Happy St. Patrick's Day

"May the enemies of Ireland never eat bread nor drink whisky, but be tormented with itching without benefit of scratching." - Traditional St. Patrick's Day toast

Originally posted at Wilstar

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The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship.

Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.

He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity.

His wishes were to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated.

Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some people think this is a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.

One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston.

Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. One might say it has become the first green of spring.

George Washington's Birthday

George Washington is the 'Irreplaceable Man' in American history. It's doubtful the Colonials could have survived the Revolutionary War without his generalship, and even more unlikely the Constitution would have survived as a federal system without Washington's presidential leadership. Equally impressive is the fact he didn't allow himself to become 'King of America' (which he could have had he wished, and would have been welcomed by many Americans). This is the ultimate testament to him as a man and a believer in America...As such, he should not only be recognized as the 'father of his country,' but also as the 'greatest American.' 

I make note of America's holidays, but you should notice President's Day wasn't memorialized here - it was mocked, because I do not recognize it as a legitimate holiday...The birthdays of Washington and Lincoln should never have been obliterated, creating a single holiday for all of America's presidents. 

Washington and Lincoln were exceptional (one founded and one saved the nation), and should be honored as such with their own days...The many average presidents we've had shouldn't be allowed to stand next to the greats, nor be honored equally with them. 

"His integrity was most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known, no motives of interest or consanguinity, of friendship or hatred, being able to bias his decision. He was indeed, in every sense of the word, a wise, a good, and a great man." - Thomas Jefferson

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Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22).

In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, President's Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past president of the United States of America.
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George Washington, born February 22, 1732 in Virginia, was a natural leader, instrumental in creating a united nation out of a conglomeration of struggling colonies and territories. The first president of the United States of America is affectionately honored as "the father of his country."

Shortly after his twenty-second birthday, Washington served in the army of King George III of England and was put in command of a troop of soldiers. The French were settling on British soil and turning the local Indians against the British colonists. Later, in the war against the French and Indians, Washington commanded large troops of soldiers and showed courage that inspired all his soldiers.

At this time, King George III of England dominated the thirteen colonies along the east coast and much of the surrounding territories. Colonists began to want their freedom, and live with a set of rules based on democracy, not under the rule of a faraway king. The Boston Tea Party of 1773, a colonial rebellion against taxes, helped to spark the American Revolution. Washington led and encouraged his inexperienced armies against the British forces for eight years until the colonies won their independence.
Washington Bio
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Great George Washington Speeches

Recruiting and Maintaining an Army

First Inaugural Address

Farewell Address

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in humble and enduring scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting...The purity of his private charter gave effulgence to his public virtues." - John Marshall, official eulogy of George Washington, delivered by Richard Henry Lee, 26 December 1799

President's Day

In PeroVille, President's Day isn't recognized as a holiday worth celebrating - because there is no reasonable cause to celebrate the many below-average to average or disgraced presidents we've had...Guys like J.Q. Adams, James Buchanan, Chester Arthur, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, both Bush's, Clinton and Obama.

It used to be that Presidents Washington and Lincoln had their birthdays celebrated as national holidays - as should still be the case.  They were by far the two greatest presidents in U.S. history:  The man who formed the nation and the man who saved the nation.

Replacing the holidays celebrating these two great presidents - BY NAME - with the generic holiday of President's Day is pathetic and sad...Sort of a presidential participation trophy.  Which is par for the course in modern-day America, I guess.

That said, there is one important thing to celebrate on this President's Day.

Happy Valentines Day

For those who like the short history lessons I usually post on holidays, visit this link: Happy Valentines Day

John Lennon used to tease Paul McCartney for writing and singing 'silly little love songs,' but McCartney knew he had a winning formula for a simple reason:  Love songs speak to everyone - regardless of what type of music a person has a preference for - because it is the most basic of all human emotions.

There are hundreds of fantastic love songs...In my opinion the one below is the best in a long time.

As far as my special Valentine goes, I hope I'm blessed enough to 'love her till I'm 70' - and any amount of time I have after that.

"...kiss me under the light of a thousand stars."

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (Feb 12)

George Washington is the 'Irreplaceable Man' in American history, but Abraham Lincoln is a close second on the list of greatest and most important Americans.

I make note of America's great holidays, but you will notice President's Day isn't memorialized here, because I don't recognize it...The birthdays of Washington and Lincoln should never have been obliterated, creating a single holiday for all of America's presidents.

