Military Day of Prayer 2011

Guideposts Outreach is pleased to announce our Military Day of Prayer, May 26, 2011. Please submit your prayer request for our brave servicemen, women and their loved ones. Prayer volunteers will lift up to the Lord all prayer requests received.  Submit your requests here.

 

Ohio Healthcare Amendment Signing Locations

There are three permanent signing locations in Lake County where you can sign a petition for the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment.

They are:

Bendelewski Meats
6732 N. Ridge E.
Madison

(440) 428-6683
Call to confirm Paul is present.

The Meko Law Office LLC
2778 SOM Center Road, Suite 202
Willoughby Hills

(440) 516-1500
Mon, - Fri.,10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Please call before coming to confirm.

Timothy Allen Jewelers Inc.
8925 Mentor Avenue
Mentor

(440) 974-8885
Tue. 11-6, Wed. 11-6, Thur. 11-8, Fri.11-5, Sat 10-4
Closed Sun & Mon

Stop by soon the sign the petition.  We are closing in on the goal and we need your signature now.

For more information about the Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment, visit The Ohio Project.

 

Teen Makes Digital Record of Arlington Graves

 

Ricky Gilleland, a tech-savvy 11th-grader, has created the only digitized record of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

April 26, 2011|By Faye Fiore, Los Angeles Times

Rosemary Brown is standing over the grave of her son at Arlington National Cemetery when someone catches her eye. It's a boy in khaki shorts and muddy shoes, juggling a clunky camera and the Motorola Xoom he got for his 17th birthday five days earlier.

"May I ask what you're doing?" Brown inquires. The boy begins to peck at the Xoom tablet, and in seconds the image that Brown has come all the way from Cartwright, Okla., to see fills the screen. It's the white marble headstone of Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Jason L. Brown, killed by small-arms fire in Afghanistan three years ago this day. Her face brightens.

"Most of Jason's family and friends are in Oklahoma and Texas. For them to be able to see his grave…," she says, her voice breaking.

Richard "Ricky" Gilleland III — 11th-grader and Junior Future Business Leaders of America computer ace — has succeeded where the Army failed: He has created the only digitized record of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans laid to rest at Arlington. His website, preserveandhonor.com, is a reverent catalog of the fallen, and one young man's response to a scandal of Army mismanagement, mismarked graves and unmarked remains that has rocked this hallowed place for two years.

"It's a tool to help remember people. They can go on and think, 'Wow, look at all these people who gave their lives just so I can walk around,' " Ricky says.

His "project," as he calls it, won't fix Arlington's considerable problems. A commission led by former Sens. Bob Dole and Max Cleland was formed to attempt that.

But his simple website has brought a measure of order and relief to military families unnerved by reports first disclosed by Salon.com in 2009: unidentified remains in graves thought to be empty, one service member buried on top of another, an unmarked urn that turned up in a dirt landfill.

California's war dead

Thirty-six Californians buried at Arlington served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An investigation by the Army inspector general concluded in June that at least 211 graves were mislabeled. Top brass were fired. And the management of the 147-year-old American landmark, where about 300,000 fallen troops rest, suddenly seemed as chaotic as its uniform lines of unadorned white markers are orderly.

Cemetery operations were declared antiquated. Arlington still relies on paper records and index cards to maintain 200 acres where presidents, astronauts, freed slaves and heroes of every American war lie. "One fire, flood or coffee spill away" from irreplaceable loss, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) warned.

While discussing Arlington's outdated record-keeping over dinner one night last summer, Ricky — who had just gotten an A in his Programming 1 class at school — announced, "I can fix that." His mother didn't doubt it. She still remembered her older sons complaining they were locked out of the computer again because Ricky, age 4, had changed all the passwords.

"He was the kid who figured things out," Elisabeth Van Dyk, 46, said of her youngest. "He took apart remote controls and his brothers' toys and put them back together again. You could trust he knew what he was talking about."

Ricky didn't have his driver's license yet, so he hitched a ride with his mom on her 45-minute commute from their home in Stafford, Va., to her workplace in Washington. He hopped the Metro the rest of the way to the cemetery. This was July and he wanted an early start before the heat set in.

His focus was Section 60, where about 700 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried, more than anywhere else in the country. He combed all 18 acres of it, row by row, and found more than just names. At one grave was a baby's sonogram; he thought about the child who would never know his dad. He saw parents who looked a lot like his own, standing, staring.

