Two Corgis Running On A Treadmill

We will never forget

On this day a year ago I wrote something very personal and posted it at NMAW's blog.

I've posted it below.

“Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?” Allan Jackson

It’s a question I’ve been asked so many times and every time I answer chills run down my spine. As a native of New Jersey, 9/11 is a day that impacted my life like nothing ever has.

I don’t normally share personal stories on NMAW’s blog, but on this day, I had to put in writing the story I’ve shared so many times.

I was asleep when the first plane hit, like most college students, I had no need to get up because my first class wasn’t until that evening, and then my phone rang and my world changed forever.

It was my Mom calling from work and the fear in her voice was something I had never heard before. My Mom has always been the pillar of strength, the last to breakdown when something goes wrong, always making sure that everyone else is ok before she lets herself go, so hearing her say, “turn on the TV something horrible is happening” with a tremble in her voice was, to say the least, jarring.

I flipped on the TV in my room and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It had to be an accident, maybe it wasn’t real, but it was, it was very real. Then the second plane hit, then the Pentagon was hit and then the plane went down in Pennsylvania and my disbelief turned into sheer terror.

I remember slowly getting ready that morning, I fielded phone calls from friends and family, not knowing what to think, who I needed to call, and what was going to happen next. As I sat in a diner eating lunch, I thought to myself, this is America, we will get through this. I spent that afternoon standing on the beach with dozens of other people, just staring out at the ocean trying to make sense of it all.

I remember wanting to go out that night because my brain just couldn’t wrap itself around the events of the day and my Dad, wanting his family close to him, telling me no and to this day I appreciate that. I’m sure at the time I wasn’t thrilled, but I know now that being with the ones I loved most in my life that night was the most important thing I could do. You find out when you get older that parents often know what they’re talking about. Thanks, Dad! :-)

The days, months and even years after the attacks were hard, spending numerous evenings at services for people that were never found, hearing the horror stories of those that never made it out, saying goodbye to friends that were going off to serve our country proudly and just taking time to heal.

My Dad and Brother are both firefighters and we spent the weekend after the attacks at the NJ State Firemen’s Convention. I’ve always known that firefighters have an amazing bond among them, they really are brothers, but the support and solidarity I saw that weekend was more than I ever could have imagined. They were a community, a community that had lost family members. You would think many of them would have left the fire service, but no, they bonded together, stronger than ever, they were determined to make it through this. They are an amazing group of people that often go unnoticed and that’s ok with them. They’re doing what they love, selflessly protecting us.

Next weekend I’ll be back in NJ for this year’s convention, spending time with the two most important men in my life, my Dad and my Brother, who make me so incredibly proud that I can’t even find the words to explain it.

I will never forget 9/11, it isn’t that I can’t forget, I could certainly try to, it’s that I don’t want to forget, ever. I never want to forget the innocent men and women that died that day, those that gave their lives to save others and those that are still making the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom.

I hope you never forget.

90-year-old man recounts a remarkable experience he had in WWII.

Scamming our Troops

It is pretty hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that there are people scamming the brave men and women that fight for our freedom everyday.

Its bad enough that we hear about these low lifes taking money from unsuspecting consumers, but to do this to the very people that fight to give them the right to run despicable businesses just makes me sick.

Red, White, and Scammed

The used BMW was pretty, its silver paint gleaming, and the $17,000 price was reasonable. So, in March 2007, U.S. Army Spc. Diann Traina signed a contract, took out a loan, and traded in her pickup to buy the sedan at a dealership in Fayetteville, N.C., right outside the gates of Fort Bragg.

What she didn’t know was that the dealer had taken out a loan against his inventory and didn’t actually own the vehicle he sold her. Spc. Traina was never able to get the title to the BMW, so when the dealership shut down soon afterward, she was stuck—without a car and with an $11,000 debt. In the meantime, she had been deployed to Iraq, leaving her helpless to do much about it.

Like thousands of service members engaged in fighting America’s battles overseas, Spc. Traina had encountered a foe here at home. Young, inexperienced, and often drawing their first paychecks, enlisted men and women are easy marks for sleazy car dealers, insurance scammers, predatory lenders, and identity thieves. So pervasive are the rip-offs—and so troubling the debt incurred by military personnel as a result—that U.S. Department of Defense officials recently labeled the situation a threat to national security. “You don’t want them distracted while they’re out on the front lines,” says Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. “But they will be if they’re worrying about what’s going on at home.”

