posted 03-23-2003 10:16 AM         

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posted 03-23-2003 03:07 PM         

As I have been sitting here in front of the t.v. since this whole thing started, I have cried for those who have lost their lives and their families left behind. I also cry for the innocent people who have been injured and lost their lives from the countries in which we are fighting. I've also watched all the protesters marching and waving the USA flag and chanting NO War. I've listened to the reports about the upcoming Oscar night and how those people who win are going to use it as a platform to protest this war.

Now......no one ever wants to go to war. I don't know if this is the right thing or not that we are doing. However, the reality is the decision is made and we are there. Everyone has a right to their opinions and the right to express them, but since it is already happening, I would like to have thought that the people who are protesting so violently in this country would better spend their time supporting our country and our military troops and praying that it ends quickly with a minimal amount of loss of life and that everyone else comes home soon.

It hurts me alot to think that my son is out there (with everyone else) fighting for our country and for the welfare of all the other countries in this world so that we can all be protected from the threats of mass destruction and chemical/biological warfare and the people in this country are not grateful that it's not them, or their family.......and that they have a country to live in where they can live as they please. Things are not the best in our own country right now, but I challenge the American people to go and find another country to live in that would be better than the one they already live in. Whatever happened to "United We Stand"...which was the constant chant after 9/11?

My son is in a unit that is the elite of the elite. He has a dangerous job. He was of a selected few to make it into this unit. I am so proud of him, my heart could burst, but it also scares me to death. Right before he left on an assignment after 9/11, we raced to NC to see him. The last evening we were with him, I asked him "why"? Why did you want to be in the job you chose? He looked at me and said, "It is a job that has to be done. I know that I am capable of doing this job and I felt it was the best way I could think of to make a difference in this world." How does a mother argue that? I asked him "even if it means dying?". He smiled at me and said, "I don't plan on dying anytime soon.......it's why we are so highly trained, but if I do......then yes....." I looked at him with so much pride, but said to him...."well, you may be ready for that, but your mother isn't!" He loves his country and he believes in the job he is doing. Too bad that all of the people in this country cannot be that patriotic and truly love their country that much. If I never accomplish anything else in my life.........I am proud to have raised this son. We don't know where he is or if he is ever coming back......but I will always be proud of him.

I wish that I could hand out flyers with the prayer that John posted to everyone in this country. Please....no matter how you feel about this war, support our country and especially our troops and their families.

posted 03-25-2003 10:39 AM         

I know you must have the full range of emotions right now.
You must be afraid for your son, but EXTREMELY proud of him at the same time. You know he is well trained and doing what he wants to do.

Thanks for raising a boy and giving us all a man!

You, your son, your family and all the brave patriots are in our thoughts and prayers.

posted 03-25-2003 06:15 PM         

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posted 03-25-2003 11:04 PM         

So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country? Let's
look at the biographies of these "stupid," "ignorant," "moronic" leaders,
and then at the celebrities who are castigating them:

President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University
and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for
the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas
business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy
industry until 1986. He was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5
percent of the vote. In a historic reelection victory, he became the first
Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3,
1998, winning 68.6 percent of the vote. In 1998 Governor Bush won 49 percent
of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent of the African-American vote, 27 percent
of Democrats and 65 percent of women. He won more Texas counties, 240 of
254, than any modern Republican other that Richard Nixon in 1972 and is the
first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the heavily Hispanic and
Democratic border counties of El Paso, Cameron and Hidalgo. (Someone began
circulating a false story about his I.Q. being lower than any other
President. If you believed it, you might want to go to URBANLEGENDS.COM and
see the truth.)

Vice President Dick Cheney earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966, both
in political science. Two years later, he won an American Political Science
Association congressional fellowship. One of Vice President Cheney's
primary duties is to share with individuals, members of Congress and
foreign leaders, President Bush's vision to strengthen our economy, secure
our homeland and win the War on Terrorism. In his official role as
President of the Senate, Vice President Cheney regularly goes to Capital
Hill to meet with Senators and members of the House of Representatives to
work on the Administration's legislative goals. In his travels as Vice
President, he has seen first hand the great demands the war on terrorism is
placing on the men and women of our military, and he is proud of the
tremendous job they are doing for the United States of America.

Secretary of State Colin Powell was educated in the New York City public
schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he
earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY
and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in
June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business
Administration Degree from George Washington University. Secretary Powell
is the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and
decorations. Secretary Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential
Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold
Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the
Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and other
institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees
from universities and colleges across the country.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: attended Princeton University on
Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval
aviator; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin (R-MI), 1957-59;
U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to the President,
Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director of the Cost of
Living Council, 1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74; head of
Presidential Transition Team, 1974; Assistant to the President, Director of
White House Office of Operations, White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77;
Secretary of Defense, 1975-77

