THANK YOU VETERANS OF AMERICA

THANK YOU. How simple that one sentence is. But what an impact it can have, depending on the situation in which those two words are used. "Thank you for holding the door." "Thank you for the Christmas present." "Thank you for the birthday gift." Then in a short time the gift, the favor, tho is never forgotten, just fades. I'm guilty of it and so are many of you.

Today is Veterans Day. Today IS the ONE day in which THANK YOU should have, must have, true meaning, lasting meaning and be said with a convincing voice and smile.

These Veterans are men and women we may never know. Yet, what they have done for us and our great country should still account for everything....even what we take for granted. These people are my relatives.... and they are yours.

This Veteran is the kind man that bags my groceries when I shop. We don't talk about war or the military when he scrambles to get my groceries bagged, but I know he is. I've heard him speak about it a time ago and remembered. I never thanked him when I saw him on Monday.

The old, wrinkled man scuffing down the sidewalk that I grew impatient with because I "thought" I was in a hurry was probably a Veteran. Yet, I never bothered to ask or slow down to give him even a grin. I just hurried on my way. How selfish of me to put myself first in front of a man that was probably putting his life on the line for we while I was still in diapers.

Veterans are all around me. Veterans are around all of us. They are the husbands, sons, daughters, brother-in-laws, nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles..... the list goes on for me as I am sure it must for all of you. And I am deeply proud of all they have given to keep me and my country safe. But I don't thank them enough. And maybe I've never thanked them. But I say THANK YOU inside my head with my heart when I have dinner with you, when I speak with you, when I see your photo. I am proud of all of you and know deep in my heart how much you care and how much American and I mean to you.

I spent alot of summer evenings years ago sitting on the porch with a Veteran of World War I. "Mac" knew alot about our great county. He knew alot about war and though he tried hard to fight back the tears most times he always let me know that he knew he made a huge sacrifice for his country and he was proud he did. "Mac" is gone now. But he loved America and was glad for every day he gave to keep this land free.

Now don't start thinking that I am not patriotic. Ask anyone who knows me just how much I love this country and the American flag. Ask ME about how patriotic I am.........but only if you have the time.

I haven't been saying THANK YOU to Veterans like I really should. I'm sorry for that. But you can bet that every time I see that great American flag, large or small, I think about the brave souls that have given of their time for me, and for you, to leave during peace time or for war, wherever that may be, to keep all of us safe and to enable all of us to remain free.

It is at the sight of the great stars and stripes known as the American flag that I say THANK YOU to every Veteran young and old.

It is because of them that I have the freedom of speech so that I may write this and you may read.

Thank you to ALL Veterans, with love.

God Bless You and America.

"Land of the free because of the brave."

Florida Pastor's Plan Could Harm Our Troops

A Florida pastor's plan to burn Qurans at his church on Sept. 11 ignited a protest today by hundreds of Afghans, who burned American flags and shouted "Death to America," and drew a comment from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan that the preacher could be increasing the threat to his troops.

The crowd in downtown Kabul reached nearly 500 today, with Afghan protesters chanting "Long live Islam " and "Long live the Quran," and burning an effigy of Terry Jones, senior pastor from the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida who is planning the event.

The protesters were well aware of the pastor's inflammatory comments, such as the "Islam is an evil religion," since they have been spread wide on the Internet. Jones has also authored a book, "Islam Is of the Devil."

The protesters' anger wasn't limited to Jones, however. Chants of "Death to America" echoed through the crowd, and U.S. flags were set ablaze alongside the effigy of Jones.

"America cannot eliminate Muslims from the world," one Afghan man told ABC News.

The angry crowd pelted a passing U.S. military convoy with rocks.

Gen. David Petraeus said he is outraged by the pastor's decision to burn the Quran, which he said could "endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort here."

Former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Jack Keane, an adviser to Petraeus, called it "outrageous" and "insulting to Muslims."

"It's also insulting to our soldiers in terms of what they stand for and what their commitment is to this country and to the Muslims in this country," Keane told ABC News.

But late today, Jones vowed he would go ahead with the Quran burning, even knowing the concerns of Petraeus and Keane for the safety of U.S. troops.

"What we are doing is long overdue. We are revealing the violence of Islam that is much, much deeper than we'd like to admit," Jones said in an interview with ABC News.

A Facebook page dedicated to the day, entitled "International Burn A Koran Day" has more than 8,000 fans.

"On September 11th, 2010, from 6pm - 9pm, we will burn the Koran on the property of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, FL in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the evil of Islam. Islam is of the devil!" the page declares.

Larger 'Burn a Quran' Protest in Kabul Could Happen Tuesday

Over a hundred other pages have sprung up for and against the event on Sept. 11, incidentally the same day as a Muslim holiday called Eid, celebrating the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

www.abcnews.go.com

God Bless The USA

July 4, 1776. Independence Day.








With a few signatures on that day of July 4, 1776 our independence and freedom began and continues today throughout our great nation.


It is through the strength of our armed forces and those great men and women that proudly serve to protect us and this great nation that we remain the "land of the free" and the "home of the brave".


Here's another one of the most patriotic songs ever written...... Feel free to sing along and feel free to sing loud and clear.


I'm proud to be an American..........not just on this holiday but any day of the week.







Happy Birthday America.







Please display your flag proudly and treat it properly.

Supreme Court Rules On Guns Rights Case

Monday June 28, 2010

Today the Supreme Court ruled on McDonald vs. Chicago. It's a case that dealt with Chicago's handgun ban, and whether Second Amendment Rights were being violated.

The court ruled in favor of gun owner rights, ordering a federal appeals court to reconsider the nearly 30-year ban.

It's a ruling that could impact gun laws in almost every state.

"In my opinion, self-defense in America has been validated today," said Lead Plaintiff Otis McDonald.

In a 5 to 4 vote, the Supreme Court settled McDonald vs. Chicago, ruling that it is unconstitutional for state and local governments to restrict individual gun rights.

It's an issue that has been up for national debate since the Heller vs. The District of Columbia Case, which dealt only on a federal level, and was settled 2 years ago.

"We think this is a monumental day," said Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. "It is vindication for the great majority of Americans all across the land that have always believed this was an individual right worth defending."

"Bottom line after this decision, you're gonna see a lot more lawsuits because now any criminal defendant that has a gun charge can raise a second amendment issue," disagreed Paul Helmke with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The ruling recognizes an individuals right to bear arms, and Senator Jon Tester has been a leading lawmaker working in favor of today's ruling. Tester, along with Senator Hutchison from Texas, presented a "59-page friend of the court brief" to the Supreme Court last October.

"This is a victory for law-abiding citizens across America," said Tester. "It ensures that folks' second amendment rights are protected regardless of where they live."

While Montana is already home to what many would call favorable gun-right laws, Great Falls gun dealer Kevin Lake is glad to see the case settled.

"I''m very excited to see things go this way," said Lake. "I think its something we've needed for a long time. It is just now that they're finally basically putting it into law. The federal government is finally coming down and saying okay this is an individual right, you can do this, you can own a firearm."

And while gun bans,like the one currently in place in Chicago, are expected to be reversed in the near future, the ruling sends a message that the same gun rights apply to the city as they do in rural states.

"There are a lot of places in Montana, where if you call 911, you maybe an hour or 45 minutes from any help at all," said Lake.

The Supreme Court split down party lines, with the four liberal justices opposing the ruling.

Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the majority.

www.kfbb.com