Well, I've been away from my keyboard for a while, watching rejections from literary agents pile up, and taking some time off to play tourist in the Baltimore and D.C. areas with a quick side trip to Las Vegas.
On the 4th of November, every U.S. Citizen will yet again have the opportunity to stand up and be counted in a way that most people in the world are not afforded. The U.S. system of democracy (actually a representative Republic) is not perfect, or even ideal. However, the freedoms we are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights become meaningless if they are not exercised.
Blogging is a means of free speech. Voting is the means to ensure that we choose those who will speak for us in the national, state, and local government assembly houses, senates, and executive offices.
On Election Day, don't think, "My vote won't make a difference." or "It doesn't really matter." A freedom not exercised is a freedom lost. Learn about the issues, and the candidates. Go to your polling place on the way to work, or on the way home and vote for the candidate of your choice.
While the aftermath of war in Iraq has not been managed well, and Afghanistan is experiencing a resurgence of Taliban activity; until recently, Iraqi and Afghan citizens did not have the ability to decide who will serve them in government. Now they exercise that freedom, and their elected representatives will ultimately decide the future path of these fledgling democracies. The people of China, North Korea, and many of the African nations still do not have that ability. The dictators running these countries, some who attempt to cloak themselves in a veneer of the democratic process, continue to believe that the people are supposed to serve the government, not that the government should serve the people.
Since the American Revolution, more than 43 million Americans have defended the freedoms we enjoy as citizens. More importantly, nearly 1.2 million of our brothers and sisters died during their service to ensure our freedoms. Don't dishonor their sacrifice on election day. Vote.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Bureaucracy vs. A Patriotic Act
A story in the Denver Post on the 18th of August was brought to my attention by the news team at WBAL, an AM Radio news and talk station in Baltimore yesterday. Entitled, "Marble for Unknowns Tomb Just Sits", it provides another example of the initially well intended regulations of government inhibiting common sense.
A retired car dealer named John Haines has, with his own money, purchased a large enough slab of marble that can be formed into a new monument that will replace the cracked and aging Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument at Arlington National Cemetery. The marble block was hewn from the earth by veterans, at the exact same quarry the current marble monument was cut from. Mr. Haines has also arraigned for the marble block to be transported, FREE OF CHARGE, to the east coast for sculpting and eventual dedication.
There is just one problem, Mr. Haines' donation of this block to the cemetery cannot go forward because an "ordinary citizen", in the words of the deputy superintendent at Arlingon, Mr. Thurman Higginbotham, "....can't just give us any piece of marble and say, 'This is what we'll use to replace the tomb."
I sincerely hope that Mr. Higginbotham and the rest of the Arlington Cemetery management is suffering from only a temporary state of beaucratic stupidity, and does not sincerely wish to deny Mr. Haines' the opportunity to complete his generous donation. Assuming the block is properly sized for the sculpting process and of the quality needed to serve as a fitting memorial, the Arlington authorities should petition Congress or the appropriate government body for the waiver needed to accept Mr. Haines' gift.
It would be a shameful event if the Arlington Cemetery management choses to spend $170,000 tax payer dollars to solict bids to sell the stone to the government and then transport it for sculpting. There is a marble block made much more worthy by the honorable intent and charity of our citizens standing ready in Colorado to honor and keep alive the memory of our Soldiers Known but to God.
A retired car dealer named John Haines has, with his own money, purchased a large enough slab of marble that can be formed into a new monument that will replace the cracked and aging Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument at Arlington National Cemetery. The marble block was hewn from the earth by veterans, at the exact same quarry the current marble monument was cut from. Mr. Haines has also arraigned for the marble block to be transported, FREE OF CHARGE, to the east coast for sculpting and eventual dedication.
There is just one problem, Mr. Haines' donation of this block to the cemetery cannot go forward because an "ordinary citizen", in the words of the deputy superintendent at Arlingon, Mr. Thurman Higginbotham, "....can't just give us any piece of marble and say, 'This is what we'll use to replace the tomb."
I sincerely hope that Mr. Higginbotham and the rest of the Arlington Cemetery management is suffering from only a temporary state of beaucratic stupidity, and does not sincerely wish to deny Mr. Haines' the opportunity to complete his generous donation. Assuming the block is properly sized for the sculpting process and of the quality needed to serve as a fitting memorial, the Arlington authorities should petition Congress or the appropriate government body for the waiver needed to accept Mr. Haines' gift.
It would be a shameful event if the Arlington Cemetery management choses to spend $170,000 tax payer dollars to solict bids to sell the stone to the government and then transport it for sculpting. There is a marble block made much more worthy by the honorable intent and charity of our citizens standing ready in Colorado to honor and keep alive the memory of our Soldiers Known but to God.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Whom to Thank for a Morning Airshow Near Phoenix
I was forwarded what follows by a Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force, currently on active duty, and I think it makes a point we all would do well to remember. The following is provided verbatim from his e-mail.
___________________________________________________
Background: Luke Air Force Base
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show?
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):
On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship flyby of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.
A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?" The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
___________________________________________________
Background: Luke Air Force Base
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show?
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' (Letters, Thursday):
On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship flyby of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.
A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show?" The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
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