A Wonderful Call From A Stranger

My wife and I have been looking for an old friend that we lost track of years ago. The last time we saw her (about 10 years ago) she was standing in the mall in Saint Joseph, Missouri looking for her Grand Mother who has (or had) Alzheimers Disease. Today I was looking in our local phone book and found a name that was the same as her ex-husbands. When I tried the number I got an answering machine. I left a message explaining what I was doing and said there was no reason for him to call if I'd called the wrong person, and said I was sorry I'd taken their time.The Gentleman called back to tell me he was not the right one but he felt he should call.

We talked for quite some time. It turned out that he was a World War Two Veteran, eighty nine years old. I told him that I had lost an Uncle in the war and that I had recently done a search looking for some of his old ship mates. My Uncle served on the U.S.S. South Dakota, the first United States Battleship to fire on main land Japan. The old Gentleman was really excited about hearing that I had found and been in contact with two of my Uncles ship mates. They both remember him and the day he was killed in action very well. One of my contacts sent me copies of pictures showing the damage that was done to the ship and one of the plane that dropped the five hundred pound bomb that took my Uncles life. I made the contacts by visiting a site that was set up as a tribute to the crew of the U.S.S. South Dakota, I hope you will check it out to honor them. If your interested in seeing a photo of my Uncle go to Photos Page 3, Richard Goforth is on the sixth row down, second from the left.

At the end of today's phone call I did tell my caller that I wanted to thank him for serving his country. It's sad to think that we are now losing our World War Two Veterans so fast. It's like we are losing a piece of history every time one passes on. After I'd been off the phone for a while I thought of an E-mail I got the other day. It contained a link to a beautiful song, another tribute to our veterans.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic

Question Of The Week, 1/29/01

Good morning. I just read a January 29, 2006 Newdsay.com article BY, Ian James, Cindy Sheehan May Challenge Calif. Senator. Cindy is thinking about running against Senator Dianne Feinstein because the senator voted for the war, and she continues to vote to fund the war. I have problems with both of these ladies, thank God I don't live in California. Sheehan says she will make up her mind about running after she talks it over with her three adult children. To answer this weeks question you have to imagine your one of the Sheehan children, what are you going to tell Mom? This weeks Question Of The Week is, should Cindy Sheehan run against Senator Feinstein? Don't forget your talking to your Mother. I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Legislating Common Sense, Update

I've posted several messages about members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting military funerals this month. The last on was on January 18, 2006, Legislating Common Sense. In that one I told about Missouri Legislators plans to ban these protest. A January 25, 2006 St Joseph News-Press article By Scott Lauck tells about the efforts the law makers are making to stop these protest.

"Jefferson City, Mo.- The Missouri Senate, moving with as much speed as it could muster, finished its work Tuesday on a bill that would restrict protests at funerals.

Only hours later, the House began work on a similar measure of its own.

The two bills, sponsored by St. Joseph legislators Sen. Charlie Shields and Rep. Martin Rucker, are in response to a demonstration by the Westboro Baptist Church at the August funeral of Spc. Edward Myers, the first St. Joseph soldier to die in Iraq.

The church, a Topeka Kan.-based organization that says U.S. deaths in Iraq are divine retribution for America's tolerance of homosexuality, has used military funerals as a platform for its views.

Imojean Myers, Edward Myers' widow, spoke Tuesday about the effect the protest had on her grieving family.

"We're not trying to get this law passed as vengeance for what these people did," she said at the hearing for Mr. Rucker's version of the bill. "We're trying to get this passed so that this will not happen to another family."

It was the second time she had given an emotional account of her ordeal. At a hearing last week on Mr. Shields' bill, senators were moved by her testimony and quickly sent the measure to the Senate floor.

Mr. Shields' measure has received no legislative opposition. In several instances the Senate has bent its rules and customs to pass the bill as quickly as possible, and a clause added to the bill would allow it to go into effect as soon as the governor signs it.

Mr. Shields said he wants to get a law on the books quickly before any other funeral protest can take place.

"The possibility exists for this situation to occur again," he said. "It doesn't have to be the funeral of a soldier. It could be any funeral that would have some sort of notoriety that they could choose to protest."