Lincoln and Washington were exceptional, and should be honored as such with their own days. The many average presidents we've had shouldn't be allowed to stand next to the greats, and in no way should they be honored equally with America's greatest leaders.
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Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22).

In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, Presidents' Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.
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Short Abraham Lincoln Bio

Of all the presidents in the history of the United State, Abraham Lincoln is probably the one that Americans remember the best and with deepest affection. His childhood in the frontier of Indiana set the course for his character and motivation later in life. He brought a new honesty and integrity to the White House. He would always be remembered as "honest Abe." Most of all, he is associated with the final abolition of slavery. Lincoln became a virtual symbol of the American dream whereby an ordinary person from humble beginnings could reach the pinnacle of society as president of the country.

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, and spent the first seven years of his life there. They were difficult years in which Thomas Lincoln, Abe's father, tried to make a living as a carpenter and farmer. The Lincolns moved from farm to farm around Kentucky, until 1816, when the family left to settle in Indiana. The United States was still young, and the Midwest was a wild, unsettled frontier. They stopped in the middle of a forest in Spencer County, Indiana. Neighbors were few and far away, and the family lived in a three-sided shelter until Abe's father cleared enough land and built a log cabin.
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Great Abraham Lincoln Speeches
Gettysburg Address (audio)

Emancipation Proclamation

A House Divided

Cooper Union Address

Lincoln's Last Public Address

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This day should properly be Civil Rights Day:  MLK was a great man, but the civil rights movement didn't begin or end with him. Though he was undoubtedly the most effective and powerful of its leaders. The spirit of this day is the celebration of America's civil rights advances, and as such I am certain Reverend King would agree such a day should honor all of those who ignited and forwarded the civil rights cause.

I'm also quite certain Reverend King would be disgusted by many of the modern pretenders who have disgraced his legacy by claiming to carry the banner of MLK (Jackson, Sharpton, etc.)...He would be especially disgusted by the white, race-baiting clowns who use race as a tool to forward Leftism.

For those who don't know, some of the other great civil rights leaders are: Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglas, George Washington Carver, Sojournor Truth. (click the links to read about each)

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Dr. King's dream today a nightmare
By Mychal Massie
Originally Posted @ World Net Daily

(Jan. 15, 2018), is the annual commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Signs, posters, radio/TV ads and the all-inclusive holiday sale will remind us that it's time for America, as a nation, to remember the injustices he fought.

Preachers will preach special sermons, teachers will have special lesson plans, and politicians, coupled with the usual colliers of immiseration, will pose for photo-ops. All will reference how he fought for the freedom, equality and dignity of blacks. There will be marches, chants and choruses of "we shall overcome" – all of which will be carefully designed and presented to omit the fact that we have "overcame" [sic].

Sadly, but certainly not unexpectedly, Dr. King's day of national commemoration has devolved into a day of misrepresentation of what he actually stood for: "blame the white capitalistic system" in general, "white conservatives" specifically, and "immiseration rallies" ad nauseum. I submit it is time to honor his memory in truth and honesty. I am long since wearied of the dissociative falsities surrounding his life and words.

Speaking of his life – it is enough to say he put it on the line, literally, every day. He didn't retreat – he didn't apologize. He didn't distort the truth – he instead offered it up for America and the world to see. Presentation of the undiluted truth was a sulfuric colonic to the racist elements of his day. It was reality TV before islands, desperate wives and trying to impress casino owners.

Dr. King didn't need to invent injustice – being denied the right to vote, eat, purchase and live where he chose didn't need inventing. Same was the zeitgeist of his environs. Beatings, fire hoses and attack dogs in the hands of the hate-filled didn't need embellishing – it needed only to be seen every night on the evening news for the conscience of America to demand change.

Truth can be denied by the darkness of hatred and by the recalcitrant, but it can never be disproved, nor can it ultimately be diminished. But some forms of truth are less transpicuous than others, thus the reason uninformed and uneducated people are so easily misled.

While there are any number of scholarly positions that would be open to cogent and reasoned debate were Dr. King still alive, what is not open for debate are his position on segregation, be it codified or self-imposed, or his position on drinking from the cup of bitterness and resentment that so many blissfully imbibe from today. And when we read:

"In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

"We must forever conduct our struggles on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence...The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers…realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedoms..."

