Monday, July 31, 2006

Vacation


We are hanging out at the in-laws and I have been enjoying my father-in-law's newest toy. That is a 2006 Yamaha Rhino 4X4. These things can go almost anywhere; we easily traversed a washout that was 2 feet across and 3 feet deep. Later we rolled through over 18 inches of mud as if it wasn't there. I dig this thing.

Yesterday we went to The Villages retirement community and had a blast. It was a hoot, I highly recommend a visit. I also plan to move in the second I hit the minimum age of 55. We also went to the Astronaut Hall of Fame which was very informative. I still don't really understand the space program and really don't understand how it benefits us much. According to the museum, they have contributed such things as gold-toe socks and oven mitts to society. I do think that space exploration is neat, but seems too expensive for the return on investment.

On the down side it has been hotter than the surface of the sun the whole time we have been here. Today we are planning to hit the Brevard Zoo which ought to be fun in the heat. After that we will head down to Fort Lauderdale for my training. See you there.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Visiting Florida


So I am on vacation/training down in Florida and as I drove into the state I saw the billboard pictured above. Seems like there is a group dedicated to hurting the tourism industry down here by talking about Florida's "shoot first" law. This law states that Floridians can stand their ground and meet force with force without fear of reprisal. I think that's great! It's never good to be the dude that shoots second. The state also has its lowest crime rate in 34 years since this law has been in effect.
I do think we should check out who gets a gun very carefully, and train them to use the weapon.
Once these requirements have been met, I think you should be able to defend yourself at any time and not worry if the person trying to hurt or rob you might sue you later. I know they want to scare off tourists, but that makes me want to live there.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Corporal Jerrod Fields

I found this yesterday:

Cpl. Jerrod Fields has been knocked down before.

Cancer took his mother when he was 7. A thug's bullet took his father six years later. A coach took his basketball scholarship at Tennessee State.

And, in Iraq, a roadside bomb took his left leg.

But every time Fields is knocked down, he dusts himself off and gets back up again.

Now, after a year of recovery, the 23-year-old has managed to stay a soldier and get promoted. And he has plans to re-enlist for six more years.

"I told myself when I came home that I wasn't going to let some guy in Iraq determine my future," said Fields as he showed off his prosthetic leg.

It's emblazoned with the American Flag and the four blue stripes of Fort Stewart's 3rd Infantry Division.

Yesterday's Army was likely to pat Fields on the back, quietly hand him a medical discharge and replace him in the ranks.

Today's Army is giving him a chance.

While there's no official policy on retaining seriously wounded or disabled soldiers, President Bush encouraged the practice early in the war during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"This is a new age, and this is a new (military)," Bush said in 2003. "Today, if wounded service members want to remain in uniform and can do the job, the military tries to help them stay."

As of March 1, there were 392 war amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan across all military branches, according to Walter Reed figures. Fields is one of about 80 who have chosen to re-enlist, passing the same rigorous tests all service members undergo.

"Fields knows he needs to go way above and beyond, which is what he's done," said Capt. Ryan Booth, about Fields promotion to corporal. "The kid showed the fitness board, chain of command and the entire Army that you can't kick him out."

To stay in, he needed to pass the fitness test for his age: run two miles in under 16 minutes and do at least 40 push-ups and 50 sit-ups in two-minute stretches.

Fields beams when he recites his two-mile time: 14 minutes, 26 seconds.

You can read the whole story here. Yesterday Vice President Dick Cheney drove to Fort Benning and re-enlisted this young man. I do not this man's politics, religion or background beyond what is stated in the article. I DO know that this is the definition of a man, hero and patriot. Someone who can see the greater good, and sacrifice himself for others whether or not they agree or understand with what he is doing.
Thanks Cpl. Fields HOOAH!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Stem Cell Research (Facts vs. Hype)


A fiercely debated topic to be sure. Put aside politics and morals and simply read the evidence I will present. Evidence to the contrary is welcomed provided you can provide it rationally.

http://www.family.org/fofmag/sl/a0024064.cfm
this is a religious website but, if you prefer, just read the facts and drop the moral case they present.

http://www.lifeissues.org/cloningstemcell/bradsarticle.html

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/StemCell/embryonic_adult.html
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2003/nov/03112001.html

Excellent debate, note that one side offers facts, and one side only theory and conjecture.

