Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Appreciation
St. Cloud State University Athletics will salute all members of the United State Armed Forces and veterans during Military Appreciation Night at the Husky men's and women's basketball games against Winona State on Friday, Dec. 4.I am happy to have Adam as a student and a major in our Economics program. He's a great young man, an excellent student, and on this Veteran's Day deserves our thanks for his service as do all the vets at SCSU.
As a special recognition on Dec. 4, all curent and retired members of the military and their families will be admitted free to the SCSU basketball games that night. The games begin with the SCSU-Winona State women's basketball game at 6 p.m., with the men's game beginning at 8 p.m.
One of those dedicated members of the military serving the United States is St. Cloud State University senior wrestler Adam Minette, a resident of New Prague and 2004 graduate of New Prague High School.
In addition to his spot on the SCSU wrestling roster, Minette serves with the Army National Guard. A redshirt senior at SCSU, Minette missed the 2007-08 season while serving on a tour of active combat duty in Iraq. He returned to the SCSU roster in 2008-09 and gained a 7-8 record with four pins at 149- and 157-pounds.
�It is a pleasure and an honor having Adam Minette as a member of our wrestling program," SCSU head coach Steve Costanzo said. "He has been dependable, loyal and committed in every aspect to our program. I am very grateful for what he has given to the citizens of the United States."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thanks, Veterans
Today is Veterans Day, time set aside to honor those who have served in our military. Yesterday I posted the "Soldiers Poem" which aptly summarizes the gratitude we owe our soldiers.
In today's world, there are many who think all war is bad. They have no clue as to how badly humans can behave when they either are a thuggish dictator or under the thumb of one. I was sent this reminder by Vets for Freedom. This quote by John Stuart Mill says it all:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse." The moment we believe our freedoms inevitable, we cease to live in history and sour the soldier's sacrifice. Our freedoms--purchased on the battlefield--are indeed "worthy of war."
In today's world, there are many who think all war is bad. They have no clue as to how badly humans can behave when they either are a thuggish dictator or under the thumb of one. I was sent this reminder by Vets for Freedom. This quote by John Stuart Mill says it all:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse." The moment we believe our freedoms inevitable, we cease to live in history and sour the soldier's sacrifice. Our freedoms--purchased on the battlefield--are indeed "worthy of war."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 11 is Veterans Day - a day we Americans set aside to honor all those who have served in the US military. Thankfully, it's a day we did not move to a Monday to provide another 3-day weekend that loses the special meaning of the holiday. The following poem is so relevant today, just as it has been in all the battles where American soldiers have shed blood not only for us but so that others, too, may enjoy the freedoms we take for granted.
THANK YOU ........ for the job you do or have done!
"It's the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.To you all,
It's the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It's the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate.
It's the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
And it's the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag, that allows the protester to burn the flag"
THANK YOU ........ for the job you do or have done!
Friday, June 06, 2008
D-Day - We must Remember
Today, June 6, is the 64th anniversary of D-Day, the day on which the Invasion of Normandy began. The purpose of this massive military effort was to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation in World War II.
Too often today, in our schools, this successful effort to free millions of people from the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and his German machine, is ignored and the focus morphs to a guilt trip. The idea no longer discussed is where would we be today if the German/Japanese Axis had won? We would be speaking German or Japanese. Open schools for all - no. Racial advances - no. Concepts of free thought, ideas, real choice would not exist. Neither the Nazis nor the Japanese (who at the time believed their emperor was a direct descendant of the gods) would have tolerated what we today take for granted. If you question this, check here, here, here, and here for the real atrocities conducted in Nazi concentration camps and Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Freedom is not free. When free nations are attacked from within or without, there are times they must fight back. Those who oppose fighting at all costs are usually people who have never lacked freedom. They have no clue as to how ruthless and dogmatic dictators can get; how barbaric some societies still are. Though WWII was a war that would hopefully end all wars, the military defeat of the Axis powers, coupled with their unconditional surrender, did not take into account societies outside the two major fighting groups: Germany, Japan (with help from some Arab nations), and Italy versus the Brits, Americans (with help from the French resistance, Canada and Australia).
