Fly your flag, America!

What a difference a day (or two) makes. Last Friday, 13 year old Cody Alicea was told to remove his American flag from his bike that he rode to school. Reason? "Concern about racial tensions or uprisings." Oh, did I mention this was IN America, in an American school?
Courtesy of the internet, this ridiculous official decree - and the absurd stated reasons behind it - spread across America and beyond. THIS was the response from patriotic Americans:
,


You can find more on this all over the internet. One site was Wake Up America here.

All wonderful, of course, but *ahem*, Cody is now 'allowed' to fly his flag? Following a barrage of emails and phone calls to this school, (yes, I did call myself!) the administration 'reversed their decision.' Excuuuuuuse me? Since when in America does ANYONE need permission, to be 'allowed,' to fly the Star Spangled Banner? Seems to me that administration and the teachers there need some teaching themselves. As for the absurd concern over 'racial tensions'????? Surely, in an American school, IN America, if anyone had issues with the American flag flying (whatever their racial or ethnic background,) that was a golden opportunity, a teachable moment if you will!

I have written in the past - under the Fly your flag, America title - about veterans not being allowed to fly their American flags in the place and manner they deem fitting such a symbol of the country most of them have fought for. I have helped educate a few 'authority' figures! And now we come to a 13 year old being told when and where he is 'allowed' to fly his country's flag; his country's symbol of freedom.

I have also written about the significance of the Star Spangled Banner previously. A few years ago, an American friend of mine sent me a piece on a lecture that Isaac Asimov had given on the topic. This friend - a retired school teacher - included the lesson she used to give on the history of this flag. The column I wrote - almost 4 years ago now - was originally published on Tanker Bros (a US site that was my first milblog home.) Another American friend just became aware of this column and asked me to repost it. So here it is, actually from Wake Up America, who graciously published it at the time.:

Monday, August 20, 2007

"Star Spangled Banner"

Cross posted from Tanker Brothers.


I first heard the Star Spangled Banner at a July 4 community barbeque many years ago. Fresh from my homeland just two days previously, I stood in small town America and watched, and listened, as everybody joined to sing this anthem. (And yes - that was my first exposure to that great American institution: barbeques!)To this day, whenever I hear this, I remember that first July 4 and am reminded of the amazing display of patriotism, unity.

Those were the days when America was torn apart by the Vietnam war, when neighbour argued with neighbour over the back fence about the validity of the US involvement in a land far away. But, at that barbque, celebrating a most American holiday, there was no evidence of the tears in the fabric of American society. For those few shining moments, there was a unity, a common bond of purpose.

Many years have passed since that first time. I have travelled many miles of the heart, and learned many things - worked with thousands of children from around the world in both America and Canada. You have to know that I was raised with a visceral love of my country. To this day I get goosebumps whenever I hear MY national anthem, no matter the miles separating me from my homeland. I can sing every word, and taste, and feel, and smell the land of my birth.

So here we are in another war in a land far, far away (for now! We all know that in reality, THIS war is already in our own backyards.) And yes, the Star Spangled Banner is still sung in small towns, and big cities across the land. Today though, because of what I have seen, I often pause and wonder: do these people really REALLY understand, mean, what they are singing? Do Americans today LIVE the meaning of the words? Sure, we all teach our children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance (at least until it is totally outlawed by the dimtwits), and we still raise the young people of our nations to revere the flag - that symbol of what their forefathers and mothers fought for, bled for, and died for. My daughter is blessed. She has been nurtured in the love of two countries. For her, it is as natural as breathing to know all the words of MY national anthem, and sing them with pride and allegiance. She also, because of her birth-land, is able to sing another national anthem (in both official languages no less!) and understand what every word means. She LIVES them, because we have been discussing what the words mean - the concepts behind them - since she could talk. Years ago, James Clavell was struck when his young daughter came home from school and proudly recited what she had learned that day. Word perfect, she recited rote fashion:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all. October 11, 1892

A really interesting history of the origins of the Pledge of Allegiance here.