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/stemcells2.php

http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm

Thanks.

Captain Dude receives national recognition


I got referenced on a California website yesterday. After reading the comments on the page I am sure I will get some haters, so here are the rules haters. I will publish your comment as long as you aren't trashing someone's character, cussing, or flaming with no substance. No substance would be this:

Well, if it wasn't already obvious that Bush values his religious extremist supporters over scientific advances, then it surely is now. I read the text of the veto he sent the House and it showed that he has a simplistic view of exactly what stem cell research is all about. Human embryos are destroyed anyway, and most women destroy them each month. I guess that doesn't matter.
Bush to scientific research that doesn't have to do with tactical nuclear weapons: Drop Dead
Bush to the targets of these tactical nukes: Drop Dead

This offers no proof of anything, simply defamation.
Hey nothing wrong with election pandering to the base, it is an election year. Beside it draws attention away from his failed policies in the Middle-East and provides time for the Princess of Darkness Condoleeza Rice, not to be confused with Jerry Rice, consult with Israel on how to proceed in Lebanon.
Yeah the religious right in action again, that is why I keep getting further away from my Catholic roots, and coming to the conclusion that to my church, superstition has it over science, and blind obedience has it over real concern for humanity.
Again, no substance. Now we have two mentions of the word science with tirades of character libel.

He values their votes over human life, that's for sure.
His prop "Snow White Babies" each is alive only because other frozen embryos were sacrificed to create them. Think about that: one to six frozen embryos were destroyed in order that each of those pretty white babies could be born. But that's OK--there's a terrible shortage of White Babies to be adopted. It's important for the country to have more White Babies. White Babies are our country's future. Sure, there are plenty of babies and children looking for homes, but they're all the wrong color.
If I sound bitter at Bush's hypocritical pandering to the lunatic fringe--and be assured, you'll hear plenty from the religious nutcases opposing stem-cell research--it's because one of my spouses suffers from three different medical conditions for which stem-cell research shows promise. Take it away, Pax. But for Zeus' sake don't think through the logical implications of your theology. It'll cause doubt.

This example is both hateful and racist. This is unfortunate because this person seems to actually know someone that could have shed some light on the issue instead of just spewing hatred. It is also certainly idiotic to call the majority of America the "lunatic fringe."
This certainly shows how regressive the Republican base is at this time. If they could get away from all those church fund-raising events, and read about current events, they might realize they are only creating an ebay marketplace waiting to happen for stem cells. Private firms and the rest of the world are all on this technology and our private firms could use both regulation and funds from the government to allow this technology to grow in a sane ethical manner.
Such is the hypocrisy from the Christian Right that blast stem cell research and gorge with in vitro fertilization. No right wing moralist ever seems to have a problem with the harvesting and disposing of those embryos. I guess because one in a million embryos can make infertile woman pregnant with quintuplets.
As usual, for Bush and his base all life is only important until you're born, then you're on your own.
Excellent first paragraph minus the second sentence of course. From there it proceeds into conjecture that is largely untrue. The last sentence is ridiculous, as if there are no social programs available to people. If you are truly on your own after you are born then it is certainly a miracle that anyone lives past the age of two.

Black market, Adam. Ebay, unlike Republicans, has integrity after all.
But that brings up a nice point. Bush defines federally-funded stem-cell research as murder, but has no problem with privately-funded research. So presumably, as long as I don't use federal funds, he'll have no problems with my hiring a hit man.
Good to know Shrub's hypocrisy knows no bounds. Like I needed any proof of *THAT.*

This person wavered with lucidity in the middle but couldn't seem to articulate the point. Yes, private research is ok we are a free society after all. He simply won't allocate federal funds, which are limited anyway, ask all of your left wing movie stars to donate some cash to the private research. They have so much money that all of the "promising research" should provide cures in a year or two. Oh, wait Hollywood won't actually put up or shut up, they want governments to do it all.

The picture for this post is intended to portray that Christians do NOT think we are perfect or blameless in our decision making. We make mistakes, we stumble and we fall just like anyone else Democrat or Republican, black, latino, asian, or white. We simply hold ourselves accountable to God and not the will of man. We make the best decisions we can with the information available at that time. We also understand that this truly confounds some people and we are sorry. We do not judge and spew hatred at you for not understanding us, please extend that same courtesy. I am, of course, only speaking for the people I know and, as an example, not the church in Kansas that protests the funerals. There will be do-dos on either side of any argument when millions of people are involved.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Bush vetoes stem cell bill


Stem cell hype is based on little fact and so far adult stem cells look just as promising. So, with no qualms and no hesitation the President vetoed this bil.