Ricky took it all in. This is a side of service he had never fully appreciated, even for a military brat — his great-great-great-grandfather fought at Gettysburg, his father is a retired Army sergeant first class, his stepfather is a retired Navy lieutenant commander and both of his brothers are Air Force senior airmen. (He intends to apply to the Naval Academy at Annapolis and wants to be an officer.)

"Sometimes I look at the birth date and they are about the same age as my brothers, or a year older than me. It puts a whole new perspective on life to think there are 18- or 19-year-old kids who give their lives," he said.

One afternoon while he was out here taking pictures, a woman asked, "What number is my son?" She wanted to know where he fell in a casualty count that is nearing 6,000 for both wars. Ricky couldn't answer her, but later he told his mom that he didn't want them to be numbers; he wanted them to be remembered as people.

"From that point forward," his mom recalled, "it seemed to turn into more than a project."

He spent afternoons in a bookstore poring over Web development manuals for the right program language to create the site. At night, in his family's study, his computer hooked up to a 40-inch flat screen and his keyboard on a snack table in front of the couch, he input hundreds of names, photos, links to obituaries and newspaper accounts; he created a space to blog tributes.

By mid-October, the site was launched.

Army Times wrote him up. The local TV station did a piece. At North Stafford High, he was a minor celebrity. Friends and families around the country could view a loved one's grave thousands of miles away with the click of a mouse. So far, the site has received nearly 116,000 hits and about 300 emails, like the one from Jean Lockey, widow of Army Col. Jon M. Lockey, killed in Iraq on July 6, 2007: "I now have a site to go to when life overwhelms me, a place where I can pretend for a moment I am right there."

And Sarah Hall, mother of 1st Lt. Benjamin John Hall, killed in Afghanistan on July 31, 2007: "Ben was … the light of my life and I miss him every second of every day. To know that his loss is felt by others and acknowledged with such love and honor as you have shown here lifts my heart.…Thank you."

About 10% of the service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are at Arlington; the rest are in cemeteries around the country. Ricky's next goal is to enlist the help of the American Legion and record them all on the website. He figures it could be done in a few months.

But the work at Arlington is never really finished. Sadly, there are always graves to add, and he comes out every few weeks to update the list. That's what brings him here today, with his mom and stepdad, in the back seat of the silver Honda she said he could have if he stayed on the honor roll, which he did. (If his grades drop, she has threatened to sell the car for a dollar.)

He's eager to try out the Xoom. It's a gorgeous April Sunday after a hard rain. The red tulips stand straight as soldiers at the cemetery gates, but the grounds are soaked. Ricky starts patrolling the far end of Section 60 where the new arrivals are. It's muddy and his sneakers sink three inches into what he realizes is a grave so fresh the sod hasn't gone in yet. He winces and carries on. No way can he wear those shoes to school Monday.

That's what he's doing when Rosemary Brown spots him. She comes here twice a year — with her husband on the anniversary of Jason's death and by herself on his birthday in September. ("It's a Mom thing. That's my time.") In between, Ricky's website might be the next best thing.

"Continue this, please," she tells the boy she's only just met. He's shy and a little awkward, not so different from the one she raised. "It's so important that they never, ever be forgotten. Ever."

"I will," Ricky promises. "You can bet on it."

Photos from Glenn Beck’s show in Cleveland

Members from The 9-12 Project in Mentor collected signatures for the Ohio Healthcare Project in the lobby at Glenn Beck’s show last night in Cleveland.

©2011 Paul Prince.  All rights reserved.

©2011 Paul Prince.  All rights reserved.

©2011 Janie Groh.  All rights reserved.

©2011 Paul Prince.  All rights reserved.

Our Young Heroes in the Line of Duty

Please take time to remember those in the armed forces on active duty, the reservists, or service member who have fallen in the line of duty.  Consider law enforcement officers, fire and rescue personnel, border patrol, individuals involved in national defense.  Think of the fearless men and women who put on a uniform every day to make freedom possible - because there are no freedoms without those willing to fight for them.

This video tribute to those on the front lines is the story of true patriots, told by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North at the NRA Annual Meeting.  It's a stirring profile of the spirited, courageous guardian of our precious freedoms.  America's best...

Hattip to Dave.