This omission resulted in the western thinking of today: peace at any cost; a naive belief that the UN, dominated by dictators who could care less about freedom and choice, actually want to help people; a blindness to existing societies that discriminate against women, dark-skinned peoples, and still rule via military thuggery. A culture of pacifism, which has always existed, gets far more press today. "If only..." my view of the world could be forced on all others, all would be fine. Ignored is the fact that there are people who will never agree with my "if only..." view.
The WWII soldiers fought to keep freedom. Without this ability to live where one can create, think, and express ideas without fear for life, progress comes to a grinding halt. Humans will revert to their most basic state - fighting.
We who are the children of the greatest generation, the group that saved the world from dominance by the Germans and Japanese, must remember the D-Day Invasion - it led to the longest period of peace and prosperity for so many hundreds of millions of people ever.
Thank you, WWII vets, especially D-Day veterans and families.
Too often today, in our schools, this successful effort to free millions of people from the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and his German machine, is ignored and the focus morphs to a guilt trip. The idea no longer discussed is where would we be today if the German/Japanese Axis had won? We would be speaking German or Japanese. Open schools for all - no. Racial advances - no. Concepts of free thought, ideas, real choice would not exist. Neither the Nazis nor the Japanese (who at the time believed their emperor was a direct descendant of the gods) would have tolerated what we today take for granted. If you question this, check here, here, here, and here for the real atrocities conducted in Nazi concentration camps and Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Freedom is not free. When free nations are attacked from within or without, there are times they must fight back. Those who oppose fighting at all costs are usually people who have never lacked freedom. They have no clue as to how ruthless and dogmatic dictators can get; how barbaric some societies still are. Though WWII was a war that would hopefully end all wars, the military defeat of the Axis powers, coupled with their unconditional surrender, did not take into account societies outside the two major fighting groups: Germany, Japan (with help from some Arab nations), and Italy versus the Brits, Americans (with help from the French resistance, Canada and Australia).
This omission resulted in the western thinking of today: peace at any cost; a naive belief that the UN, dominated by dictators who could care less about freedom and choice, actually want to help people; a blindness to existing societies that discriminate against women, dark-skinned peoples, and still rule via military thuggery. A culture of pacifism, which has always existed, gets far more press today. "If only..." my view of the world could be forced on all others, all would be fine. Ignored is the fact that there are people who will never agree with my "if only..." view.
The WWII soldiers fought to keep freedom. Without this ability to live where one can create, think, and express ideas without fear for life, progress comes to a grinding halt. Humans will revert to their most basic state - fighting.
We who are the children of the greatest generation, the group that saved the world from dominance by the Germans and Japanese, must remember the D-Day Invasion - it led to the longest period of peace and prosperity for so many hundreds of millions of people ever.
Thank you, WWII vets, especially D-Day veterans and families.
Labels: American Heroes, Freedom, US Soldiers, veterans
Monday, March 31, 2008
American Ingenuity
In spite of 40 years of negative press and educating our children to believe we are the lousiest nation on the planet with a myriad of sins so horrible as to warrant extinction, some manage to escape this educational-institution imposed mind set and then do something extraordinary, really extraordinary.
We Americans, all shades, types and personalities, still possess a uniqueness rare on the planet - we encourage people to think. And, we still have some people who REALLY think well.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (thank goodness for acronyms), has just contracted with Deka to develop the latest in prosthetic devices. Please, please, please go to this website and watch the film on their latest human arm. It is unbelievable!
When we: tell our kids that we are a rotten nation; refuse to push our children in academic endeavors; ignore the good America has done; teach only one side of history, government, etc.; use Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon description that all children are above average; make excuses for not learning; let them believe they are unaccountable for anything; lie to them by keeping truths from them - all this leads to a nation that eventually may not function.
Yet, in spite of the victim-driven, anti-American mantra, we produce thinkers, dreamers, idealists that no other nation produces. The kind of invention you will see in this film occurs NO WHERE ELSE ON EARTH.
Wake up, you negative forces. Just imagine what we could do if we encouraged the positive traits of our people.
We Americans, all shades, types and personalities, still possess a uniqueness rare on the planet - we encourage people to think. And, we still have some people who REALLY think well.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (thank goodness for acronyms), has just contracted with Deka to develop the latest in prosthetic devices. Please, please, please go to this website and watch the film on their latest human arm. It is unbelievable!