It gives us some indication of what he may have thought or said to the Jacksons, Sharptons, Farrakhans or Julian Bonds of today. Who cares to speculate per his opinion of the National Urban League president, Mark Morial, who praised Planned Parenthood as a "good organization," even though the Ugandan parasite, Idi Amin, murdered fewer Africans during his entire bloodthirsty reign than the number of black babies Planned Parenthood casually murders annually with the blessing of so-called black leadership.

What would he say of his dream today – when we examine the devastating effect personal and social irresponsibility has had on the black family? We can but wonder how he would feel about black gangs, drugs, educational largesse, generational welfare and the damning results of the Great Society Initiative.

Perhaps instead of preening for photo-ops, the feckless fantasia called liberal politicians and black leadership would better spend their time trying to remember exactly what Dr. King's dream was – because their version of same more closely resembles the nightmare of nocturnal occlusion.

A History of New Year's

Original Post @ Cojoweb

January 1st is considered New Years Day in today's society. But this is a fairly new concept because up until the time of Julius Caesar, the Romans celebrated the New Year in March because it was the first month in the Roman calendar. However, January 1 marked the time when the Romans changed their governmental figures and new consuls were inducted into office. And, they had games and feasting to help celebrate the new officials. But, they still used March 1 as their official mark of the new year and had a festival to their god, Mars (God of War).

It was Caesar who changed the Roman New Year's Day to January 1 in honor of Janus, (God of all beginnings and gate keeper of heaven and earth). Janus was always depicted with two faces: One looking back to the old year (past) and one looking ahead to the new year (future). One of the customs in the festival honoring Janus was to exchange gifts and then make resolutions to be friendly and good to one another.

When Constantine ruled the Romans and accepted Christianity as their new faith, they kept the Festival of Janus as the New Years Day ( Not March as before) and turned it into a day of prayer and fasting and not parties etc. It was a day for all good Christians to turn over a new leaf. However, the Romans may have accepted January 1 and Janus as the New Year, but many did not accept the turning over a new leaf, prayer and fasting part of it.

However, even in 1582, Great Britian and the English colonies in America still kept March for the beginning of the year. (Spring as a beginning?) It wasn't until 1752 that Britian (and it's colonies) adopted the new Gregorian calendar and January 1 as the beginning of the year. But many Puritans in New England felt Janus was an offensive pagan god and chose to simply ignore January 1 as a New Years Day. Instead they just made the entire month of January as "The First Month" of the months.

And, today no one really considers January 1 a fasting day. Ironically, for many it is a major day of feasting on junk food and watching football games on television.

How did New Year's Resolutions all begin?
Once again, we go back to the wild and crazy parties of the ancient Romans. :) They indulged themselves in alcoholic and sexual excess as a way of acting out all the chaos that they hoped a new year would get rid of. So, the New Year's festival was a way to start over. By purging yourself of all this so-called excess energy and confessing your sins, there was a hope that you would be much better in the next year ahead.

Now, the Puritans never did approve of all this New Year's hoopla. So of course they went for this religious renewal of cleanse, purge, fast, confess idea. So they encouraged young people not to waste the new year on foolish things but to use it as an opportunity to make a good change in their lives for the good. So, like some Christians, they made New Year's vows or pledges focused on overcoming their own weaknesses, to enhance their god-given talents and to make them better citizens to others.
The custom of making New Year's Resolutions came into vogue in the 20th century. But most of it was done with jest and an understanding that they would not be kept (for long anyway) since humans were naturally backsliders by nature to their naughty habits and ways.

The resolutions today are simply a secular version of the religious vows made in the past toward spiritual perfection. They are often made with good intentions and broken with a sense of humor and renewed annually.
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AULD LANG SYNE

The song, 'Auld Lang Syne,' is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the New Year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after Burns' death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scotch tune, 'Auld Lang Syne' literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

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'Auld Lang Syne'

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

and days of auld lang syne?

And here's a hand, my trusty friend

And gie's a hand o' thine

We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne

Jeff - RIP (Dec. 29-30)

I'll never forget receiving the call at my office from the Peoria Police Department, asking if I am 'the brother of Jeffrey Caruthers?'

My instincts immediately told me it was bad - real bad.

They told me nothing, but asked me to go to Jeffery's apartment.  It was the longest 20 minute drive of my life.  Calling my father and sister after seeing Jeff was even worse.

