Thoughts on Egypt & Libya

Hooray for freedom! It is what every human heart yearns for and everyone aspires to reach. Here in the United States we are blessed with such freedom. Most of the world has nothing even close. It is our duty, as the most free and blessed humans ever, to help our fellow man gain his freedom.

This is what we have done throughout our history. All over the place. Most recently, we helped people in Afghanistan and Iraq overthrow their tyrannical, evil governments.

The fight for freedom does not end simply because bad people are removed from power. There will always be bad people---in every single country or region---and they will always try to take power back. Sometimes they continue using guns and bombs and doing bad things to citizens. Sometimes they manage to get themselves elected legally and then take and keep power and oppress the people who foolishly elected them.

Even here in the United States we continue fighting for our freedom. We mostly do it in a more civil and respectful way, but people try to take our freedoms away every day.

I'm very glad for the people of Egypt, who said "NO MORE" to "their" government. I pray that they continue to work for a true and open democracy.

I am also praying for the people of Libya, who are currently trying to tell "their" government "NO."

What really makes me mad is all the people out there on the internet, breathlessly gushing on and on about these efforts and freedom and posting quotes from movies and books and raving on and on about how humans yearn for freedom, when a few years ago, President Bush was giving speech after speech about man's yearning for freedom and was ACTUALLY SUPPORTING AND FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM ROUND THE GLOBE, and these same people derided him, said he was speaking nonsense, that not all humans want freedom, that efforts to aid those seeking freedom were pointless. Hypocrites. Open your eyes and shut your mouths. Now you want the US to say and do all sorts of things (except, apparently, actually act with force when needed) and you go about paraphrasing President Bush who you called things like "Bushitler" and burned in effigy.

How do you compare the honorable and wonderful man President Bush is with men like Hitler and the "leaders" of these nations? Your viewpoints are completely skewed and, frankly, you have no right to speak on freedom at all. Please shut your mouths and let the real grownups, who have always supported freedom, continue on and perhaps you will learn a thing or two about reality.

Happy New Year!

Auld Lang Syne
Robert Burns

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne

Please Vote!

Remembering 9/11: 8 Years Later

I cannot believe it has been 8 years since the events of 9/11/01. What a horrible day. I still remember it so vividly. It is seared into my memory. The way so many of our fellow Americans were murdered. The way the Twin Towers fell. The hole in the Pentagon, symbol of our military might, and that crater in the field in Pennsylvania.

Those terrorist attacks were an act of war, not a crime, and we should continue to treat them that way. I am so thankful for our military, who keep us safe by dealing with the bad guys (and they are the bad guys) in far off lands, away from their families. We haven't had a terrorist attack on our homeland in 8 years, thanks to President Bush and our military. I am so thankful for that. On 9/11/01, I thought we would be attacked and attacked and attacked. I woke every morning for ages after that wondering if we would be attacked again. I remember how all planes were grounded for at least 3 days and the skies were so silent. But, when planes started flying again, they all sounded SOOOO close and loud and I always looked up expecting to see one crashing. That's now how we live in the United States. We are blessed that way. And I want us to stay that way. And I want the world to be that way. But it doesn't become that way through talking, talking, talking. That's what got us to 9/11.

So today I remember all who were murdered, all who died saving lives, all who fought the good fight, all who mourn still, all who stand up and fight, and, especially Barbara Olson, who was one of my favorite political commentators and was on the flight that hit the Pentagon.

A couple of years ago I participated in the 2,996 Tribute, where bloggers were given someone who died on 9/11 to write about. I keep reposting my tribute, to Betty Ann Ong, Flight Attendant, Flight 11, every year.

This is my tribute to Betty Ann Ong. Please read it and remember Betty and the other victims/heroes of 9/11. God bless us all.

___________________________________________________

This is dedicated in Memory of Betty Ong and in Honor of the Ong Family. May God bless you all.


2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Today, September 11, 2006, I remember Betty Ong, Flight Attendant, American Airlines, Flight 11.


On September 11, 2001, Betty Ong was just doing her job . . . a job she loved. She was a flight attendant for American Airlines, on Flight 11, which was going from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California. Betty had been with American for 14 years and loved her job and

was a tireless worker. Whenever she worked a late night flight, she would never sit down and relax. Even when passengers were sleeping, she would walk down the aisles and softly talk to the passengers who were awake and provide blankets to those who were asleep. It would not be unusual to find Betty caring for a passenger's baby while their parent's rested. (Source)

She was a people person and it was safe to say people loved her too.

Betty didn't start out life as a flight attendant. She was born in San Francisco, California, on February 5, 1956 to a family with four children. Betty and her siblings grew up in Chinatown and she attended George Washington High School (Source).

