Category Archives: Current Events

Current Events, Recent Posts

Seventy-Two Years Ago

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Iwo Jima: a volcanic island 660 miles south of Tokyo; 2 miles wide by 4 miles long. Today, seventy-two years ago U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima after months of naval and air bombardment. The Japanese defenders of the island were dug into bunkers deep within the volcanic rocks. Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle. In thirty-six days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secured on March 16, 1945. It was one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history.

As I do every year, I received an email Commander Victor H. Krulak, USN, Chaplains Corps (Ret) who was our battalion chaplain in Second Battalion, Seventh Marines at San Mateo, MCB, Camp Pendleton, CA in the early 70’s. He said:

As is my wont again on this 72nd anniversary of the landing on Iwo Jima, I am sending the remarks of Rabbi Gittelsohn at the dedication of the 5th Division Cemetery at the end of the battle as a reminder of the great cost of this battle that is so much a part of the legacy of the Marine Corps.

S/F, Vic

Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn at the Dedication of the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima.

This is perhaps the grimmest, and surely the holiest task we have faced since D-Day. Here, before us lie the bodies of comrades and friends. Men who until yesterday or last week laughed with us, joked with us, trained with us. Men who were on the same ships with us, and went over the sides with us as we prepared to hit the beaches of this island. Men who fought with us and feared with us. Somewhere in this plot of ground there may lie the man who could have discovered the cure for cancer. Under one of these Christian
crosses, or beneath a Jewish Star of David, there may rest now a man who was destined to be a great prophet — to find the way, perhaps, for all to live in plenty, with poverty and hardship for none. Now they lie here silently in this sacred soil, and we gather to
consecrate this earth in their memory.

It is not easy to do so. Some of us have buried our closest friends here. We saw these men killed before our very eyes. Any one of us might have died in their places. Indeed, some of us are alive and breathing at this very moment only because men who lie here
beneath us had the courage and strength to give their lives for ours. To speak in memory of such men as these is not easy. Of them too  an it be said with utter truth: “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here.” It can never forget what they did
here.”

No, our poor power of speech can add nothing to what these men and the other dead who are not here have already done. All that we even hope to do is follow their example. To show the same selfless courage in peace that they did in war. To swear that by the grace
of God and the stubborn strength and power of human will, their sons and ours shall never suffer these pains again. These men have done their job well. They have paid the ghastly price of freedom. If that freedom be once again lost, as it was after the last war, the unforgivable blame will be ours not theirs. So it is we the living who are here to be dedicated and consecrated.

Too much blood has gone into this soil for us to let it lie barren. Too much pain and heartache have fertilized the earth on which we stand. We here solemnly swear: This shall not be in vain! Out of this, and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this, will come — we promise — the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.

God Bless them all, each and every one of them. These events are all but forgotten to the youth of today’s America. Our new educational system rather teaches worldly events of no value or consequence to our own country. I pray that will change with the new leaders!

Originally posted 2017-02-19 12:55:26.

Current Events, Recent Posts

Their Reply

Well, I received my reply, but not from Mr. Stuart,

Him:”He’s a busy man so he asked me to reply.”

Yeah right, I am sure he did.  Anyway, I got the reply I suspected I would get.

Him: “We did a survey to find out where we should advertise to inform the millions of veterans who do not know about USAA.”

Me: Okay, I buy that, and your survey told you to advertise on CNN? Who did the survey? How many of those millions of veterans do you personally believe watch CNN?

Him: “I don’t know the answer to that.”

Me: Sir, you do realize that when you advertise on a particular show/event/special broadcast, you are in effect endorsing it? You may think you are, but how often do Americans write or call the advertiser when they are disgusted with a particular show? You know the saying about: Money talks, and something walks?

He was very cordial, polite, and a listener; well-trained, which I would expect nothing less from his station in the organization. However, I refused to budge an inch. I continued to express my displeasure with their advertising on ANY news program considering the plethora of displeasure Americans are expressing against the MSM in general. Especially in these trying times since the election and their bashing the duly elected president, and the deep divide in our country.

He did say that they are rethinking CNN after the problems created by the leaking of questions in the debate. I don’t know if he was saying that to try to appease me or not. But he assured me, he would express my thoughts with the folks responsible for where they spend advertising dollars, which I jumped in to remind him those funds are “our” money. He agreed.