Clavell asked his daughter what that all meant after she had finished. She had no clue. Imagine that. Clavell then wrote a short story (by his prolific standards anyway. lol) called "The Children's Story." You can find the text of the whole story online - I did. Please, go read that here. I came across a copy of this a few years back, and I remember how it resonated for me. At the time, I had worked with many kids, was a mother myself, and was currently working in a classroom of impressionable 5 year olds. Is there anything more precious? That may sound like a throwaway comment, question, but it really is not...

You will know I had much more to say, and you can find it at Wake Up America here.

As I wrote in that column, love of country, patriotism, reverence for one's country flag (in this case the Star Spangled Banner) is a concept that should be taught from birth. Take a look:



(H/T Kateri)

Teach your children well.

Sgt Eddie Jeffers: Still soaring through the Heavens

There is a special banquet being held in Florida this evening:

3rd Annual Hope Rides Alone Family Reunion Banquet
Saturday, September 18 · 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Come join us as we celebrate the life of Sergeant Eddie Jeffers on the 3rd anniversary of his death. Debbie Lee of America's Mighty Warriors is the keynote speaker. You will not want to miss this joyous and patriotic event. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast, Eddie's favorite charity.

As I recently wrote to Eddie's dad, David, there are not many days go by that I do not think about his precious son Eddie. On September 20, 2007, Flag Gazer wrote this:

Thursday, September 20, 2007

SGT Eddie Jeffers ~ Farewell, and Walk with God

"Blessed be the Lord my Strength,

who teaches my hands to war,

and my fingers to fight."

Psalm 144:1

Wednesday evening - I had just popped dinner in the oven and sat down at the computer to check my email. Up pops a message from David Jeffers, Eddie's father. It was titled Hope Rides Eternal. I expected a new essay from Eddie - a follow up to Hope Rides Alone. Sadly, that was not to be. I was not prepared for the sad news. This is what my email read:

It is with great personal sadness but joy in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I announce the death of my son Eddie Jeffers. Eddie was killed around 7 am Iraqi time from an accidental vehicle roll-over. Although our personal loss is traumatic, we know he is in a better place. All of you have been so wonderful to my son and my family and he was so blessed and humbled by your love for him. He told me this past summer after the wonderful gift you gave his wife and him that he didn't understand why people were so generous and kind to him. You see to Eddie, he was just doing his job and what he believed was his life mission from God....

There was more, including links to three amazing pieces of writing from Eddie as he was deployed. But Flag Gazer ends with this:

I write this tonight with a heavy heart and great sadness for the loss to the spirit of our country. Eddie was so special to so many of us who never had the honor of knowing him, but whose hearts he touched with goodness and honor. He was a hero to so many of us. We felt fortunate to be able to show our appreciation for what he gave to so many of us... honesty, faith, hope and the American spirit...

Go read the rest of Flag Gazer's beautiful tribute to her friend here.

I heard about Eddie's passing through a different route, and the following Monday I wrote a public letter to this new Angel over on Tanker Bros blog:

Monday, September 24, 2007

Dear Eddie,

You didn't know me in the 23 years you were here, but I have been thinking a lot about you the last few days. Really, I have. This is not the first time I have thought of you, been aware of you. I remember back when your piece "Hope Rides Alone" became famous all over the internet. I know that piece of fine writing from the sandbox gave insights to many of how amazing all of you are, who are fighting today. I remember. I remember smiling because your words put the lie, yet again, to the notion that all soldiers are just killing machines, ignorant hick Rambos gone wild. And you kept fighting, and you kept writing, as the rest of us went on about our everyday business, doing whatever it is we all do, that is SO (sarcasm here) important.

And now? This last week has seen your work, again, all over the internet, and there has been much weeping and sorrow. I have read a lot of the stuff written about you and I feel as if I know you. I read with great sadness that you had died in Iraq. This human heart was heavy. But, as I have talked to people, re-read your writing, I have been so grateful to have been given a glimpse of you.


