Yesterday was the funeral of my cousin, Luke Armstrong. He died on August 2nd and was 23 years old. He had been battling testicular cancer. Luke's cancer was diagnosed in June at stage 3. Because the testicular cancer cell is a week cancer cell the doctors were hopeful of a recovery. For a while he seemed to improve, but on Wednesday his heart gave out. I was not very close to him, but I will miss him.
Luke had taken courses in Veterinary Assistance Technology and was enrolled in the University of Nebraska at Kearney for this fall semester before the diagnosis. He was very excited about attending UNK and was planning to re-enroll this spring when his treatments were over. Luke loved animals and I won't ever think of him without thinking of his little dog Simon.
Rest in Peace Luke.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
One Year Ago
One year ago Steven Vincent, blogger and author, was murdered and his translator, Nour, nearly killed in Basra, Iraq. I loved his blog and was stunned last year when I read that he was killed.
His old blog has a tribute to him and links to NRO articles about him. His book In the Red Zone is available at Amazon.com. I'm embarrassed to say it’s still on my list of books to read.
Kesher Talk has a round up of bloggers remembering Steven Vincent.
My prayers are with his family and friends. RIP Steven Vincent.
His old blog has a tribute to him and links to NRO articles about him. His book In the Red Zone is available at Amazon.com. I'm embarrassed to say it’s still on my list of books to read.
Kesher Talk has a round up of bloggers remembering Steven Vincent.
My prayers are with his family and friends. RIP Steven Vincent.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Independence Day
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.
And so it began 230 years ago. Happy Independence Day! God bless all those fighting for freedom and let us never forget the noble ideals upon which America was founded.
That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.
And so it began 230 years ago. Happy Independence Day! God bless all those fighting for freedom and let us never forget the noble ideals upon which America was founded.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Between Past and Present.
“Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” – Winston Churchill.
Winston Churchill said a lot of things that are frequently quoted, but this little bit of wisdom rarely ever is. It stand in opposition to so much of the historical revision that goes on in today's classes and textbooks. It is important for us to learn from past wrongs and not repeat them. In order to do this we must first acknowledge them. However, our current self-deprecation and loathing of our history ignores those things in our heritage which are noble; and thus undermines our future buy persuading us that nothing we did in the past that is worth carrying through this present day.
My weekly, sometimes bi-weekly post, on this blog have been mostly about current political and social issues. They are usually written when I am irritated, excited, or distraught about some bit in the news and want to sound off. In addition to all I currently rant about, I've decided to start posting about events and people in times past that ought to be remembered and honored. I promise that they will not dull and long-winded historical essays, the likes of which most people will avoid like the plague.
At worst comments on this blog will go from zero to zero. At best, we all learn something, especially myself as I will be doing the research necessary for this series, which will be called Between Past and Present.
Winston Churchill said a lot of things that are frequently quoted, but this little bit of wisdom rarely ever is. It stand in opposition to so much of the historical revision that goes on in today's classes and textbooks. It is important for us to learn from past wrongs and not repeat them. In order to do this we must first acknowledge them. However, our current self-deprecation and loathing of our history ignores those things in our heritage which are noble; and thus undermines our future buy persuading us that nothing we did in the past that is worth carrying through this present day.
My weekly, sometimes bi-weekly post, on this blog have been mostly about current political and social issues. They are usually written when I am irritated, excited, or distraught about some bit in the news and want to sound off. In addition to all I currently rant about, I've decided to start posting about events and people in times past that ought to be remembered and honored. I promise that they will not dull and long-winded historical essays, the likes of which most people will avoid like the plague.
At worst comments on this blog will go from zero to zero. At best, we all learn something, especially myself as I will be doing the research necessary for this series, which will be called Between Past and Present.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
What's the French Word for "Copyright Violation?"
The French publishing company, HFM, apparently does not understand the concept of copyrights. They also think that they can use someone's material without their permission and not have to face any legal consequences. Michael Yon has had one of his photographs used without permission on the 1st edition of Shock magazine. For those of you not familiar with the photo or Michael Yon, here is his website. The photograph is of Major Bieger cradling a little Iraqi girl named Farah who was fatally wounded in a terrorist attack.
On top of violating the copyrights Michael Yon has to this photograph, the magazine attempts to use it for anti-war propaganda. They miss the entire point of the photo and the context in which it was shot. Michael Yon's site has a list of ways in which you can help put HFM in its place.
Apparently bashing the war in Iraq is more important that good standards of journalism or obeying the law. Unfortunately, this sort of outrageous behavior has become the s.o.p for the media around the world.
On top of violating the copyrights Michael Yon has to this photograph, the magazine attempts to use it for anti-war propaganda. They miss the entire point of the photo and the context in which it was shot. Michael Yon's site has a list of ways in which you can help put HFM in its place.
Apparently bashing the war in Iraq is more important that good standards of journalism or obeying the law. Unfortunately, this sort of outrageous behavior has become the s.o.p for the media around the world.
Voice of Iran
Yesterday I caught the broadcast of a new addition to Rightalk radio. The program is called Voice of Iran and is hosted by Roya Teimouri. The program will air every Monday at 4pm Eastern time. Take the time to listen to her program. You can listen over the internet at http://www.rightalk.com/ .
The topic of this week's program was the need for regime change and the support that exists in Iran for getting rid of the current regime. One of the many interesting things mentioned on the program was the fact that people in Iran took to the streets with candles to mourn on 9/11. This evoked the wrath of the government. The vigils were dispersed with the usual tactics.
The topic of this week's program was the need for regime change and the support that exists in Iran for getting rid of the current regime. One of the many interesting things mentioned on the program was the fact that people in Iran took to the streets with candles to mourn on 9/11. This evoked the wrath of the government. The vigils were dispersed with the usual tactics.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
D-Day
Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the D-Day. Operation Overlord was a monumental undertaking and it remains the largest seaborne invasion in history. The exact number of Allied casualties is not known, as accurate record keeping was difficult. It is believed that the Allied casualties were around 10,000 with over 4,000 dead.
Every man who went ashore that day is a hero. Many of those heroes went beyond the call of duty. Listed below are the names of the soldiers who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their actions. Here is a site that lists their Medal of Honor citations.
BARRETT, CARLTON W.
*BUTTS, JOHN E.
*DEGLOPPER, CHARLES N.
EHLERS, WALTER D
*COLE, ROBERT G.
*DEFRANZO, ARTHUR F.
*KELLY, JOHN D.
*MONTEITH, JIMMIE W., JR.
OGDEN, CARLOS C.
*PEREGORY, FRANK D.
*PINDER, JOHN J., JR.
ROOSEVELT, THEODORE, JR.
* Denotes a posthumous award
Fallen but never forgotten.
Every man who went ashore that day is a hero. Many of those heroes went beyond the call of duty. Listed below are the names of the soldiers who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their actions. Here is a site that lists their Medal of Honor citations.
BARRETT, CARLTON W.
*BUTTS, JOHN E.
*DEGLOPPER, CHARLES N.
EHLERS, WALTER D
*COLE, ROBERT G.
*DEFRANZO, ARTHUR F.
*KELLY, JOHN D.
*MONTEITH, JIMMIE W., JR.
OGDEN, CARLOS C.
*PEREGORY, FRANK D.
*PINDER, JOHN J., JR.
ROOSEVELT, THEODORE, JR.
* Denotes a posthumous award
Fallen but never forgotten.
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