I've long-since reconciled Jeffrey's death in my mind, but I'll never forget the feelings I had on that day - NEVER!

What I haven't reconciled is the answer to that first question from the police:  Was 'I the brother of Jeffery Caruthers?'

I most definitely am.  I just wish I had been a better brother.  I wish I knew more about his demons.  Actually, I wish I had taken the time to listen and to act on what I did know.

I miss you Jeff.  I love you BROTHER!

FYI:  Anyone who noticed I spelled Jeff/Jeffery/Jeffrey's name different ways shouldn't think it was a mistake...It still makes me laugh knowing Patty spelled it differently on many of the things we found in Jeff's apartment 🙂

A History of Christmas

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.' When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." - Luke 2:1-18

I am not a Christian, but as a historian and someone who lives in the Western world I am thankful for the values which have sprung from the birth and death of Jesus Christ...Regardless of how I feel about him as a man - or as more than a man.

I hope you will read the article below.  It is an exceptional history of Christmas - from ancient to modern times, with a special section on Christmas in the U.S.

A Patriot Christmas

By:  Mark Alexander

Greeting Cards for My Friends

To My Liberal Friends:  Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2017, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes.

To My Conservative Friends:  Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!
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**I don't know where these 'Greeting Cards' originated, but not even Hallmark has made two that are more appropriate.

Have a Very Merry Christmas...Or 'whatever-it-is' Liberals want to call it.

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really alright,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me."

"My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram' always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam,'
And now it is my turn and so, here I am."

"I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile."

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue...an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

CDR Jeff Giles, USN

'The Christmas Truce'

Think Christmas isn't special?  Well, what else could stop a World War?  Even if for only a day.

"On Christmas Eve, the soldiers in the field agreed not to fire on one another.  That night, on a front where five days earlier there had been savage fighting the guns fell silent."

My Brookie Turns 18!

It's hard to believe my youngest child has turned 18.  I remember the day she was born, and am so proud of what she has become...She truly is an amazing young lady.

I have always worried about her, because she has never backed down from a challenge.

I remember tearing up in my seat during one of her dance recitals when she was around 12 years old.  She had prepared for a 2-person dance routine, but her partner didn't show up, and her instructor didn't tell her until the last minute...I watched in horror, waiting for my little girl to crack up in front of the audience.  But she didn't crack.  She did the routine on her own, improvising hers and her partners moves, ON THE FLY!  She absolutely killed it!

Of course she did.  She always has.

I remember going to one of her drama performances when she was in junior high - it was a performance almost entirely casted by high school juniors and seniors.  I was afraid she would melt under the pressure of being so young, competing for a spot against and with kids 4-years older than she was...She played a leading role:  Cha Cha in 'Grease'.  And she was amazing!  No on in the audience who didn't know her age would have ever guessed how young she was, because she sang and danced as well as anyone on stage.  She absolutely killed it!

Of course she did.  She always has.

I remember when we made the decision to take her out of her charter school (small school setting) and enrolled her in a regular public high school with thousands of students.  I was worried how she'd handle the difficulties of being in a much less controlled environment; and in an environment where the expectations were much lower...She has handled the 'big school' environment just fine, and she hasn't allowed the low expectation of public school to lessen her personal expectations.  She absolutely killed it!

Of course she did.  She always has.

I remember when she first started taking college level courses as a junior in high school.  She isn't a 'gifted student,' and I was worried she might have been in over her head....She hasn't been.  The work is hard, but she fights it as hard as she can, and has done well in every class.  She is going to college with credits in hand, which will save her a decent amount of money.  She absolutely killed it!

Of course she did.  She always has.

I remember cringing when I first heard she had a 'real' boyfriend.  Ugh!  We all know the hardships of being a teenager and the stupid decisions made in this time...She has had normal teenage relationships, including breakups, heartache, and true love.  But she has handled them so maturely and has not allowed them to dominate or destroy her teen years.

Of course she didn't!  She is not perfect, but she has always handled herself maturely and with class.

For these reasons, I am comforted by the new fears I have for her becoming an adult.

Brooklyn has never been in trouble.  She's not an angel, but she has literally never had any problems of any kind in her first 17-years of life.  I know at some point she's likely to have a 'hiccup' or two.  And I know my wife and I will be devastated :) ...Luckily, I also know her mistakes will probably be minor, and she will most definitely learn from them.  If anything, her minor mistakes will prove to her the value of avoiding big ones.

