This is What Hoffa And Obama Are Suggesting

Obama Declares War on American Citizens

Civil discourse only applies to Obama’s enemies. In an unprecedented speech, Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa called for his union members to

“Take These Sons Of Bitches Out”

These “Sons of Bitches” he is referring to are the members of the TEA Party. He called for war and in most wars there is violence. To the union thugs, violence is merely part of their thuggery.

“We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They’ve got a war, they got a war with us and there’s only going to be one winner. It’s going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We’re going to win that war.”

President Obama gave his tacit approval to the remarks by refusing to condemn such violent rhetoric; therefore, we may assume the president condones violence against the Tea Party. Hoffa and Obama left no question as to their readiness to resort to violence and intimidation to win this election.

“President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong.”

President Obama addressed the crowd after Hoffa had them to the point of insurrection and murder; he basically told the crowd that he was proud of Hoffa for declaring war on American citizens. Obviously, our president is willing to accept the actions of violence against the Tea Party as part of his campaign. Has America devolved into this lawless country, where the president can endorse violence against his opposition without being held responsible?

According to our President and his union thugs, they have declared war on White America.

Mr Obama, if you have someone in your administration with any common sense, may I suggest you turn over the reins of government, before you do any more damage to this country.

Survivors of a sunken troop transport wade ashore on Omaha Beach

D-Day isn’t one of those dates most Americans remember easily. It’s not associated with bank holidays, BBQs, parades or other high profile celebrations. There’s no Hallmark cards and socially mandated gifts for spouses and lovers associated with the day. It’s not even a date in history that is marked with any specific, large scale memorials or tributes. Most occasions, it slips quietly by, virtually unnoticed, save for a few token stories…. like this one… and brief mentions in between the tabloid news we’re spoon fed and hyped up on these days.

But June 6, 1944 was not one of those days that would so quietly slip by. On this day, the Allied forces crossed the English channel to storm five beach heads along the French Normandy coast. The US forces landed at Utah and Omaha, while the Canadians and British attacked attacked Sword, Juno and Gold beaches. But it was not just the beaches that were a’buzz with allied activity.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

By dawn on June 6, 18,000 parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where 2,000 troops were lost and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day’s end, 155,000 Allied troops–Americans, British and Canadians–had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.

The massive endeavor and coordination between the Allies was anything but smooth… with delays due to weather, most allies forces landing only a fraction of their supplies and vehicles they intended, paratroopers landing far off course and units split in different areas and, of course, the beach most famous for it’s dramatic attack, difficult terrain and high casualties incurred just in the landing (pictured below to the right).

Troops from the First Division landing on Omaha Beach - photograph by Robert F. Sargent

To date, there’s no official count of the lives lost, and sources differ.

–The D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, England claims a total of 2,500 Allied troops died, while German forces suffered between 4,000 and 9,000 total casualties on D-Day. –The Heritage Foundation in the U.S. claims 4,900 U.S. dead on D-Day–The U.S. Army Center of Military History cites a total casualty figure for U.S. forces at 6,036. This number combines dead and wounded in the D-Day battles–John Keegan, American Historian and Author believes that 2,500 Americans died along with 3,000 British and Canadian troops on D-Day

Paul Reed - creator of D Day Ancestors website

The official site for the American National D Day Memorial is in Bedford, MD. The memorial came under fire in 2010 for it’s display of a bust of Stalin, and it’s interpretative plaque citing his crimes against humanity, within the Memorial. Under the bust is the inscription:

In memory of the tens of millions who died under Stalin’s rule and in tribute to all whose valor, fidelity, and sacrifice denied him and his successors victory in the cold war.

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation started a petition last year to lobby for removal of the bust. The Memorial responds in their official statement:

The Foundation would never seek to “honor” such an individual. The interpretative plaque accompanying the Stalin bust clearly acknowledges his crimes against humanity. Illuminating Stalin’s role in the planning of Operation Overlord is not to “honor” him as a person, but to recognize him and his country in a coalition effort to win the war. D-Day after all was multinational in scope. To be good stewards of history, the Foundation is charged with telling the full story. History is a “messy business” and too often, is sanitized, highlighting only what we wish to remember. By not acknowledging Stalin as an ally, as some would have us do, we erase an important part of history and do an injustice to future generations who attempt to learn from the past.

