Wow – just one more example to the world of what America and its citizens are made of! What a wonderful support vessel the USS New York will be for our valuable Leathernecks…  You can see a picture of the actual warship by clicking on the above hyperlink to the article.

I'm not sure where each of you falls with respect to the global warming issue. I, for one, have come to the conclusion that Al Gore sensationalized this issue for other than humanitarian purposes. I also believe that the cycle of warming and cooling is constantly being caused by more natural causes (i.e. sun spot activity and inactivity) vs. our generation of too much carbon gas. The following article, entitled A Total Crock of Doo-Doo! By Nick Nichols , while a bit snide in places, mirrors the information I've been finding elsewhere. Yes, we need to find other ways to generate our energy, and be more conscientious about what we discharge into the environment, but not at the cost of Americans paying yet another tax, this one global, in order to ease our activitist consciouses and compensate yet again for the wonders and privileges our country has been blessed with! Aren't we already doing enough for the rest of the world???

Makes you go, hmmm…

I haven't had much news to post about Devon's progress recently, since it has mostly consisted of him going through his daily schedule of classes and training for his MOS. He has been doing remarkably well. So far no missteps, records missing from his file, or any other major snag. Fingers crossed on this, since I often hear stories about other young Marines and the various administrative difficulties they've been running into. Devon will be graduating from his MOS school during the first week of March. From there he heads to North Carolina, which is where he will be stationed for the time being. No news of deployment for him yet, which I am glad to hear. It will still be a likely possibility for Devon sometime within the next few years, but not yet…

Because of security reasons, I prefer not to say exactly what Marine Division Devon is being attached to and what he will be doing, but it is a good one and will present Devon with some wonderful opportunities to increase his skills, and allow him to interact with an interesting and beneficial cross-section of the various branches of our military.

Life is a building block, and Devon is getting ready to add the next block to his pile. He should be proud; I know I am!

A fascinating article was written earlier this month by Gary Hubbell in the Aspen Times Weekly, entitled "In Election 2008, don't forget Angry White Man." It is truly fascinating and, while I am certainly not a man, I am "white" and I am "angry." I would venture to say that this pretty much says it all with respect to how most of the people I know feel right about now.

For those of you who have been watching the news, our U.S. Marines have been receiving some very poor treatment here in our own country recently. That's actually putting it pretty mildly, if you ask me! Berkeley, CA is out of control in its attempts to push U.S. Marine recruiting out of its city, recently attempting to pass local ordinances that would place requirements for establishing a recruiting office equivalent to opening a porn store. For months Code Pink has been allowed to stage continual protests outside the U.S. Marine recruiting office, to the point that people actually chained themselves to the doors for hours on end, preventing entry and exit to the office. Berkeley's troop-bashing virus has now spread to Toledo, Ohio. Here's the Toledo Blade report of what happened: 

Fortunately, not all of Ohio hates Marines.  Last Sunday there was a wonderful letter to the editor in the Columbus Dispatch written by a Marine's father.  It's worth reading.  Here's an excerpt from Andy Leavitt's letter:

Devon has told me of similar experiences he has had since graduating boot camp at Parris Island… Standing in line for breakfast at an airport restaurant in the wee hours of the morning and having an elderly man (a stranger) pay for his breakfast; being approached by people in the airport offering to give him their seat in 1^st class… and the list goes on. Fellow friends and Marines have also shared similar stories.

It warms my heart to know that not everyone out there treats our Marines so shabbily as what we are seeing in the news and around the country. Carry on, soldiers… turn away from these sad, ignorant people with pride, and know that there are millions of us behind you, supporting you in this noble cause you have signed up for. We salute you!

I'm a Republican but, more importantly, I'm a conservative… and now I have a real dilemma. What will I do when it comes time for me to vote? The primaries haven't even reached us here in Texas yet, and I am already being forced to look toward a very difficult decision when the general election rolls around. The results of last night's Super Tuesday primaries are putting this country on a very slippery slope downward, and what we do from this point forward will affect us for decades to come. How can I possibly cast my vote for John McCain in November? Because the old guard republican establishment has already made their backroom deals and decided that, whether I like it or not, John McCain has paid his dues and deserves his turn as President of our country – and we just have to take it with a smile? I don't know that I can… I don't know if my personal moral compass and convictions will allow me to do that. How can I possibly vote for McCain while knowing John McCain's "List of Infamy"? How can I say to myself that it is okay for McCain to use his Vietnam war hero status as a manipulative tool that he keeps hitting us over the head with.