Nicely done sir.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

CNN officially merges with the National Enquirer


CNN, which I always felt had a pretty sharp list to the port (left) side, has officially joined the ranks of the sensationalist leftist rags our country likes to call news outlets. Yesterday morning they ran a graphic entitled "Breaking News" President caught using expletive! Oh SHIT, I said that to see if any news crews would appear in my backyard while I watch my kids playing in the pool. Nope guess it didn't really matter. That's the stupidest crap I have ever heard, luckily our President is a Texan and probably is having a good laugh over whatever smacktard typed up that graphic.

I don't care if you dislike the President, but stick to real issues like policy not casual conversation.

More Mconahey

This mconahey crap is retarded, but I enjoy it. Captain Dude remains the only competitor to offer proof of ranking in the spirit of fair play.

The Middle East



I was listening to some analysis of the current crisis overseas and also reading some lefty websites about how terrible the Jews in Israel are. I have to say that Hezbollah woefully underestimated the IDF. It would appear that Israel has spent several years carefully mapping where in Lebanon this gaggle of retards have been hiding their resources. That is a good use of your time.

Israel wants the following for a cease-fire:
"The Prime Minister is prepared to finish our operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah releases our two soldiers, stops its rocket fire and if the Lebanese Government decides to implement UN Security Council resolution 1559," spokeswoman Miri Eisin told AFP.
The first two conditions are a no-brainer, and the UN Resolution can be read here. That document states that the Lebanese government should be in charge of Lebanon and not some Iranian terrorist group. Pretty much send Hezbollah out of Lebanon and make sure the Lebanese army keeps them out. Even Iran is wanting peace now and they supplied all the munitions and financing for this, well along with Syria, current conflict. These jackasses thought they could snatch a couple of Israelis and then barter for some of their prisoners, instead Israel opened up a much bigger can of whoop-ass than anyone suspected they possesed. I have been to Gaza and Haifa during my travels and hope that this conflict ends soon for the whole world's sake.

P.S. If you are a palestinian sympathizer please e-mail me and I will get you a plane ticket so you can go help them out.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Traffic Cameras


In today's paper there is a huge article about the new traffic cameras that have been installed around our fair city. It seems a few people hate these things and have some every interesting "excuses" and reactions to getting a ticket. One gentleman said he would never spend money in our city again because HE ran a redlight and got caught. That is absolutely fantastic logic, "I will only shop in a city where I can break the law." What a jackass. I am all for these cameras and hope they put one up every 3.5 feet on the roads around town. I am, in fact, for anything that will start enforcing traffic violations since cops seem to be too busy to do that anymore.

I have mentioned previously, and will continue, that I am tired of crappy overly aggressive drivers. People around here want to go 45+ in a 30 mph zone and ride my bumper and flip me off when I obey the law. Last Wednesday I was going 60 in a 55 when I moved into the EMPTY left hand lane to allow someone to merge easily onto I-140 towards the airport. Three seconds later a AAA flatbed with a red Jeep Liberty on the back got right on my bumper and started flashing his lights and hitting his horn. I had both of my children in the car and was NOT pleased. When I moved over he promptly sped up to between 85 and 90 so I called him in to AAA. They said I was the second person to complain about said idiot.

I have decided to employ a new tactic against the speed demon and cell phone idiots I see everywhere. I am going to start collecting their license plates and car make and model and mail it to the police once a week. Additionally, I am going to do the same in my neighborhood where people often speed past my home, 25 mph speed limit or less, at 45+ mph. The police might throw this in the trash, so I will post it on the web as well. If you feel this violates your privacy in some way, please jump off a cliff for me. I do not care about your privacy when you endanger my children.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

The Rankings


While Teddy is beating me, I do NOT support his claim to the number one ranking yet. I have also not yet revealed that I am actually related to Matthew Mconahey. We are twins separated at birth, he was born first then almost two years later I was born. As far as I am concerned this race is a dead heat.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Ford Boycott and "Buycott"


I posted awhile back about Ford choosing sides in the battle which seems to rage on about homosexuality and its place in today's society. I wrote to some of the local dealers, and so far one has written back.