I recommended all the NCAA sports e.g. woman’s basketball, WNBA, NHL, soccer, etc. He agreed, and never thought of the NCAA women’s sports. Once again he promised to mention my thoughts and ideas to the responsible people. I hope he does, but…?

So, will I leave USAA? No, but they have stepped down a tad from the very high pedestal where I had them for 43 years. Several of the responses I recv’d from you stated how much you loved USAA, and I could not agree with you more; they are my only financial company and have been for eons. But even the greatest of champions misstep now and then. I am a patriot, probably the most patriotic person you have ever known, and I am not a member of the so-called “silent majority.” I don’t know if I am even part of the “majority,” but I do know I am far from being “silent”.

Originally posted 2017-02-17 16:00:26.

Current Events, Peek Inside

Have a Cup of Joe on us – BRCC

Admittedly, I am caffeine addicted. Where did I become that way? Come on that’s an easy one, where else but the Marine Corps. When you have the mid-watch (2400-0400)  is bad enough, but when it’s your turn to “dog” the mid-watch and it lasts from 2400 to 0800, how else can one stay awake but to drink gallons of coffee?  Anyway, I digress. I believe I am also a connoisseur of coffee. And since I do drink a lot of it, I could never understand why someone would pay $5-7 for a cup of Joe? Unless, of course, money is no object, and you have no real taste for good coffee, or you drink your coffee from a place you believe adds to your station in life. Anyway, if you have not surmised by now, I do not frequent Starbucks. I am a fan of Yuban, been drinking eversince I discovered it in Newport, RI in 1985. But I will now try to find out where to get  BRCC’s coffee as I must give it a try, and if it is  near as good as Yuban, I WILL switch. I choose where I spend my hard-earned pension, and trust me it isn’t at places run by loud mouth, ant-American CEO’s. Here’s to you Mr. Schultz, you choose to take a stand and so does the American consumer. Keep your $5 cup of Syrian-made Joe

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — As Starbucks positions itself with a systematic decision to hire 10,000 Syrian refugees, Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) and much of America asks why? While their attempts to capitalize on the veteran community have fallen grossly short, is it time now to make a puppet out of the very cultural diversity that founded this country for mere profit over security? Or is it time to put the power back in American citizens who need employment whose love, value and appreciation make today’s freedoms possible? Let’s be clear; the “American Dream” knows no prejudice against race, color, or ethnicity. It knows hard work. BRCC is welcoming 10,000 veterans to seek employment, training and or aid through them directly, as Starbucks has failed the military community in the hiring space.

“Starbucks CEO, Howard Shultz’s refugee hiring statement stems from marketing initiative. It’s unfortunate, maybe, to see that Starbucks is continuing to obsess with banter that inseparably promotes their love for intolerance, hypocrisy, and dominance over small businesses,” said BRCC CEO Evan Hafer.

Founded in 2014 by CEO and former Green Beret Evan Hafer, BRCC was built upon the mission to provide a high-quality, roast-to-order, coffee to the pro-2A and veteran communities. Between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Hafer worked to refine both his coffee roasting and firearms skills. He spent over a decade researching coffee, refining roast profiles and of course drinking while he roasted. BRCC stands for more than just a coffee company. It’s a veteran-owned business operated by principled men who have served our country honorably and stand together to protect the business integrity, conservative values, the veteran community, and our families. They are the proud individuals who raise their right hand to support and defend the Constitution, who set aside aggressive social progressiveness to be what’s important, kind, loyal, and protecting what they love: AMERICA. Just as committed to supporting the 15 thriving businesses beneath their umbrella as they are to the act of war, their brotherhood is stronger than commerce.

BRCC has consistently grown well over 700% since roasting their first batch of coffee just two years ago. Plans are in the works to open over 100 brick and mortar stores in the next three years and 500 in six years. Currently, the BRCC compound rests on 3.3 acres in downtown Salt Lake City and is already building an infrastructure for expansion. BRCC has teamed up with 5.11 Tactical and several other vetreprenuerial powerhouses to support its rapidly progressing operation. With escalating growth, comes obvious need to hire more employees. BRCC wants to remind the veteran community, “Starbucks says they are hiring Syrians because it makes for impressive PR. We hire veterans because it’s who we are.” While irate Starbucks patrons have been trading in their gift cards for cash at stores across the nation all week over this controversy, BRCC made a formal announcement on Instagram encouraging veterans to apply for future positions with their company by way of email to careers@blackriflecoffee.com

The inherent reality as a free society is the ability to vote with dollars. Repeatedly, conglomerates play on the emotional component of political prowess, by siding with the market best suited for their business endeavors versus standing for what they believe in as human beings. As a small business consistently faced with “schoolyard bullies” shoving and attacking every successful move BRCC makes, they refuse to stop serving their country, devalue patriotic predecessors, and watch American heritage being washed away in a storm of progressive, loutish intolerance. BRCC’s sentiment of hiring veterans isn’t for marketing propaganda, but how they have built their foundation. BRCC asks America, “Before you decide to vote with your hard-earned dollar, what do YOU believe in?”