When we: tell our kids that we are a rotten nation; refuse to push our children in academic endeavors; ignore the good America has done; teach only one side of history, government, etc.; use Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon description that all children are above average; make excuses for not learning; let them believe they are unaccountable for anything; lie to them by keeping truths from them - all this leads to a nation that eventually may not function.
Yet, in spite of the victim-driven, anti-American mantra, we produce thinkers, dreamers, idealists that no other nation produces. The kind of invention you will see in this film occurs NO WHERE ELSE ON EARTH.
Wake up, you negative forces. Just imagine what we could do if we encouraged the positive traits of our people.
Labels: education, ingenuity, veterans
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Forest Lake HS - You Missed it Big Time!
This is a followup to this morning's post. Many of you know, after promising Pete Hegseth, a Forest Lake HS graduate, and his Vets for Freedom Tour an audience with 150 social studies students, the principal, Mr. Stassey, cancelled the session. Why? He claims there were parents and "others" who said it was a political event.
Since when does providing our youth with stories of real heroes equal politics? When the left gets so scared to hear the truth, they need to resort to intimidation. Unfortunately, far too many of our so-called educators, for a variety of reasons, have little or no backbone. I'll discuss why in another post.
Tonight, there was a SRO crowd at the Fort Snelling Officers Club. We heard from Pete, Mike Baumann, the MN Chair of Vets for Freedom(VFF), and some truly great American heroes - people who saved the lives of thousands of Iraqis based on their dedication, skill, leadership, and true American spirit. The photo at the top says it all - it's just too bad too many of our educators and media are afraid to hear good news about Americans. This is a war with worldwide members of a culture that is so ill it raises its kids to murder and maim, with a promise for heaven. Just think people, how sick is this? We raise ours to live. We will win this war but it will take longer than necessary because of the cowardice displayed by far too many teachers and others on the left.
The shot below shows the crowd early - by the time all arrived, there was not an empty space on the floor. The kids above - their dad is a real hero.
Labels: US Soldiers, veterans
Friday, March 14, 2008
Vets for Freedom - National Heroes Tour
My friend, Pete Hegseth, is the Executive Director of Vets for Freedom (VVF), an organization comprised of Afghan and Iraqi vets who KNOW these battles against those who wish us dead, are critical to our survival as a nation.
Today a national tour begins in San Diego. As indicated on the VVF website, many of America's most decorated war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan have packed their bags and are hitting the road on a national bus tour to take their non-partisan message of progress and freedom from coast-to-coast. The almost four week tour will end in NYC on April 9. It will be in Minneapolis/St. Paul on Tuesday, March 25. There will be a "Meet and Greet" evening event from 6:00-8:30 at the Fort Snelling Officer's Club in St. Paul. When I get more details I'll let you know.
In the meantime, check out their schedule and if you can, show a flag when you see them come through your town.
Today a national tour begins in San Diego. As indicated on the VVF website, many of America's most decorated war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan have packed their bags and are hitting the road on a national bus tour to take their non-partisan message of progress and freedom from coast-to-coast. The almost four week tour will end in NYC on April 9. It will be in Minneapolis/St. Paul on Tuesday, March 25. There will be a "Meet and Greet" evening event from 6:00-8:30 at the Fort Snelling Officer's Club in St. Paul. When I get more details I'll let you know.
In the meantime, check out their schedule and if you can, show a flag when you see them come through your town.
Labels: US Soldiers, veterans
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Remembering our Vets
Please view the You Tube video about Wreaths-Across-America at my friend Chad's site. H/T Michelle Malkin, too. Morrill Worcester of Worcester Wreaths in Maine began laying wreaths at Arlington Cemetery in 1992, his way of remembering those who have died so we may enjoy the fruits of freedom. The project, now called Wreaths-across-America has grown to laying wreaths at over 200 national and state cemeteries across the USA. Yesterday, at the Fort Snelling Cemetery in Bloomington, MN, a wreath laying ceremony occurred.
Next year, I will get in front of this project so more of us can participate and contribute.
Thank you to all the veterans and those who laid the wreaths. We must always remember the real heroes of our freedoms - those who fight and those who lost their lives so we can live as peacefully as we do and extend this peace to others for whom safety like ours is only a dream.
Next year, I will get in front of this project so more of us can participate and contribute.