I disagree about the "boycott" of Ford products. Ford made the largest contribution to Christian Radio of any of the Auto makers. Ford, like the United Way, supports many organizations, however they don't agree with all of their programs. Most of the Auto makers support the same organizations that Ford contributes to. Please check and see what General Motors, Toyota, and Chrysler gave to the organization in question.
As for this Dealership, we do not in any way support homosexuality. On Friday mornings for over twenty years we have a Baptist Minister come to our dealership to have services for our employees on a voluntary basis for attendance. Most employees attend. Lesson for this week was "Stay the Course", don't quit when your down. He covered the problems Paul faced as a Christian. (Dealer Name Removed) employees are God fearing Christians who don't deserve to be punished with something Ford did. A boycott hurts their ability to care for their families. Our used car inventory is made up of varied makes other than Ford.
I appreciate the response and agree with many things he stated. I could dispute individual points but why bother.

I also decided to read arguments both for and against this issue and encourage others to do the same.

One side:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/ford_antigay.html
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/03/afas_ford_boyco.html
http://fordglobe.org/


Another side:
http://www.boycottford.com/
http://www.afa.net/ford052506.asp

Makes for some fun reading on a slow day, and beware the pictures on the pro-gay sites. Different images are definitely used to try and attract different folks.

More celebrities


We can't let Matthew Mconahey have all the attention right? Tommy Cruise hasn't been able to stay off camera for more than 15 minutes at a time until their "baby" was born. Now where is he? A few months ago, he was jumping and screaming across talk show and late night sets about how proud he was and how much he was looking forward to it. What happened? I read today that the so-called parents did not even sign the birth certificate, they had a friend do it.
It's probably all part of some scientology garbage. We have all actually seen the baby but the evil aliens are shielding our eyes. That last line is, unfortunately, something they actually believe is possible.

P.S. Captain Dude got another mention by the VelvetMantis yesterday. It's always good to get mentioned by Velvet and Teddy, but terribly unfortunate when they say crap like "it's on." Losers.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Another Mconahey sighting


Shamelessly, well actually I am quite embarrassed, Teddy from just-teddy.com has responded in a violent and disgusting manner in the misspelled Mconahey rankings contest. Teddy has chosen to bare his own chest in an effort to repel people from his website. I respond with the classic "I just threw up a little in my mouth" which is sadly true. I am now debating my own shirtless picture but shall leave that to the readers of my blog to decide whether or not I shall bare my chest on the Internet. I also refuse to repeat the subject's name multiple times in a single post and furthermore I extend the respect of capitalizing Teddy's name. I shall win with no excuses.
Please comment on whether or not Captain Dude should appear half-naked in a future post.
P.S. Should this disgusting turn of events cause me to remove my shirt I will call upon the photographic talents of the VelvetMantis. This should ensure which way he votes.
MconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconahey MconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconahey MconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconahey

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Fatherless Children


In today's society we are seeing more and more that men are not accepting their responsibilities regarding their families. It sadddens me to think of how many children will go through life with only one parent (father or mother) and disgusts me that people could ever shun their own children. If you are "grown-up" enough to make a child then I wish you would be man or wman enough to be responsible AND set a good example for the life you helped create. I went through today's paper and decided to display the first ten names I discovered that had no father listed in the birth announcements, I specified gender where it may not have been obvious:
D'mom Rashaad (boy)
Starla Grace
Shyanne Gabrielle
Micah Ellouise (girl)
Aryanna Elizabeth
Des'Zyre O'mazsha (girl)
Kennedy LeeAnn (girl)
Steven Gaige
Nicholas William
Kellsie Ann

I't so sad that some of these may never know their dad. On a side note I often wonder if some of the mothers are misspelling names on purpose to be original or just doing something phoenetic because they cannot actually spell the name they want.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Movie Review (Cars)


Moving on to the first film viewed last evening we saw Disney/Pixar's (are these the same company now?) new release Cars. With some good voice actors including Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Keaton and Paul Newman the cast was obviously solid. The story was fantastic, if not a bit cheesy, and in the end decides to forsake the typical selfish "winning is still important" attitude.
The story is kind of a take-off from Doc Hollywood combined with some Fast and the Furious and a sprinkle of Lady and the Tramp. In all I found it very entertaining and on par with Disney's top tier films. I was pleasantly surprised since I did not think that the story would interest me at all; I had the same misconception when Toy Story came out. All the adults and kids loved it ranging in age from 3 - 36.