By this time next year she will have left home and gone to college:  I have the same fears as every other parent (including her returning home a fully propagandized, lunatic, Social Justice Warrior)...But her history says she will go to college, she won't get in trouble, she won't get too far in debt, and most importantly she will graduate with a useful degree (she's planning on becoming a Dental Hygenist).

I also worry about her becoming an adult, getting married and having children in what is little short of an open-air insane asylum - better known as modern-day America.

But my fears for Brooklyn are tempered by her history, and another important fact:  Brooklyn is her mother's daughter.

She is beautiful, and strong, and smart, and moral, and independent, and honest, and dependable, and caring, and loyal, and not afraid to try new things.  She is amazing in so many ways, and she has been well prepared for her adult life...For these reasons, my fears for my 'child' are just that.  Because in my head and heart I know she can handle everything coming her way.

OF COURSE SHE CAN.  SHE ALWAYS HAS!!!!!!!

I am so proud of what she is, and am even more proud of the fine adult she is becoming.

That said, she will always be my 'Katy Smash-Up Kid'

I love it that 'Firework' is the last song on the Smash-Up, because I've always said my oldest daughter (Holly) is my 'Firework'...Brooklyn is so lucky to have her, as well, and as much as she is Melissa's daughter, she needs to always remember she is also Holly's sister   ;)

Some who know me may wonder why I don't mention myself when I speak of Brooklyn.  The reality is:  I'm just dad.

I don't say that in a negative or diminishing way.  Along with 'just being a husband', it's all I've ever wanted to be...Being a husband and father is what truly defines me.  I am proud of what I am, and I am proud of what I have helped raised.  I proudly say 'I'm just dad.'  I always have been, and I always will be. :)

Happy birthday, Brookie!   I love you so much.

December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Day ("A date which will live in Infamy")

NOTE: The Flag should be flown at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Day.

Luckily modern-day Liberals weren't Commander-in-Chief at the time

November 25, 1941 - A "war warning" was sent to commanders in the Pacific: Admiral Harold R. Stark, U.S. chief of naval operations, told Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, that both President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull thought a Japanese surprise attack was a distinct possibility.

November 26, 1941 – A Japanese task force left for Pearl Harbor: Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the Japanese First Air Fleet, an aircraft carrier strike force, toward Pearl Harbor, with the understanding that should "negotiations with the United States reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland."

November 28, 1941 - The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise departed from Pearl Harbor to deliver F4F Wildcat fighters to Wake Island.

December 1, 1941 - Japanese Emperor Hirohito signed a declaration of war and War Minister Hideki Tojo rejected U.S. proposals for a Pacific settlement as fantastic and unrealistic.

December 2, 1941 - Japanese Admiral Yamamoto sent his fleet toward Pearl Harbor.

December 2, 1941 - The Japanese First Air Fleet arrived at 43 N, 158 30' E, c. 3,200 miles NW of Pearl Harbor.

December 2, 1941 - Hawaii recon aircraft were ordered to search 400 miles, NW to S only.

December 2, 1941 - Roosevelt asked Japan to clarify its intents with regard to French Indochina.

December 4, 1941 - The U.S. Navy Department ordered Guam to destroy all codes and secret documents.

Dec. 6, 1941 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt made a final appeal to the Emperor of Japan for peace. There was no reply. Later this same day, the U.S. code-breaking service began intercepting a 14-part Japanese message and deciphered the first 13 parts, passing them on to the President and Secretary of State. The Americans believed a Japanese attack was imminent, most likely somewhere in Southeast Asia.

ALL OF THE AMERICAN EVENTS ABOVE LOOK LIKE THE ACTIONS OF A COUNTRY WAITING TO BE ATTACKED SO IT COULD ENTER THE WAR...It's just too bad we had to be hit first.

December 7, 1941 (early AM) - Pearl Harbor was not on a state on high alert. Senior commanders concluded, based on available intelligence, there was no reason to believe an attack was imminent. Aircraft were therefore left parked wingtip-to-wingtip on airfields, anti-aircraft guns were unmanned with many ammunition boxes kept locked in accordance with peacetime regulations. There were also no torpedo nets protecting the fleet anchorage. Since it was Sunday morning, many officers and crewmen were leisurely ashore.

