This is one of the
Best prayers
I think I have ever read.
PRAY THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T
FEEL LIKE IT!!
IT WILL ONLY TAKE A MINUTE.
I started not to do this, but as
I read it....
I understood God to say,
'You need a miracle tomorrow'
so here goes....Prov. 29:25
You never know
when God is going to bless you!!
Good things happen when
you least expect them to !!!!!!!!
Change the number in the subject box
when you forward it by adding one!!!
Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,
I thank You for my being able to see
and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because You are
a forgiving God and
an understanding God.
You have done so much for me
and You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything
I have done, said or thought
that was not pleasing to you.
I ask now for Your forgiveness.
Please keep me safe
from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day
with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day
to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.
Please broaden my mind
that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper
over things I have no control over.
And give me the best response
when I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray,
You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be
a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak...
Keep me uplifted that I may have
words of encouragement for others.
I pray for those that are lost
and can't find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged
and misunderstood.
I pray for those who
don't know You intimately..
I pray for those that will delete this
without sharing it with others
I pray for those that don't believe.
But I thank You that I believe
that God changes people and
God changes things.
I pray for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member
in their households.
I pray for peace, love and joy
in their homes; that they are out of debt
and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this
knows there is no problem, circumstance,
or situation greater than God.
Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.
I pray that these words be received
into the hearts of every eye that sees it
in Jesus' name. Amen!
If you prayed this prayer,
change the number in the subject box
before forwarding the message
so people can see how many
other people have done so.
God Bless ! ! ! ! !
Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Skinny on Zip Codes Sonny Hoskins
----- Original Message -----
From: Ramey Hoskins
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:57 PM
Subject: Fw: [VOCHAT] TONS OF INFO ON YOUR ZIPCODE
Cool!
Http://zipskinny.com/
Check out your zip code~you will not believe the information you will find
There!
From: Ramey Hoskins
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:57 PM
Subject: Fw: [VOCHAT] TONS OF INFO ON YOUR ZIPCODE
Cool!
Http://zipskinny.com/
Check out your zip code~you will not believe the information you will find
There!
This is from a great patriot and 1950 classmate with my humble reply
Subject: My Reply- Not a Christian Nation?
I wonder if the b Hussein o could come up with a list to compare with these quotes during any of his self-advancing oratories? Could He or any other of the antis with all of their self-acclaimed intelligence? I think not.
There are so many black Christians and great American blacks. Why was this one picked to lead our country and be the Commander in Chief? That is politics and money.
He nearly always admits mistakes but continues in moving his agenda forward. American voters should admit their greivous error in voting this person to the most powerful office currently among humans.
He wil leave this country powerless and has altready gone a long way in the dismantling of it.
Because of the good, and the riches in this nation, people have been helped in catastrophies all over this world. He should never apologize for all the graves of American service people in France and throughout the world. God has blessed America and America has turned its back on God. God knows when our representatives have shown arrogance, but this person should not tear down the good of these fellow Americans he represents. Grace Hopper, our first lady Admiral, said people don't want managers. Grace also said that soldiers don't want to be managed into battle, they want to be led into battle.
American people want leaders. Most of our supposed representatives consider themselves managers. We should limit their time in office, and strive for real leaders.
We were never a fully Christian nation wherein each citizen proclaimed Christianity. Heaven alone may claim that under God, the greatest of leaders, and His Son, Jesus. Of course, as a citizen of the world, I am happy to share these beliefs with the great majority of Americans and with Christians throughout.
Sam
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Not a Christian Nation?
A few weeks ago President Barack Obama made the statement to the Turkish president that (and this is a quote) "we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
I believe this president needs to read our history. Below are quotes from previous presidents and statesmen that say just the opposite. Our country was founded on Chrstian principles from the beginning and as stated by Patrick Henry
"America Was Not Founded By Religionists Nor On Any Religion, But On The GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST." –
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America was not founded by religionists nor on any religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." –
Patrick Henry
Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims' own words from the famous "Mayflower Compact" tell it all: "Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and the honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern Part of Virginia; do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”
President George Washington,
"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."
- President Thomas Jefferson
God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath, Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."-
President Thomas Jefferson
“I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands... the Bible makes the best people in the world."