Look… I have skin in the game. My son is a U.S. Marine. I take the service of our soldiers and airmen very seriously (including McCain's). I realize what a huge sacrifice they make for the sake of us, our country, and our freedom. But… there is a limit to that argument. When do we look beyond that? What kind of person is John McCain really? What is it about McCain's service decades ago that qualifies him to be president of the United States? He barely made it out of the naval academy for goodness sake! His temper is notorious. His resistance to any and all authority goes back to his childhood and is a deep-rooted part of his personality. These things are not going to away. Not even if he is elected President!

And then we are left with McCain's voting record and his "ability to reach across the aisle," particularly his recent 'reaching across' on the issue of illegal immigration and amnesty. (Remember: McCain-Kennedy?) I'm guessing that Mr. McCain probably wouldn't be thrilled over the "Dear John" letter written by Florida Cuban-American Republican blogger George Moneo at Babalu Blog.

So that takes me to Mike Huckabee, who had a very strong showing last night (starting with the gross manipulation at the W. Virginia caucus, where Mitt Romney was clearly the front runner in the first round of ballot casting until McCain released his delegates to go to Huckabee.) Yes, I realize that this is all just a part of the political process and 'how it works', but still… what about winning a vote based on your merits and The People's choice? How do I possibly accept Huckabee as a viable candidate when the entire base of his votes appears to be coming from evangelicals who haven't bothered to look beyond the fact that Huckabee reads the same Bible they do? Don't get me wrong; I admire the religious conviction of these people, but please… This is an election for the President (and VP) of the United States, not an election about who believes in God the best! Does no one pay attention to his record as governor of Arkansas? Does no one care about his record on pardons? Does no one care that Huckabee is on the Judicial Watch's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" in Washington for 2007?

When it comes time to pull the lever, or punch the chad, or whatever else you want to call it by the time I vote, I just don't know what I'll do. Do I cave and "take my medicine" (McCain) in order to prevent Hillary from getting back into the White House, or do I retain my integrity and write in "Mitt Romney" for President? I'm still thinking…

I've spent a lot of time carefully watching, reading and listening to everything possible during this 2008 presidential campaign race, trying to decide who I want to cast my vote for... and I've finally decided.  The key now, of course, is to hope he is still in the race by the time Texas gets its chance to vote in the primaries!  With Super Tuesday right around the corner and McCain right now seeming to be the strong front runner, it may be too little too late.  Having said that, when the primaries roll around to Texas, my vote will be for Mitt Romney. 

Political commentators have been talking about Mitt Romney’s chances, one of the comments I keep hearing is about how ‘polished’ he always looks.  They suggest that people may need to see another more ‘everyday American Mitt’; someone they can more easily identify with.  Well look what I found:  The Real Mitt Romney is about Mitt as a real man, not the handsome, polished, handsome, immaculately attired business man we have become accustomed to seeing on T.V (although he is definitely all those things!).   This is about another side to Mitt and you definitely need to take a look.  You can also get directly to the story about the recent fires in southern California and Mitt showing up at the home of Reed and Kathy Fisher after the fires  when they needed help!  This was not about Mitt for president (since no media was around).  It was about Mitt as a man, about his faith, and about helping other people in a time of need. 

If you follow either of these links you will also be at websites that you can and should explore further.  They have quite a bit of information available to give you an insight into some of the relative aspects of Mormonisim and everyday questions people wonder about (some sensible questions, and others not so much), the answers to which could/should affect their decision on whether or not to vote for Mitt Romney. 

And finally, if you still need more information about Mitt and a sensible and comprehensive comparison of his as compared to John McCain and others, definitely read the National Review Article endorsing Mitt Romney for President.  

I've joined TEAM MITT...  I hope you will, too!

I've added a very important 'widget' to the top of my webpage during this Thanksgiving season.  It is tied to the ASY Thanks Campaign and shows text messages that are continuously being sent to our troops deployed overseas.  Here is a brief explanation:

THE ASY THANKS CAMPAIGN
This holiday season, America Supports You is giving you a new way to send your thanks to the troops - by text message! When you send your message of thanks to 89279 (TXASY) between November 17th and 22nd, you'll receive a special thanks in return. Also, we'll be displaying those messages on our ASY Thanks widget far and wide across the internet. Just another way that you can support our brave military men and women around the world.

In several of the military/Marine books I’ve read lately the Troop Greeters of Bangor, Maine have been mentioned.  The stories about them and the wonderful work they do touches me every time, and I thought Veteran's Day would be an appropriate day to praise and thank them for what they do for our troops. The Troop Greeters of Bangor, Maine are a community group that has regularly gathered at this tiny airport in central Maine since May 2003 to give our troops a warm sendoff as they depart for Iraq and other areas in the Middle East, and to welcome them home when they return from their tours. Of the dozens who show up regularly, many are veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Local residents with no formal military connections have also joined their ranks for this wonderful service. They assemble whether it's morning or midnight. They first formed during the Gulf War. Some are driven by a sense of patriotism; others by volunteerism. Above all, they say they are determined not to repeat the icy welcome that Vietnam veterans received 30 years ago. "We made up our minds that we would never let that happen again, if we could help it," says Bill Knight, a veteran of World War II and Vietnam, who relocated from his farm 30 miles away to a trailer home four miles from the airport so that midnight arrivals would not be so daunting.