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge was raised in a working class
family in veterans' public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to
Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at The
Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served
as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for
Valor. After returning to Pennsylvania, he earned his Law Degree and was in
private practice before becoming Assistant District Attorney in Erie
County. He was elected to Congress in 1982. He was the first enlisted
Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House, and was overwhelmingly
re-elected six times.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice earned her Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of
Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and
her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the
University of Denver in 1981. (Note: Rice enrolled at the University of
Denver at the age of 15, graduating at 19 with a Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science (Cum Laude). She earned a Master's Degree at the
University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate from the University of Denver's
Graduate School of International Studies. Both of her advanced degrees are
also in Political Science.) She is a Fellow of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse
College in 1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of
Notre Dame in 1995. At Stanford, she has been a member of the Center for
International Security and Arms Control, a Senior Fellow of the Institute
for International Studies, and a Fellow (by courtesy) of the Hoover
Institution. Her books include Germany Unified and Europe Transformed
(1995) with Philip Zelikow, The Gorbachev Era (1986) with Alexander Dallin,
and Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army
(1984). She also has written numerous articles on Soviet and East European
foreign and defense policy, and has addressed audiences in settings ranging
from the U.S. Ambassador's Residence in Moscow to the Commonwealth Club to
the 1992 and 2000
Republican National Conventions. From 1989 through March 1991, the period
of German reunification and the final days of the Soviet Union, she served
in the Bush Administration as Director, and then Senior Director, of Soviet
and East European Affairs in the National Security Council, and a Special
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. In 1986, while an
international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, she
served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In 1997, she served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender --
Integrated Training in the Military. She was a member of the boards of
directors for the Chevron Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the
International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan and the San Francisco
Symphony Board of Governors. She was a Founding Board member of the Center
for a New Generation, an educational support fund for schools in East Palo
Alto and East Menlo Park, California and was Vice President of the Boys and
Girls Club of the Peninsula. In addition, her past board service has
encompassed such organizations as Transamerica Corporation, Hewlett
Packard, the Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace, The Rand Corporation, the National Council for Soviet and East
European Studies, the Mid-Peninsula Urban Coalition and KQED, public
broadcasting for San Francisco. Born November 14, 1954 in Birmingham,
Alabama. She resides in Washington, D.C.

So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their
experience in affairs of State or in National Security? While I will defend
to the death their right to express their opinions, I think that if they
are going to call into question the intelligence of our leaders, we should
also have all the facts on their educations and background:

Barbra Streisand : Completed high school
Career: Singing and acting

Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade.
Career: Singing and acting

Martin Sheen Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton.
Career: Acting

Jessica Lange Dropped out college mid-freshman year.
Career: Acting

Alec Baldwin Dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal
Career: Acting

Julia Roberts Completed high school
Career: Acting

Sean Penn Completed High school
Career: Acting

Susan Sarandon Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America
in Washington, D.C.
Career: Acting

Ed Asner Completed High school
Career: Acting

George Clooney Dropped out of University of Kentucky
Career: Acting

Michael Moore Dropped out first year University of Michigan.
Career: Movie Director

Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School
Career: Acting

Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School
Career: Acting

Mike Farrell Completed High school
Career: Acting

Janeane Garofelo Dropped out of College.
Career: Stand up comedienne

Larry Hagman Attended Bard College for one year.
Career: Acting

While comparing the education and experience of these two groups, we should
also remember that President Bush and his cabinet are briefed daily, even
hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our security. They are privy to
information gathered around the world concerning the Middle East, the
threats to America, the intentions of terrorists and terrorist-supporting
governments. They are in constant communication with the CIA, the FBI,
Interpol, NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and that of our
allies around the world. We cannot simply believe that we have full
knowledge of the threats because we watch CNN!! We cannot believe that we
are in any way as informed as our leaders.

These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding
groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country.
They only have a deep seated hatred for all things Republican. By nature,
and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood elitists detest Conservative
views and anything that supports or uplifts the United States of America.
The silence was deafening from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a
pharmaceutical factory outside of Khartoum, or when he attacked the Bosnian
Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic
out of Kosovo, and not a single peace rally was held. When our Rangers were
ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was
heard from Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has been attacked on its
own soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed by freedom-hating terrorists
while going about their routine lives, they want to hold rallies against
the war. Why the change? Because an honest, God-fearing Republican sits in
the White House.

Another irony is that in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was in office, the
Hollywood group aligned themselves with disarmament groups like SANE,
FREEZE and PEACE ACTION, urging our own government to disarm and freeze the
manufacturing of any further nuclear weapons, in order to promote world
peace. It is curious that now, even after we have heard all the evidence
that Saddam Hussein has chemical, biological and is very close to obtaining
nuclear weapons, there is no cry from this group for HIM to disarm. They
believe we should leave him alone in his quest for these weapons of mass
destruction, even though it is certain that these deadly weapons will
eventually be used against us in our own cities.

So why the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that
since they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to also
determine the course of our Nation? That they can make viable decisions
concerning war and peace? Did Michael Moore have the backing of the Nation
when he recently thanked France, on our behalf, for being a "good enough
friend to tell us we were wrong"? I know for certain he was not speaking
for me. Does Sean Penn fancy himself a Diplomat, in going to Iraq when we
are just weeks away from war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma
gives him the knowledge (and the right) to go to a country that is
controlled by a maniacal dictator, and speak on behalf of the American
people? Or is it the fact that he pulls in more money per year than the
average American worker will see in a lifetime? Does his bank account give
him clout?

The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a shambles
of their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous marriages and
divorces, scrapes with the law, publicized temper tantrums, etc. How dare
they pretend to know what is best for an entire nation! What is even more
bizarre is how many people in this country will listen and accept their
views, simply because they liked them in a certain movie, or have fond
memories of an old television sitcom!

It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate ourselves
about the world around us. If future generations are going to enjoy the
freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace
in their own country and their world, to live without fear of terrorism
striking in their own cities, we must assure that this nation remains
strong. We must make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware
of the severe consequences that will befall them.

Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists and
join hands, singing Cumbaya and talking of world peace. But it is not real.
We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire continent of
Europe by simply talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, with the
strength and determination that this Country is known for, and defeated the
Nazi regime. President John F. Kennedy did not stop the Soviet ships from
unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 with mere words. He
stopped them with action, and threat of immediate war if the ships did not
turn around. We did not end the Cold War with conferences. It ended with
the strong belief of President Ronald Reagan... PEACE through STRENGTH