Thank you, Veterans

Today, the 11th of November, is the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany at Rethondes, France, marking symbolic end of World War One — signed on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" in 1918. It became known as "Veterans Day" in 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower and congress passed a bill declaring it so.

I'd like to take this opportunity to give thanks to all who have served and are serving our great country in our military. Their sacrifices make it possible for the rest of us live the lives that we live today in freedom and without fear of outside attack. Thank God for our service men and women.

In related news, President Bush honored veterans today at the rededicate of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Intrepid in New York where he also received the Freedom Award from ...someone that I can't seem to find. The President gave a very enjoyable speech, but I can't find a video of it yet, so here is the text of the speech. Hopefully the video will get posted and I'll add it here. Here is coverage of the event from the AP and Bloomberg.

Boy, this being home during the day sure lets me watch a lot of news...

Flag Day

The whole inspiration of our life as a nation flows out from the waving folds of this banner.
~Unknown

We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty.
~George Washington, attributed

When Freedom from her mountain height
Unfurled her standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night,
And set the stars of glory there.
~Joseph Rodman Drake, The American Flag

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Dennis Miller Barates Harry Reid

Last night on Fox News Channel's "The 1/2 Hour News Hour", Comedian / Comedian Dennis Miller took Harry Reid (Democrat, NV) to town in his "The Buck Starts Here".

Damn. That's hard core. Hard core, but honest and pretty funny at times.

For those of you that don't know, The 1/2 Hour News Hour is basically a combo of SNL's Weekend Update and John Stewart's Comedy Central show. And it's damn funny.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
--John McCrae

"Canadian poet John McCrae was a medical officer in both the Boer War and World War I. A year into the latter war he published in Punch magazine, on December 8, 1915, the sole work by which he would be remembered. This poem commemorates the deaths of thousands of young men who died in Flanders during the grueling battles there. It created a great sensation, and was used widely as a recruiting tool, inspiring other young men to join the Army. Legend has it that he was inspired by seeing the blood-red poppies blooming in the fields where many friends had died. In 1918 McCrae died at the age of 46, in the way most men died during that war, not from a bullet or bomb, but from disease: pneumonia, in his case." (Source)

This Memorial Day, I hope everyone takes a moment to remember those who came before us and fought and died for us and those who will come after us and will do the same. They are truly heroes.


(Picture from Kristie Shureen Photography, in Sydney, Australia. Nice, eh?)