Are We Ever in Trouble!

From our friends at The Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs. 

By David Foster

Data from the Census of 2010 continues to trickle out, a column from the Wall Street Journal has some figures on cities that have lost population. New Orleans leads the list, for obvious reasons. It lost 140,845 people, for a drop of 29.1% since the last Census ten years ago. Next comes Detroit, which lost a whopping 25% of its population over the same period and without the excuse of a natural disaster. Almost a quarter of a million people fled the Motor City! Chicago, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Santa Anna, and Baltimore are also on the list of the top ten losers, though with much smaller losses than Detroit. But the real story is Ohio. Cleveland is third on the list with a loss of 17.1%, which means that 81,558 people moved out in the last decade. Then come Cincinnati and Toledo with losses of 10.4% and 8.4% respectively. Ohio is the only state with more than one city among the top ten losers, and we have three in the top six! That's a distinction we could do without.

 

The New Health Care Reform Law One Year Later and Getting Worse by the Day

From Congressman John C. Fleming, M.D.;

Today, on the one year anniversary since government-approved health care was signed into law, a look at the implementation of the new health care reform reveals how the legislation has failed to deliver on costs, premiums, spending, and preserving Americans’ existing coverage:

19 — States where parents can no longer buy child-only insurance policies as a result of the law

30 — States suing to block the law from taking effect, or requesting waivers from its requirements

51 — Percentage of American workers who will lose their current health coverage by 2013, according to the Administration’s own estimates

1,270 — New bureaucrats requested by the Internal Revenue Service to implement the law this year

$2,100 — Increase in individual insurance premiums due to Obamacare, according to the Congressional Budget Office

$2,500 — Premium reduction promised by candidate Obama “by the end of my first term as President”

6,578 — Pages of new regulations issued implementing Obamacare through March 14, 2011

800,000 — Reduction in the American labor force due to Obamacare provisions that “will effectively increase marginal tax rates, which will also discourage work,” according to the CBO

2,624,720 — Total individuals in 1,040 plans granted waivers thus far exempting them from the law’s insurance mandates; nearly half of whom participate in union plans

7,400,000 — Reduction in Medicare Advantage enrollment as a result of Obamacare, resulting in a loss of choice for seniors and millions of beneficiaries losing their current health plan

40,000,000 — Firms subject to the health law’s new 1099 reporting requirements, which the National Federation of Independent Business called a “tremendous new paperwork compliance burden”

$118,000,000,000 — New costs imposed on states to implement Obamacare—budgetary costs that will lead to reduced services for other state programs like education or to higher state taxes

$310,800,000,000 — Projected increase in health costs due to Obamacare, according to the independent Medicare actuary, who called its promise of lower costs “false, more so than true”

$552,200,000,000 — Amount of higher taxes Americans will pay if Obamacare remains in place

$1,390,000,000,000 — Federal spending on new entitlements during fiscal years 2012-2021 according to the CBO, a 48 percent increase from an earlier estimate

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: Even though we have seen only a few of the law’s initial provisions take effect, American families and businesses are already facing higher costs, economic uncertainty, and loss of their current coverage. 

Sen. Rand Paul on Consumer Choice in Energy Committee Hearing

 

Liberal Confronts Herman Cain!

A Herman Cain video worth watching.

New Sign for Congressman Benishek

From a tweet by Congressman Dan Benishek of Michigan’s 1st district who replaced Bart Stupak last November.

“New banner is up in our DC office... simple Northern Michigan common sense.”  posted by @CongressmanDan

"What's the Plan? A Grassroots call to Action"

You hear about the federal budget and the problems the United States is facing, but those big giant numbers are extremely hard to follow.  How bad is the problem?  What does it all mean?  What’s the solution?

Here’s an excellent new video from our friends at iCaucus that helps put it in perspective.  It’s well done and frankly pretty scary!  The first half of the video describes the problem and is well worth your time.  The second half of the video is a call to join them at an Economic Summit in Utah, either in person or on the web.

Enjoy!

For more information on the summit, here is the link mentioned in the video:  http://tinyurl.com/wecount

Remembering the Marines at Iwo Jima

Today is the 66^th anniversary of the invasion of the sea mount of Iwo Jima.

Let us not forget what those brave men did there.