President Thomas Jefferson
"My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising... It seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day... It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue."
President John Quincy Adams
“There is a book worth all other books which were ever printed.”
Patrick Henry,
"We have staked the whole of our political institutions on the capacity of mankind to govern themselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." –
President James Madison
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests."
President Andrew Jackson
“A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education.”
“I believe that the Bible is to be understood and received in the plain and obvious meaning of its passages; for I cannot persuade myself that a book intended for the instruction and conversion of the whole world should cover its true meaning in any such mystery and doubt that none but critics and philosophers can discover it.”
“Education is useless without the Bible.”
Daniel Webster,
“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”
President Ronald Reagan,
“In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
Robert E. Lee,
“I am busily engaged in the study of the Bible. I believe it is God’s word because it finds me where I am.”
President Abraham Lincoln
The only assurance of our nation's safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion." –
President Abraham Lincoln
In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”
President Abraham Lincoln
"The Bible is the sheet-anchor of our liberties."
President Ulysses S. Grant
"Let us look forward to the time when we can take the flag of our country and nail it below the Cross, and there let it wave as it waved in the olden times, and let us gather around it and inscribe for our motto: 'Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever", and exclaim: Christ first, our country next!"-
President Andrew Johnson
“When you have read the Bible, you know it is the word of God, because it is the key to your heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.”
President Theodore Roosevelt,
"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
President Theodore Roosevelt,
“To every man who faces life with real desire to do his part in everything, I appeal for a study of the Bible."
President Theodore Roosevelt,
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”
President Woodrow Wilson,
A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.....The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God, and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture." –
President Woodrow Wilson
“I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask every man and woman in this audience that from this day on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great Book (the Bible)."
President Woodrow Wilson
The strength of our country is the strength of its religious convictions. The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."-
President Calvin Coolidge
"Menaced by collectivist trends, we must seek revival of our strength in the spiritual foundations which are the bedrock of our republic. Democracy is the outgrowth of the religious conviction of the sacredness of every human life. On the religious side, its highest embodiment is the Bible; on the political side, the Constitution."-
President Herbert Hoover
"The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience."
President Herbert Hoover
"We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity." –
President Franklin Roosevelt
"The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!"-
President Harry Truman
"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope."
President Dwight Eisenhower
"We in this country, in this generation are, by destiny rather than choice, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. That must always be our goal. For as was written long ago, 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'."-
President John Kennedy
"Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be."-
President Gerald Ford
"Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President in 1789, and I have just taken the oath of office on the Bible my mother gave me just a few years ago, opened to the timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah: 'He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God"-
President Jimmy Carter
We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon."
- President Jimmy Carter
"Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance, and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always."-
President Ronald Reagan
"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face."
President Ronald Reagan
"The great faith that led our nation's founding fathers to pursue this bold experience in self-government has sustained us in uncertain and perilous times; it has given us strength and inspiration to this very day. Like them, we do very well to recall our 'firm reliance on the protection of divine providence' to give thanks for the freedom and prosperity this nation enjoys, and to pray for continued help and guidance from our wise and loving Creator."-
President George Bush
"I was humbled to learn that God sent His Son to die for a sinner like me."
- President George W. Bush
I wonder if the b Hussein o could come up with a list to compare with these quotes during any of his self-advancing oratories? Could He or any other of the antis with all of their self-acclaimed intelligence? I think not.
There are so many black Christians and great American blacks. Why was this one picked to lead our country and be the Commander in Chief? That is politics and money.
He nearly always admits mistakes but continues in moving his agenda forward. American voters should admit their greivous error in voting this person to the most powerful office currently among humans.
He wil leave this country powerless and has altready gone a long way in the dismantling of it.
Because of the good, and the riches in this nation, people have been helped in catastrophies all over this world. He should never apologize for all the graves of American service people in France and throughout the world. God has blessed America and America has turned its back on God. God knows when our representatives have shown arrogance, but this person should not tear down the good of these fellow Americans he represents. Grace Hopper, our first lady Admiral, said people don't want managers. Grace also said that soldiers don't want to be managed into battle, they want to be led into battle.