[...]

I came across another comment, on another post about you, these last few days: "words matter." Don't ask me where I found that, but this is a belief I have long held. And I know you have too. These last few days many people have been reading your words.... I know, from all I have read, that you... have been raised, and believe in living a life according to the scriptures. I know that your favourite verse is:

“Blessed be the Lord my Strength, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” Psalm 144:1

I know this because I found that on your dad's site. I also know that you believed in what you were doing for the children, the future of Iraq. ...

[...]

And so it is, through the power of the internet, from Freedom Feels Good (here), to The Real Deal in Ramadi (here), you shared your heart with us, and showed us what is really happening for families in a land far, far away from the comforts of your own family and home. I don't know if you were aware then - even as you surely must be by now - how many hearts you opened with your words. Words matter - and your words reach across time and space - will continue to do so - just as those other Words still resonate for a lot of us. Your words remind us all that OUR mission is not over yet, even as you embark on your new mission. Those of us left here get to renew, again, our commitment to this mission which you began. Yes, we do weep that you have gone on ahead, but as your dad says on his blog site:

...Although our personal loss is traumatic, we know he is in a better place....He told me this past summer...You see to Eddie, he was just doing his job and what he believed was his life mission from God....(source)

I also know you are in a far better place, Eddie. I do. And as I have thought about you these last few days, over and over in my mind - unbidden - have come the words:

Do Not Weep For Me Do not weep for me, for I have lived... I have joined my hand with my fellow's hands, to leave the planet better than I found it. Do not weep for me, for I have loved and been loved by my family, by those I love who loved me back. For I never knew a stranger, only friends. Do not weep for me. When you feel the ocean spray upon your face, I am there. When your heart beats faster at the dolphin's leaping grace, I am there. When you reach out to touch another's heart, as now I touch God's face, I am there. Do not weep for me. I am not gone. - Anon (another prolific writer here)

Oh Eddie, so many hearts you have touched and changed. "Your spirit will live forever/it lives in the laughing eyes of children/ who are free from want and oppression."...

On Wake Up America there was also a column about Eddie:

Thursday, September 20, 2007

In Honor of Sgt, Eddie Jeffers--RIP

This is from an email I received from a frequent reader of Wake up America, Michelle.

I am sending you a link to a letter (if you google Eddie Jeffers you can read all his letters) written by a solider in Iraq. Eddie Jeffers is…..ah, …was a friend of a friend of mine. He died two days ago.

Eddie was an Army Infantryman serving in Ramadi.

Please honor this young man and his undying love of his country. He deserves nothing short of a memorial in his honor, and we are working on one here.

Thanks,

Michelle

Letter from Sgt.Eddie Jeffers:

I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.

I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.

There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets...who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.

And to think, I volunteered for this...

And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.

But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler....

And there is much more over here, including a beautiful poem in the comments which is a must read.

And then there is this beautiful video tribute I found:

jeffers221 | September 24, 2007

From little boy to mighty warrior, Sergeant Eddie Jeffers lived his 23 1/2 years to its fullest. He emptied himself completely.

Sgt. Eddie Jeffers: ALWAYS remembered and honoured.

To BHO and Holder et al: KSM is a terrorist

There are rumblings that BHO is now reconsidering an earlier (absurd) decision to hold civilian trials, on American soil, for Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

From The Bravest.com comes this:

Obama Advisors Set to Recommend Military Tribunals for Alleged 9/11 Plotters

Washington Post 3/5/10

President Obama's advisers are nearing a recommendation that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, be prosecuted in a military tribunal, administration officials said, a step that would reverse Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.'s plan to try him in civilian court in New York City.