Stalin had a great deal to do with the Invasion. Stalin had been pushing for the opening of a second front since the summer of 1941. During the 1943 Teheran Conference he was determined to make Operation Overlord the focus of their talks. The “Big Three” (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) spent the majority of their time discussing when and where that effort should commence. Teheran marked a turning point in the war. It was the Invasion plan (D-Day/Overlord) that completely sealed their alliance. Stalin made clear that the Invasion of Western Europe had to be the primary military focus in 1944. There would not have been a D-Day without this political component.

Bagration also clearly demonstrates Stalin’s response to the coalition. In April 1944, the Soviets were informed that the landing was taking place in June. The Allies pressed the Soviets for actions that would further relieve pressure in the West. The Soviets embarked on the Belorussian Operation which in effect destroyed seventeen German divisions and three brigades while inflicting heavy losses on fifty other German divisions. By tying up these troops, the allies were successful in moving inland in the weeks following the invasion. On September 27, 1944 Churchill wrote to Stalin and noted that he would let it be known in the House of Commons “that it is the Russian Army that tore the guts out of the German military machine.”

The Stalin bust has not been removed, and instead wisely has been moved to a separate museum display about the four Allied leaders, and their political contributions (both good and bad) towards history. There is truth in the Memorial’s belief that whitewashing the tyrants and despots out of our history only leads to the danger of complacency when history, again, repeats itself. And then there is the wisdom in preserving truth of the atrocities of war so that Hollywood, who has a tendency to rewrite history for their box office reception, cannot become the new “history text book” for current generations.

For example, Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” was loosely based on the story of Sgt. Fritz Niland, who lost two brothers, and another – Edward – was presumed dead when his B-25 was shot down on May 16th. The two confirmed deaths were brother Robert on D-Day in Neuville-au-Plain, and Preston on June 7th in the vicinity of Utah Beach. It was fortunate for the family that Edward was found to be alive, and had been held in a Japanese POW camp for over a year.

Unlike Hollywoods portrayal, no units were tasked with tracking down Fritz Niland to escort him home.

When Father Francis L. Sampson, chaplain of the 501st, learned that two of Niland’s brothers were dead, and that a third was presumed dead, he began the paperwork necessary to send Niland home.

Niland remained with his unit for some time, but once the paperwork cleared he was forced to return to the States, where he served in New York as an MP for the rest of the war.

We are rapidly losing the generations who participated in this strategic battle that altered the course of WWII. It is from their lips, and not from Hollywood or politically correct cleansed textbooks we should learn and remember. You will find the History Guy has links to two personal accounts by LTC John G. Burkhalter (The Big Red One on Omaha Beach), and Jim Wilkins (The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, Company B). To close this post, I’m going to post some excerpts from Steven Ambrose’s book, “D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II” .

Capt. Oscar Rich was a spotter for the 5th Field Artillery Battalion. He was on an LCT with his disassembled L-5 plane. He came to Easy Red at 1300. “I’d like to give you first my impression of the beach, say from a hundred yards out till the time we got on the beach,” he said.

“Looking in both directions you could see trucks burning, tanks burning, piles of I don’t know what burning. Ammunition had been unloaded on the beach. I saw one pile of five-gallon gasoline cans, maybe 500 cans in all. A round hit them. The whole thing just exploded and burned.

“I’ve never seen so much just pure chaos in my life. But what I expected, yet didn’t see, was anybody in hysterics. People on the beach were very calm. The Seabees were directing traffic and bringing people in and assigning them to areas and showing them which way to go. They were very matter-of-fact about the whole thing. They were directing traffic just like it was the 4th of July parade back home rather than where we were.”

continue to read full excerpts and more

American D-Day’s site has some pictures of some of the low key ceremonies that take place around the world this year, and in past years.