American people want leaders. Most of our supposed representatives consider themselves managers. We should limit their time in office, and strive for real leaders.
We were never a fully Christian nation wherein each citizen proclaimed Christianity. Heaven alone may claim that under God, the greatest of leaders, and His Son, Jesus. Of course, as a citizen of the world, I am happy to share these beliefs with the great majority of Americans and with Christians throughout.
Sam
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Not a Christian Nation?
A few weeks ago President Barack Obama made the statement to the Turkish president that (and this is a quote) "we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
I believe this president needs to read our history. Below are quotes from previous presidents and statesmen that say just the opposite. Our country was founded on Chrstian principles from the beginning and as stated by Patrick Henry
"America Was Not Founded By Religionists Nor On Any Religion, But On The GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST." –
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
America was not founded by religionists nor on any religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." –
Patrick Henry
Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims' own words from the famous "Mayflower Compact" tell it all: "Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and the honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern Part of Virginia; do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”
President George Washington,
"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."
- President Thomas Jefferson
God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath, Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."-
President Thomas Jefferson
“I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands... the Bible makes the best people in the world."
President Thomas Jefferson
"My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising... It seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day... It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue."
President John Quincy Adams
“There is a book worth all other books which were ever printed.”
Patrick Henry,
"We have staked the whole of our political institutions on the capacity of mankind to govern themselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." –
President James Madison
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests."
President Andrew Jackson
“A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education.”
“I believe that the Bible is to be understood and received in the plain and obvious meaning of its passages; for I cannot persuade myself that a book intended for the instruction and conversion of the whole world should cover its true meaning in any such mystery and doubt that none but critics and philosophers can discover it.”
“Education is useless without the Bible.”
Daniel Webster,
“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”
President Ronald Reagan,
“In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
Robert E. Lee,
“I am busily engaged in the study of the Bible. I believe it is God’s word because it finds me where I am.”
President Abraham Lincoln
The only assurance of our nation's safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion." –
President Abraham Lincoln
In regards to this great Book (the Bible), I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are found portrayed in it.”
President Abraham Lincoln
"The Bible is the sheet-anchor of our liberties."
President Ulysses S. Grant
"Let us look forward to the time when we can take the flag of our country and nail it below the Cross, and there let it wave as it waved in the olden times, and let us gather around it and inscribe for our motto: 'Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever", and exclaim: Christ first, our country next!"-
President Andrew Johnson
“When you have read the Bible, you know it is the word of God, because it is the key to your heart, your own happiness, and your own duty.”
President Theodore Roosevelt,
"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
President Theodore Roosevelt,
“To every man who faces life with real desire to do his part in everything, I appeal for a study of the Bible."
President Theodore Roosevelt,
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.”
President Woodrow Wilson,
A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.....The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God, and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture." –
President Woodrow Wilson
“I have a very simple thing to ask of you. I ask every man and woman in this audience that from this day on they will realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily perusal of this great Book (the Bible)."
President Woodrow Wilson
The strength of our country is the strength of its religious convictions. The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."-
President Calvin Coolidge
"Menaced by collectivist trends, we must seek revival of our strength in the spiritual foundations which are the bedrock of our republic. Democracy is the outgrowth of the religious conviction of the sacredness of every human life. On the religious side, its highest embodiment is the Bible; on the political side, the Constitution."-
President Herbert Hoover
"The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience."
President Herbert Hoover
"We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity." –
President Franklin Roosevelt
"The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!"-
President Harry Truman
"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope."
President Dwight Eisenhower
"We in this country, in this generation are, by destiny rather than choice, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. That must always be our goal. For as was written long ago, 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'."-
President John Kennedy
"Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be."-
President Gerald Ford
"Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President in 1789, and I have just taken the oath of office on the Bible my mother gave me just a few years ago, opened to the timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah: 'He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God"-
President Jimmy Carter
We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon."
- President Jimmy Carter
"Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance, and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always."-
President Ronald Reagan
"Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face."