I HIGHLY recommend this film.
MconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconahey

Movie Review (Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest)


The family rolled out to the "local" drive-in to catch the double feature of Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest. The first PoC movie was interesting and I actually only watched it because someone said my five and seven year olds would enjoy it. Let's stop right here and clear up that I do NOT think these are great for kids, lots of dead, dying, and death spiritual junk all the time. People get killed just off-camera quite a bit too. Our kids sleep through the second film and only watched Cars.
I am not a Johnny Depp fan, I think the dude is way weird and fruity. That said he, and the rest of the cast, really deliver and are believeable in their respective roles. It's pretty easy to see where the film's budget goes with all the starpower. Anyway, the cast is great and they deliver top notch performances I just don't care for the stories I guess. They are somewhat dull and extremely predictable and something seems to be lacking. Moments in the film that should be suspenseful seem awkward to me, and the ending of this film definitely could have been pretty shocking but just came off as abruptly stopping. Perhaps the score is lacking but I wasn't engaged enough to pay attention at this point. If you have young teens I am sure the will love it completely as the movie is as awkward as any child in an adult body.
Not Very Official Mconahey site MconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconaheyMconahey
I do NOT recommend this film.

Friday, July 07, 2006

The Greatest Play in Baseball



Today I read Mike and Tommy's blogs and just had to jump onboard. Rick Monday acted on instinct without thought that he was making history. His humble spirit in this interview shows what a true hero is.

I was disappointed to see that congress is incapable of understanding when something is truly offensive and protecting our national symbol. We take great steps to ensure no one hears the name of Christ just in case it burns their ears; at the same time we let people mock our symbol of power and freedom.

Shamelessly, I give you the cowards (no real surprises) who voted no (opposed to protecting) on the flag burning amendment:
Akaka, D-Hawaii
Bennett, R-Utah
Biden, D-Delaware
Bingaman, D-New Mexico
Boxer, D-California
Byrd, D-West Virginia
Cantwell, D-Washington
Carper, D-Delaware
Chafee, R-Rhode Island
Clinton, D-New York
Conrad, D-North Dakota
Dodd, D-Connecticut
Dorgan, D-North Dakota
Durbin, D-Illinois
Feingold, D-Wisconsin
Harkin, D-Iowa
Inouye, D-Hawaii
Jeffords, I-Vermont
Kennedy, D-Massachusetts
Kerry, D-Massachusetts
Kohl, D-Wisconsin
Lautenberg, D-New Jersey
Leahy, D-Vermont
Levin, D-Michigan
Lieberman, D-Connecticut
McConnell, R-Kentucky
Mikulski, D-Maryland
Murray, D-Washington
Obama, D-Illinois
Pryor, D-Arkansas
Reed, D-Rhode Island
Sarbanes, D-Maryland
Schumer, D-New York
Wyden, D-Oregon
I thought I would highlight the turds who think they should be President too, people who think they have the stones to lead us but they can't even stand for the flag. I want speech to be protected, please voice your opinion if you can do it respectfully. Being a jackass like a flag burner is not freedom of speech, it's just a coward who should go live in another country.
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Thursday, July 06, 2006

Blogthings (also stupid)

You Are Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
And pretty cute too. No wonder you're the most popular superhero ever!


You Are Wolverine

Small but fierce, you're a great fighter.
Watch out! You are often you're own greatest enemy.

Powers: Adamantium claws, keen senses, the ability to heal quickly


You Are 89% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges.
Tough and independent, you think big.
You love everything about the US, wrong or right.
And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

Mconahey (This is Stupid)


Only a few months after getting into the foray, I am number 1 in the google search rankings for the misspelled mconahey. This is extremely unoriginal of me but I wanted to pat myself on the back anyway.
Please note that Captain Dude was mentioned by the VelveMantis over on bugly. You should not read bugly while trying to drink, it will come out of your nose.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Sad fourth for someone