Pride And Prejudice

The sister of the pilot whose plane was flown into the Pentagon quizzed Obama on procedure and the prosecution of interrogators who acquired the intel that led to the assassination of Bin Laden. He basically told her to stick it where the sun don’t shine, with the typical arrogance and condescension we have come to expect from our Narcissist in Chief.(View Video)

Debra Burlingame, the sister of Charles “Chic” Burlingame (pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon) met with President Obama today, along with other families who were victims of 9/11. Burlingame said she confronted Obama about Attorney General Eric Holder prosecuting the men who interrogated KSM, which may have produced intelligence leading us to bin Laden.

Burlingame describes the encounter with Obama: “As a former attorney I know you can’t tell the Attorney General what to do, he said, ‘No, I can’t.’ But I said ‘we — that shouldn’t stop you from giving your opinion. We wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t done their jobs. Can’t you at least give them your opinion.’ And he said ‘no I won’t,’ and he turned around and walked away.”

The compassion and understanding of the Chief Liberal of the United States is awe inspiring. We have a woman, who is asking not for a new kitchen or for her mortgage and car payments to be paid, but simply to plead for the men who produced the intel that gave Obama the chance to be the BMOC (BIG Man On Campus) by killing the man responsible for her brother’s death and for the death of thousands of other Americans. And the Big Cheese turns his back on her for being so pretentious to challenge the omnipotent wisdom of the Holder/Obama Genius. In a more real world of true Authoritarian control, a less compassionate leader would have had her arrested and interrogated for doubting his omnipotence.

Hurrah! Osama Is Dead

This Christmas Eve, my thoughts turn to our troops as they wage war on foreign battlefields. For those, seeing little reprieve in conflict with our current enemy – Islamic extremists – the joy of the season must be tinged bittersweet as they think of their loved ones, keeping the hearth fires warm, waiting for their return. I thought, then, of another war where the unimaginable happened… voluntary and unofficial truces all across Europe on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day during WWI in 1914. While the stories that have passed thru the years may have morphed almost into myth, they are, indeed, true.

“We don’t want to fight today…. we will send you some beer”.

The website, The First World War, notes the reality of this unofficial truce was less romantic than it was just a down to earth simple story of a shared misery, and a longing for home. The enthusiasm for war had waned, and both sides knew it would be a long time before they marched for home…. and that many would never see home again. The frontlines were still in view of nearby villages and civilization, and conditions for both sides were equally hard.

As Christmas approached the festive mood and the desire for a lull in the fighting increased as parcels packed with goodies from home started to arrive. On top of this came gifts care of the state. Tommy received plum puddings and ‘Princess Mary boxes’; a metal case engraved with an outline of George V’s daughter and filled with chocolates and butterscotch, cigarettes and tobacco, a picture card of Princess Mary and a facsimile of George V’s greeting to the troops. ‘May God protect you and bring you safe home,’ it said.

Not to be outdone, Fritz received a present from the Kaiser, the Kaiserliche, a large meerschaum pipe for the troops and a box of cigars for NCOs and officers. Towns, villages and cities, and numerous support associations on both sides also flooded the front with gifts of food, warm clothes and letters of thanks.

The Belgians and French also received goods, although not in such an organised fashion as the British or Germans. For these nations the Christmas of 1914 was tinged with sadness – their countries were occupied. It is no wonder that the Truce, although it sprung up in some spots on French and Belgian lines, never really caught hold as it did in the British sector.

With their morale boosted by messages of thanks and their bellies fuller than normal, and with still so much Christmas booty to hand, the season of goodwill entered the trenches. A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches.

Even more amazingly, it was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they could celebrate the festive season and their Captain’s birthday. They proposed a concert at 7.30pm when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches.

The British accepted the invitation and offered some tobacco as a return present. That evening, at the stated time, German heads suddenly popped up and started to sing. Each number ended with a round of applause from both sides.

The Germans then asked the British to join in. At this point, one very mean-spirited Tommy shouted: ‘We’d rather die than sing German.’ To which a German joked aloud: ‘It would kill us if you did’.

