Land of the free because of the brave.

Happy Veterans' Day

Memorial Day 2011 @ Arlington Cemetery

I want my boys to cherish freedom and realize that it isn't free.

Tomb of Unknown inscription read: "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God."

Teaching my children to appreciate the sacrifices of the those who keep us free.

Rolling thunder.  A yearly event.  The bonds forged in war among brothers in arms.

There were people making sure that silence was maintained and people don't lean on the walls.

Kid corps

RFK's grave with an eternal flame.

FIRST PLACE: INTERNATIONAL PICTURE OF THE YEAR! by Dondra Murphy

by Dondra Murphy

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the  Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the  family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful:

'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the  plane that brought him home,' he said 'They will remember being on  that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home.

And so should we all.....

American lives. Be mindful and grateful.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.

He stays up for days on end. So you stay up for 16 hours.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.

He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

Happy Independence Day - from our family to yours

With my brother who served in the US Army and later in the Army Reserves.

My children holding the ribbons of their great grandfather who helped in the war effort as a merchant marine.  I taught them how people fought to preserve freedom so that they can freely worship God and become whatever God wants them to become.

Happy Independence Day to you.  The deaths of our relatives remind us that freedom is not free.  To keep us free, all gave some and some gave all - the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.  Let us pray for our military and appreciate those who are fighting for us.  And I on my part will spend my time fighting tyranny and socialism with the Tea Party.

Video: Universal Principles in "Old Glory" Challenged Today Here & Abroad

"Today is Flag Day. On this day in 1777, amidst a desperate war for American independence, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the “Stars and Stripes” as the official flag of the newly emerging American nation.... Today, our service men and women continue to fight and die under “Old Glory” in defense of Americans’ right to self-government.

The idea of human liberty and its political corollary – the principle of self-government, or sovereignty – is not only applicable to Americans. Rather it is a universal principle applicable to all peoples. Thomas Paine famously observed that “the cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.”

But this cause is contested today both domestically and internationally. Domestically the Progressives reject America’s first principles and constitutional checks and balances.

Abroad, tyrants and terrorists try to extinguish Lady Liberty’s flame. American sovereignty is also increasingly threatened by international institutions that have little respect for the Rule of Law and self-government.

The ideals of America’s founding are timeless. And yet the cause of Freedom is never complete, but requires eternal vigilance."  More from source:  http://blog.heritage.org/2010/06/14/forever-may-it-wave/

Video: Tea Party Lunacy or Patriotism. Crowd Stunned.

Herman Cain lead a Q&A session at the Douglas County Tea Party when a young woman asked him about the attack by the Left on our Judeo-Christian heritage in America...He addressed her question, then went to the last question of the night, and the crowd was not expecting what happened next...  Here are the lyrics of our anthem.  It's another source of our identity.



If video fails, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9_bP219ehQ&feature=player_embedded

By Francis Scott Key 1814

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Videos: Socialist Republic of Obama or God Bless the USA

"Freedom is not free!"  We have to make a stand before we lose the land of freedom.

The Icon of the New Socialist America

Source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtqtfXdR-c or click here

The Land of Freedom Wrought by Our Forefathers and Sustained by the Sacrifice of Patriots

Source http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RINqibpWOzQ or click here