Patriotism

We Still Remember —
Patriot Day, 2022

Twenty-one years ago on the eleventh day of September, 2001, four commercial airliners hijacked by nineteen Islamic terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and into a field near Shanksville, PA. Nobody in America, who was aware of what had happened, will ever forget where they were and what they were doing at that time.

We did what we could to keep the memory alive of the events on that terrible day. We participated in on-line memorials for those fallen and developed an animated sidebar widget that eventually got over 94 million hits on websites all over the world.

From Never Forget — Epilog:

The Never Forget animated graphic first appeared in August of 2005 and ran for thirteen years until August 2018. The estimated final count aggregated by the hit counter over the years was 94,945,312 hits. The average statistics for the entire lifetime amounted to approximately 20,000 hits per day, 833 hits per hour and 14 hits per minute. It’s hard to know the exact numbers since I never kept much of a record, but the peak hit rate might have been upwards of 1400 hits per hour at the time the counter passed 50 million hits.

We retired the graphic due to several factors, not the least of which was that many browsers discontinued support for Flash© animations. We are still proud that the animation received such widespread recognition.

We will continue to remember the events of 9-11-2001 and remain vigilant against the forces of evil. Join us as we pray for The United States of America to regain her stature among nations and for the safety of our countrymen from enemies both Foreign and Domestic.

Independence Day 2022

Happy 246th Birthday to our great Nation – America the Beautiful! May God’s blessings continue to flow throughout the land! Damsel and I wish you a peaceful and Happy Independence Day!

Babylon Bee Headline:

Flash Flood Warnings Issued As

Liberal Tears Continue To Soak Nation

Although the BEE headline is tongue-in-cheek, there are some seriously anguished folks out there in the wake of Dobbs and Bruen SCOTUS rulings. So, keep safe and watch your 6 if you are in a place where violence may occur during the holiday.

We’re safe at our little home in the desert and have plans for a 4th of July BBQ by grilling Steaks and serving them with Fauxtato Salad* and Beans on the side. We figure to have a safe and sane holiday here at home.

In the highly unlikely event that trouble comes calling, we’re in a Constitutional Carry place and are perpetually prepared for such eventualities. We just don’t post about our equipment, preparations and practice sessions any longer. Nobody needs to know what we have and how many.

Take care and enjoy the holiday.

Photo at the top: Cherry Red Cactus Flowers and Old Glory. Courtesy Damsel. Click to enlarge.

* A Keto diet salad with cauliflower instead of actual potatoes.

Army and Flag Day 2022

From The Patriot Post:

June 14 is Army and Flag Day, celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the United States Army on June 14, 1775, and the adoption of our flag by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

Our flag is a beacon of Liberty, a symbol of hope for all people who “hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed — that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…”

We American Patriots honor the history of our national flag and display it with pride. We believe those who denigrate our flag — and by extension our nation — deeply offend the honorable service of all who have defended our nation under its banner, and their families.

The (clickable) image above is our flagpole flying Old Glory and the Arizona State Banner above our little home in the desert. We proudly fly the colors most of the time and especially on the patriotic days like today, Memorial Day, Independence Day and the like. Our American Flag is made in the U.S.A. by Grace Alley and our Arizona Banner is by Annin Flags, also made in America.

The American flag is manufactured with actual embroidered stars and the stripes are sewn together; the binding is double-thickness and has brass grommets. The Arizona flag is made according to the specifications set by the state. We always have spare flags on hand to replace the old tattered ones (the desert sun and winds take their toll). We recycle the US flags with the American Legion who ceremoniously will burn them.

Congratulations to the U.S. Army on their 247th anniversary. Happy Flag and Army Day!

Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour

I would have posted about Veterans Day earlier but – you know – the thing. Let’s Go Brandon.

Seriously, Damsel and I grocery shop on Thursdays and that sort of thing has to take precedence.

We do honor to our Vets today for their service to the country and her citizens. We cannot thank them enough for their sacrifices. We also thank their friends, families and loved ones for supporting them as they go off to wherever and whatever. We support and pray for the bereaved when their service person does not return

I can say that I am proud that I am a veteran of the US NAVAL RESERVE and did my three years of active duty in Millington, TN at the Naval Aviation Electronics School and after school served as an Aviation Electronics Tech at the US Naval Missile Center at Point Mugu, CA. I was a line troubleshooter, shop repair tech and (the best part) an aircrew member flying on those rickety old air assets we had in support of the USNMC’s mission. This was all it the same time the conflict was escalating in Vietnam. Fortunately, I mustered out of active duty prior to being shipped over to that mess.

All in all, My Naval service was more of an adventure than a chore. But, I accept that many of the missions over the Pacific Missile Range were a bit risky, given the age of the equipment (P2V Neptune Patrol Aircraft, H34 Helicopters with Wright Cyclone Radial Engines, R4D a.k.a. DC-4 Transports, etc.). Hours of boredom punctuated with moments of sheer terror.

The last thing I will say about Veterans is that I, both brothers, our Dad and one Grandfather and Damsel’s Dad were all Navy men. According to my Ancestry Family Tree, our lineage shows many Veterans having fought in wars, e.g. WW1, The Spanish American War, Indian Wars, The Civil War (both sides) and the Revolutionary War.

Between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, we celebrate and honor those that served in the past, those presently serving and those who will serve in the future.

9/11 – 20 Years Later

Biden - Worse than Carter, Clinton or Obama

There are plenty of pictorial tributes to the WTC, Pentagon and Flight 93 that depict the tragedies of 9/11/2001 out in cyberspace, but I wanted to point out on this 20th anniversary that at this point in time, America is seen abroad as being a weak and patronizing nation. This 2012 Ramirez cartoon posted during the Obamination administration is even more apropos today in the wake of the cowardice shown by Biden and the Joint Chiefs in the Afghanistan debacle. Joe Biden – Worse than Carter, Clinton or Obama.

We’re still firmly in the “NEVER FORGET” column of thought regarding the 9/11 attacks, but are also firmly in anticipation of more to come now that the enemies of America have been shown that there will be no significant reaction on behalf of America and her allies. God only knows when and where more violence will be perpetrated on our soil. And the Biden Puppeteers are bringing unvetted “refugees” to the country as fast as they can while letting our stranded citizens languish under the Taliban.

Join us as we pray for The United States of America to regain her stature among nations and for the safety of our countrymen from enemies both Foreign and Domestic.

Independence Day – July 4, 2021

This is an awesome video on the origin of our National Anthem . . .

The video tells the story of Francis Scott Key as he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry from British ships in the Chesapeake. I have to tell you I got a lump in my throat a couple of times while watching this one. Key, of course wrote the words to the Anthem. The tune was taken from an old English-originated folk march.

Happy Independence Day – we’re celebrating at home with some simple grilled tenderloin (Filet Mignon) steaks and a nice salad. No fireworks because dogs. We hope everyone enjoys the celebration on this extended weekend.

Hat tip to Braden at Langley Outdoors Academy for showing this video to us a few weeks ago.