The law would limit such protest to taking place an hour before a funeral ceremony or an hour afterward. A similar law is in place as a city ordinance in St. Joseph.

Westboro members protested at St. Joseph's City Hall in December and have said that the ordinance is unconstitutionally vague, since it prevents protest "at or about" a funeral.

Some House members raised similar concerns at Tuesday's hearing. Mr. Rucker and other supporters say they would support setting a specific distance of 500 feet for protests.

Mr. Shields bill is SB 578. Mr. Rucker's bill is HB 1026."

I can't say that I support this legislation or oppose it. I can say that I'm opposed to holding a protest at a funeral, anyone's. I don't care if the deceased was a mass murderer, child molester or what ever. Protesting their funeral doesn't hurt them. It does hurt their family members, innocent victims. If you protest during a funeral you are no better than the thing or person you are protesting.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Job Safety

When he comments on criminals coming in from outside Washington, D.C. to commit crimes Washington, D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey offers many explanations. I think he is forgetting or ignoring something. D.C. residents have been disarmed, remember that gun ban to stop crime? Criminals are not stupid, they just choose not to work for a living. Just like people that work in factories, on farms or construction sites they give some thought to job safety. Trying to think like a criminal, I get the feeling that if I lived in an area that allowed concealed carry I might have second thoughts about mugging the guy that live three blocks down the street. I could get shot, but if D.C. is just a few miles away I could drive over there. I could mug a couple of folks maybe hit a liquor store or 7-11 and be home in time for the 11 O'clock news. Sure the drive is an inconvenience, the job safety more than makes up for it.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Stop Sending Tax Dollars To Abortion Providers!!

Planned Parenthood has used your tax dollars to pay for the abortion of over three million innocent children. I was born in 1950 and put up for adoption at birth. My adoption papers show my birth Mothers name and say father unknown so I assume my birth Mother was not married. I'm sure she could have found a way to get an abortion and solve her problem. She might have made some mistakes in her life but as far as I know she was not a murderer. She carried me full term gave birth and tried to make sure I would have a good home, which I did . I have far more respect for her than I do for anyone involved with abortion providers, but my tax dollars are being used to fund them. I hope you will add you name to this petition as I did. Send your elected officials a message, stop using my tax dollars to take innocent lives.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic

Question Of The Week, 1/22/06

Good morning, I'm running a little late. I got off work at 2300 yesterday came home, got some things done on line. Then I forgot that this was Sunday and went to bed without posting the Question Of The Week. I've been trying to keep up with the on going debate in the Letter To The Editor section of the Lincoln Star Journal.It's just like Deja Vu all over again some Nebraska citizens are supporting the passage of a concealed carry bill, others are opposed to it. The same thing happened in Missouri a few years ago. There shouldn't even be a debate, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution covers this issue. This weeks Question Of The Week is in two parts. Do concealed carry laws help stop crime? Has the crime rate increased in any state after a concealed carry bill was passed? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

January 20, 1981

Ronald Reagan became President and delivered his first Inaugural Address twenty five years ago today. Some of my favorite Reagan quotes can be found in this speech. "So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government, which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed." For several decades many people felt it was the Democratic Party that supported a bigger federal government. In the past few years they have been out done by the Republicans. In this address Reagan also said, "Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work- work with us, not over us, to stand by our side, not ride our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it, foster productivity, not stifle it." To get this done I feel we need to take a serious look at some of the so called third party's and their candidates. Support them in any (legal) way you can to help them get elected. This is our only chance to get a government that will work with us and not over us.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Legislating Common Sense

On Wednesday December 28, 2005 and again on Tuesday January 3, 2006 I posted messages about a group that has made a couple of trips to Saint Joseph, Missouri to protest Military Funerals. As I have said in the past I would defend your right to protest, most of the time. However there are some things I feel are just wrong and holding a protest at a funeral is one of them. Common sense should tell us not to do this. I guess there are some who don't listen to that little voice that tells us something is wrong. Because of them some of our legislators find it necessary to try to legislate common sense. I have a feeling that this is what Missouri Representative Martin Rucker is trying to do with Missouri House Bill NO. 1026. I think it is very sad that our law makers would have to pass a law to protect people that are trying to hold a funeral service for a loved one.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Question Of The Week, 1/15/06