The president's advisers feel increasingly hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and demands, mainly from Republicans, that Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators remain under military jurisdiction, officials said. While Obama has favored trying some terrorism suspects in civilian courts as a symbol of U.S. commitment to the rule of law, critics have said military tribunals are the appropriate venue for those accused of attacking the United States.

If Obama accepts the likely recommendation of his advisers, the White House may be able to secure from Congress the funding and legal authority it needs to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and replace it with a facility within the United States. The administration has failed to meet a self-imposed one-year deadline to close Guantanamo.

The administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the president's legal advisers are finalizing their review of the cases of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators. Asked about the process, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that "no decisions have been made."

Privately, administration officials are bracing for the ire of disappointed liberals and even some government lawyers should the administration back away from promises to use civilian courts to adjudicate the cases of some of the 188 detainees who remain at Guantanamo.

'A sad day'

Marine Col. Jeffrey Colwell, acting chief defense counsel at the Defense Department's Office of Military Commissions, said it would be a "sad day for the rule of law" if Obama decides not to proceed with a federal trial. "I thought the decision where to put people on trial -- whether federal court or military commissions -- was based on what was right, not what is politically advantageous," Colwell said.

Administration officials said that an announcement could come soon and that they hoped to finalize their plans before Obama leaves for Indonesia on March 18....(read the rest here)

Read that again - slowly, and then tell me what is so hard to understand. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed IS a war criminal.

Still not convinced that the ONLY place that KSM must be tried for his crimes against America? Take a look:




[There may well be tech issues with this embed.. If there are, go here to view the video, which is where I found it originally. Or you can find it at Wake Up America, at the link following. ]

Any questions? Wake Up America asks:

An About Face On Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Military Tribunals?

Or just wheeling and dealing Chicago style?

[...] The president's advisers feel increasingly hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and demands, mainly from Republicans, that Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators remain under military jurisdiction, officials said. While Obama has favored trying some terrorism suspects in civilian courts as a symbol of U.S. commitment to the rule of law, critics have said military tribunals are the appropriate venue for those accused of attacking the United States....

Khalid Sheik Mohammed's civil rights????????

Are you freaking kidding me???????

How about the rights of the families still mourning their losses? How about the inherent dangers of a public civilian trial where sensitive intelligence and information would be revealed thereby endangering our nation?

How about liberals stop trying to protect terrorists that brutally murdered our citizens and attacked our country and think about protecting our country instead?


[...]

Wake Up America has more to say on this, and you can read it here.

WUA ends with:

Do not speak to me about Khalid Sheik Mohammed's civil rights, he gave them up when he masterminded 9/11.

And that IS the truth. To even consider trying KSM in a civil court, when he has confessed to masterminding very UNcivil terrorist acts against America, is beyond absurd. It is a travesty.

As Colonel Colwell says (above), a military trial is the only option for KSM, based on:

"...what was right, not what is politically advantageous..."

Enough, already. KSM is a terrorist, plain and simple. He is not an American, and he does not warrant any civil rights accorded American citizens. BHO and Holder need to stop playing politics and do what is RIGHT: KSM must be tried and convicted in a military trial.

End of story.

Barack Obama Frees Israel

Many commentaries this past week about BO's speech in Cairo, and the implications for Israel. One of the best I have seen comes from Wake Up America:

Friday, June 05, 2009

Barack Obama Frees Israel

(Poster showing Obama and Ahmadinjead as part of far-right wing campaign.)
Yesterday we spoke of Obama's speech given in Cairo and some of the reactions from the left and the right that were not favorable.

Today I see more reactions, but I am left with something at Israel Matzav, written by Carl in Jerusalem:

I wouldn't characterize this as the end of the American strategic alliance with Israel. But I would say it's on hold until at least January 2013 and that we Israelis are going to have to muddle through on our own.

The good news is that survey after survey here shows that Israelis recognize Obama for what he is and are rallying around our government. In his first five months in office, Obama has overplayed his hand. If there is no strategic alliance of which to speak, there is no competition between our relationship with America and doing what we see as best for Israel.