Here is an excerpt from "Hard Corps" by Marco Martinez that describes one Marine's first-hand experience returning from Iraq through Bangor, Maine:

…Coming home, our first stateside stop was Bangor, Maine. It felt good to be back in America. Walking down a long airport corridor, we noticed that a large crowd of people had gathered at the terminal gate. We shot one another confused looks. Most of us figured the people were hippie protestors. We were ready to fight if needed. But as we got closer and closer, we realized they weren't protestors at all. They were some of the most wonderful people we'd ever met. They were the "troop greeters of Bangor, Maine."

More than a hundred people, most of them slow and gray, held signs and cheered and applauded for us as we stepped out into the terminal. Little old ladies, Boy Scouts, and veterans from wars fought long ago hugged us and patted us on the back. "Welcome home!" they said. "We support you. Thank you!" A Vietnam veteran walked up to me and hugged me.

"Never be ashamed of your service," he said. "I can't be ashamed, sir, because we did it for America," I replied. His eyes began to water. The old warrior handed me a cell phone and told me to call my parents, who were probably worried about me. I called my mom and talked to her for a few minutes before passing the phone to another Marine.

When I looked around, I saw my friends sharing similar moments with the wonderful troop greeters who had taken time out of their lives to wait for a plane full of Marines, none of whom they knew, just to say thank you. I watched the Vietnam veterans. I could tell they were happy to give us something they'd been robbed of: a warm and respectful homecoming…

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our troops returning on flights landing in San Francisco could have been greeted and treated with similar respect?

I just want to say thank you to these wonderful troop greeters, and to all the veterans out there who have proudly and bravely worn their uniforms and served our country.

We are indebted to you!

I recently read an incredible book entitled: "Hard Corps: From Gangster to Marine Hero", by Marco Martinez. I literally couldn't put it down. It gave the most incredible birds-eye view of what it is truly to be in boot camp, and then a 'boot' Marine (a newby) and being put through a singularly Marine hazing process by the 'salt dogs'.

Here is the book description from Hard Corps’ book sleeve: 

At the age of seventeen, Marco Martinez was a thug—a gun-toting, car-stealing gang member.
At the age of twenty-two, he was a hero—the recipient of the Navy Cross, the second-highest honor a U.S. Marine can receive, for extraordinary heroism under fire in the Iraq War. Hard Corps tells the story of his incredible transformation and of his experiences on the front lines of the War on Terror.

Writing with passion and candor, Martinez brings us back to his gang days, detailing experiences that make him "shudder in shame" to remember. And he recalls the moment that changed everything for him, when he spotted a barrel-chested U.S. Marine Corps recruiter at his high school. Immediately, he saw an opportunity to alter the course of his aimless life.

Martinez takes us with him through the grueling ordeal of Marine boot camp and the even-more-punishing training at the School of Infantry to show just how warriors are made. He reveals how he and his fellow grunts prepared tirelessly for battle, seeing combat not as a burden but as a privilege, the ultimate baptism by fire.
For Martinez, that baptism came in Iraq. In Hard Corps, he unfolds a warrior's tale as riveting, harrowing, and immediate as any ever written. He takes us onto the narrow, treacherous streets of Baghdad, where enemy fire rains down from all directions; alongside his Marine squad as they patrol through the most dangerous war zone imaginable; and into a brutal terrorist ambush that calls upon reserves of ferocity and courage none of the Marines could ever be certain they possessed and that proves the value of every moment of their torturous training. Martinez also recounts stunning reminders of why we fight: the Iraqi man he met whose tongue had been chopped off for speaking out against Saddam Hussein's regime, the ghastly evidence of human experimentation that Martinez's squad discovered at an abandoned Iraqi military barracks, and the horrifying mass graves the Marines unearthed in the Iraqi desert.

Hard Corps gives us a visceral sense of what it means to know that you are ready to die for your brother Marines and that they would do the same for you. It tells us how it feels when words like duty, honor, and country are not an empty slogan. And, ultimately, it captures the traditions and ooh-rah spirit of the U.S. Marine Corps and the valor of all the Marines, sailors, soldiers, and airmen who fight and die for our nation.

