the issue of a final vote. The most powerful office in the planet calls for more fortitude and backbone and determination without being hemmed in by feminine coyness and pussyfoot tendencies ………..

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton voted Wednesday to advance legislation cutting off money for the Iraq war, but she declined to say whether she would support the measure if it comes to a final vote.

"I'm not going to speculate on what I'm going to be voting on in the future," the New York senator and Democratic presidential candidate said when asked by reporters whether she favored the troop withdrawal legislation.

Clinton sided with 28 other senators who lost a procedural vote on the measure offered by Sen. Russ Feingold (news, bio, voting record), D-Wis. The amendment would have cut off money for combat operations after March 2008.

Clinton long has resisted calls from those within her own party to impose a specific deadline on troop withdrawal in Iraq — a position that has at times resulted in her being booed by anti-war activists.

"This is consistent with what I've been saying for several years," she said.

Even as she denied there were any mixed signals in her votes and statements on a troop withdrawal, she criticized what she called growing confusion caused by President Bush's Iraq policy, including the appointment this week of a "war czar."

Clinton said she wants her vote to send a message to Iraqi leaders that they have to do more to stabilize their country before the United States will commit to a longer troop presence there.

Philippine Elections

A charlatan calling herself president, makes a call to MOVE ON. Nothing could be more callous and insulting to the Filipino people. Having imposed herself TWICE as president of a gentle and forgiving people, she now cajoles the people again, in preparation for massive alteration of the will of the electorate in the just concluded elections. There is no need to make this CALL. Verifiable results are not even known yet and this call preempts any fair results of the elections, and certainly a giveaway of the insidious plans to thwart the will of the electorate one more time.

The elections of 2004 are testimonies to unprecedented cheating perpetrated by the COMELEC, the POLICE, and the MILITARY- the very same agencies supposedly safeguarding the santicty of the ballot, at the instance of a pretender president using the national treasury as carrots to entice the rabbits agencies aforementioned. The people had been insulted frontally and brutally by massive cheating, and now are being asked once more to MOVE ON, as if nothing happened. What gall!!

…………….

Gloria: It’s time to move on

PRESIDENT Arroyo yesterday called on all candidates, winners and losers alike, to forget their rivalries for the sake of the country.

"Campaigns are marked by fierce competition but we should be gracious, win or lose. For the good of the country, the chapters on bickering and competition should be closed once the people’s verdict is out, and instead open the door to national unity and cooperation," she said in a statement.

She said the Filipino people united behind democracy in exercising their right to vote.

She said the country should continue on the path of growth while counting the blessings of economic growth and political stability.

Arroyo praised the Commission on Elections, PNP and Armed Forces for safeguarding the elections, along with the efforts of religious, civic, and professional sectors and foreign observers.

"I am especially proud of the famed heroism and dedication of our teachers, and our policemen and soldiers for their impartial defense of peace and order," she said. – Regina Bengco

Who is Afraid of Ann Coulter?

By Ann CoulterThu May 3,

I just woke up from watching the Democrats' debate last Thursday, and I am rested and ready to report!

Someone needs to tell the Democrats to stop talking about their families. I know they're trying to demonstrate their "family values," but using actual, live human beings to illustrate the freakish ideas of the Democratic base just makes normal people uncomfortable.

When Chris Dodd was asked about gay marriage, he said he always thinks of his little daughters -- aged 2 and 5 -- and imagines them turning out to be lesbians, saying he would want them treated equally.

To prove his bona fides to the environmentalist nuts, Obama said: "We've also been working to install lightbulbs that last longer and save energy. And that's something that I'm trying to teach my daughters, 8-year-old Malia and 5-year-old Sasha."

So we finally have an answer to the question: What do Democrats teach their daughters? Is it:

(a) integrity

(b) character

(c) the importance of always telling the truth

No! The answer is: (d) They teach their daughters to use low-energy lightbulbs. This is so important that it apparently bears mentioning during a debate under high-intensity TV studio lights.

(How many kids does it take to screw in a lightbulb? In the Barack household, evidently, it takes two.)

"Best in Show" for cringe-inducing mentions of family members went to John Edwards. In the single most appalling moment of the debate, John Edwards reminisced about the time his father, who was sitting in the audience, totally humiliated him as a child.

"I can remember vividly my dad after church once Sunday, when I was about 10 years old, taking us -- it's our whole family -- into a restaurant. I was dressed up. I was very proud to be there, and we sat, got our menus, looked at the menus, and the waitress came over and my father said, 'I'm sorry. We have to leave.' I didn't understand. 'Why? Why do we have to leave?' And I was embarrassed. I found out when we got outside the reason we had to leave is he couldn't pay the prices that were on the menu."