He is referring to a peace written by Caroline Glick, titled "The End of America’s Strategic Alliance with Israel?"

Obama claims that this policy will increase prospects for peace. But this is untrue. As Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas made clear in his Washington Post interview last week, Obama’s trenchant campaign against Jewish construction in these areas has convinced the Palestinians they have no reason to be flexible in their positions towards Israel. Indeed, Obama’s assault on Israeli construction and his unsubstantiated, bigoted claim that the presence of Jews in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem impedes progress towards peace ensures that there will be no agreement whatsoever between Israel and the Palestinians.

After all, why would the Palestinians make a deal with Israel when they know that Obama will blame Israel for the absence of a peace agreement?..

As I commented on this piece, I am fully confident that Israel can, and WILL, take care of business, in whatever means are in the best interests of their own people.

There is more - much more on WUA. Go and read the rest here.

Obama lied? Say it isn't so!

Big brouha over Obama's "campaign speeches" yesterday as the gazillion pork barrel package was voted in. Bottom line? Obama LIED, and more! *gasp*

Wake Up America has a thorough analysis:

Here is a PDF of a statement, signed by hundreds of economists including Nobel laureates and other prominent scholars, calling Obama out on his assertion that economists agree with this stimulus package. (H/T MM)

Video of Obama's first press conference below, courtesy of LA Times, Top of the Ticket blog.



Text of speech:

Good evening. Before I take your questions tonight, I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy and why I believe we need to put this recovery plan in motion as soon as possible. I took a trip to Elkhart, Ind., today. Elkhart is a place that has lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America. In one year, the unemployment rate went from 4.7% to 15.3%.

Companies that have sustained this community for years are shedding jobs at an alarming speed, and the people who’ve lost them have no idea what to do or who to turn to. They can’t pay their bills and they’ve stopped spending money. And because they’ve stopped spending money, more businesses have been forced to lay off more workers. Local TV stations have started running public service announcements that tell people where to find food banks, even as the food banks don’t have enough to meet the demand.

As we speak, similar scenes are playing out in cities and towns across the country. Last Monday, more than 1,000 men and women stood in line for 35 firefighter jobs in Miami. Last month, our economy lost 598,000 jobs, which is nearly the equivalent of losing every single job in the state of Maine....

It is only government that can break the vicious cycle where lost jobs lead to people spending less money which leads to even more layoffs. And breaking that cycle is exactly what the plan....

Despite all of this, the plan is not perfect. No plan is.

I can’t tell you for sure that everything in this plan will work exactly as we hope, but I can tell you with complete confidence that a failure to act will only deepen this crisis as well as the pain felt by millions of Americans.

[Brat comment...blah blah blah. Does anyone else agree that his speeches are designed to put us all to sleep? So we don't notice the "fog of debt" inherent in all his 'stimulus' packages Just sayin'...??? But I digress... Back to WUA]...

Now for some personal observations.

President Obama's LIES:

Obama said "It is only government that can break the vicious cycle."

Wrong, dead wrong, it is the government that caused the economic crisis and the government needs to sit down, shut up, get their hands the hell out of it, as much as possible, and let this run it's course.

Obama is right on one key point, this is a crisis, one we brought on ourselves by borrowing and spending, which means by passing a bill that holds as it's key premise that "spending" will somehow drag us out of this crisis, is not only ignorant, but is an outright lie.

Next lie up to bat is Obama's statement "What it does not contain, however, is a single pet project, and it has been stripped of the projects members of both parties found most objectionable."

This one is a doozy ladies and gentlemen, because as has been pointed out, multiple times, by a variety of people, including AP News, willing to list examples, Obama lied through his teeth:...
This is a must read (probably after you have a few coffees under your belt.) Go read it ALL at Wake Up America here.

Ladies and Gentlemen. Fasten your seat belts. You are in for the ride of your life. The insanity WILL get worse, much worse! Guaranteed.