I'm an angel

Always up in the air. And HARPing about something.

I hate to be a nag about this. NOT Really. But innocent people are dying on the streets and hi-ways of America. And in The UK it has been a problem there as well. So many non-motorcyclists are of the opinion that "Bikers willingly assume and accept the extra risk of death and dismemberment, just by riding a motorcycle." Medical and Law Enforcement people and EMTs call them "DONOR-CYCLES."

Well, I'm not amused. And I'm pretty well sick and tired of burying my friends and visiting their children to console them. So knock it off! Watch these short vids and let someone get home alive today.
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OR I'M SENDING ONE OF THESE TO EVERY BIKER I KNOW...

BE SAFE OUT THERE.

A musical Interlude

Yesterday, I found this song on a blog I follow___-heart2heart-___
and despite the fact I had never heard it before. I found this song to be uplifting. I hope you like it:
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AMERICANS LOVE TO VOTE

We vote for:
American Idols.
Next Top Models.
Dancing With Stars.
Our Favorite M&M Color.
America's Funniest Home Video.
Even as children we vote "For" or "Against" the TRIX RABBIT.

We'll vote for just about anything! Except who should be our government REPRESENTATIVE! There are people right here in BLOG WORLD who openly spout pseudo-intellectual drivel about the "FUTILITY OF VOTING."  And how they believe our vote has no power and you (WE) are living under the illusion of freedom, rather than actually being free.

The Motto of my home state is:
Esse quam videri  It's Latin for "BEING, RATHER THAN SEEMING." I leaned that in 3rd grade History. And it has been something that I have adopted as a personal philosophy. And I have lived my life to Be, not just appear to Be.

And I could sit here and type until my fingers bleed, trying to convince you to see it differently than those Harbingers of doom and destruction. But all that would accomplish is to bore you to tears and make my fingers bleed.

Or perhaps a short history reminder. The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s wasn't about seating on the public buses, or who could use what water-fountain or public toilet. Those were tertiary to the main point. The key issue,the one that people died or went to jail for was the RIGHT TO VOTE.

On 5 July 1971, the constitution was amended to allow 18 year olds to vote. Almost overnight things began to change in America. The Viet Nam War ended in 1975. We lost that war, and swallowed our pride and openly admitted that we had overstepped our responsibility and authority by getting involved there to begin with. And do any of you recall how draconian the drug laws used to be? Simple possession of Marijuana could get you "LIFE IN PRISON" in TEXAS. I don't care what your personal view on drug use is. You have to admit Life in Prison is a pretty steep price to pay for Pot use. But now in most states it has a similar consequence to driving over the speed limit (If you have never exceeded the posted speed limit, you can scorn me now).

Prior to the summer of 1920,women in the USA were not allowed to vote. The all male congress to a vote on the matter, well they took three votes on it and somehow women got the vote (I still can't figure how men lost that vote).

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Perhaps I could use reverse psychology on you and forbid that you vote. Anyone who does not agree with me on each and every issue and candidate, or looks like someone I hate, or is shorter that 6'2" tall, is here-by forbidden to vote in any election in the USA.

But your to smart for that! But admit it. I started to get your goat.
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So here's my proposal:
Everyone who wants to run for Government Office, will be put on a REALITY TV show,with their entire family, for a minimum of 6 episodes, each. We'll call it:

"WHO WANTS TO RUN THE SHOW?"

And at the end of each episode the viewers will vote for their favorite family, until there are two families left. Then the last two families will appear in another four episodes and the viewers will decide the winner. There will be no recounts. And each phone-in vote will cost $1.00, which will be used to reduce the deficit of the state or federal budget,depending upon the race being decided.

Or you could just get involved in America, and

VOTE!

'member this!

THE COST OF FREEDOM IS GREAT.

BELLEAU WOODS, FRANCE

JUNE 6, 1918

6 June 1918
Arguably, this was the most catastrophic day in Marine Corps history to this date. Two assaults take place. At 0500, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment attacks west of Belleau Wood straightening the front and capturing strategic Hill 142 to support an assault on the wooded area. The attack was successful despite the lack of preparation and poor timing. It went off with only 2 companies and timely arrival of the other two avoided a defeat. Gunnery Sgt E. A. Janson's was awarded a Medal of Honor for his service in this assault. A member of Capt. Hamilton's 49th Co., he was responsible for effectively stopping a German counterattack.


Twelve hours later battalions of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments frontally assault the woods from the south and west and attempt to capture Bouresches on the east edge of the woods. This afternoon attack was to be coordinated between the 3rd Batt, 5th Marines [3/5] and 3rd Batt, 6th Marines [3/6] with the latter eventually taking the village of Bouresches.

The attack against the woods proper goes grimly. Crossing a wheat field where they are exposed to machine gun fire. Gunnery Sgt Dan Daly asks his men, "Come on ya sons-of-bitches, ya want to live forever?' The attack is only able to seize a small corner of the wood. The army 2nd Engineer Regiment is called on to provide reinforcements.