President Ronald Reagan
"The great faith that led our nation's founding fathers to pursue this bold experience in self-government has sustained us in uncertain and perilous times; it has given us strength and inspiration to this very day. Like them, we do very well to recall our 'firm reliance on the protection of divine providence' to give thanks for the freedom and prosperity this nation enjoys, and to pray for continued help and guidance from our wise and loving Creator."-
President George Bush
"I was humbled to learn that God sent His Son to die for a sinner like me."
- President George W. Bush
aphorisms- Clay Vice e-mail
Good morning, Clay and thanks for the aphorisms (especially the definition Clay-O-Clock)!
APHORISM: A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE
EXPRESSING A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION
OR A GENERAL TRUTH.
1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always
starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will
make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably
don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when
you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is
afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants
to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they
demonstrate how many people a company can
operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger
than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy
who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get
more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a
wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
13. No one ever says 'It's only a game.' when their
team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a
nap.
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way
you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not
everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have
thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?
(And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's
more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After 50, IF you don't wake up aching in every
joint, you are probably dead!!
20. Always be yourself because the people that
matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't
matter!
I relate best to # 14, Clay. Afternoon naps are simply delicious.
APHORISM: A SHORT, POINTED SENTENCE
EXPRESSING A WISE OR CLEVER OBSERVATION
OR A GENERAL TRUTH.
1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always
starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will
make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably
don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when
you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is
afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants
to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they
demonstrate how many people a company can
operate without.
8. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger
than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a cat and you will have a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy
who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get
more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a
wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
13. No one ever says 'It's only a game.' when their
team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a
nap.
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way
you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not
everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have
thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?
(And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's
more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
19. After 50, IF you don't wake up aching in every
joint, you are probably dead!!
20. Always be yourself because the people that
matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't
matter!
I relate best to # 14, Clay. Afternoon naps are simply delicious.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
What is an American? Jack P. from Keith & Pat Brooker
Thanks Jack and the Brookers! Good things from good Portsmouth people!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Keith & Pat Brooker
Date: Apr 21, 2009 1:06 PM
Subject: What is an AMERICAN ?
To:
THANKS AUSTRALIA THIS IS AWESOME
Written by an Australian Dentist
To Kill an American
You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a
report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an
offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let
everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found
one. (Good one, mate!!!!)
'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish
, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican,
African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian,
Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot,
Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as
native Americans.
An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or
Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims i n America than in
Afghanistan.The only difference is that in America they are free to
worship as each of them chooses.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will
answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming
to speak for the government and for God.
An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of
Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to
the pursuit of happiness..
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every
other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing
in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago,
Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back
their country!
As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any
other nation to the poor in Afghanistan .
The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your
tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the
homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built
America .
Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September
11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told
that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different
countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided
and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did
General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty
tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing
yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a
particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of
freedom.. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an
American.
Please keep this going!
Pass this around the World .
Then pass it around again. It says it all, for all of us
Please do not just delete.
Pass it on first.
Thanks!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Keith & Pat Brooker
Date: Apr 21, 2009 1:06 PM
Subject: What is an AMERICAN ?
To:
THANKS AUSTRALIA THIS IS AWESOME
Written by an Australian Dentist
To Kill an American
You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a
report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an
offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let
everyone know what an American is . So they would know when they found
one. (Good one, mate!!!!)
'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish
, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican,
African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian,
Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot,
Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as
native Americans.
An American is Christian , or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or
Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims i n America than in
Afghanistan.The only difference is that in America they are free to
worship as each of them chooses.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will
answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming
to speak for the government and for God.
An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.
The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of
Independence , which recognizes the God given right of each person to
the pursuit of happiness..
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every
other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing
in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago,
Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back
their country!
As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any
other nation to the poor in Afghanistan .
The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty , welcomes your
tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the
homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built
America .
Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September
11 , 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told
that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different
countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided
and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did
General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty
tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing
yourself . Because Americans are not a particular people from a
particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of
freedom.. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an
American.
Please keep this going!
Pass this around the World .
Then pass it around again. It says it all, for all of us
Please do not just delete.
Pass it on first.
Thanks!
Chuck Norris- Is O Afraid of the J-Word?
Frank Hunter says:
Thanks Sam, I say this...
Amen Chuck,
You are a real man.