Dwain Alexander II, a civilian lawyer for the Navy in Norfolk, Va., seconds the opinion. “If you’re sitting at the helm of a multibillion-dollar vessel and you’re worried about whether your wife can stay in the place you’re renting, you’re not fully focused on what you’re doing. Incremental mistakes can lead to catastrophic endings.”

America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have guaranteed paychecks and won’t ever get laid off. These factors make them good credit risks. It also makes them targets. “There are a lot of people who see service members as cash cows,” says Holly Petraeus, director of the military program of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and wife of Army Gen. David Petraeus, whom President Obama recently named to serve as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. “Go to any city with a big military installation, and there’s a cluster outside the gates—Fast Freddy’s auto loans, pawn shops, check cashers.” The daughter of a four-star general, Petraeus advocates for service members and their families and works with BBB affiliates to provide troops with financial education.

A recruit typically earns less than $1800 a month, and too often these modest paychecks are carved to bits by bad deals. According to Navy lawyers, a computer store outside the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois employed attractive women to troll for new sailors. Once inside, the recruits were pressured into buying bare-bones laptop computers—for more than $4000. (The store has since closed.)

Life-insurance scams are another scourge. When John Oxendine, Georgia’s insurance commissioner, learned that soldiers at Fort Benning had been sold “extremely overpriced” or misrepresented policies before shipping off to the Middle East, he helped launch a multistate investigation. The probe has spurred companies to offer $70 million in refunds to thousands of service members. “What you’re basically seeing is war profiteering,” Oxendine says. “These are people who are putting their lives on the line for us. We owe them.”

Washington has waged war against the scammers with limited success. When a 2006 Defense Department report cited payday lenders as a threat—rates for short-term loans had soared as high as 780%—Congress passed an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act of 2007 that capped rates on such loans to military personnel at 36%. “Many payday-loan businesses stopped lending to service members,” Petraeus says, “because they said they couldn’t make a profit.”

Read the rest of the story here.

Old Navy Supporting the Troops

Donation drive to support troops overseas

At Old Navy stores across the country this July 4th weekend, Old Navy is partnering with Operation: Care and Comfort to collect items for care packages for troops.

During the drive, customers can donate important everyday items for the troops that will be sorted, packaged and shipped to military men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Customers who participate by donating will receive a 10% discount off their entire purchase in-store that day.

In addition, Old Navy will offer a ‘buy one, send one’ special -- for every purchase of an Old Navy Flag Tee from 7/1-7/5, Old Navy will send one to troops overseas.

To make donating even easier, stores will have select items on display for easy purchasing.

Military personnel will be on hand to help collect these items.
Details: July 1-5, 2010
Collecting:
Underwear Undershirts T-shirts Socks Sunglasses Lip Balm Foot Powder Flip Flops

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/good_day_wi/donation-drive-to-support-troops-overseas

Puppies

Every once in a while you really need to just look at some cute puppies.

Websites like this one always remind me to not take life so seriously.

http://www.dailypuppy.com/

The hits keep coming

Not only is the NRA getting hit by small, but vocal, grassroots groups, their own board members are speaking out.

NRA exemption shows campaign disclosure bill's cynical, fatal flaws


By Cleta Mitchell Thursday, June 17, 2010

The cynical decision this week by House Democrats to exempt the National Rifle Association from the latest campaign finance regulatory scheme is itself a public disclosure. It reveals the true purpose of the perversely named Disclose Act (H.R. 5175): namely, to silence congressional critics in the 2010 elections.

The NRA "carve-out" reaffirms the wisdom of the First Amendment's precise language: "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech."
Congress can't help itself. Since 1798, with the Alien and Sedition Acts, incumbent politicians have yearned for legal duct tape for their opponents' mouths. The Disclose Act is a doozy of a muzzle.

For its part, the NRA -- on whose board of directors I serve -- rather than holding steadfastly to its historic principles of defending the Constitution and continuing its noble fight against government regulation of political speech instead opted for a political deal borne of self-interest in exchange for "neutrality" from the legislation's requirements. In doing so, the NRA has, sadly, affirmed the notion held by congressional Democrats (and some Republicans), liberal activists, the media establishment and, at least for now, a minority on the Supreme Court that First Amendment protections are subject to negotiation. The Second Amendment surely cannot be far behind.

