"No Heils in America!"

I started school in the early 1950s. My Dad and my Uncles were all veterans of WWII. My Grandmother and my great uncles were all naturalized citizens. My great uncle Louie was a veteran of WWI; I have one of his medals hanging in my house. I never heard anything negative about living in America from any of those folks. Every morning from 1st grade to high school, I remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day. All of our assemblies started with the "Pledge", and all of our athletic events started with the National Anthem; I remember no controversy in regards to those practices. As a veteran, I feel this is a good practice for our children. No matter what others may think, the United States of America is the best and freest country on the earth. This nation offers the best chance for success to its citizens; more than any other nation, be it socialist, communist or monarchy, our republic is the crown jewel of all nations. If we didn't believe this, why did so many of our young men and women give up their lives for its existence? I take great pride in being an American. When the hippies were holding up pictures of Ho Chi Min while our soldiers and marines were dying in Viet Nam, I could feel my stomach turn at their lack of respect for our nation.

A group in Brookline, Massachusetts wants the Pledge of Allegiance pulled out of the town schools; they feel it is reflective of a totalitarian regime! When I heard this I was flabbergasted! To equate America with a totalitarian state is ludicrous and insane. I would like to know any other country that gives more freedom to express than America. I would like to know of any other country whose citizens willingly serve in a military without conscription and field the finest military in the world. These people must be left-over hippies who believe America is a bad place; although none of them seem to be in too big of a HURRY TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! These people say they are patriotic, yet they diminish America at every turn.

Loyalty to America isn't a "seig heil"; it is a pledge to stand behind our nation and the principles our founding fathers believed in and tried to pass on to us. Groups like this are trying to draw our children away from the ideals those great men of the past stated in our constitution. We have had over forty presidents; each voted in, and out, by the citizens of the United States of America; these are hardly the acts of a totalitarian nation. My fellow Americans, we must ask ourselves what is to be gained by the elimination of a pledge of loyalty to this great nation? If you are a socialist or a communist, perhaps you have your reasons; "eliminate loyalty and you eliminate the nation". I don't think five minutes a day in a pledge of loyalty to America will damage any children; it might even be a benefit. Try to remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln never had salutes that included their names; no "heils" in America!

"A Real Hero vs. a Pseudo-Intellectual!"

Yesterday was the anniversary of the cowardly terrorist attacks of 9-11. Everywhere you looked were ceremonies and flags flying in remembrance of this crime against America. We spoke about it in church, we heard about it at the start of all the football games, we had news coverage of it on all the cable channels; America continues to be moved and angered by this heinous action.

In New York, at the site of the towers, President Obama and the First Lady were present, as were former President Bush and his wife Laura. Oddly, New York Mayor Bloomberg didn't want clergy or first responders at this ceremony, especially since they were the first ones there when this disaster took place. Political correctness is idiocy, Mr. Mayor!

When former President Bush took the podium, you know, the man who has been castigated by the media for years; he was greeted with cheers and applause by the crowd in attendance. This fine man quoted a letter from Abraham Lincoln as he addressed the crowd; it was subdued and appropriate for the occasion; he is still "presidential".

Paul Krugman, a leftist columnist for the New York Times, wrote a blog condemning George Bush and Rudy Giuliani as "fake heroes". It was the usual leftist ranting about the war in Iraq and Bush's wish to destroy Saddam Hussein. Krugman is a Nobel Prize winner in economics. He is a professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (very appropriate); he has a B.A. from Yale and a P.H.D. from M.I.T. He was born in 1953, and my guess is he was a "hippie leftist" during the Viet Nam War; he has no military background in his records. He refused comment on his blog; could he have been afraid of what those comments could have been?

The New York Times used to be the standard for printed news all over the world; sadly, they have a diminishing readership and little influence in the real world outside of the left-wing loons. I believe history will have a much different verdict of George W. Bush than our current leftist pundits profess. I thank God we had a strong man in the White House on 9-11; I can't imagine what would have happened had Jimmy Carter been sitting in the Oval Office on that fateful day.

Regardless what that hateful Paul Krugman may say, America knows how fortunate we were to have a man who behaved like a hero in the White House on September 11, 2001!!

"Little Faces, and America's God"

Every day, I stand on the corner crossing grade schoolers on their way to school. I spend a little time talking to most of them. This morning, two sisters stopped to show me the things their mom got for them at a local garage sale; a key chain with shells on it, and a blue hair wig; they were quite excited to show me these things; their eyes sparkled and their speech animated. The boys crossed in groups talking loudly, some passed a football in front of the school: these young children make me smile on a daily basis; many thank me for helping them cross the street; I love polite kids!

This weekend we will be remembering the murderous attack America suffered on 9-11; it has been ten years since those cowards destroyed the Twin Towers and erased over 3,000 innocent lives. These are the same people who strap explosives to children to murder more innocent people in the name of a god. A similar practice took place in Viet Nam, as children were also sent into crowds of American soldiers with explosives hidden under their clothes. What could be more heinous than using children for the purpose of murder?