And I say to Obama, if you are truly Christian, you had better start saying so.
Personally... Ye shall know them by their fruits and Mr. Obama, I don't see any fruit.
-----Original Message-----
>From: Sam Kegley
>Sent: Apr 21, 2009 5:33 PM
>To:
>Subject: Chuck Norris- Is o Afraid of the J-Word?
>
>Blank
> http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31375
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Comments Is Obama Afraid of the J-Word?
>by Chuck Norris
>
>04/07/2009
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31375
Comments Is Obama Afraid of the J-Word?
by Chuck Norris
04/07/2009
According to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 11 percent of Americans still believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Seven percent of Democrats believe it. And nearly 20 percent of evangelicals do.
What I find fascinating is that the same study shows only 55 percent of Democrats know or believe Obama is a Christian, even after Obama spent nearly two years on the presidential campaign trail spouting his views and beliefs on everything under the sun.
Moreover, about 1 in 3 people don't have any idea what his religious convictions are. Should the percentages be that high? Religion might be a private choice, but should it be a secret one, too, even for leaders?
While those stats say something about Obama's neutrality and respect for representing our nation's religious melting pot, they also say something about the politically correct climate across our land, in which people are afraid to stand up for their convictions so as not to be branded as intolerant or bigots. We have become a nation that fears opinion. Even Holy Week, once celebrated in the corridors of the Capitol, is now a clandestine commemoration full of holy hesitations.
America's Founders built this nation upon religious freedom. They valued denominational pluralism. They were unified in their diversity. They all believed in a Creator. And they were almost all vocal about their Christian beliefs. They certainly weren't ashamed. And neither should we be, especially during this week.
I believe in God, just as our Founders did. As Benjamin Franklin noted in his 1787 pamphlet for those in Europe thinking of relocating to America: "To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there."
I also believe in the First Amendment, which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The American Civil Liberties Union and like-minded groups are not preserving First Amendment rights; they are perverting the meaning of the Establishment Clause (which was to prevent the creation of a national church, such as the Church of England) to deny the Free Exercise Clause (which preserves our right to worship as we want, privately and publicly). Both clauses were intended to safeguard religious liberty, not to circumscribe its practice. The Framers were seeking to guarantee a freedom of religion, not a freedom from religion.
I agree with John Jay -- the first chief justice of the United States, appointed by George Washington -- who wrote to Jedidiah Morse Feb. 28, 1797 (the same year the Treaty of Tripoli was ratified): "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." I believe that we should not fear religious diversity, but we never should forget we were born a Christian nation.
Under Article VI, Section 3 of the new Constitution, denominational tests for public office were prohibited, but the idea that Judeo-Christian ideas and practices must be kept separate from government would have struck our Founders as ridiculous because the very basis for the Founders' ideas were rights that were endowed upon all of us by our Creator.
Many may not realize there was an active clergyman (Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon) among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. And two others had been ministers previously. Others were sons of clergymen. Virtually all were Protestants.
Even signers of the Constitution included Abraham Baldwin, a minister. Others had studied religion but never were ordained. And again, most signers of the Constitution were also Protestants. Two, Charles Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimons, were Roman Catholics.
I, too, respect all religions but adhere to one. I believe what Benjamin Rush -- a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the presidential administrations of Adams, Jefferson and Madison -- wrote: "Such is my veneration for every religion that reveals the attributes of the Deity, or a future state of rewards and punishments, that I had rather see the opinions of Confucius or Mohammed inculcated upon our youth, than see them grow up wholly devoid of a system of religious principles. But the religion I mean to recommend in this place is that of the New Testament."
Like George Washington, I don't believe we can maintain morality and civility apart from a religious foundation: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. … Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
Mostly, I believe in the collection of beliefs stated so poetically in the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; he descended to the grave: the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from where he will come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian church; the fellowship of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and eternal life. Amen."
No Holy Week hesitations here. His name is Jesus, and I believe he was born into this world to die for the sins of mankind, that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life -- just as I chose to do decades ago at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles.
Is Obama afraid of the word "Jesus"? I'm not, and maybe that's where my heart and mind should dwell during this period, in which 1 billion people around the world are commemorating his Via Dolorosa. Rather than asking what we believe about Obama's religion, maybe we should be answering what we believe about ours.