Since the court's January decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that corporations cannot be constitutionally prohibited from making independent candidate-related expenditures, Democrats have been hyperventilating at the notion that corporations might spend millions of dollars criticizing them. To foreclose that possibility, the Disclose Act would impose onerous and complicated "disclosure" restrictions on organizations that dare to engage in constitutionally protected political speech and on corporations that dare to contribute to such organizations.

Democrats would effectively neuter the court's decision by requiring the names of multiple donors to be recited in ads (thus shrinking the time spent on actual speech), requiring the CEO of a corporate donor to personally appear in campaign-related ads, expanding the coverage period to virtually the entire election year, and including myriad other rules that the NRA described last month as "byzantine" and an "arbitrary patchwork of reporting and disclosure requirements."

The NRA's wheel-squeaking bought it an exemption from those requirements. Tea Party organizations arising spontaneously since 2009? Out of luck. Online organizations with large e-mail followings but perhaps no formal dues structure? Forget it.

Receiving less attention than the NRA "carve-out" but no less cynical is the bill's sop to organized labor: Aggregate contributions of $600 or more would be disclosed. Why start at $600? Why not $200 or, say, $500? Because most union members' dues aggregate less than $600 in a calendar year and thus members' contributions to labor's campaign-related spending wouldn't need to be disclosed . . . even to the union members whose dues are spent for political purposes.

In Citizens United, the court held that the First Amendment doesn't permit Congress to treat different corporations differently; that the protections afforded political speech arise from the Constitution, not Congress. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to a congressional power to license the speech of some while denying it to others.

The NRA carve-out is a clear example of a congressional speech license.

The ostensible purpose of the legislation is benign "disclosure," upheld in Citizens United as permissible under the First Amendment. Even conservative Justice Antonin Scalia has expressed skepticism about the constitutional infirmity of disclosure requirements in another case argued this term; Scalia intoned in oral argument that "running a democracy takes a certain amount of civic courage."

That's true. Indeed, the law upheld in Citizens United requires all donors to candidate-related expenditures to be publicly disclosed to the FEC in a timely manner.

But the Disclose Act isn't really intended to elicit information not currently required by law. The act serves notice on certain speakers that their involvement in the political process will exact a high price of regulation, penalty and notoriety, using disclosure and reporting as a subterfuge to chill their political speech and association.

It is only disclosure, say the authors. And box-cutters are only handy household tools . . . until they are used by terrorists to crash airplanes.

This is not just "disclosure." It is a scheme hatched by political insiders to eradicate disfavored speech. There is no room under the First Amendment for Congress to make deals on political speech, whether with the NRA or anyone else.

Sell Out

The National Rifle Association has really gotten under my skin, and I didn't think that was a line I would ever say.

As an ardent defender of 2nd amendment rights, I am sorry to see that an organization like the NRA, has decided to bargain with Congress and jeopardize the freedom of every American citizen to own a gun.

I've also spent a large portion of my professional career working in the non profit sector, and am currently seeking a master's degree in non profit management, so I know first hand, how much this will hurt the smaller grassroots organizations that are out there doing good.

I could go on and on about how irate I am right now, but I think the Wall Street Journal had a great article that about sums up the whole ordeal, so I'll just post that.

Guns and Free Speech
16 June 2010
The Wall Street Journal

The National Rifle Association is suffering a sudden onset of amnesia this week, as the gun lobby cuts a deal to exempt itself from the latest Congressional attempt to repeal the First Amendment. NRA members may soon regret the organization's bid to ingratiate itself with Democrats at the expense of its longtime free-speech allies.

The campaign finance bill, sponsored by Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Chris Van Hollen, is the Democratic response to the Supreme Court's January decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which restored the First Amendment right of corporations, unions and nonprofits to make independent campaign expenditures. At the time, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre called Citizens United "a defeat for arrogant elitists who wanted to carve out free speech as a privilege for themselves and deny it to the rest of us."

Look who's arrogant and elitist now. Under the Schumer-Van Hollen bill, political speech would be bound up with new restrictions, including special burdens on government contractors and corporations that have a certain level of foreign ownership or received TARP funds. The bill also includes disclosure rules designed to hit corporations, requiring CEOs to appear to "approve this message" the way politicians do, and for groups to identify their donors. Except for the NRA.