7:55 A.M. (Hawaii time) - A Japanese force of 183 airplanes attacked U.S. military and naval facilities on Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands without warning. For 30 minutes, dive bombers, and torpedo planes struck airfields and naval vessels.

8:40 A.M. - After a 15-minute lull, a second wave of 170 planes launched another attack which lasted one hour.

Casualties to U.S. service personnel: 2,343 killed, 960 missing, and 1,272 wounded; 151 U.S. planes destroyed on the ground and all eight U.S. battleships at anchor in Pearl Harbor were either sunk or damaged. At a cost of only 28 airplanes shot down, the Japanese dealt the U.S. a staggering blow.

Escaping damage from the attack: The prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage were the base fuel tanks...Coincidental??

Dec. 8, 1941 - The U.S. declared war on Japan.

Dec. 11, 1941 - Germany and Italy, bound by treaty with Japan, declared war on the U.S...The U.S. then declared war on Germany and Italy.

"A Date Which Will Live In Infamy" (Click Here to listen to FDR's address to Congress requesting a declaration of war against Japan.)
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WHY DID JAPAN ATTACK THE U.S.?   The prevailing belief within the Japanese military and political establishment was eventually, with the then expected German defeat of Great Britain and Soviet Russia, the United States' non-involvement in the European war, and Japan's control of the Pacific, that the world power structure would stabilize into three major spheres of influence:

1.) The Empire of Japan would control East, Southeast, South Asia and the entire Pacific Ocean.

2.) The combined powers of Germany and Italy would control Great Britain, all of Europe, Western and central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

3.) The United States would control North and South America.

The expected result of the attack was to cripple the U. S. Pacific Fleet for a period of up to eighteen months, preventing aggressive action against imperial forces, with the fleet to later be drawn out into a final battle and destroyed. This goal eluded the Japanese as U.S. forces were acting aggressively in the South Pacific within 60 days and the fleet was fully effective within a year. There was never the kind of massive fleet battle that the Japanese hoped for, and the only one which even closely resembled such a battle resulted in a crushing Japanese loss at the Battle of Midway.

The attack was almost a complete tactical success. By a matter of chance, of the three Pacific Fleet carriers which would normally have been at Pearl that morning, two were at sea on exercises and one was on the U.S. west coast undergoing maintenance. Not knowing the location of these ships, which could have attacked his strike force, caused the Japanese tactical commander (Admiral Nagumo) to withdraw before a planned third strike, sparing the Pacific Fleet submarine force, important maintenance facilities and critical American fuel supplies.

The survival of the repair shops enabled rapid restoration of the fighting capability of the fleet. The carriers, which enabled the first blow to be struck against the Japanese homeland in the Doolittle Raid, proved to be decisive in the Battle of the Coral Sea, where the Japanese forces were turned back in their thrust toward Australia, and proved essential to U.S. success in the Battle of Midway Island, where naval aviation forces from U.S. carriers sank four Imperial carriers.

The attack against Hawaii was in fact the worst possible thing Japan could have done, given its goal of hegemony in the western Pacific. The war plans of the U.S. had written off the defensibility of the Philippines and projected, baring any direct attack against the Philippines or U.S. possessions, a strictly defensive posture against Japan, with the principle effort being directed to the protection of the western hemisphere (particularly the Caribbean and South America) against Germany and a strictly defensive posture in the Pacific to protect Alaska, Hawaii, and the Panama Canal.

The short-term goal of the Japanese was to obtain the oil supplies, rubber, and other strategic materials from the East Indian possessions of the Netherlands, Great Britain, and France. Given the isolationist temperament of the U.S. Congress at the time, it is questionable, even doubtful, the United States would have responded directly to the seizure of those foreign possessions.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a terrible event in American history, but should also be seen as the 'Beginning of the end of WWII.'

The entry of the United States into WWII was inevitable, and should have occurred in 1939, not the end of 1941...This two year period cost the U.S. much, but cost humanity even more, which is something we must always keep in mind.

As far as the tactical victory the Japanese produced at Pearl Harbor: Congratulations. It was a stunning victory, but it was a Pyrrhic victory they were able to enjoy for only a short period of time.

"War is all Hell," and Americans hate it for just that reason...That said, the rest of the world should always keep in mind the American people may be lax, but they are not to be abused. The Japanese brought War to the U.S. The eventual reality was the U.S. brought Hell to the Japanese.