She had a special place in her heart for children and senior citizens:

She paid special attention to them whenever they were aboard a flight she was working. On many occasions, Betty would drive a half hour from her home, into Boston, to have lunch and take walks with senior citizens. She shared stories about her far away travels with the neighboring children and often had trinkets to give them. (Source)

Betty's loving personality made her a perfect candidate to be a flight attendant:

She was feminine, very humorous, very caring, and she loved people," said Cathie Ong, [Betty's sister]. "She saw the humor and loved to bring out the humor. And she just loved to laugh. She had this habit, when she laughed, it was just very distinct. She would slap her knees when she would laugh, yet on the plane she was very professional."

Passengers and crew members loved Ms. Ong, 45. "She made everybody feel like they knew her right away," Cathie Ong said. "She had a knack for making people feel at ease. But if you were out of line with her, she wouldn't hesitate to put you in place. She was tough when she had to be." (Source)

On September 11, 2001, Betty showed just how tough she could be.

At about 8:20am on that day, Betty managed to get a call through to a woman named Nydia Gonzalez at the American Airlines Reservation center. It was one of, if not the first, calls with information about the hijackings. She stayed on the line for 23 minutes. (Michelle Malkin has a post up about Flight 11, here, which has a lot about Betty's role that day.)

Betty didn't panic. She calmly and professionally relayed information from the passengers and other members of the crew of Flight 11.

After Ong's description of the scene on board, Gonzalez and a second call-taker asked Ong what seat she was in.

Ong identified herself and her seat number, and said, "OK, our number one got stabbed, our purser is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who, and we can't even get up to business class right now because nobody can breathe." (Source)

Betty's bravery and serenity under pressure helped alert the authorities to the terror that was about to unfold. Her call helped air controllers to decide to ground planes.

Ong calmly told ground staff there were possibly four hijackers of Middle Eastern extraction on board.

Ong also reported on the carnage taking place -- the First Class galley attendant, stabbed; the purser, stabbed. The terrorists also slashed the throat of a passenger, who was bleeding profusely. The hijackers locked themselves in the cockpit.

Amid the mid-air horror, Ong remained cool. She identified the seats the terrorists had occupied, enabling the FBI to learn the hijackers' passport details.

Fifteen minutes after Ong first alerted the world to what was happening, the big Boeing suddenly lurched, tilting wildly. She said the pilots were probably no longer flying the airplane. The 767 approached Manhattan, flying ever lower.

Still on the line, Ong said in a composed voice: "Pray for us. Pray for us."

Seconds later the line went dead.

Her ground contact asked: "What's going on, Betty? Betty, talk to me. Are you there? Betty?" (Source)

Betty Ann Ong was only 45 when her life was ended, much to young. She has so much left to do.

Only a portion of Betty's call was recorded. A small segment was played for the 9/11 Commission and Betty's family in January 2004.

"She was outstanding, under those circumstances," Cathie Ong said. "It's hard for us all to imagine ever being in those shoes. My family and I, we cried. She was just exemplary in her performance, her attitude and everything. "

"She was very take-charge, and we were very proud of her. She was very calm." (Source)

The audio from that four minute portion of Betty's call can be heard here (The transcript can be found there too).

Betty Ann Ong was a Hero on September 11, 2001. She made a choice not to passively accept her fate and did her best to save the Crew and Passengers of Flight 11.

Betty Ong will never be forgotten.

Of course, Betty was a lot more than a victim of 9/11:

She was the youngest of four siblings, a loving daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She was warm, caring, thoughtful, and considerate, always thinking of others before herself. Gifted with a sense of humor, Betty had a knack for making people feel comfortable and putting them at ease. She had a smile about her that could light up a room and lift up a spirit. She could feed laughter to anyone's heart. (Source)

Betty's brother Harry paid tribute to her with this poem:

Dear Bee:

I don't know fully why you left us
I don't know fully when you left us
I don't know fully how you left us
But I do know that I miss you so very much

I do know that you left us doing the job you loved best
I do know you left us fighting to the very end
And I do know you did your job most heroically

Oh how I wish I could turn the clock back to make things whole again
This is so much like a dream
I never expected to write you this letter..
Let alone a letter like this for you before me

Each day I wake up waiting for you to call or I.M. me just to say "Hello"
I go over and over the moments we shared together and wish we could share even more
And now as I slowly wake up each day, I realize that I can only talk to you in my heart and know that you are here in spirit

I whisper a little "hello" when I walk by your picture each day
Bee, I will never really say goodbye to you
because you are forever in my heart and soul
Bee, I just want to say I'm so very proud of you
And I really miss you so

Your loving brother, Harry
Source

In honor of Betty, her family has established the Betty Ong Foundation:

a not for profit public charity, [it] was established to continue her legacy. The advocacy of the Betty Ann Ong Foundation serves to educate children to the positive benefits of lifelong physical activity and healthy eating habits and to provide opportunities for children to experience the great outdoors so that they can grow to become healthy, strong and productive individuals.

Betty's memory will live through the Foundation's work for the advocacy of children and to give recognition to heroic flight attendants who continue to work hard to keep the passengers safe in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

You can pay further tribute to Betty Ong at one of the following sites:

September 11 Victims
Remember September 11
9-11 Heroes
Living Tribute

In Memory of Betty Ong and All Who Died on September 11, 2001.

