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For the record ... I take a great deal of pride in knowing that I am an American soldier. I have not forgotten dark morning hours of 11 SEP 2001. This past weekend I was watching ESPN and they had a special about the World Series that took place right after the Attacks. It showed the president going to NY to throw out the first pitch and it showed Americans in the crowd still weeping over the loses of their slain friends and loved ones. The thought of it all, over three yrs later, still jerks the tears from my eyes. Although I did not personally know anyone who was killed on 9/11, I mourn their loss. I do know soldiers who have been killed in this war, some of them very well. I pledge, just as I did three years ago, to avenge all their deaths. I joined the Army right after 9/11. It has taken all this time to train but now I am ready to fight, and fight I will. I could think of no better way at no better time to serve not just my country but all of you as well.

"Every man's death diminishes me, for I am a part of mankind, and therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls ... It tolls for thee"

2nd Liet. J. H.

{a note my son sent home about a year ago as he was finishing up his officer's training at Ft. Knox. I'm proud of you, son.}

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Caos Blog Stop The ACLU The Right Nation

E-Day In Iraq

I know everyone has seen this photo - but it's worth seeing again. It's interesting to me how so much of what we hear in the U.S. is about how terrible things are going in the Battle of Iraq. All the evidence points that things are going very well there. We are winning this battle in the War on Terrorism. But telling the world we may pull our troops out, telling the world we 'can't win' is foolish in the extreme. We must not give the appearance of weakness. To do so will only result in the deaths of more soldiers, and more American civilians. The Daily Life of a Marine Mom has posted an excellent article E-Day In Iraq by Oliver North. Thank God most of the people in the 'Fly Over Country' have more sense then the media gives us credit for.

Blue Star Families and Friends

Empress Baggie left this note in my comments. I wanted to highlight it here because her website is very much worth visiting. And - well - it relates to this blog :) Thanks Empress for the great work you are doing for the families of soldiers in your town!

Dear Blue Star Chronicles: Please keep up the good work. We had a group in our town get together and sew service flags (Blue Star Banners) at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We're not able to continue sewing the flags (interest waned and myself and only one other person were left doing all the work), but here's the Web site that shows the work we did. We hope to get it going again this coming year. Blue Star Families & Friends May God bless you. I'll be visiting your site often. Merry Christmas! Very truly yours,

EB

Visit Blue Star Families & Friends

Miscellaneous Remarks

I just visited Empress Baggie's blog and had a good laugh at her post about Captain Jack Sparrow. She also has a link that takes you to a post for National Talk Like a Pirate Day. It's good for a laugh. Miladysa has a wonderful post sharing part of her father's autobiography. It's a wonderful story. I have been reading Miladysa's blog every since I found it a few days ago (after she left a comment here). It's a beautiful blog and it's also a great read. Natalie 'Lou' - you asked for more suggestions for soldiers. I look at it as anything you send is something else they don't have to spend their money to buy. The post office has flat rate boxes that are very useful to send items to the troops. The boxes are $7.50. One is about the size and shape of a shirt box and the other is more square and deeper. Items that are useful are toiletries (ie: toothbrushes, deoderant, etc.), playing cards, any kind of hand-held game and CANDY/SWEETS. Make sure any food items you send will travel well. I know one guy over there that like Nerds. If the soldier you send it to doesn't like whatever you send, he'll/she'll share it with his comrades. So you really can't go wrong. One thing they all like to get are phone cards. If you send phone cards, make sure they are international. A regular US phone card will get used up in just a few minutes. You can get international cards most places you buy regular phone cards. You can click on the link on the right side of this page. Cloncom.com has some good prices on calling cards. It's wonderful of you to want to help!

Guns in Kennesaw

There has been a crime surge in Boston this year. In the last 6 weeks alone there have been 22 shootings in Boston. Gun related arrests are up 39% from last year and fire arm seizures are up 34% from last year.

Community leaders are saying there are 'just too many guns on the streets.' They are talking about sophisticated survellience systems and community awareness to attempt to ebb the tide of gun related violence that has the city under seige.

Article in the Boston Globe

Boston has very restrictive gun regulations. It is very difficult, if not impossible for the average citizen to legally obtain a permit to carry a gun or purchase a gun.

San Francisco has also experienced a surge in gun related crime. San Francisco has strict anti-gun legislation. Only 10 people in the San Francisco area have permits to carry firearms. TEN PEOPLE in all of San Francisco!

Washington DC has had a ban on law-abiding citizens owning guns legally for almost 30 years. Washington DC has been the 'murder capital' of the nation 14 of the past 15 years.

In 1982 Kennesaw Georgia passed a Mandatory Gun Ownership law. The head of each household is required to keep at least one firearm in the home, with just a few exceptions.

I've been to Kennesaw. I've seen people walking around there with guns on their hips, like in the old west.