The accounts across the various skirmish sites are varied… from tales of the soccer games to singing contests, shared meals, and banners with greetings messages raised on bayonets. Others used the time to recover the bodies of the fallen, and many joint burial ceremonies were held. For a few hours, on a day held holy by many, enemies shared all they both held dear… life, and a longing for home, families and peace.

This spontaneous breaking out in peace has been honored both in song (Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and folk singers John McCutcheon and Mike Harding) and modest memorials. Below are two descendents of WWI – Peter Knight and Stefan Langheinrich – reenacting the truce in 2008 during the unveiling of the Truce Memorial at Frelinghien… a village on the border of Belgium and France.

And to the right, the Khaki Chum’s Christmas Truce Memorial near Ypres, Belgium. The text reads: 1914 – The Khaki Chum’s Christmas Truce – 1999 – 85 Years – Lest We Forget.

It's 96 years later... and as long as we inhabit this planet, it's inevitable that war will continue to be waged. Not only have these "grassroots" truces been abandoned, it's inconceivable to think it could happen with our current enemy, as they hold no shared reverence for Christmas. But Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards Man still remains a Christmas wish for Santa, and a prayer to God, from us all.

As Scottish poet, Frederick Niven, writes in the last stanza of his poem dedicated to the Christmas Truce, "A Carol from Flanders":

To our troops everywhere, and our own Old Trooper… stashed somewhere not far from these memorials… a Merry Christmas. Plus a prayer that all our warriors will find themselves in moment of quiet and joy this holy day. And to all of you in the FA forum, may the joys of Christmas, and optimism of the New Year live in your hearts forever.

UPDATED: Also recalling the events of the 1914 Christmas Truce is Oliver North in his article today, A Christmas Wish for our Troops. He, too, realizes that such an event – already rare in history – would never happen with our current enemy.

Five years ago, as I prepared to leave Iraq so I could be home for Christmas, a young Marine approached me with a question I’ll remember this year and every Christmas as long as I live. “What do you want for Christmas?” he asked.

I told him, “I want you to get home safely.” That was my Christmas wish then and will remain my wish until the War on Terror is won.

But I have another wish. It’s said today only 2 percent of Americans know the name of someone serving in the armed forces. My second wish this Christmas is that the men and women who comprise our armed forces – the bravest, most-committed, and most selfless young people I’ve ever known – will receive the recognition and thanks they deserve.

I’ve made it a goal to spread their stories through my Fox News Channel show and my book, “American Heroes in Special Operations.” I hope you’ll join me during this season of joy in giving thanks for – and to – our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Guardsmen, and Marines.

145 years ago on this date in 1865, slavery was abolished in the US with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.

New York Times/Reuters:

The Hiroshima bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” released a mix of shockwaves, heat rays and radiation, killing thousands instantly.

By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to some 140,000 out of an estimated population of 350,000. Thousands more died of illness and injuries later.

Three days after the Hiroshima attack, on August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a second nuclear bomb on the city of Nagasaki in southern Japan. Japan surrendered six days later, ending the military aggression that brought it into World War Two.

The United States, recently involved in a row with Tokyo over the relocation of a U.S. air base on the southern Japan island of Okinawa, sent a representative to the ceremony for the first time, reflecting President Barack Obama’s push to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

No sitting Japanese prime minister has ever been to Pearl Harbor; and no sitting American president has ever been to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Will President Obama be the first?

And if so, why or why not?

I don’t believe we have anything to apologize for; but this does not mean we cannot express compassion for those who were victims of what was necessary at the time to win and shorten the war; and extend compassion to the family members who mourn their loss.

Label reads:

Traditionally in Japan, the crane is a symbol of honor, peace, and loyalty. An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury. The crane in Japan is one of the mystical or holy creatures (others include the dragon and the tortoise), and is said to live for a thousand years. In Asia, it is commonly said that folding 1000 paper origami cranes makes a person’s wish come true. This makes them popular gifts for special friends and family.
Due to the legend of Sadako Sasaki, who died of luekemia sickness as a result of the dropping of the A-Bomb, the folding of a thousand paper cranes has not only come to symbolize long life and health, but also of world peace. But there can be no permanent peace in the absence of a strong military dedicated to its preservation. Using a 12 x 12″ square of “kami”-flage paper to fold the traditional tsuru, the military peace crane represents one of the ironies and paradoxes of war and peace inherent in the human condition.