We have been told to be tolerant of others by our government. Tolerance of other people's beliefs is fine, as long as those beliefs don't infringe on the rights and well being of anyone else. My God teaches me that murder is wrong, and no one should be murdered in His name. My God wants people to come to Him, yet He allows everyone to make their own choice in belief. My God never has said if you don't believe in Him, you should be murdered. My God is a God of love, and would never send aircraft into any building on a mission for Him.

We should do all in our power to stop those fanatics who wish death and destruction on our great land. We need not be tolerant of murderers and lunatics. Those who choose to threaten the well being of America are subject to the wrath of the United States of America.

We should spend Sunday in reverent remembrance of those who were murdered; and we should dedicate our nation to the defense of all those "little faces" that I see every day, those who enjoy liberty in our great nation. Pray for America every day; ask God to protect and guide us. Our enemies will not take it easy on us; their god says we are supposed to "convert or die". My God says "Love thy neighbor". Which God is God?

"Vanishing Act!"

After "American Idol" was over, my wife and I got involved in "America's Got Talent", a variety talent show with a million dollar prize and a show in Las Vegas for the winner. The show is entertaining and showcases all types of performers; singers, dancers, dare-devils and magicians are just a few of the different acts one can see. I like magicians, but you don't see too many of them nowadays. I enjoyed watching David Copperfield and Doug Henning, as their tricks were always large scale and impressive. The king of magicians was Houdini, who was not only a great magician, but also the world's greatest escape artist. He was the first man to escape from a straight jacket while hanging upside down. He was chained into a trunk and dropped into a river, while in a straight jacket and escaped! Houdini was amazing; that man could really pull off a trick until his appendix ruptured and killed him while performing an escape from a water tank; sometimes a trick can go wrong. Houdini was always trying new illusions to entertain his audience so his act wouldn't get "stale"; after all, nobody wants to see the same act over and over again.

Tonight, our President, Barack Obama, will be addressing a joint session of Congress to explain his "new" economic program for job growth. This is a very dramatic forum for this type of speech. Joint sessions of Congress are usually reserved for a declaration of war, or State of the Union messages. This will supply Mr. Obama with a Democrat cheering section; he may need one. He has promised something that will change the course of America's unemployment dilemma. Last month, America didn't add ONE NEW JOB to the economy, and today's report on new unemployment claims have risen again. The "Summer of Recovery" we were promised last year didn't show up. The leaks I have heard about tonight's speech have said it is more spending by the federal government; $300,000,000,000 more. This is another Stimulus, regardless of the name he may use.

Mr. Obama isn't Houdini, although he may be trying to trick us into spending more money that we don't have on a plan that hasn't worked for the last three years! Tonight we will see how much of an "escape artist" Barack Obama really is. We will see if he can create an illusion that will fool America one more time, or use the same old tricks he pulled off in the past.

America, we must not fall into another attempt at failed economic theory from a president who has failed consistently since his first day in office. It is time for Americans to be the "magicians" and make Barack Obama "Disappear"!

"Let's Keep America American!"

I have seen films of the Olympic Games in Germany when Hitler was in power; as the nations passed the reviewing stand, each country would dip its flag in front of the dictator, except one, the United States of America. The refusal of the U. S. to dip our flag was something the German leader didn't appreciate, but he didn't make an issue of it. Back then, our flag really meant something to ALL Americans; and the idea of yielding to any other flag was unacceptable to all of our citizens.

In the same way, we feel that being an American sets us apart from other nations because of the way our Constitution shows us how important our individual rights are to us; no other laws are allowed to usurp our Constitution. Today, we seem to be willing to allow other governing bodies to affect our legal decisions; this is not legal under the Constitution of the United States of America. We enter into treaties with other nations, but those treaties have no influence on our American Constitution, and they never should!

America is slowly being indoctrinated into the belief that we should move the idea of American Exceptionalism out of our view of America. Our current Chief Executive has made statements to the effect that we should be more like Europe (he should move there).

Recently, I saw an article from the New York Times that endorses the idea of Sharia Law in some areas of the United States as a way of welcoming Muslim culture in America. I've written about Sharia Law in the past; it is barbaric and inhumane and has NO PLACE in the American legal system. Churches have doctrines which they follow, yet none of them usurp civil law. If this policy is accepted, it sets a dangerous precedent, and is totally against our Constitution.

On a related issue: at an elementary school in Colorado this week, our flag was lowered and replaced with the flag of Saudi Arabia! This was a private school; but federal law prohibits any other flag to be flown higher than the flag of the United States. Once again, America seems willing to give in to "political correctness" for the purpose of assuaging a minority group. These things are piling up all across America and they must be stopped! America's laws are defined under our Constitution; no other document or belief system is an option. The American Flag is the flag of our nation, and NO OTHER FLAG should ever fly above it. For those who want Sharia law and a different flag to live under, I have one suggestion: GO AWAY; GET OUT OF AMERICA! Those of us who like it here wish you well in you search for a better place; and don't let the door hit you in the a** on the way out!

