Eternal Vigilance

Remembering Joseph Maffeo

2011-09-11T07:01:00.000-04:00

Reposting from last year... click here to read more about Project 2,996. The goal is to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11 by remembering them.

~~~~~~~~

Joseph Maffeo, age 30, was a firefighter with Brooklyn’s Ladder 101. The day before 9/11, he chose to work a 24-hour overtime shift. He was still on duty when the call came in regarding the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. He was one of 343 firefighters who lost their lives that day in the line of duty.

But this is not about Joseph Maffeo’s death, it’s about his life.

Known as “Joey Pockets” because he sewed so many pockets onto his gear to make room for gadgets, Joseph was a resourceful handyman who always seemed to have just what he needed for a job or project.

Growing up, he had two close friends – T.J. Beinert and Bobby Melloy – who spent so much time together that they became known as “the Three Musketeers.” As teenagers, his friend Bobby got an old Cadillac and the three of them sawed off the top to make it into a convertible.

Joseph met his wife Linda while she was working as a bank teller. He sold his share of a fishing boat he owned with his friends to buy an engagement ring.

Recalling the day he asked her out, Linda said, "I never gave my number out to customers, but he had the gentlest eyes I had ever seen."

He and his wife have a son named Christopher Joseph, who was just 1 year old at the time. He loved his family and is remembered as a devoted husband and father. He spent countless hours playing blocks with his son and was known to leave fresh daisies in his wife’s car.

Joseph stayed busy – he worked a second job building houses with his brother-in-law and was studying to become a lieutenant in the Fire Department.

Joseph’s legacy of kindness and giving of himself lives on through the Joseph Maffeo Foundation, a charitable organization started by his family to help their community.

My thoughts and prayers are with Joseph's family and friends today. We will never forget.

To read more remembrances of the lives of those America lost on 9/11, please visit Project 2,996.

Send thanks to our troops

2010-12-24T16:19:00.002-05:00

Xerox has set up a website where you can choose a thank you card and they will print it and send to our troops stationed overseas. The designs are all from artwork submitted by children around the country, and they have some really cute and patriotic ones over there :).

It only takes a minute and it's free!

Bikers ride with boy in support after school banned his flag

2010-11-17T23:08:00.003-05:00

AWESOME!!

From The Blaze:

"hundreds of patriotic bikers — many of them veterans — showed up to escort him to school Monday morning"

More on the story here - after a huge outcry the school reversed its decision and is allowing the flag. I gotta tell ya, the school's "safety" excuse doesn't make sense to me... they claim some students complained about the flag and made threats, but if that is the case it is the students making the threats who should have gotten in trouble, not the innocent boy who was threatened. Since when do we appease bullies by forcing others to give in to them?!

QE2 explained by a teddy bear and a kitten

2010-11-17T22:54:00.001-05:00

H/T Freedomworks

This is great! (language warning, includes the s* word a couple of times)

Happy days!

2010-11-07T00:20:00.003-04:00

I cracked up laughing when I heard this on the radio and was happy to see it posted online so I can share :).

With all the serious stuff going on it was fun to enjoy a little light-hearted silliness the day after the election ;).

Glenn Beck: Happy days are here again

Rise up!

2010-07-18T11:52:00.003-04:00

"Unconscionable Ineptitude"?

2010-06-07T07:44:00.005-04:00

The Obama administration claims they've been working to resolve the oil spill in the Gulf "from day one."

You be the judge (based on photo essay from PolitiPage):

Looks like a lot more attention to "golf" than the "Gulf" if you ask me.

Obama criticized the Bush administration for its "unconscionable ineptitude" in response to Katrina (from Breitbart.tv):

I would have been inclined to say his own response to the oil spill in the gulf qualifies as "unconscionable ineptitude." However, now we find that he actually knew from the beginning that this would "likely lead to an unprecedented environmental disaster."

Knowing ahead of time and still not acting in a timely way to minimize the impact to the coast goes beyond "ineptitude." And it's not the first time he's ignored Americans in crisis (golf was more important than the floods in Nashville too).

Maybe he's still trying to "vote present," but that's not a luxury that presidents have. Regardless of the reasons, it seems more like dereliction of duty than ineptitude to me.

~~~~~~~~~~
"We're going to do some hard thinking about how we could have failed our fellow citizens so badly." ~Sen. Obama re: Katrina

Perhaps it's time President Obama take a cue from Senator Obama and do some hard thinking about failing the American citizens.

Courage remembered

2010-06-06T17:20:00.001-04:00

It's been 66 years since D-Day, 1944, which marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

The battle for freedom is ongoing. We find inspiration in the bravery of those who fought that day, and we can honor the memory of their service by continuing to stand in defense of liberty.