Thank you to all the veterans and those who laid the wreaths. We must always remember the real heroes of our freedoms - those who fight and those who lost their lives so we can live as peacefully as we do and extend this peace to others for whom safety like ours is only a dream.
Labels: American Heroes, veterans, volunteers
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Veterans Day, November 11
In honor of Veterans Day, the following is a very good reminder of why we are free:
Veteran's Day
It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given you freedom of religion.
It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given you freedom of the press.
It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given you freedom of speech.
It is the veteran, not the protester, who has given you freedom to assemble.
It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given you the right to a fair trial.
It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given you the right to vote.
It is the veteran, who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flag, whose coffin is draped by the Flag.
God bless our Veterans!
One can substitute "soldier" for "veteran" but the basic fact remains: Without our incredibly strong and integrity driven military, we would have none of these freedoms. Look around the planet, freedom exists where the American military is there protecting these freedoms. Too often we take our freedoms for granted. Today, and any time you cam, thank a soldier or veteran. You'll be glad you did. They are terrific yet humble people.
It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given you freedom of the press.
It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given you freedom of speech.
It is the veteran, not the protester, who has given you freedom to assemble.
It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given you the right to a fair trial.
It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given you the right to vote.
It is the veteran, who salutes the Flag, who serves under the Flag, whose coffin is draped by the Flag.
God bless our Veterans!
One can substitute "soldier" for "veteran" but the basic fact remains: Without our incredibly strong and integrity driven military, we would have none of these freedoms. Look around the planet, freedom exists where the American military is there protecting these freedoms. Too often we take our freedoms for granted. Today, and any time you cam, thank a soldier or veteran. You'll be glad you did. They are terrific yet humble people.
Labels: US Soldiers, veterans
Friday, November 09, 2007
Some Details from that Nov. 2007 Report on Homeless MN Vets
Here are some exact quotations from the Wilder Foundation Report I discussed early today in MN Veterans Are NOT at Increased Risk for Homelessness.
The Wilder Foundation gives no citation or link to the "recent report by the Iraq Veteran Project" on which it relies so heavily. So what is the Iraq Veteran Project? The website of Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco advocacy group, includes among its employees "Amy Fairweather, Iraq Veteran Project." The first of the "Honorary Co-Chairs" of their annual Veteran's Day fundraiser last night was none other than that staunch supporter (sarcasm) of the use of military force, "Speaker Nancy Pelosi."
More to come as I have time...
"The profile presented here suggests that homelessness in Minnesota is as likely to touch veterans as any other state residents." (p. 1)My earlier post highlighted the fact that the number of homeless veterans has gone down by more than 10% since 2003. Here's how that important fact got relegated to an afterthought in the newpaper stories. Once again, these are exact quotations from the Wilder Foundation Report.
"Veterans make up 13 percent of all homeless adults and 24 percent of all homeless men. These proportions are very similar to the proportion of veterans found in the general adult population. In 2006, military veterans made up slightly less than 11 percent of all adults in Minnesota, and 21 percent of adult men in Minnesota." (p. 2)
""When looking at the total adult population experiencing homelessness, the percent who were U.S. military veterans decreased from 22 percent in 1991 to 13 percent in 2006. As a percentage of men experiencing homelessness, the percentage also declined, (34% in 1991 and 24% in 2006)." (p. 2)
This study gives a snapshot of U.S. military veterans experiencing homelessness in Minnesota on a single day in 2006. (p. 2)Observe the shift from a factual snapshot to the use of minimizing language based on speculation about the future.
And while the total number of homeless veterans is down compared to Wilder�s last two studies, the level of distress in this population is up. One recent report by the Iraq Veteran Project indicates that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are not only at significant risk for homelessness but are actually more likely to become homeless sooner than their predecessors following the Vietnam War. (p. 1)
The Wilder Foundation gives no citation or link to the "recent report by the Iraq Veteran Project" on which it relies so heavily. So what is the Iraq Veteran Project? The website of Swords to Plowshares, a San Francisco advocacy group, includes among its employees "Amy Fairweather, Iraq Veteran Project." The first of the "Honorary Co-Chairs" of their annual Veteran's Day fundraiser last night was none other than that staunch supporter (sarcasm) of the use of military force, "Speaker Nancy Pelosi."
More to come as I have time...
Labels: US Soldiers, veterans