Members of the 1st Battalion 23rd Marines burrow in the volcanic sand on the beach of Iwo Jima, as their comrades unload supplies and equipment from landing vessels despite the heavy rain of artillery fire from enemy positions in the background.

Of the 3,400 coming ashore with the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, only 600 were standing when the battle closed.

Iwo Jima was the only Marine battle where the American casualties, 26,000, exceeded the Japanese -- most of the 22,000 defending the island. The 6,800 American servicemen killed doubled the deaths of the Twin-Towers of 9/11.

Iwo Jima is a small speck in the Pacific; it is 4.5 miles long and at its broadest point 2.5 miles wide. Iwo is the Japanese word for sulfur, and the island is indeed full of sulfur. Yellow sulfuric mist routinely rises from cracks of earth, and the island distinctly smells like rotten eggs.

There are six Flag Raisers in the photo. Four in the front line and two in back.  The front four are (left to right) Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley and Harlon Block.  The back two are Michael Strank (behind Sousley) and Rene Gagnon (behind Bradley).  Strank, Block and Sousley would die shortly afterwards. Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon became national heroes within weeks.

The Stars and Stripes over Mount Suribachi after the flag raising.

16 January 2003 -- F-14 Tomcats assigned to the Black Knights of Fighter Squadron One Five Four (VF-154) fly by the memorial on Mt. Elkhart on Iwo Jima Island. The memorial is to the flag raising during Battle of Iwo Jima on top of Mt. Suribachi. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. William F. Evans.

The memorial reads:

"Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." — Nimitz. Dedicated to those who fought here by the Island Command AGF. Erected by the 31st USNCB. Old Glory was raised on this site 23 February 1945 by members of the Second Battalion, 28th Regiment, Fifth Marine Division.

There is a second memorial atop Mount Suribachi in homage to the Marines and Navy corpsmen killed on the island of Iwo Jima . More Marines were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions at Iwo Jima than in any other battle in U.S. history. In 36 days of fighting, there were 25,851 U.S. casualties – 6,825 killed. Virtually all 22,000 Japanese perished.

From Wikipedia:

The Battle of Iwo Jima (February 19 – March 26, 1945), or Operation Detachment, was a battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S. invasion, charged with the mission of capturing the three airfields on Iwo Jima, resulted in some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a vast network of bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 km (11 mi) of underground tunnels.  The Americans were covered by extensive naval and air support, capable of putting an enormous amount of firepower onto the Japanese positions. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the American overall casualties exceeded the Japanese,[5] although Japanese combat deaths numbered three times that of Americans. Of the more than 18,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner.[1] The rest were killed or missing and assumed dead.  Despite heavy fighting and casualties on both sides, Japanese defeat was assured from the start. The Americans possessed an overwhelming superiority in arms and numbers—this, coupled with the impossibility of Japanese retreat or reinforcement, ensured that there was no plausible scenario in which the United States could have lost the battle.

The battle was immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the 166 m (545 ft) Mount Suribachi by five Marines and one Navy Corpsman. The photograph records the second flag-raising on the mountain, which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. The picture became the iconic image of the battle and has been heavily reproduced.

The Iwo Jima Memorial, also known as the U. S. Marine Corps War Memorial, honors the Marines who have died defending the United States since 1775. The Iwo Jima Memorial is located near Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC.

The 32-foot-high sculpture of the Iwo Jima Memorial was inspired by a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of one of the most historic battles of World War II. Iwo Jima, a small island located 660 miles south of Tokyo, was the last territory that U.S. troops recaptured from the Japanese during World War II. The Iwo Jima Memorial statue depicts the scene of the flag raising by five Marines and a Navy hospital corpsman that signaled the successful takeover of the island. The capture of Iwo Jima eventually led to the end of the war in 1945.

The figures of the Marines in the Iwo Jima Memorial statue erect a 60-foot bronze flagpole from which a cloth flag flies 24 hours a day. The base of the memorial is made of rough Swedish granite which is inscribed with the names and dates of every principal member of the U. S. Marine Corps. Also engraved are the words "In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775."

The Star Spangled Banner

From our friends at the American Policy Roundtable

The Star Spangled Banner

Given what happened at the Super Bowl this year, it seems appropriate to recall the actual words of the Star Spangled Banner and remember the history of our national anthem. Dr. Jeff Sanders has put together a great blog you can read here.