Well, what do you believe in?

Originally posted 2017-02-06 09:07:23.

Current Events, Recent Posts

Transparency like never before

If you’ve not been to this site then you need to and bookmark it. This is what I call transparency at its finest. The MSM’s heads are exploding because this president publishes the news himself. That way there are no “sound bites” taken out of context, no editorializing, no opinions of anchors. They were so upset because he flew to be with a Seal Team member’s family as they were receiving the body of their son and he didn’t tell them where he was going. They would have turned a very solemn event into a three-ring circus because they have no moral code by which to live.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/#page

Go to this site for your news and get it straight from the news maker himself.

Originally posted 2017-02-03 15:16:44.

Current Events, Recent Posts

WSJ editorial on voter fraud

Amazing, Unbelievable that we live in a modern high-tech country , yet we allow this to go on election after election. Now, I realize that the writer is a Republican and a lawyer, but it seems he has the facts backing up what he is saying. Yet, no one reports this or worse yet, does nothing about it.

By

LARRY LEVY

President Trump’s promise to investigate voter fraud has drawn predictable responses from Democrats and the media, who insist there is no such thing and have been fighting for years to prevent any inquiry into the matter. But an investigation in Mr. Trump’s hometown shows that the problem is real.

In 2013 the New York City Department of Investigation—the storied law-enforcement arm of city government, which houses and manages all the city’s inspectors general and investigators—decided to test the system. City investigators posed as 63 ineligible individuals still on the city voter rolls. Each ineligible voter had died, moved out of the jurisdiction, or been convicted of a felony at least two years earlier.

The investigators didn’t go to great lengths to hide their attempted fraudulent votes. In five instances investigators in their 20s or 30s posed as voters age 82 to 94. In some cases the investigators were of different ethnic backgrounds from the voters they were impersonating. Yet each was given a ballot and allowed to cast a vote without question.

In other instances the investigators informed the poll worker that they had moved but didn’t have time to get to their new home on Election Day; all but one was allowed to vote. Only one investigator was flat-out rejected. He had the misfortune of trying to vote at a polling place where the clerk was the mother of the ineligible felon he was impersonating.

Ninety-seven percent of the barely disguised phony voters were allowed to vote unimpeded, and none was referred for criminal charges or officially reported to the Board of Elections. One can only imagine what a sharp operator trying to fix an election could do by flooding polling places with ineligible voters.

The Department of Investigation proved how easy it is to perpetrate such a fraud. More important, it showed that such illegal behavior doesn’t get reported or corrected. When the department published its report, the Board of Elections took no steps to prevent future fraud. Instead, the board complained that the investigators engaged in voter fraud and should be prosecuted. The district attorney refused to charge the investigators for their productive and lawful investigation.

Last year a Democratic New York election official, Alan Schulkin, was forced to resign after he was caught on tape telling the truth about electoral process. “Certain neighborhoods in particular, they bus people around to vote,” Mr. Schulkin said. “They put them in a bus and go poll site to poll site.” In another case a local polling official reported to the police that a group of men had apparently voted more than once, while others were told they couldn’t vote because their ballots had already been cast. The police response, according to press reports, was that they don’t investigate alleged voter fraud.

In 2014 President Obama’s bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration concluded that maintaining accurate election rolls was a key part of the democratic process. Yet subsequent efforts to do so has led to claims of voter suppression, thereby stalling progress.

And while New York does not require identification to vote, its registration requirements are fairly strict and there is no such thing as same-day registration. Many states are less stringent, which would make the opportunities for fraud greater.

America has a flawed voting system that is susceptible to fraud and has few precautions against it. A federal investigation could go a long way toward ensuring citizens U.S. elections are honest.

Mr. Levy is vice chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association.

Originally posted 2017-02-03 08:35:21.