After 1982, Kennesaw Georgia saw a 74% drop in their crime rate. It's murder rate has plummeted to 0.19 per year, almost non-existant. Other crimes, like rape and robberies have decreased at a similar rate.

Wonder why we never hear anything about the success Kennesaw Georgia has had in virtually eliminating crime in their city? Wonder why that's not on the news. I would think these cities that have out-of-control crime rates, gang violence and surging violence would be interested in learning from communities that have successfully dealt with crime.

I guess not. The Second Ammendment guarentees the self-evident right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves, their families and their property. This right is not given to the state or the city, but to the citizen.

This is a violent and brutal world. Like they say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

Treats for Troops

I have been getting packages together to send to my son and his new wife overseas. Being in the military they are poor as church mice, so I send them what I can. Just everyday things are helpful and not that expensive or time consuming to get together and send. Some tips on sending packages:

• Make sure you have the correct APO address.

• Be sure to fill out a customs receipt at your local post office

• If you are are sending food, the more airtight the better. Send vacuum-packed cookies, or you can remove air from a zip-lock bag by sucking the air through a straw.

• Layers! The more layers the better. Wrap items in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in zip-lock bags.

• Pad items with soft usable items. Toilet paper is great for cusioning and something that will be much needed itself.

I have found the post office personnel to be very helpful when sending packages to APO addresses. Packages can take 3 or more weeks to get to our soldiers, especially if they are deployed. So make sure they are packed well and that the contents are the type that will travel well. Some suggestions for travel-friendly treats. Crispy Peanut Squares 1 cup sugar 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 cups crisp rice cereal squares 1 cup peanuts Combine first 3 ingredients in a glass bowl; microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Stir in vanilla. Fold in cereal and peanuts. Spread mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Cover and chill 1 hour or until set; cut into small squares Spicy Pecans 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 cups coarsely chopped pecans Cook first 6 ingredients in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until toasted. Cool and store in an airtight container. Chocolate Nut Brownie Cookies 2/3 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels 1 cup chopped walnuts Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beating until blended. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to mixer, beating at low spped jut until blended. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls for small cookies or 1/4 cupfuls for large cookies onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or untils et. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute, and remove to wire racks to cool completely.

** These recipes aren't original with me, but I don't remember where I got them. But they travel well.** Check out Samantha Speaks who has a post about deployed warriors today. Also check out Any Soldier for more information about sending packages to our soldiers. At Treat Any Soldier you can order packages and have them sent to 'any soldier'. Hope this is helpful!

More harassment of A Female Soldier 2

Just a quick glance at A Female Soldier 2's blog, I ran across these comments to her posts. So the harassment continues. Some examples:

You will "address the issue of comments" by doing what every other Republican milblogger does. You will censor them, because when it comes right down to it you words about "freedom" are completely hollow. For you, "freedom" is the "freedom" to agree. Or be shot. Or be set on fire with white phosphorous.

Or whatever. Enjoy your war. Your Fuhrer is sending you to Iran next. That one's going to make Iraq look like a day at the beach.

Another:

She is not fighting for me. Her mission is eroding my freedom and making Americans less secure. The U.S. military's actions in Iraq have at times outraged me, and they make me nervous about the retaliation to come.

More:

The U.S. should never have gone there, and we shouldn't be there now. We have done far more harm than good. We've destroyed that country and triggered a firestorm of death there. That, not freedom, has been the U.S. military's contribution to the suffering people of Iraq.

And yet more:

Ah, but these people are our friends. http://w3t.org/?u=fc4 They send almost all of the people who take down the WTC towers and the Pentagon, but we're their friends. http://w3t.org/?u=fc5

p.s.: Come on, Female Soldier, show your true colors and ban me. All that junk about free speech was never anything but a bunch of window dressing, was it?

And all of these comments were from just one post! Thanks Cao for bringing this to the attention of others.

Wow!

Being new to the Blogsphere, I have been lurking around looking to see what is out there. I have gone from site to site, had one idea and then another, started to join one group, then a blogroll, the got sidetracked onto a carnival. I went to see how the blogrolls were done and then found myself reading the blogs. I somehow stumbled upon carnivals and went to figure out how that is done and started reading blogs. Then I thought I should post links to the ones that were interesting, but lost track of where I had read what. WOW! There's a lot out there! I had no idea how intricate and intertwined the blog system is. Depressingly, I really am an insignificant microbe in the bigger scheme of the blogdom. Sigh. It's going to take me a while to get up to speed. That's obvious. The Median Sib has a referenced a post on Blogger Etiquette 101 on Ramblings and Rhetoric. Considering my current state of confusion, this post may be particularly helpful! A few things I found interesting AND can remember where they were: Daddy's Roses has an interesting post about the Young Brain with suggestions on keeping the brain sharp. Something I obviously need to take to heart. As the mother of an American Soldier, I took particular interest in a reference to an attempt to mute a blog by a female soldier. Cao has requested a blog burst in support of A Female Soldier 2 who has been the victim of hackers and attacks in an effort to prevent her posting. While this post is a couple of weeks old, our support and encouragement are still worthwhile. Please take a moment to offer a word of encouragement for her efforts. As per Cao's blog, this problem was brought to her attention by The Right Place. A Female Solder 2 has had these sorts of comments made in response to her posts:

"This war is wrong and, because you are taking an active part in it, you are partly responsible for the deaths (both US and Iraqi)."