Whatever your religious persuasion, don't be ashamed of it. And don't hesitate to let others know where you stand, but do so with respect. This is America. And that's one of the things that still make us a great nation. In God we trust.
Thanks Sam, I say this...
Amen Chuck,
You are a real man.
And I say to Obama, if you are truly Christian, you had better start saying so.
Personally... Ye shall know them by their fruits and Mr. Obama, I don't see any fruit.
-----Original Message-----
>From: Sam Kegley
>Sent: Apr 21, 2009 5:33 PM
>To:
>Subject: Chuck Norris- Is o Afraid of the J-Word?
>
>Blank
> http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31375
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Comments Is Obama Afraid of the J-Word?
>by Chuck Norris
>
>04/07/2009
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31375
Comments Is Obama Afraid of the J-Word?
by Chuck Norris
04/07/2009
According to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 11 percent of Americans still believe President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Seven percent of Democrats believe it. And nearly 20 percent of evangelicals do.
What I find fascinating is that the same study shows only 55 percent of Democrats know or believe Obama is a Christian, even after Obama spent nearly two years on the presidential campaign trail spouting his views and beliefs on everything under the sun.
Moreover, about 1 in 3 people don't have any idea what his religious convictions are. Should the percentages be that high? Religion might be a private choice, but should it be a secret one, too, even for leaders?
While those stats say something about Obama's neutrality and respect for representing our nation's religious melting pot, they also say something about the politically correct climate across our land, in which people are afraid to stand up for their convictions so as not to be branded as intolerant or bigots. We have become a nation that fears opinion. Even Holy Week, once celebrated in the corridors of the Capitol, is now a clandestine commemoration full of holy hesitations.
America's Founders built this nation upon religious freedom. They valued denominational pluralism. They were unified in their diversity. They all believed in a Creator. And they were almost all vocal about their Christian beliefs. They certainly weren't ashamed. And neither should we be, especially during this week.
I believe in God, just as our Founders did. As Benjamin Franklin noted in his 1787 pamphlet for those in Europe thinking of relocating to America: "To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there."
I also believe in the First Amendment, which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The American Civil Liberties Union and like-minded groups are not preserving First Amendment rights; they are perverting the meaning of the Establishment Clause (which was to prevent the creation of a national church, such as the Church of England) to deny the Free Exercise Clause (which preserves our right to worship as we want, privately and publicly). Both clauses were intended to safeguard religious liberty, not to circumscribe its practice. The Framers were seeking to guarantee a freedom of religion, not a freedom from religion.
I agree with John Jay -- the first chief justice of the United States, appointed by George Washington -- who wrote to Jedidiah Morse Feb. 28, 1797 (the same year the Treaty of Tripoli was ratified): "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." I believe that we should not fear religious diversity, but we never should forget we were born a Christian nation.
Under Article VI, Section 3 of the new Constitution, denominational tests for public office were prohibited, but the idea that Judeo-Christian ideas and practices must be kept separate from government would have struck our Founders as ridiculous because the very basis for the Founders' ideas were rights that were endowed upon all of us by our Creator.
Many may not realize there was an active clergyman (Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon) among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. And two others had been ministers previously. Others were sons of clergymen. Virtually all were Protestants.
Even signers of the Constitution included Abraham Baldwin, a minister. Others had studied religion but never were ordained. And again, most signers of the Constitution were also Protestants. Two, Charles Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimons, were Roman Catholics.
I, too, respect all religions but adhere to one. I believe what Benjamin Rush -- a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the presidential administrations of Adams, Jefferson and Madison -- wrote: "Such is my veneration for every religion that reveals the attributes of the Deity, or a future state of rewards and punishments, that I had rather see the opinions of Confucius or Mohammed inculcated upon our youth, than see them grow up wholly devoid of a system of religious principles. But the religion I mean to recommend in this place is that of the New Testament."
Like George Washington, I don't believe we can maintain morality and civility apart from a religious foundation: "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. … Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
Mostly, I believe in the collection of beliefs stated so poetically in the Apostles' Creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; he descended to the grave: the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from where he will come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian church; the fellowship of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and eternal life. Amen."