Yesterday I took the family to The Lost Sea in Sweetwater Tennessee, and overall it was an excellent experience. Our tour guide was about 16 and I think this was her first tour alone, but she tried hard. On the way back to Knoxville I was driving 65-68 in the right hand lane on I-75 north and, of course, being passed by almost everyone since no one is capable of obeying the law. One of the people that passed me was a motorcycle rider on a nice big hog doing about 90. When he came to pass me there were three cars in the left hand lane that he was weaving in and out of to get wherever he was going faster. Five minutes later we came upon what was left of him. This poor guy was done with this world, people were slamming on their brakes and swerving into the right hand lane to avoid hitting his body. My wife was on her cell phone and mistakenly looked at him as he lay there. We got the kids to look at the floor then I pulled up next to his body to take a quick look and see if any assistance would be needed as I used to be EMT-b qualified. There was no need to attempt to render assistance, his helmet was in a thousand pieces for about 15 feet and his bike was about sixty yards ahead of his body on the opposite side of the road. His injuries were severe with his face having the most graphic damage, and all of his limbs were completely inoperable. I phoned in the accident to 911 and really just felt my heart break for this dude's family. Later my wife told me that there was a second motorcycle down and I remembered people looking off the side of a bridge as we went by. Had I seen that I definitely would have stopped since I don't think most people have even basic first aid training.

I described that scene to say this, please drive carefully. If you are on a motorcycle your helmet can only protect you at reasonable speeds and reasonable circumstances. If you see a motorcycle give them a wide berth, just tapping a bike with a car is usually fatal. Please don't be in such a hurry, on a 100 mile trip if I am going 65 I will arrive in 1 hour and 32 minutes, if you are going 80 you will beat me there by a whole 17 minutes. Seventeen minutes is not worth your life, or my family having to see you or your victim mangled on the road.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Facing the Giants (Again)


Earlier in June(Captain Dude) I wrote about this movie getting the shaft from the MPAA. It seems that with the advent of rapid communication, and Christians who are tired of being pushed around the MPAA is changing their tune(CNN). Now they are saying it has nothing to do with religion, but rather the "mature themes" throughout the film. If you read the CNN link it's very clear that the MPAA is having to backtrack after irritating the conservatives out there.

All that said, I can't wait until this movie comes out. Click here to watch the trailer.

Independence Day July 4, 2006



Tomorrow we celebrate our independence, our freedom that was earned through the lives of very brave people a long time ago. I chose the images above because your liberty is always at risk. If you do not stand up for what you believe, someone will try to take it away.

Someone might tell you that you can't thank Jesus Christ for blessing you with a brilliant mind that allowed you to become valedictorian of your high school.

Someone might tell you that you will learn about Kwanzaa, but cannot teach others the meaning of Christmas.

Someone might even tell you that 15% of the people should get 80% of the jobs.

Someone might tell you it's ok to kill an unborn fetus, but you shouldn't eat meat.

Someone might even try to tell you that your child having a mother and a father isn't normal.

Someone might say that marriage is whatever you want it to be.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, but I also have a right to mine. I lived overseas for five years and visited some wonderful and not so wonderful places. I have taken up arms for other countries so that they too might experience some of the freedoms we enjoy. I have been called a "babykiller" by a snot nosed know-it-all college kid out of ignorance. I have been told that I am "brainwashed" because I served in the United States Navy. To them I say I served then and I would serve again. As you celebrate your freedom tomorrow please take a moment and remember those brave souls we revere from so long ago, but don't forget the men and women who, right now, are spreading these same freedoms across the globe.
When you hear the National Anthem stand, remove your hat, face the flag, and listen or sing along. When you say the pledge of allegiance know what it means:

January 14, 1969 - During his weekly television show, comedian Red Skelton recalled a lecture by his teacher concerning an air of boredom and indifference by the students while saying the pledge. Here is a portion of that lecture - followed by an observation of his own.

I
(Me, an individual, a committee of one.)
Pledge
(Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.)
Allegiance
(My love and my devotion.)
To the Flag
(Our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom, wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, "Freedom is everybody's job.")
Of The United
(That means that we have all come together.)
States
(Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.)
Of America. And to the Republic
(Republic--a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.)
For which it stands: One Nation,
(Meaning, so blessed by God.)
Indivisible
(Incapable of being divided.)
With Liberty
(Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fears, or some sort of retaliation.)
And Justice
(The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.)
For All
(Which means it's as much your country as it is mine.)

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too? -- Red Skelton

Click Here to Listen.

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
John Jay
Founding Father
and
First Supreme Court Justice