Thanks for the memories, Pop!

The not-visibly-insane Democrats all claim they'll get rough with the terrorists, but they can't even face Brit Hume.

In case you missed this profile in Democrat machismo, the Democratic presidential candidates are refusing to participate in a debate hosted by Fox News Channel because the hosts are "biased." But they'll face down Mahmoud Ahmadinejad!

At this, even Hillary Clinton was thinking, "Come on, guys -- let's grow a pair."

Obama was asked to name "America's three most important allies around the world" -- a question rejected as "too easy" on Fox's new game show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Any politically savvy 11-year-old could have named Britain, Australia and Israel.

B. Hussein Obama answered: "the European Union." Which is (a) not a country, and (b) not an ally.

What was his next guess? Epcot Center?

In addition to not being a country, the "European Union" happens to be composed of people who hate our guts. It is the continent where Moveon.org-style lunatics are the friendly, pro-American types and the rest are crazy Muslims.

Obama did eventually mention Japan as an ally -- along with China and Afghanistan -- which would have been a better answer to the question: "Who are America's four or five most important allies?" But at least he named a country that could conceivably be called "an ally."

Of course, it took Obama less time to remember an American ally than it took John Edwards to remember Jesus. Edwards was asked who his "moral leader" was -- and he was stuck for an answer.

I had time to shout "Jesus" at the TV 20 times, exhaust myself, and have a sandwich before Edwards finally coughed up "mah lowrd." Even then it appeared that Edwards was not actually naming the Savior but exclaiming, "Mah lowrd, that's a tough question!"

Edwards then put "mah lowrd" (assuming that was his answer) on a par with other moral leaders such as his father -- who had embarrassed him so as a child -- and his wife. (When he mentioned his spouse as a "moral leader," Hillary visibly tensed for fear that she might be asked the same question.)

In fairness to Edwards, asking a trial lawyer to name his favorite moral leader is like asking the president of Iran to name his favorite Jew. (Answer: George Soros.)

If you're keeping score, that's two major religions the Democrats lack a working knowledge of -- Christianity and Islam.

Man and Universe

Brightest star explosion ever spotted

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

A massive exploding faraway star — the brightest supernova astronomers have ever seen — has scientists wondering if a similar celestial fireworks show may light up the sky much closer to Earth sometime soon.

The discovery, announced Monday by NASA, drew oohs and aahs for months from the handful of astronomers who peered through telescopes to see the fuzzy remnants of the spectacular explosion after it was first spotted last fall.

Using a variety of Earth and space telescopes, astronomers found a giant exploding star that they figure has shined about five times brighter than any of the hundreds of supernovae ever seen before, said discovery team leader Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley. The discovery was first made last September by a graduate student in Texas.

"This one is way above anything else," Smith told The Associated Press. "It's really astonishing."

Smith said the star, SN2006gy, "is a special kind of supernova that has never been seen before."

Observations from the Chandra X-ray telescope helped show that it didn't become a black hole like other supernovae and skipped a stage of star death.

Unlike other exploding stars, which peak at brightness for a couple of weeks at most, this supernova, peaked for 70 days, according to NASA. And it has been shining at levels brighter than other supernovae for several months, Smith said.

And even at 240 million light years away, this star in a distant galaxy does suggest that a similar and relatively nearby star — one 44 trillion miles away — might blow in similar fashion any day now or 50,000 years from now, Smith said. It wouldn't threaten Earth, but it would be visible to people in the Southern Hemisphere, he said.

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

This star show was seen only last fall. Of course --- it has been travelling for the last 240 million years and it just arrived here on earth. This supernova might remain visible for another million years, which means that it no longer exist. What is visible are light remnants of the last million years. In the same breadth the stars we see now could be extinct already and what we see are the dying embers of a star that was. It is also possible that more stars are on their way to be seen, their starlight still travelling on their millions of light years journey to our planet.

It is not for man to worry. Man may not be around to witness any stars after a thousand years.

Ode to Gypsy

 

Radiant rays of sunrise painting the sky

Scudding clouds sofly racing on high

Reddish glow of sunset heralding the end of day

Meaningless all and gray until you came to me.

 

You came to me on wings of song

When you put your lips closer to the phone

Images of you coming to me in a dream

Gliding stealthily on planks of moonbeam.

 

Fairylike motions light as a feather

Fiery lips caressing   till the end of never

On these dreamlike reverie I hate to waken

Whispering softly the words I leave unspoken.

 

I searched for you on places high and wide

Unbeknownst you are always  by my side

Affectionate and caring always full of love

Nobody else like you save from up above.

 

The sound of your voice warbling a song

Fills my heart with gladness all day long

Soothing as the mist on a hot summer day

Breaking barriers to have union with thee!