Under the NRA carve-out in the House bill, the new rules won't apply to any organizations that have been around for more than 10 years, have more than a million members and receive less than 15% of their funding from corporate donors. That fits the NRA nicely, though as best we can figure, everyone else, from the Sierra Club to Planned Parenthood, fails to qualify. So much for defending the little guy against the fat cats.

This backroom deal came at the behest of Democrats from conservative states, for whom the NRA's scorecard of their legislative record can be a major boost or obstacle to election. Creating a special exception for the NRA, and thereby assuring the Democrats "good grades" on Second Amendment rights, eases the way for the bill to be passed. A failing grade on First Amendment rights is somebody else's problem.

By erecting what amounts to a grandfather clause of First Amendment rights, the bill creates a sort of interest-group incumbency, concentrating the power to speak freely among a handful of large and longstanding groups. Established organizations like the NRA provide important representation for their members, but their lobbying cause is specific and limited.

Left vulnerable by the special treatment are the smaller grassroots outfits that often pop up in response to new and immediate policy challenges. The ability of these groups to count on the full protection of the First Amendment is critical to diverse and responsive political debate.

The NRA may swing a big lobbying stick by virtue of the breadth and voting power of its members, but it draws its legitimacy from the Constitution and it has drawn support on gun rights from those who care about the entire Bill of Rights. Cutting a special deal at the expense of the First Amendment with lawmakers who have decided for now to stop gutting the Second Amendment reveals an NRA that is unprincipled and will be weaker for it in the long run.

Happy Flag Day!

Well it seems to be a happy day all around. It is flag day and the Army's 235th birthday.

Flag Day: A little piece of American History!

It’s Flag Day and that means every American should be proud of the American History and commemorate the adoption of the U.S flag at the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

Waving an American flag on Flag Day is a patriotic gesture and every proud American should do it! Flag Day is celebrated between Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

You can read the whole article here.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

A very happy 235th birthday to the United States Army!

Two hundred and thirty-five years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 235th birthday commemorates America’s Army – Soldiers, Families and Civilians – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders. We are “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation."

http://www.army.mil/birthday/235/

Seriously?

I'll start this by saying something everyone probably already knows about me I'm a HUGE supporter of our troops. I come from a long line of men that have served our country and admire each one of them for their service.

Now that being said, I am also the daughter of a life long union man. Gasp! He is, however, one of the most conservative union men you'll ever find. Don't worry he's totally against card check. :-) But, nonetheless, the union has provided him with a great living and a way to comfortably support his family.

Being the staunch conservative that I am, I hold issue with a lot of, ok almost all of, what the unions do in our country, but I'll never forget that I had the great upbringing I did because of my Dad's career.

However, it is situations like these that really grate on my nerves and make my blood boil. Is this union for real?

Marine Says He Faces Termination for Refusing to Pay Teacher's Union Fee

A retired U.S. Marine who runs a Massachusetts high school's ROTC program says he faces termination if he doesn't pay a $500 union fee by next week, a levy he refuses to pay because he already receives medical and dental benefits from the military.

Maj. Stephen Godin, senior naval science instructor at the Naval Junior ROTC Unit at North High School in Worcester, Mass., told FoxNews.com he has been teaching for the Educational Association for Worcester for 15 years -- including 14 at North High School -- without having to join the union or pay an "agency fee" toward the cost of collective bargaining.

"I just want to save my job here," the 58-year-old father of two said. "I've been doing this for 15 years. Nobody has ever told me to join the union or be terminated."

Godin, who earns roughly $75,000 a year, said he has asked for arbitration no fewer than five times, but has not received a response from the teacher's union. He said he received a letter last month from Worcester Public School officials indicating he will be fired on June 15 if he fails to pay the agency fee.

"It's really nothing," Godin said of the amount. "It's the principal of the matter. I think they're trying to extort money from me. They do nothing for me."

Read the rest of the story here.

Hiatus

So I started this blog with the intentions of keeping it updated, but things came up and I just found myself not having time to sit down and write anything.

Well I'm back and I'm sure you're all very excited about that. :-)

Between work and my moderately exciting social life I rarely have time to sleep, but I've decided I need to devote more time to getting my thoughts written down.

So let the blogging commence!