This is inexcusable. I hate to think an American would write something like that to one of our soldiers! None of our sons or daughters who are serving OUR country deserve to be demeaned, blamed and harrassed in this way. I hope you'll take the time to visit her blog and give her some encouragement. Thanks

Blue Star Blogroll

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Below are Buttons that can be used to join the Blue Star Blogroll. I hope to be adding more buttons and some banners soon. See this page for instuctions on joining.

Blue Star Blogroll Generic Buttons: Family Buttons: Mom Buttons: Dad Buttons: Friend Buttons:

See American Troops Terrorizing Iraqi Children and Women

John Kerry said our troops are terrorizing Iraqi women and children .... Mr. Kerry, is this what you mean?

See more photos of our troops terrorizing at Tell The Truth.

Join Blue Star Blogroll

Join the Blue Star Blogroll Blue Star Blogroll

Primary Purpose: The primary purpose of creating the Blue Star Blogroll is to facilitate a network of bloggers who have a special and sincere interest in the well-being of soldiers serving as part of the United States Armed Forces. Allied forces are also welcome. Hopefully, it will help us find each other and provide a network of support for those of us with a child serving our country.

Eligibility: First, get an understanding of what the Blue Star Banner stands for. The Blue Star Banner was first introduced during World War I to indicate that a child was serving the country in the military. A summary of the history and meaning of the Blue Star Banner can be found at this post. The post also contains links to other sites that give more information about the Blue Star Banner. Secondly, but most importantly, members of the Blue Star Blogroll support our troops. Regardless of differences of opinion, we are united in our support and appreciation of the men and women in the Armed Forces. Primary members of the Blue Star Blogroll would be anyone who has a child serving in the military. Other members of the Blue Star Blogroll are relatives and friends of our military men and women. Requirements: A Blue Star Blogroll banner or button can be displayed on a non-blog website as well as a blog. It should be linked to this post. Any Blue Star Blogroll banners or buttons that do not link back to this blog will be deleted from the roll. Please create a post explaining the Blue Star Blogroll's significance, especially it's significance to you and link it back to the:

Blue Star Chronicles

http://www.bluestarchronicles.blogspot.com/

The Blog Roll will be in alphabetical order. Instructions for joining: Buttons and Banners can be found here. 1. Choose a button or banner and download it to your computer by right clicking on the image. 2. Upload it to your photo program 3. Install it into your template. 4. Link the image to this URL 5. Cut and paste the following script into your sidebar. Replace ( or ) with <>

(script language="javascript" src="http://rpc.blogrolling.com/display.php?r=ea78f208a1ad748f9f7bb6f6eb3f7b5a" type="text/javascript")(/script)

6. If you need further help with this, please let me know and I'll try. Parents or family members: In the tradition of the Blue Star Banner, the number of stars on your image indicates the number of children you have in the military. If you have one child/relative in the military, you should choose an image with one Blue Star. If you have 5 children in the military, you should choose an image with five Blue Stars. If you have any questions, please leave a message in the comments section of this post and I will do my best to help. Thanks!!

Retreat and Defeat ....

The Progressives (new term for liberals) are none too happy! They support our troops! They have said so repeatedly. Their words are just being taken out of context by the evil Republicans. That is NOT what they MEANT! This ad is making them crazy. Howard Dean states:

The idea that we’re going to win this war is an idea that unfortunately is just plain wrong.

John Kerry states on December 4, 2005 on Face The Nation (CBS),:

There is no reason Bob that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night terrorizing kids and children, you know, women.

Barbara Boxer on Fox News Sunday on December 4, 2005:

So there’s no specific timeframe but I would say the withdrawal ought to start now, right after the elections December 15th.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a November 30, 2005 Press Conference:

I'm Endorsing What Mr. Murtha Is Saying .... And Let's Be Clear About What It Is Mr. Murtha Said, 'Yes, Let's Bring The Troops Home.

Representative John Murtha (D-PA) speaking on a Congressional Resolution on November 17, 2005:

The Deployment Of United States Forces In Iraq, By Direction Of Congress, Is Hereby Terminated And The Forces Involved Are To Be Redeployed At The Earliest Practicable Date.

I support our troops, but ........

cartoon from Sacred Cow Burgers.