-Compiled and written (pillaged and plagiarized) by wordsmith, with hat tip to Wikipedia and Operation Peace Crane

Spinning the lazy susan of political debate on the kitchen table around, this particular Hank Stuever WaPo article today, promoting Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC special, “”The McVeigh Tapes: Confessions of an American Terrorist” , did a serious raising of eyebrows… The mainstay of Maddow’s presentation, “remembering” the Oklahoma City bombing, is actually a thin disguise for a story bent on warning against our current “anti-government” voices of dissent today. Instead of “remembering”, it’s some sort of bizarre link that the nation, protesting the Obama/Pelosi/Reid leaderships, is going to go McVeigh or Waco on us.

But in a demented defense of MSNBC’s la femme whacko, she’s not alone in her quest to not “let a perfectly good crisis go to waste”. The DNC’s #2 darling, Bill Clinton, is jumping on that same bandwagon. See also Teflon Bill’s op-ed in the New York Times…

And then, of course, there’s Obama’s FBI appointee, Robert Mueller, saying the same thing.

And add CBS’s Brian Montopoli, championing the flogging of that same dead horse.

Thirty-eight percent of Americans now see domestic terrorism as a more serious threat than international terrorism, according to a new CBS News poll; that’s up eight points from 2002. On Monday, MSNBC is airing a documentary called “The McVeigh Tapes” detailing McVeigh’s motivations and perspective on his crime — and raising questions about the dangers of the extreme rhetoric that influenced him.

With all the media mouthpieces playing the demonizing game, why wouldn’t “thirty-eight percent of Americans” be worried about their fellow citizens? This all begs the real question that should be asked by a responsible-but-non-existent media … just who’s the one stirring the pot here, and what are their motivations?

This not-so-new-thrust at dissing the opposition’s voice nestles nicely with Obama’s Homeland Security appointee, Janet Napolitano, and her DHS report last spring, warning about “right wing extremism”, singling out American military as prime suspects.

Getting the idea now? Politicizing the very sad events of the Oklahoma City bombing is quite justified these days, if it shuts up the opposition.

Whoa Nellie there. First of all, I’m finding it somewhat disingenuous to focus more exclusively on “domestic” citizens as the biggest threat. And if that were the truth, I’m still waiting for some mea culpa on agency actions that could have prevented the Ft. Hood shooter. Instead we get the Obama CIA, ordering a hit on Yemen cleric, Awlaki… again to the sounds of crickets by the media. Isn’t this the same thing the media circus was chasing Cheney and the Bush WH around on just a few years ago?

Secondly… and most importantly… our military, and now our citizens, exercising our First Amendment rights are not domestic terrorists. In fact, they are engaging in a very American tradition – questioning what our government is doing on “behalf” of the nation.

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.”

Patrick Henry

“Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.”

Thomas Jefferson

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

George Washington

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat in our drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labors and in our amusements, for our callings and our creeds…our people.. must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live.. We have not time to think, no means of calling the mis-managers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow suffers. Our landholders, too…retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirs, but held really in trust for the treasury, must…be contented with penury, obscurity and exile.. private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagance.

This is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering… And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.”

Thomas Jefferson

Where’s the beat down of this assault on dissent by the media? Hello????

But aside from First Amendment rights being an all-American respected tradition, apparently those leading the charge against the opposition voices as “anti-government extremism”, using the OK City tragedy, are those who’ve been accusing the GOP of “politicizing” everything from 911 to the Christmas bomber this past winter.

Am I being extreme in this characterization? Hang no…. “anti-government extremism”, reminescent of Napolitano’s DHS report, is the heart and soul of the OK City bombing “tribute”, as encapsulized by Ms. Maddow’s opening remarks.

“Nine years after his execution, we are left worrying that Timothy McVeigh’s voice from the grave echoes in the new rising tide of American anti-government extremism,” Maddow says at the outset of her MSNBC special Monday night called “The McVeigh Tapes: Confessions of an American Terrorist.”