The poorly coordinated attack on the woods left the 3/5 decimated and the 3/6 struggling to get into the southern edge of the woods. The Brigade order was amended and the 2/6 (in reserve around Triangle Farm) was directed to take Bouresches. Capt Duncan's 96th Company led the way with future Corps Commandant Lt. Clifton Cates. Lead elements of the company got into the village and were then reinforced by Capt Zane's 79th Company. The retention of the village was a real struggle due to the fact that the Marine flanks were wide-open fields and any attempt to reinforce received heavy German fire. Personal bravery kept the Marines supplied with needed supplies. US Navy Dental Service Officer Lt. JG. Weedon Osborne's received the Medal of Honor after being killed trying to save Capt Duncan. Today there is street in Bouresches named for him.

In addition to the village, the Brigade was directed to take the railroad station just outside. However, it was heavily manned and protected by a railroad embankment providing the Germans excellent fields of fire and the attack failed. On this day, the Marine Brigade suffered the worst single day's casualties in USMC history with 1087 men killed or wounded. 

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'MEMBER THIS!

Battle of Iwo Jima

19 Feb 1945 - 26 Mar 1945

he naval bombardment stopped at 0857, and at 0902, the first of an eventual 30,000 marines of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions, under V Amphibious Corps, departed in their landing craft. They arrived at the beach 3 minutes later. It was uneventful. They were sure that optimists like Jim Buchanan must be right, there were no Japanese left to fight; the only casualties that occurred were to drownings caused by a powerful undertow. Several more waves of landing crafts hit the beach and dropped off their men, tanks, and supplies continuously in the next hour, and it was about then when the thunders of the Japanese guns hit. Under Kuribayashi's specific instructions, they waited an hour for the beach to crowd up before the guns sounded so that every shot fired would inflict maximum damage on the Americans. "Smoke and earsplitting noise suddenly filled the universe," and the Marines had nowhere to hide as the volcanic sand was too soft to dig a proper foxhole. All they could do was move forward; some of those who could not move forward were crushed by tanks that were trying to get off of the beach like the men. Navy Corpsman Roy Steinfort recalled that as he arrived on the beach, he was initially happy to see that countless Marines lay prone defending the beachhead. It did not take long to realize that the men were not in prone positions; they were all dead. Frantic radio calls reported back to the operations HQ: "All units pinned down by artillery and mortars", "casualties heavy", "taking heavy fire and forward movement stopped", and "artillery fire the heaviest ever seen". By sun down, the Americans had already incurred 2,420 casualties.

First Lieutenant Barber Conable of the United States Marines, who would later become the president of the World Bank, woke up in disbelief when he saw the second flag flying above Mount Suribachi. He recalled:

"It was my first time in battle and we were all terrified. Someone jumped into my foxhole and swore: 'it wasn't like this on Bougainville.' The officer I admire the most, the man in the next foxhole, a sergeant I knew -- they were all killed. My hearing is impaired to this day.... A major came over looking for a site for a cemetery and was shot by a sniper.... I was lucky.... When she heard about (the flag raising), Tokyo Rose said the flag on the mountain would be thrown into the sea. I hadn't had any sleep for more than sixty hours, so I didn't see them raise it, and it was wonderful to wake up to. I must say I got a little weepy when I saw it."

The Allied forces suffered 25,000 casualties, with nearly 7,000 dead. Over 1/4 of the Medals of Honor awarded to marines in World War II were given for conduct in the invasion of Iwo Jima.

In sum, Iwo Jima saw the only major battle in the entire Pacific Campaign where American casualties surpassed the Japanese dead. All the lives lost, on both sides of the battle, for ten square miles; for that very reason, Admiral Richmond Turner was criticized by American press for wasting the lives of his men. However, by war's end, Iwo Jima sure appeared to have saved many Americans, too. 2,400 B-29 landings took place at Iwo Jima, many were under emergency conditions that might otherwise meant a crash at sea.
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'MEMBER THESE!

 FLANDERS FIELDS

ANZIO, ITALY

 VERDUN, FRANCE

 GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

 IRAQ MEMORIAL GARDEN

 KOREA WAR MEMORIAL

ARLINGTON

NORMANDY, FRANCE

 THE PRICE IS STILL BEING PAID

READ IT AND 'MEMBER THEM ALWAYS!

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AT EASE.

A letter from the front lines...

I found this letter on a friend's blog. It touches so greatly upon the warrior ethos that pulses through the veins and heart of every patriot, I just felt compelled to share it here.

Sullivan Ballou wrote to his wife Sarah just one week before he and 27 of his close comrades and 4000 Americans in all would die in the battle at "First Manassas".

July the 14th, 1861

Washington D.C.

My very dear Sarah,

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days - perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.

Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure - and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. Not my will, but thine 0 God, be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing - perfectly willing - to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt.

But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows - when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children - is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country?

I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death - and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with God, my country, and thee.

I have sought most closely and diligently, and often in my breast, for a wrong motive in thus hazarding the happiness of those I loved and I could not find one. A pure love of my country and of the principles have often advocated before the people and "the name of honor that I love more than I fear death" have called upon me, and I have obeyed.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me - perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar - that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you, in the garish day and in the darkest night - amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours - always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again.

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father's love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care and your development of their characters. Tell my two mothers his and hers I call God's blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children.



Sullivan