May we NEVER Forget.

I know I will never.

One Month Until Bobby Long's Seattle Show!!

Those of you who know me know I am a huge fan of English singer/songwriter/musician Bobby Long. You might also know Bobby's coming on tour this summer and his Seattle show is only one month from today!!!

I am the Street Team leader for the Washington & Idaho Land of Dreamers, so this show is a big deal to me & I want to do all I can to help Bobby sell it out!

So, I'm posting the show info! Please come! Tell your friends! And repost if you want to!

Singer - Songwriter Bobby Long Comes to Seattle for one night only!

UK Singer/Songwriter Bobby Long will be embarking on his first major U.S. tour on July 26 in N.Y.C. Bobby first came to national attention for co-writing "Let Me Sign" for the film "Twilight". Although Bobby Long became known due to the movie's success, his music speaks for itself and is winning new fans all over the world. Bobby has recently topped the ITUNES Charts with his 1st single "Left to Lie" which charted at number 8. Bobby Long played a three city sold out tour of taste maker shows in April this year, during which he recorded his new single "Being A Mockingbird" at Arlene's Grocery NYC.

Check out www.myspace.com/musicbobbylong

The Seattle show is expected to sell out, so buy now or get there very early!

Bobby Long will be playing Seattle on Monday August 10,
at the El Corazon
109 Eastlake Ave E
Seattle Wa, 98109
8:00p.m.
$15 advance tickets

Pre-sale tickets www.elcorazonseattle.com
All Ages/Bar with ID

Bobby has 3 singles on iTunes right now: "Left to Lie," "Being A Mockingbird-Live from Arlene's NYC," and "The Bounty of Mary Jane." Go buy, buy for your friends, & tell everyone!

Happy Independence Day!

I'm so thankful to live in the greatest country every to grace this earth. God has blessed us with so many things, chiefly, FREEDOM. I am thankful for all the men and women who have fought for, sacrificed for, lived & died for our Freedom, Faith, and Way of Life. We owe them more than we can give. And we mustn't let this country, of the people, by the people, and for the people, slip away into the ever-widening pit of socialism. I am not going to sit around while it is happening. Let's fight for our Freedom.



God Bless America.
Happy Independence Day!

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos
25 years old from Paterson, New Jersey
3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade
May 11, 2009


On Mother's Day, Eugenia Gardos made a tabletop shrine to her recently deceased mother, surrounding her photograph with silk roses, a small white rosary cross, two votive candles and a prayer card of Senor de los Milagros, the patron saint of Peru.

The next day, May 11, she added her son's picture to the shrine for the dead.

Sgt. Gardos was killed along with five fellow servicemen; Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle and Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr. in the attack on Camp Liberty.

"The first time he left for Iraq, when they would read the lists of the dead on the news, we used to hold our breath, praying he wasn't on it," his mother said. "I don't understand how he could have died this way. I just don't understand it."

Sgt. Galdos had emigrated with his family from Mollendo, Peru, as a child and had been a U.S. citizen since high school. His mother, two older brothers and older sister recalled how he used to hand out candy to children in Iraq the same way he always did in Paterson, never making a trip to the corner bodega without a group of neighborhood children tailing behind, knowing he would buy them candy or a soda.

"We were all here at home," Carlos Bueno, Sgt. Galdos's father, said. "I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard screaming downstairs. I ran downstairs and everyone had thrown themselves to the floor, thrashing around, screaming."

Bueno said he does not feel bitterness toward the man accused in the shootings, whom he described as "mentally ill."

"We want people to know we're proud of our son's Army, but if my son had died in war we would be able to handle that," he said. "But not to die in this manner."

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

Cpl. Aaron L. Seal
23 years old from Elkhart, Indiana
6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Forces Reserve
October 1, 2006


With sleet gushing from gunmetal gray clouds, some 30 Marines standing in three trim lines saluted the U.S. flag that four of their brethren used to christen a new pole.

A large engraved stone set at the base of the 38-foot pole explained the occasion: "In memory of Corporal Aaron L. Seal. Who gave his life for our country. 1982-2006."

The Marines from Engineer Company B joined several dozen community residents and well-wishers at a ceremony Wednesday honoring Seal, the 23-year-old Elkhart reservist who died last fall in Iraq. Seal's family also attended the 20-minute tribute at Elkhart Community Schools' administration building adjacent to Memorial High School -- the fallen Marine's alma mater.

Read the rest of the story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

Spc. Jeffrey Scantlin, Sgt. 1st Class Erich Phillips, Sgt. John Hayes, 1st Lt. Aaron Thurman, Sgt. Hector Chavez and Spc. Tyler Hanson
2nd Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment


In the early morning hours of July 13, 2008, Soldiers from Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment were not thinking about medals as they fought off roughly 200 insurgents attacking their vehicle patrol base in Afghanistan.

No Soldier in combat does.

The Army, however, takes pause afterward to honor those who distinguish themselves in battle and recognizes them before their peers.

Read the rest of the story.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.