The comments in blue are mine, but the rest of the information above is from many sources, but primarily from the sites below...I did make some alterations to the content - including commentary and combining information between the various sources.

Pearl Harbor Day Page
Naval Historical Center
Library of Congress Pearl Harbor Remembered

Thanksgiving - What I'm Most Thankful For This Year?

2018 has been a pretty healthy and happy year in PeroVille...No car accidents, no illnesses, no economic issues, no terribly tragic incidences - outside of the death of my grandmother, who lived a terrific, long life, and whose death was somewhat expected.

So, for 2018 the thing I'm most thankful for is:  My employer giving me the opportunity to take over the management of their business...I've been with this company for over 24 years, waited my turn, and have always wanted this position.  I will do everything I can to do well by them - and by those who work for me.

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On a different note, please keep our service men and women in mind...Especially those serving Thanksgiving holiday away from their loved ones.

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation (1863 - During the Civil War)

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward, Secretary of State

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

**NOTE: Amazingly, shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written  it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington. It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the U.S. capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress, found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides. It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

President George Washington

No People Have Ever Had More To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving is the first 'American' holiday, and in my opinion our greatest because no other people in the history of the world have had as much to be thankful for...It would do us all well to remember and honor this fact.

Although I'm not religious, it should also be noted this holiday is and has always been a religious holiday...Those who know its history should notice the similarity between Thanksgiving and at least a few Old Testament stories. All spelling below is in it's original form.

"America has much for which to be thankful. The unequaled freedom enjoyed by our citizens has provided a harvest of plenty to this Nation throughout its history. In keeping with America's heritage, one day each year is set aside for giving thanks to God for all of His blessings. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we should reflect on the full meaning of this day as we enjoy the fellowship that is so much a part of the holiday festivities. Searching our hearts, we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance. Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great Nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people." - Ronald Reagan

Account of the First Harvest Feast and Thanksgiving
By: Mark Alexander
Original & Complete Article @ The Patriot's Post

Some historians note that the first thanksgiving was recorded on December 4, 1619, when 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred on the north bank of the James River about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, the first permanent Colony of Virginia settlement established on May 14, 1607.

The charter for the settlers at Berkeley Hundred required "We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

To that end, Captain John Woodleaf led that service.

However, the first harvest feast and thanksgiving was at Plymouth Colony in 1621, and it is that iconic event that is now considered, the First Thanksgiving.

President Ronald Reagan often cited the Pilgrims who celebrated the First Thanksgiving as our forebears who charted the path of American freedom. He made frequent reference to John Winthrop's "shining city upon a hill."

As Reagan explained, "The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free."

Who were these "freedom men," and how did they eventually blaze the path of true liberty?

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THESE "FREEDOM MEN"

Veteran's Day: How Do We Expect Our Kids To Know...

...If We Don't Teach Them?

"I...acknowledge what I have come to feel about those who sacrifice some, or all, of their young lives to defend the rest of us.  They are our ordinary citizens who have forced themselves to extraordinary service.  They do not answer the call to arms lightly, but weigh it against the safety and comforts of life at home.  Yet they do answer.  They answer because when the call does come, and they then look into their hearts, they see the delicate flame of freedom begin to flicker." - Jim Proser

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." - Jose Narosky

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - George Orwell

"Their story is known to all of you.  It is the story of the American man-at-arms.  My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed.  I regarded him then as I regard him now - as one of the world's noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless.  His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen.  In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give.  He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man.  He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast.  But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modest victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words.  He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism.  He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom.  He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements." - General Douglas MacArthur

"This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis

"But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument to-day, and for aye." - Thomas Dunn English

Take A Moment To Thank A Veteran

When you see someone in a uniform,
Someone who serves us all,
Doing military duty,
Answering their country’s call,

Take a moment to thank them
For protecting what you hold dear;
Tell them you are proud of them;
Make it very clear.
Just tap them on the shoulder,
Give a smile, and say,
"Thanks for what you’re doing
To keep us safe in the USA!"
By Joanna Fuchs

Every day should be Veteran's Day in our heart, but at the very least we should take a few moments on November 11th to make note of those who have protected the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.  We need not do this because they are heroes - because they do not see themselves as such - we need to do this to acknowledge the sacrifices they have made for each of us...And please, don't forget those who are currently serving - nor those waiting for them at home.