Saturday, March 12, 2011

Lest We Forget…Taking Zac-UPDATED

Special guest post by Dewey From Detroit: because you should know

Why do we mourn our fallen heroes?

lest we forget

In the words of Harry S. Truman,

Lest We Forget

“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid . They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”

A1C Zac Cuddeback was shot in the head by an Islamofascist in Germany last week. Yesterday he made his final return home to O'Fallon, Illinois.  He will be laid to eternal rest today, March 12, 2011. Officiating will be Father Bill Hitpas, who also baptized Zac just 21 years ago at St. Nicholas’s church.

St. Clare parishHe was welcomed home last evening in a procession that made it’s way from nearby Scott Air Force Base to Zac’s uncle’s house in O’Fallon. The processional route was lined with 1000 flags  provided by the VFW and placed by local townspeople.

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Also lining the route as Zac came home were his soldier colleagues from the Air Force Base, a local Boy Scout Troop, and hundreds of people who just wanted to turn out to express their condolences and to offer a small thanks to Zac. Instead, to their surprise, Zac’s family thanked them for coming. These are the kind of people you’re likely to find in fly over country.

The somber military procession began  at the Air Force base and rolled slowly through town. It was headed up by fire and emergency trucks from surrounding towns and over 200 Patriot Guard Riders who  have made it their mission to accompany fallen heroes to their final resting place, and to shelter and protect the family from the likes of viral protestors from Westboro Baptist church.

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Patriot Guard Riders and first responders

200568_208186385865034_100000210234414_974882_3213560_n     firetrucks

Earlier last week people, churches, businesses and schools all over town honored Zac in any way they could. To some people it might seem a perfunctory gesture and even inconsequential, especially in comparison to the sacrifice made by Zac. But imagine if Zac were your son, brother, grandson, husband, nephew or friend. You would feel otherwise. You would feel the small gesture was quite profound. And you would be grateful.

183622_208184769198529_100000210234414_974837_4534676_n 184826_208184215865251_100000210234414_974822_1301913_n 189602_208083402541999_100000210234414_973879_6212276_n zach2197448_208083829208623_100000210234414_973892_6987990_nBecause you would know that sometimes simply recognizing great sacrifice is all we can do.

Also in advance of yesterday’s funeral cortege, soldiers and locals turned out to plant flags along the entire funeral route.

They began in the cornfields outside of town,

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continued into town:

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and through the suburban style neighborhoods

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to the home of Zac’s uncle, where he laid last night.

lining the funeral procession route with 1000 flags 

If you’ve seen Taking Chance, the story of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl’s mission as a military escort accompanying the body of a fallen Marine home to his family in Wyoming, you might better understand the sense of honor and dignity that overwhelms everyone involved in delivering a fallen soldier home.

taking chance

There is nothing inauthentic in this journey. People turn out simply to bow their heads and thank the selfless soldier who gave his own life to protect our values and way of life. You form the natural sort of bond that we do with our guardians. It is not one that can be manufactured of - or from - cheap emotions. Rather, it is an indelible linkage to something in our life that’s good and true.  It is at once simple and profound: a bond that requires no words to explain why we fight, and why we must.

Lest we forget.

UPDATED WITH NEW PHOTOS:

New photos filed by “Boots on the Ground” from today’s funeral for American hero A1C Zac Cuddeback. No words required.

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cuddeback_military

Rest in Peace Brave Soldier

Photos via Boots on the Ground

Cross posted on Dewey From Detroit

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Hockey: It’s All About the Wons

What a week.

bh2

ohawk

Winning!

International Women’s Day, Bully Day, Stanley Cup Day,  earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear meltdowns.

Butt in today’s pre-planned weekly address, Big Guy used the opportunity to remind us that women are still getting the short end of the stick in the workplace:

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama marked Women’s History Month on Saturday with a pledge to work for legislation that would further address pay discrepancies between men and women

Because everyone knows we still discriminate here in America, and, as always, women and minorities are impacted the most. Apparently, they always will be. That’s just the way the collectivists amongst us have designed our world.

Back to less pressing news though: regarding the potential nuclear meltdown in Japan,

The president said he asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to offer assistance and be prepared to assist with any breaches in the system.

Because we are the world leaders in nuclear technology. No wait. We aren’t; we haven’t commissioned a new nuclear plant since 1975. Oh well, we’ll help out anyway. After all, Chewy has a Nobel Prize. And maybe we can use this disaster to prove that we don’t want any more dangerous nuclear energy plants here. Which is good news for GE and their windmill industry. No, wait: GE makes nuclear reactors too! This is what I call a real official energy policy dilemma.

I’d suggest you all check into getting your own mice on treadmills as an emergency backup system.

mice on usb tm

At the presser yesterday, Big Guy reiterated our “unshakeable” support for our Japanese friends – a somewhat unfortunate choice of words. Butt he did manage to communicate his deep, personal concern:

“I’m heartbroken by this tragedy,” he replied. “I have such a close personal friendship and connection to the Japanese people– in part because I grew up in Hawaii where I was very familiar with Japanese culture–that that just makes our concerns that much more acute.”

When have we ever had such an empathetic President?

sizematters There is nothing that he can’t place himself in the middle of.