No Holy Week hesitations here. His name is Jesus, and I believe he was born into this world to die for the sins of mankind, that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life -- just as I chose to do decades ago at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles.
Is Obama afraid of the word "Jesus"? I'm not, and maybe that's where my heart and mind should dwell during this period, in which 1 billion people around the world are commemorating his Via Dolorosa. Rather than asking what we believe about Obama's religion, maybe we should be answering what we believe about ours.
Whatever your religious persuasion, don't be ashamed of it. And don't hesitate to let others know where you stand, but do so with respect. This is America. And that's one of the things that still make us a great nation. In God we trust.
Two stories Easy Eddie and Butch- Ronnie Walters
These are re-cycles and very interesting. Thanks good friend and Mcconnell Avenue neighbor Mound Park Urchin kid, Ronnie!
*Two Stories......You decide or google it.
BOTH TRUE - and worth reading!!!!*
* STORY
NUMBER ONE*
Many years ago, Al Capone
virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was
notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze
and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer
nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie
was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out
of jail for a long time.
To
show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money
big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his
family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the
conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an
entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life
of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went
on around him.
Eddie did have one soft
spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his
young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld.
Price was no object.
And, despite his
involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from
wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he
was.
Yet, with all his
wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his
son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie
reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had
done.
He
decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al
'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some
semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The
Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he
testified.
Within the year, Easy
Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street
. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to
offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his
pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped
from a magazine.
The poem
read:
'The clock of life is
wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will
stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live,
love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be
still.'
*
STORY
NUMBER TWO*
World War II produced many
heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch
O'Hare.
He
was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the
South Pacific.
One day his entire
squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at
his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel
tank.
He
would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his
ship.
His flight leader told him
to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and
headed back to the fleet.
As
he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his
blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward
the American fleet.
The American fighters were
gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenceless. He couldn't reach
his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he
warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do.
He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts
of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes.
Wing-mounted 50 calibres’ blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised
enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken
formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition
was finally spent.
Undaunted, he continued
the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in
hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit
to fly.
Finally, the exasperated
Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch
O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported
in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the
gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of
Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact,
destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on
February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace
of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
A
year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home
town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and
today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of
this great man.
So, the next time you find
yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's
memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located
between Terminals 1 and 2.
*
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH
OTHER?*
Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.
(Pretty cool, huh?)
*Two Stories......You decide or google it.
BOTH TRUE - and worth reading!!!!*
* STORY
NUMBER ONE*
Many years ago, Al Capone
virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was
notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze
and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer
nicknamed 'Easy Eddie.' He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie
was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out
of jail for a long time.
To
show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money
big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his
family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the
conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an
entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life
of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went
on around him.
Eddie did have one soft
spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his
young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld.
Price was no object.
And, despite his
involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from
wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he
was.
Yet, with all his
wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his
son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie
reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had
done.
He
decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al
'Scarface' Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some
semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The
Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he
testified.
Within the year, Easy
Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street
. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to
offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his
pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped
from a magazine.
The poem
read:
'The clock of life is
wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will
stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live,
love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be
still.'
*
STORY
NUMBER TWO*
World War II produced many
heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch
O'Hare.
He
was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the
South Pacific.
One day his entire
squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at
his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel
tank.
He
would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his
ship.
His flight leader told him
to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and
headed back to the fleet.
As
he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his
blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward
the American fleet.
The American fighters were
gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenceless. He couldn't reach
his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he
warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do.
He must somehow divert them from the fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts
of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes.
Wing-mounted 50 calibres’ blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised
enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken
formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition
was finally spent.
Undaunted, he continued
the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in
hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit
to fly.
Finally, the exasperated
Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch
O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the
carrier.
Upon arrival, he reported
in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the
gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of
Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact,
destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on
February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace
of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
A
year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home
town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and
today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of
this great man.
So, the next time you find
yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's
memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located
between Terminals 1 and 2.
*
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH
OTHER?*
Butch O'Hare was 'Easy Eddie's' son.
(Pretty cool, huh?)
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