Good morning. I read an article that says House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo) has announced he has the support of more than the 117 members of the House Republican Conference required to win the post of House Majority Leader. Does he have the support of the people he is supposed to work for? This weeks Question Of The Week is. Do you feel Roy Blunt is the right person to take this position? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic

His Next Day In Court

I'm sure there are some of you that can remember Michael New. In case you can't, he was the one man in 1996 that had the courage to stand up for what was right and say NO! to the Clinton administration and the United Nations. When Michael became a member of the United States Army he took an oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution. He didn't take an oath to serve the United Nations. He lost his case in 1996 when he was court-martialed for refusing to wear a United Nations uniform, deploy to Macedonia and serve under the command of a General from Finland. He will be going to court again on February 16, 2006 to try to clear his good name. Michael is asking for support from patriots that can be there in the court room with him. The out come of this case will effect every man and woman that serves in the United States military in the future. I won't be able to be there to support Michael in the court room but he will be in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Question Of The Week, 1/8/06

Good morning. Before we get to this weeks question I want to ask you to go to your 2006 calendar. If it is not already on there write Bill Of Rights Day on December 15. Between now and then figure out a way to celebrate each of your God given rights this December. This weeks Question Of The Week is, (in your own words) what is the meaning of the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution? "The powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." I will post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Updated, Saint Joseph, Missouri Being Protested

I went to the protest members of the Topeka, Kansas based Westboro Baptist Church held in Saint Joseph, Missouri this morning. They were protesting Saint Joseph, Missouris' city ordinance banning funeral protest. I haven't changed my opinion about holding a protest at a funeral since I posted the original message on December 28. Westboro Baptist Church was represented by about 30 or 35 people. About five of them would have been grade school age children. They were carrying signs with slogans like "GOD HATES YOU", "GOD HATES THE UNITED STATES", "GOD HATES FAGS", "YOUR GOING TO HELL" and "GOD HATES SAINT JOSEPH" while standing on the United States Flag. This morning I found myself wondering why these children were not in school. Maybe they are home schooled, that is something I would normally support. In this case what are the children being taught, to HATE anything they disagree with? Are they being taught God hates everyone that doesn't believe as they do? If they are they have a different God than I do. My God hates the sin not the sinner, he does want the sinner to repent. I wonder what these children will be like in ten or twenty years? Will they still be full of hate? There was a group of 25 to 30 counter protesters. Some of them were carrying signs which urged the protesters to go home, or leave the country. The protest was peaceful (for a protest) and only lasted for around 25 minutes. I guess that wasn't bad when you figure it was 35 to 40 degrees out at the time.

After the protest my wife wanted to go out to eat. While we were in the restaurant I noticed a Gentleman I thought I'd seen some where before sitting with a group of people. I found out he wasn't from Saint Joseph. His group had come over from Leavenworth, Kansas to be a part of the counter protest. He told me that he would be willing to make a donation to get members of the Westboro Baptist Church non-refundable one way tickets to any place they would like to go outside the United States. Another member of his group made a remark about there being some places in the world where the protesters would have been shot for this mornings protest.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.

Well Call Me Slow

I've been working on a project that is saved as a draft for now. It won't be posted for a few months it is time consuming. While I was working on it I found out that someone I consider to be an old friend and very wise man now has a blog site. It's been up for a while and some how I had not found out about it. He took a Christmas and New Years break but it is my understanding that he'll be back today. I hope you will stop by and check him out at http://jerryhughes.blogspot.com I'm sure you will find it to be very interesting.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic

Question Of The Week, 1/1/06

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone made it through the celebration safely. 2006's first Question Of The Week is. What (in your own words) is the meaning of the Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution? "The enumeration in the constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people". When I answered last weeks question I said there would be an extra question this week. The extra question is what issues will make up the top news stories of 2006? I will post my answers in the Comment Section Monday night.

God Bless America, God Save The Republic.