WHAT????

FIRED FOR ONE'S POLITICAL BELIEF'S?? 

How intolerant, prejudicial, bias and racist is that?

Are we living in a democratic republic or a totalitarian state?

ERMEY FIRED

A CAPITOL DUD

I have just finished watching, excuse my language and for lack of a better phrase, a huge Suck Fest on PBS.

It was billed as A Capitol Fourth : America's Independence Day Celebration.

It ran for one and a half hours.  The first hour and fifteen minutes was nothing but a concert which featured mediocre talent from the past and present that sang tunes from the seventies through the nineties.  

None of it was entertaining and there were no headliners which appeared in the performances.  I guess the entire tone for the whole program was represented by the melba milk toast, little known host, Tom Bergeron.  PLEASE!!!!!

Let me get this straight, to celebrate the 236th birthday of the United States we'll entertain a national audience with singing talent, no one knows and a host, most Americans have never heard of!  WHY?

The last fifteen minutes was filled with orchestral music that included Souza marches and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture intermixed with a visual background scene of a giant fireworks display.  Fine, the martial music is appropriate for the celebration BUT why would a piece of music that celebrates the Russian victory in defense of the French taking Moscow, have to do with our thirteen colonies in North America, separating from the control of England in 1776?

Why do we celebrate national holidays?  To remember seminal events in our nation's history and give thanks to those who sacrificed for us as well as to understand the experience in the context of the past and how it shapes our future.  So where was any allusion to historical events? 

There was none.

The Declaration of Independence was never mentioned or discussed.  There was no allusion to our Founding Fathers or reference to the American Revolution.  The significance of the event of July 4, 1776 was never related to any event that took place that was part of our nation's history or identity.

Has the July Fourth holiday just become a reason for a day off, or a reason for a barbeque, or a reason for a sale of merchandise or the cheapest reason for a mindless celebration?

It is a national disgrace that we as a society have lost our reverence for and our honoring of those who have come before us and who sacrificed so much. 

How sad, how very sad.

How about the following.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ..."

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Thank God, some of us remember. 

Thank you, to those of you, who came before us and have had the vision to create the greatest country on the planet. 

May God bless the United States of America.

BUREAUCRATIC BRAVO SIERRA

Well I almost said something nice about The Gettysburg Foundation this week.  Alas, almost!!

A friend alerted me on facebook that The Gettysburg Foundation and the Gettysburg National Military Park were offering a plethora of talks about the Civil War.  When I checked it out, there were to be three days of talks, all for free on June 29, 30 and July 1, along with book signings.  WOW! GREAT!

When I looked the schedule over I found most of the ones I was interested in were set for the afternoon of June 29. 

Earlier today, I traveled to the visitor's center and even found parking in the regular lot.  What a great day, in spite of the heat, history lectures and good companionship, what else would you need?  (At my house the temperature was 102 degrees in the shade!!)

As I approached the visitor's center I heard the muffled sound of a voice on a loudspeaker.  As I got nearer the building, I realized the talks are being given outside under a tent!!!!!!!!!!!  One hundred and two degrees in the shade!?!?!?

I was incredulous. 

The programs are being presented in a marquee adjacent to a multimillion dollar temperature controlled boondoggle!  I paused for a moment and listened to a few words that speaker was saying during his talk on the Maryland Campaign.

I found the heat stifling in spite of the fact at least a half dozen fans were set on full blast.   I immediately thought of the Ford Motor Company Lecture rooms.

As I entered the building, I noticed a noted author basking in the temperature controlled climate.  He had a total of one person in his queue. 

I went to the back of the building and checked on the lecture rooms.  The large room had the divider up, both doors were locked and NOT ONE PERSON WAS IN EITHER ROOM!!

Upon returning to the front of the building I noticed the author still had only one person in the line.

As I left the building I was furious.  Is it just me? 

As a taxpayer I was outraged at the National Park Service.  And as for The Gettysburg Foundation, this is exactly why I now hold my monetary  support.

"This event is free."  Indeed it was.  The question is, should it have been located in the empty air conditioned classroom instead of outside in the oppressive heat.

Needless to say I did not stay for the lectures.  As I traveled home I calmed down.  I began to realize that the Gettysburg National Military Park is about the men and women who sacrificed and suffered there.  It is not about the incompetent bureaucratic bunglers that have been placed in charge of caring for and overseeing that hallowed ground.

I hope everyone has a meaningful and satisfying July Fourth holiday. 

May God bless the United States of America.

Veteran Credits for Civil Service Jobs

The topic of veteran credit preferences for civil service jobs was raised recently by a fellow blogger.  My comment on his blog was not what follows, but it was in the back of my mind when I responded to his posting.

On June 9, 2010, while on patrol in Afghanistan, an armored vehicle in which Marine Corporal Luke McDermott was traveling was hit by a roadside bomb.  

Corporal McDermott survived, but his right leg was amputated below his knee. His left leg was also seriously injured, with many broken bones, especially in his foot.  This incident occurred while McDermott was voluntarily serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

While Luke was being treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, doctors determined that the injuries in his left leg were so severe that it also required amputation.  Corporal McDermott was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  

The operation was successful and rehabilitation was begun immediately.

Luke maintained a good attitude in rehab and had recovered so much that he started to become physically active in a variety of activities.  One of his first accomplishments was to bag a real trophy.  On October 29, 2010, Marine Corporal Luke McDermott bagged an eleven point buck while hunting in Texas.  Not bad for a guy with no legs below the knee!