"Adolph Would Be Proud!"

I lived in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood growing up. At one end of the block were the Attore and Nuzzo families; we also had the Tornabene family; there were countless families whose names ended in "vowels". We all had some common bonds because of common culture; when visiting a friend's house, we were undoubtedly asked to eat something; it is impolite to refuse food in an Italian home. I was never impolite! We all were taught respect to older people, and our parents were strict in the enforcement of this rule. Everybody who was old enough was a surrogate parent, with the ability to yell at you; and also to protect you. All of the fathers did very different jobs; there were bankers, dry cleaners, butchers, mechanics and contractors, just to name a few of the different occupations our dads had. Some of them were Republicans, and some of them were Democrats; all of them were Americans who only wanted the best for their nation and their families. Most of the political talk in my house was done in a normal tone of voice; I never heard anything personal said about someone who had a political difference with my parents. I believe this was a credit to their generation; a generation that gave so much to America. I believe it was that way because of what their generation saw before WWII in Europe. Germany was a hotbed of political dissidents and antisemitic hatred. Rioting and rabble rousing caused death and injury to throngs of Germans even before the rise of Adolph Hitler. Poor economics with runaway inflation had nearly destroyed their nation; they all looked to blame one another; sometimes with violent reactions.

This week-end, Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters Union, a union with a very clouded history, spoke at a rally for Barack Obama. The speech was reminiscent of speeches given in Berlin by a short man with a "Chaplin" moustache. It was rhetoric filled with hatred and blame: Josef Goebbels couldn't have written it any better. Hoffa stood on the podium, arms waving in sweeping gestures, shouting at the top of his lungs in condemnation of the members of the TEA Party movement. He indicted those Americans with the problem of our stagnant economic situation. In a "thug-like" phrase, he said they were "son-of-a-bitches", who needed to be "eliminated"! Does this not remind you of the "Little Corporal"? Mr. Hoffa had no facts to prove any of his allegations; only threats and epithets; just hateful rantings! After Hoffa left the speakers stand, Barack Obama took over with his prepared statement; he said nothing of the vocal poison that had preceded him. This was tacit endorsement of hatred by Barack Obama; the man who wanted to "stop the hateful rhetoric". I guess it all depends on who this rhetoric is directed toward; Eh, Mr. Obama?

As Americans, we cannot allow the poisonous verbiage of a street thug incite us to violent action; especially when that thug has so much to gain from his support for the current administration; we all know how Mr. Obama feels about unions and "sweetheart contracts". I laud the TEA Party for their stand against the destruction of our Constitution and expansion of the Federal Bureaucracy. The real threat to America lies in those who wish to silence the truth; and nobody knows how to "shut people up" like the Teamsters!

"Talk To Each Other"

Monday is Labor Day; a day off, and the unofficial end of summer. School is now in full swing across the nation, pools are closed, beaches are empty and football season is a reality! When we were kids, my Dad would load up the car and take us to the "Chain-O-Lakes" in northern Illinois; we had a boat there and a sand beach to swim in. We all knew the next day we were going back to school and we wanted the day to last forever. This was our last chance to escape reality before the routine of the school year took over our lives. Don't get me wrong, we all liked school well enough; but after all, it wasn't the beach, or "crusin'" with the radio blasting. Soon, we would feel the crisp cool of autumn mornings, and leaves changing colors and falling on the lawn that I would have to rake; way back then you could burn your leaves at the curb. Neighbors would gather around their piles of smoking leaves, and many conversations were begun in the sweet musk of those leaves.

Today, we don't burn leaves anymore; we put them in environmental bags for proper disposal; nobody stands by the curb and talks to his neighbor about the happenings in the community, or how badly their local team did in the last baseball season. Today we sit in the dimness of our homes; hunched in front of a computer screen, or stretched out in a recliner, watching a 52" television. We have become separated from each other. We have some local festivals, yet we don't have too many block parties anymore. Way back in my younger days, Mom and Dad knew all our neighbors and their children; and that was in Chicago. Now, we seldom exchange words with neighbors, escaping into our homes as soon as we get back from shopping or work.

America has become a great nation because of the multitude of people who have taken the time to talk to each other. Our modern society has driven a wedge between people as technology has pulled us into our own insulated little world. The only people I know who gather on a regular basis are those who attend church.

Our nation is being maneuvered because of our separation from one another. Stereotypes are being used to portray segments of our community as less than loyal Americans. Half-truth and innuendo seems to be rampant in today's dialogue. The word racism is used like a "flame thrower", covering masses of good American people who wish to voice their opinion in a democratic forum.

Tuesday we are back to business as usual in America. We cannot continue to pursue this path of character assassination and blanket hatred of each other. I urge all of us to talk to each other about the issues; not the rabble rousing crap that some people thrive upon. Summer is coming to an end; no "cruisin" and no beaches; if we don't meet reasonably we may not get a summer next year. Don't be blinded by mindless rantings about any group; ask somebody who is in that group. Talk to each other!!

(This is my last blog until Tuesday; enjoy your holiday. T.P.)