Let Your Ideas Fly

Once again, I went to participate in the Marietta Kiwanis Veterans Day 2009 Parade and celebration.  And once again, it was a day of patriotic songs, veterans Day Proclamations, Veterans Day Traditions, and all-in-all, a most moving, inspiring, patriotic, and incredibly humbling event!

I can still remember returning from active duty in the US Navy during the Vietnam War and seeing and hearing crowds of war dissenters yelling fowl stuff at me and my compatriots. Luckily, all the wonderful comments and commemorations from grateful, appreciative friends, acquaintances, and even people I will never know in the last 20 years have greatly diminished the unpleasant memories of my return from active duty.

I remember my Dad, a decorated WWII pilot, saying to me once that he felt really bad that my generation of warriors, returning from the Vietnam War, were never treated with the dignity and appreciation that his generation received. He actually marched in both the New York City and Washington, DC  “Returning Veterans Parades” at the end of WWII!

I saw this little excerpt (from where I don’t know), but thought it worth repeating:

“Somewhere in the world tomorrow, an American soldier will ring in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day with gunfire. Another will arrive home after an honorable tour of duty, perhaps passing brothers and sisters in arms saying farewell to their families. A mother’s tears will fall on a letter from the far side of the world. Old veterans will spend a beautiful afternoon watching children play beneath the flag they raised at Anzio, Guadalcanal, Incheon, or Khe Sanh. Young veterans will put their lives on the line, to give the children of Iraq and Afghanistan a chance at a future free from murderous evil. A little girl will playfully salute a uniform she will one day grow up to wear. A pilot will land a machine that was impossible in his grandfather’s day on the heaving deck of an aircraft carrier. The USS New York will ride at anchor, close to the site of the fallen buildings whose bones became her steel.

The veterans of the United States military have always been there for us, in the desperate eleventh hour of our need…”

God bless our Veterans on Veterans Day and every other day, wherever they may be!

This is a short video depicts 10,000+ concerned citizens who rallied, within 3 days of a call from Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, MN, on the steps of the US Capitol to voice their displeasure at the 111^th Congress, controlled by the Democratic Party.

http://bit.ly/1uK4Ab

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat cohorts are attempting to ram through HB 3962 before the end of this weekend. She has consistently refused to even allow the “72 hour Internet Posting review”, much less bi-partisan involvement!

Amid chants of “Kill the Bill” and “Yes We Can”, these concerned citizen attempted to meet with their Congressional Representatives to discuss these concerns. Some Representatives flatly refused to meet with them, and then others were most gracious to take time out of their busy schedules to listen to the complaints.

You will notice that this was a very peaceful demonstration of our right to assemble and of freedom of speech. Actually, you can see a “dissenting sign” in the left corner of the video. Noted guest speakers at the rally were Mark Levin, Congresspersons Michelle Bachmann and Tom Price (GA), John Ratzenberger (as “Cliff” of “Cheers” fame), etc.

Flying Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor Simulator

I recently had the distinct privilege and JOY of flying Lockheed’s new F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. To say it was exhilarating is a gross understatement!

You first step into the cockpit and sit right in the pilot’s seat. Then you notice that there is the huge screen in front of you that will project the image of where you are flying, as if you were actually up in the air! I started at 40,000 feet, at 1.5 times the speed of sound, and that alone scared the puddin’ out of me! They call this phenomenon “Super Cruise”!

The world of clouds, mountains, rivers, cities, terrain, etc. is all laid out below, just as if you were actually flying this beast. Next, you get a radar warning that you have four enemy MIGS headed directly towards you at a closure speed of over 2,000 mph! I can’t hardly get my hands around the concept of going 120 mph in my car!

Well, this jet automatically “locked-up” all four MIGS, with the pressing of a button, decided which internal missiles it would shoot (and in what order), and then I calmly pulled the trigger four times and away sped these missiles! In a second or two (so it seemed!), there were four tiny little white “poofs” of smoke way, way off in the distance, and the four MIGS were gone!

I then pushed up the speed and in another second or two, I was passing four white parachutes!! The detail of thought that has gone into making this simulator seem as real as possible is unbelievable!

I then returned to base and calmly landed this miraculous, marvelous machine. I actually had three good lands as I bounced down the runaway! And the most amazing part was that no one, and I mean no one ever knew I was up in the air, because of its stealthy capabilities! Lockheed has built a most incredible, awesome piece of art!!!

This past weekend was the annual football war between the University of Florida “Gators” and the University of Georgia “Bulldogs”, and is commonly billed as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”! It’s always held at the neutral site of Jacksonville, Florida, where the original “Gator Bowl” stadium used to be.

The wonderful thing about this game is that, for the entire week preceding the game (held on Saturday), the entire city is “a-buzz” with game fever and colored either red and black (for the Bulldogs) or blue and orange (for the Gators). The other fantastic thing about this game is that, since it’s a neutral site for both schools, 50% of the tickets go to Georgia and 50% go to Florida! In essence, the stadium is split right down the middle for the fans!

One other special treat that I always treasure is that I have some dear friends who own a restaurant and have the unique fortune of living on the “St. Johns River” that runs through the middle of Jacksonville and directly beside the stadium. So, we load up their 40 foot, 1934 “Chris-Craft” cruiser with copious amounts of food, ice, adult beverages, and a flat-screen TV, and head out to the game. As Mack, the owner describes it, we don’t just go to the game, we “proceed” to the game!

About 90 minutes later, we arrive at the “Gator Bowl” with a 100 other yachts, all vying for a berth! Then the fun begins as everyone “rafts” up next to each other, and then climbs from one boat to the next until they reach shore, where they then head off to the stadium. Of course, there are certain “protocols” to be followed, too. For instance, everyone coming on board your, headed to the shore, can get a drink, some ice, some mixer, or – if wearing the right school colors, and big hug!

After the game, it’s just the reverse procedure, only a little slower as most everyone has “killed a few brain-cells” during the game. And, of course, if your team wins, this wonderful tradition and day is even more special!

GO GATORS!!!

Sandy

I’ve just found the coolest place on the internet.  I purchase a lot of products online and am always looking for the best discounts and prices.  After taking a look at Blastoff Network, I realize the best discounts are listed here for me in one place.  This saves me a boat load of time, energy and endless searching…

You will want to check this out.  It just launched!!!

Go now to:

http://bit.ly/4aOxQ