She’s talking, of course, about the latest news about militias, weapons stockpiling, “tea party” anger and the perception of rising unrest in those who seek to reclaim an America supposedly lost to federal control: “On this date, which holds great meaning for the anti-government movement,” Maddow says, “the McVeigh tapes are a can’t-turn-away, riveting reminder.”

This same publication, who doesn’t mind giving the Madcow special a free advertising bump, also hosted a Dec 2009 blog post by Michael Shear, whining about the GOP “politicizing” the Christmas bomber.

We can add to those charges sites such as Truthout who, in pre-election 2008, made it a point to note that the GOP uses 911 as a campaign slogan. Or perhaps the U of MN bloggers, whining about Michele Bachmann and Pete Hoekstra back in 2006.

This would also be the same political side of the aisle that attempts to claim the high moral ground… saying they are above all that political slime. For example, NBC’s Mark Murray who says that Dems chose “… not to make an issue…” out of British citizen, Richard Reid’s, shoe bombing attempt Dec 22, 2001 when he compared the DNC reaction then to the GOP reaction this past winter.

Both terrorists were stopped by vigilant citizens… not government authorities. However it might be prudent to point out to the obtuse the obvious difference between Richard Reid and the Christmas bomber of 2009. Reid’s thwarted assault happened pre’increased security restrictions implemented post 911 to prevent boarding, and still in the aftermath of that attack that left the nation reeling for months.

By contrast, 2009 Christmas bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, should have been detected via our reformed intel and shared interagency communications. Was criticism warranted in 2001? No. Is it warranted eight years later when the intel was there, and able to be acted upon? Absolutely.

[Mata Musing: As a sidebar, this would be the same Richard Reid who's communications restrictions - (SAMs Special Administrative Measures) - with his Muslic clerics were going to allow to expire under Obama's AG, Eric Holder. The SAMS were strengthened in 2006 after finding that imprisonment doesn't necessarily inhibit jihad participation by terrorists.]

Then we might consider MSNBC’s most prominent mouth piece… when his foot is not firmly lodged within his orifice, that is… Keith Olbermann. Mr. O, not to be confused with the other Mr. O, is quite emotional on the “politicizing” of 911. Which, of course, he attributes to the opposite side of his philosophical aisle.

It’s bad enough that there has been a concerted expanse of power and authority by goverment to assume unmitigated power over banks, auto companies, health care premiums. And it’s not over yet as they are still marching to further expand that authority to seize/control any “financial” institution who’s fiscal health has an effect on the nation’s economy, and exert control to herd behavior as to what we drive, and what we eat. The power grab of this administration and Congress has been unsurpassed. And what’s more frightening is it’s being done under the very noses of the nation’s citizenry.

Now that we, as a nation, are speaking out, we are lumped in with Timonthy McVeigh…. all for a political purpose to silence dissent.

And the media? MIA on this issue. Or obtusely unaware… hard to say. Not only are the branches of this government careening wildly out of control, the unofficial 4th branch feeds the frenzy. We are in deep excrement here, people.

In the evening hours of April 4, 1968 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck down by an assassin’s bullet as he stood on a motel balcony in Memphis, TN.

LIFE Magazine has released a series of photographs made at the Lorraine Motel on the night of the shooting.

A plaque at the site of the assassination reads:

Rev. King’s life, and his work, brought dramatic, much needed changes to this country.

In less than a generation the US has moved away from water cannons and police dogs into an era where we can truly examine a person based on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

Every American, regardless of color or creed, owes a debt of gratitude to Rev. King because all of us benefited from his efforts.

I am too young to know what life was like prior to the civil rights movement. For me, and my children, that time period lives only in grainy photographs, black and white film clips, and museums.

My twelve year old recently asked me why Rev. King was so important. At first I was at a loss, not at the importance of Rev. King, but how to express it.

How do you explain hatred based on skin color to someone, a child, who has never seen, or considered, skin color as a factor?

In 2009 how do you explain ignorance and prejudice to a child? Believe me, it isn’t easy.