The Actual Words of our National Anthem:
The Star Spangled Banner
(The Defense of Fort McHenry)
September 14, 1814
By Francis Scott Key

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - "In God is our trust,"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

(Complete version of "The Star Spangled Banner" from Francis Scott Key's manuscript in the Maryland Historical Society collection. Source: Smithsonian National Museum of American History.)

Ronald Reagan Forever Stamp

The Ronald Reagan “Forever Stamp” goes on sale Thursday, February 10, 2011.  I know it’s the only stamp I will be using going forward!

You can order a variety of First Day Issue Collectables from the Ronald Reagan Library.

This newly designated “Forever Stamp” honors President Reagan by celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth.  As United States Postal Service Board of Governors James C. Miller III said during the December 13, 2010 stamp unveiling, the stamp also “honors Reagan’s America – that “shining city on a hill,” that indefatigable spirit that no task is too much for us Americans, that sunny-faced optimism that has led us through the centuries.”

The stamp art, by Bart Forbes of Plano, TX, was created in oil wash on board. It is based on a photograph of Reagan taken in 1985, during his second term as President, at his beloved "Rancho del Cielo" (Ranch in the Sky), near Santa Barbara, CA.

Watch President Reagan's Centennial Celebration Live, February 5 - 6

 

Happy Birthday President Reagan!

Star Spangled Banner by 9 year old Dominique Dy

We have seen lots of YouTube videos of young singers and lots of videos of people singing the National Anthem.  (Some good and some terrible.) 

Here’s one form the “Excellent” category featuring 9 year old Dominique Dy singing the National Anthem at a Vanderbilt University basketball game on January 22, 2011.

Enjoy!

The extreme rhetoric should stop here

Hattip to RedState:

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Arizona there has been a lot of talk about the “tense political climate” and “extreme rhetoric.” Sadly, all that talk and the left’s determination to blame the right for the evil act committed by an apparently deranged young man has required that we do more than offer prayers condolences to victims and their families. Instead, we have been placed in a position from which we must push back against the left wing talking points that the shooting is the result of the right’s rhetoric.

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of the left wing media trying to blame the “tense political climate,” the “extreme rhetoric” and even this despicable shooting on the right. Nevertheless, there has been some “extreme rhetoric” that a reasonable person might conclude encourages violence. Consider the following examples of extreme rhetoric rounded up by theblogprof:  (click link to read all of Barack Obama’s rhetoric)

Continuing this theme: 

Hattip to Theodore Rhodes

A Trip Down Memory Lane

As the media casts Tea Party attendees as dangerous extremists voicing violent rhetoric, it's interesting to look back at some of the radicals the media spent years ignoring. The lesson of the media coverage: protests against President Bush were patriotic, while protests against President Obama are motivated purely by racism and bigotry.

WARNING:  Video contains some potty words.

The State of Our Union Is . . . Zzzzzzzzz

From NRO Newsletter -Morning Jolt

by Jim Geraghty

The night in a nutshell: President Obama was the salesman assuring you that you can afford the new sports car. Paul Ryan was your accountant, reminding you that you can't.

Dan McLaughlin summarizes his message as, "You're not screwed yet. But soon."

I'm told Rob Long saw "ten minutes of clarity, which beat sixty minutes of meandering."

Jon Henke: "Paul Ryan was great. Straightforward, sincere & he acknowledged that Republicans needed to earn back trust."

Jim Pethokoukis: "Listening to Ryan reminds me of listening to the late Jack Kemp, the utter belief and conviction. It's energizing."

Oh, and last night, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told Greta Van Susteren that the stimulus created or saved 3.1 million jobs.

Sigh.

 

Announcing the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program

 

Our Country Is Their Eternal Monument

Let each citizen in true gratitude proclaim to any foreign or domestic enemy who comes in the guise of deceit with intent to destroy: "We are Americans. Listen to our words, you enemies of God and country. Our country is a strong country and our message is a strong message. Our ancestors and our families have left their blood on the green of LExington, in the snows of Valley Forge, on the fields of Gettysburg. They have battled the noble cause of human dignity and freedom. Our American blood has even crimsoned the waters of the River Marne and the forest of Argonne, the beachheads of Salerno and Normandy; it has flowed on Iwo Jima and Pearl Harbor. Our country will live up to its ideals - ideals for which millions have sacrificed their lives.

Our country is their eternal monument."