Finally, the high point of yesterday: Lady M’s No Child’s Fat Behind street hockey event in conjunction with a visit from the Chicago Blackhawks. They came to the Big White to show off the Stanley Cup they won last spring. (Because it was hockey, and because they have very few African Americans playing in their league – another case of discrimination -  we couldn’t fit them into our major league trophy winner schedule until now.)

ladymholdsaletsmove 

Butt it was worth waiting for:

bhPolitically incorrect sport, sporting an even more politically incorrect team name and mascot. 

Obama Hosts Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh bKjsvtbcZMul  The real deal (the Stanley Cup, I mean)

Big Guy was presented with his very own facsimile of the world famous Lord Stanley’s Cup:

butminessosmallButt this little guy is nice, too.

Who says “size matters?”

Friday, March 11, 2011

Tsunamis Move in Two Directions

First, they referred to Big Guy’s primary sweep in the Democratic nomination as a tsunami. Then they said the cult of personality that built around him was a tsunami that would sweep him into office and launch a post-partisan, post racial America. Then they said after he won the election there would be a tsunami of good will for America building across the world.

 anti-us_tehran

Obama used his swell of good will to introduce a “tsunami” of regulations, a swell of stimulus spending and the towering wave of Obamacare. This was followed by a second wave consisting of  a “tax tsunami,” followed by the Obama tsunami of debt.

All of which generated a third wave: a tsunami of voter discontent hit last November. Then came the federal court tsunami ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional. 

And now, this: a non-metaphorical tsunami.

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Some people will say the gods are angry. Others will say it’s globull warming (or cooling. Whatever). [ed. Well, that didn’t take long]

Butt Big guy is taking it much more personally. He feels like he’s back in grade school, and the bullies are picking on him again. About his ears.

wtf2 

President Barack Obama… said his large ears and funny name once made him a target of school-yard harassment…"If there's one goal of this conference," Obama said, "it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not."

totus at bully conference Big Guy and TOTUS deliver his heartfelt remarks at the Bully Conference.

This explains everything. Sort of. Big Guy is still carrying the scars of those long ago big ear taunts.

Butt with Lady M’s help, he’s been able to turn all that pain into unbridled ambition.

yousaytomato Lady M comforts Big Guy at the Bully Conference

So now that he’s feeling better about himself, this might be a good time for Big Guy to make good on his campaign promise, and make the oceans recede, so the planet can begin to heal.

Then, maybe, on the seventh day he can finally rest.

obama-golf-10

Bonus photo: that’s some tomato, no?

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Tsunami Warming: tsunami’s move in two directions. They first move ashore, sweeping you in, before reversing and sucking you back out to sea. Seek high ground.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Bully Day at the Big White Pulpit

Let’s see; Libya is in the middle of a civil war, gas prices are soaring, Wisconsin is on the verge of civil war, the budget crisis threatens to shut down the government. So what are we doing today?

“President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama took a firm stance against online bullying in a video posted Wednesday on Facebook.”

If it’s Thursday, it’s the Bullying Prevention Summit at the Big White!

 barack-obama-and-family-at-basketball-gamejpg-8674bebb4bc52684_largebushwacker

Who’s Bullying Who?

That’s right. Another historical first. Nobody likes bullies, butt this is the first time it’s been raised to the status of a presidential summit. And the Wons are so down with the anti-cyber bullying squad. Cyber-bullying is just so over the top. And unnecessary. Big Guy, I know, prefers to do his bullying through surrogates,

rahmfingerax

and Lady M favors the instant feedback of face-to-face bullying.

The Big White bully quotient went down considerably when Toes left and he could no longer do Big Guy’s bidding at the schvitz.

Don’t worry though, we’ve still got “skin in the game,” as Big Guy likes to say. I mean, are you kidding? The Wons are from Chicago, you know: what part of “thuggery” do you think does not involve  bullying?

bh6515 A long lineage of professionals

Just to maintain your proper respect, let me remind you of a few of our most successful surrogate bullying missions:

  • The SEIU.

seiu meeting

We’ve used this professional bullying society, as well as many of their affiliates (AFL-CIO, UAW, AFSME) for multiple assignments with universally extraordinary results. The jury’s still out on the Wisconsin action however. The NEA is bitchy and noisy, but they may need additional coaching in effective bullying techniques.

  • Auto Taskforce:

Overhaul-coverWe used this hand selected group of bullies to successfully screw the GM and Chrysler bondholders in the “expedited” bankruptcies. Special commendation for overriding all heretofore known laws regarding the rights of secured creditors.

  • Obamacare:

harry-reid_nancy-pelosi

Solid gold Oscars- of- Bullying awarded to both Nancy Pee and Harry Reedy. ‘Nuf said.

And Lady M is no slacker in the one-on-one bully department either. Just ask Walmart.

stickin itCo-operate, or I’ll lick your corporate a**

I’m not saying that BO doesn’t have the package for proper bullying, butt… ever since Big Guy got here the “bully pulpit” has been a whole lot less “bully” and a whole lot more “pulpit” – if you catch my drift.

broadway here i come  Big Guy auditions for a guest appearance on Glee

Don’t worry though, we’ve still got enough big guns in the arsenal that we won’t have to resort to cyber-bullying. Unless we have to.

daley jarret o