The final pages left me in tears; but not tears of sadness – they were tears of joy and pride for this young man, and all the others who have gone before him and will follow after him. The author is now twenty-six years old and works full-time guarding government facilities while attending college. He notes that one of the students was appalled to find out that he was a Marine, and told him that he is a disgusting human being, and that the student hoped he would rot in hell. Martinez ends his story like this:

"… not everyone was meant to understand what it takes to keep a nation free. Not everyone was meant to understand hardcore devotion to military service, or to our beloved Corps. Not everyone was meant to value a brother's life as much as you value your own. But that's okay. That's as it should be. Not everyone was meant to be Hard Corps."

This book is definitely on my recommended read list!

Today is the 232^nd birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. On November 10^th, 1775, John Adams sponsored a resolution approved by the Continental Congress:

… that two Batallions of marines be raised, consisting of one Colonel, two Lieutenant Colonels, two Majors and other officers as usual in other regiments; and that they consist of an equal number of privates with other battalions; that particular care be taken, that no person be appointed to office, or enlisted into said Battalion, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required: that they be enlisted and commissioned to serve for and during the present war between Great Britain and the colonies, unless dismissed by order of Congress: that they be distinguished by the names of the first and second battalions of American Marines… This took place ten months before the United States of America would officially be founded.

If you ever get a chance to look at Devon's Marine Corps ring, you will see on one side the date "1775" and Tun Tavern. Tun Tavern is traditionally celebrated as the birthplace of the Marines, the place where parades that were organized to attract potential recruits ended with an officer waiting to sign up for service the men who had followed the drummers.

Every year the Marine Corps celebrates their birthday with numerous Marine Corps Balls across the country. Devon was eagerly looking forward to attending his at while at MCT in NC, but they held their ball on October 30^th, the very day that Devon reported in at Camp LeJeune. Unfortunately, he was not able to attend this year and was a little disappointed; but there is always next year!

Happy Birthday U.S. Marine Corps!!! I will definitely be wearing my USMC shirt proudly today and announcing to one and all that my son is now one of you!

Click here to read this year's message to our U.S. Marine Corps from Gen. James T. Conway.

Today is the 28^th anniversary of the November 4, 1979 takeover of our U.S. Embassy in Iran by militant students. The day is being celebrated by thousands of Iranians in Tehran and throughout Iran with demonstrators and chanting of anti-American and anti-Israel hate slogans. 52 Americans were held there for 444 days before finally being released on January 21, 1981, the same day as the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. One of the militant students involved in the takeover and hostage situation was none other than the current president of Iran, Ahmadinejad. This will, hopefully, help to remind all of us of exactly why we don't trust Iran or anything that comes out of Ahmadinejad's mouth. He has been on a crusade against America for decades, and gives us no reason to believe that his anti-American stance has softened over the years. If anything, it is worse than ever and even more dangerous, now that he is in a position of such power.

The current relations between America and Iran continue to be incredibly tense, especially considering the U.S. accusations that Iran is covertly developing nuclear weapons and supporting Shiite militias in Iraq — charges Tehran continues to deny. "The U.S. has designed a triangle of military, cultural and economic threats against the Iranian nation," Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's interior minister, said during Sunday's demonstration, which happens every year on Nov. 4. The Iranian official dismissed a new set of unilateral sanctions against Iran that Washington announced recently, and instead stated the following:

"The Americans threaten once and give in ten times because they know that the Iranian nation is greater and more stable than the threats."

If that opinion is shared by Ahmadinejad and his supporters, which I believe it is, I have absolutely no hope that Iran will back down on the nuclear development issue. My personal opinion: Iran's leaders want us to come after them, and will do whatever it takes to force the issue. It is a VERY scary world we are living in right now. I hope our country, and the next president we elect to lead us, are strong enough and committed enough to do what it takes to keep America and the rest of the world safe from Ahmadinejad's desire to prompt an apocalypse.

Devon is on his way to the next phase of his training as a new Marine.  I confirmed it - he is definitely on the bus and headed for Camp LeJeune.     It couldn't have come soon enough, either, as far as I'm concerned.  Devon definitely made the most of his week in town with his buddies.  He quickly got into his old wake/sleep routine too.  Late to bed, late to rise.  The good news is that they will put a stop to that again very quickly, now that he is back in uniform, beginning tomorrow!  Devon has a 15 hour bus ride and will arrive in NC early tomorrow morning, hopefully well rested and ready to go.  His training schedule is very full and most of it will be conducted out in the field at base camps.  Lots of PT, land and field navigation, and more weapons practice.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed that his training schedule will go according to plan and he will arrive out in California for his MOS training right around the same time as we do for Thanksgiving.  We are so hoping to be able to spend Thanksgiving together with him and my brother's family.  That would be the most wonderful gift for all of us!!