Luke also participated in other sports with other injured soldiers which included ice hockey and bicycling.  The bicycling took him to Europe in  which a portion of the route included the beaches of Normandy.  A fitting tribute to all our military men and women that ever served.

One poignant moment was caught on camera.  On May 30, 2011, Marine Corporal Luke McDermott marched in the Memorial Day parade in his hometown of Greenville, New York.  It was almost one year after he was wounded. 

Luke McDermott has since retired from the Marine Corps and has entered college.

Do you think our veterans deserve preferences for civil service jobs?  No further discussion necessary.

It's just something to think about.

The story of a hometown hero.

Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!

Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Next Sunday the 15th, is traditional Eastern Orthodox Easter since it follows the Julian Calendar and always occurs after Passover. 

Happy Easter and have a good Passover.


In the tradition of the Carpatho-Rusyn Church I will celebrate Easter next Sunday.

Regardless, God bless you all!

This Russian Orthodox cross is located in the 

Kaiser Wilhelm Church in Berlin, Germany.

This explains the cross's significance.

Commissar Obama Speaks Again

Well, there he goes again.

Today President Obama belittled  a co-equal branch of government.  He couched his argument from the view point of conservatives that have criticized the practice of laws being made from the bench rather than the legislature.  This was obviously an extremely feeble attempt to elicit support from the right.  Don't hold your breath Mr. President.

He opined that he doesn't believe an unelected body, such as the Supreme Court should overturn a law that was overwhelmingly passed by Congress in regards to health care.

It seems the Commissar fears the intervention of another co-equal branch of government is unnecessary.  On the contrary, whether anyone likes it or not, bad law needs to be examined at all levels.  This is exactly why there is a Supreme Court, not a Supreme President!

The purpose of an independent judiciary is to interpret the meaning of laws taking into account their constitutionality.  It doesn't matter if the law is popular or was overwhelmingly passed.  That is immaterial.  The Supreme Court rules on constitutionality of the statues and regulations.  Laws that are deemed unconstitutional can  be re-written and therefore reexamined.

Commissar Obama is playing a dangerous game of over stepping his authority as defined in the Constitution. 

Indeed, not all rulings of the court have appeared just nor have appeared to follow common sense or even legal guidelines.  The Dred Scott decision and Roe v. Wade come to mind.  But alas, the Supremes have the final say on the legality of laws or regulations.

But then again, presidents of the United States understand this,  but commissars get testy when their authority, desires and dictates are challenged. (A mild odor of FDR at this juncture!)

It is quite possible that the Supreme Court may rule in favor of the health care laws that are currently being contested.  This would make his veiled threat a mute point, BUT make it he did! 


What made the situation worse is that he did it in an inappropriate setting with two other world leaders present.  How shameful!


The president surely knows better than to say the court has no authority to examine this law and if they deem, strike it down on constitutional grounds.  This from a college professor that taught  constitutional law.

There was another instance which was just as egregious.  Remember back in the State of the Union speech in January of 2010, when he expressed his displeasure at the court's decision in the Citizens United case.  He embarassed the justices and all Americans by chastising them in front of a world wide audience.  Decorum prevented the justices from responding except for Alito's shaking of his head indicating no.  The president was wrong then; the president is wrong now. 

President Obama has shown the world his arrogance and distain for people that disagree with him.  Does he deserve to be reelected?  I think not.

It's just something to think about.


For another opinion, click here.

Anniversary, So What?

What's more meaningful , the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War or the Bicentennial of the War of 1812?

Remember the grand hoopla of the 200th birthday of our country in 1976?  (Oh that's right, some of you weren't even born yet!)  Except for the fireworks and the new commemorative postage stamps, it was much ado about nothing.

And we all remember the big yawn of the Bicentennial of Lincoln's birth?  It was so important that at the re-dedication of the Lincoln Memorial the President of the United States was nowhere to be found.  Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, wearing his white cowboy hat represented President Obama.

Do these remembrances on the anniversary mean anything more if it was 132 years or 76 years?  I have come to believe the ____centennial commemorations are no more meaningful than the off year types.

I started visiting Gettysburg in the early 1990s.  When I was lucky I would be able to make it several times a year.  The trip to Gettysburg was what made the time in between visits bearable.  So when I retired in 2007, I purchased a home there and moved there to enjoy my retirement years near the sacred and hallowed ground.

Over the last several years my passion has increased for that rolling landscape and it has started to expand to other sites associated with American history. 

I tend to avoid the crowds of visitors which include the costumed middle-aged Americans trying to look like our thinner and leaner ancestors.  The primary reason is I dislike crowds but I also think it is silly to dress up in bygone clothing unless there is an educational purpose involved..  And to be honest,  when the crowds are gone who is there to view the graves or monuments and who is there to truly remember or commemorate?  Usually, it's just Max and I.

I think it is equally  important to remember that 2012 is the Bicentennial year of the start of the War of 1812 and a year during the sesquicentennial of the American civil war.  Americans sacrificed and suffered in both wars and that includes American Indians.

I believe anniversary dates are more important to tourism, the guiding profession and book authors rather than truly remembering the sacrifices of those who have gone before us.

It's just something to think about.

Max and I.

Wyoming Monument.

All rights  reserved. Gerald J. Desko 2012