From Michelle Malkin:

~~~~~~~~

And in the "sad, but true" category (also found via Michelle Malkin), here's how today's media would have covered D-Day.

A day for gratitude

2010-05-31T08:09:00.000-04:00

To our fallen heroes, and their families... thank you for your service and sacrifice. You have my eternal gratitude, today and every day.

"I am the Flag"

2010-05-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

I am the Flag

by Ruth Apperson Rous

I am the flag of the United States of America.

I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.

There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.

My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.

Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.

My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.

My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.

My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.

My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.

I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.

I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.

I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.

I am as old as my nation.

I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people."

I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.

I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.

Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.

I have my own law—Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.

I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.

Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.

I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.

If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.

Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.

As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.

Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.

Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.

God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.

(emphasis added)

Original poem found here

I think it's fair to say...

2010-05-08T01:56:00.008-04:00

...that the school officials in this case acted "stupidly":

California Students Sent Home for Wearing U.S. Flags on Cinco de Mayo

How the American flag can possibly be considered "incendiary" - being displayed in America, by Americans - is utterly beyond me. Generations of Americans have served and many have given their lives to defend our freedoms and that includes the freedom to display our flag proudly at any time and place.

More on the story here (H/T HotAir):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update: California Principal Apologizes for Forbidding U.S. Flag Shirts on Mexican Holiday

I'm glad to hear that.

Bring home the politicians

2010-04-17T15:50:00.004-04:00

I really like this idea, for a number of reasons. What do you think?

More info available at: http://bringhomethepoliticians.com/

"We're all wanted by someone"

2010-02-20T18:43:00.002-05:00

"Unwanted" A Story About Choice:

The story of Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of The Radiance Foundation - very uplifting!

Too Many Aborted

2010-02-20T07:35:00.004-05:00

Excerpts from their website at TooManyAborted.com

Abortion is not a me issue. It’s not a you issue. It’s not a personal issue, nor is it just a woman’s issue. It is a human issue. And today, with over 40% of all black pregnancies ending in induced abortion, it is a human crisis.

...

The Radiance Foundation has decried abortion’s impact on our entire society, regardless of race, but this particular campaign attempts to dig deeper and focus on abortion in an historical context with real present-day ramifications. This isn’t black versus white, or a me versus you. It’s the truth versus the lie. The truth is that abortion kills an innocent human life.

...

Today, abortion kills more African-Americans, per year, than heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, accidents, homicides, suicide, and cancer–combined. Black women have abortions at over 3x the rate of white women. The truth screams loud and clear–we are killing our very future.

The campaign was featured on Fox News:

The eyebrow-raising ads featuring a young black child are an effort by the anti-abortion movement to use race to rally support within the black community. The reaction from black leaders has been mixed, but the "Too Many Aborted" campaign, which so far is unique to only Georgia, is drawing support from other anti-abortion groups across the country.

"It's ingenious," said the Rev. Johnny Hunter, national director of the Life Education and Resource Network, a North Carolina-based anti-abortion group aimed at African-Americans that operates in 27 states. "This campaign is in your face, and nobody can ignore it."

Also from the same article, here's the response from a pro-abortion professor:

"These one-issue approaches that are not about saving the black family or black children, it's just a big distraction," she said. "Many black people don't know who Margaret Sanger is and could care less." (emphasis added)

Is it just me, or does that sound like a repeat of the "people are just too stupid to know or care what we're doing" argument we've come to expect from liberals and so-called "progressives"? I guess I should not be so surprised anymore at how blatantly the libs insult the intelligence of people they supposedly are advocating for. When the facts are crystal clear, undisputed, and not in their favor, I suppose there's not much else for them to say.

Personally, I applaud the Radiance Foundation for their "Endangered Species" campaign. They speak the truth, they have the history and the statistics to back it up, and it is information that all Americans need to hear.

"revolutionary holocaust - live free... or die"

2010-01-23T23:00:00.004-05:00

In case you missed it, here are the full clips of Glenn Beck's documentary about the history of socialism / communism including events that have been largely scrubbed from our history. Very informative, but I recommend not watching with young children around because there is some disturbing footage.

Gas up the truck!

2010-01-19T23:54:00.004-05:00

I have neglected this blog for a little while due to my schedule, but I couldn't miss posting tonight's exciting news (not like you haven't already heard it, lol).

Mr. Brown is headed to Washington, as Massachusetts voters have sent a clear message to the DC elites, "can you hear us now?!"

H/T: Gateway Pundit

There is much work yet to be done, but with a little balance to offset the one-party rule running roughshod over We the People, today is a good day for America.

Jobs summit not about job creation?

2009-12-02T23:04:00.003-05:00

So... if it's not about job creation, what's the point? I suppose it's just another attempt to give the *appearance* of actually caring about the economy they are trying so hard to destroy.

Red State has a great "fact check" overview of the dems claims on jobs and the economy over the last few months.

On a lighter note, here's a funny video (from Harry Reid's opponent in the upcoming election) about the search for the missing stimulus jobs.

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T23:40:00.000-05:00

A heartfelt thank you to those who have served or are serving in our military and their families. Freedom isn't free, and I am eternally grateful for the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces who defend freedom here and abroad.

Let your voice be heard

2009-11-03T21:17:00.001-05:00

Quit making things up

2009-11-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

"We're going to let you die"

2009-10-16T08:06:00.005-04:00

H/T: Gateway Pundit and Verum Serum

Here is Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Clinton and more recently an Obama economic adviser having a moment of brutal honesty about healthcare "reform." This was a speech he gave at UC Berkeley in 2007, in which he shares what a candidate for president would say, if that candidate were being honest and not worried about getting elected:

You can here the full audio clip here. The Wall Street Journal has the full transcript here.

On care for seniors:

"And by the way, we are going to have to--if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die."

On who's going to pay for it all:

"I am going to try to reorganize it to be more amenable to treating sick people. But that means you--particularly you young people, particularly you young, healthy people--you're going to have to pay more."

And on the effects of gov't forcing drug companies, medical suppliers, and insurance companies to reduce costs:

"But that means less innovation, and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market, which means you are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents."

Which by the way, isn't saying much - your parents won't be living that long either based on the first quote.

No surprise, the MSM has yet to report on this...

Obama leads the charge AGAINST freedom of speech?!

2009-10-07T08:44:00.006-04:00

I posted on this video a while back (video reposted below for reference), with the comment:

Obviously this would be unconstitional in the United States, and I don't see any indication in the report that the U.S. is actually considering this (thank goodness) but I think it's good to be aware that this is out there.

Well, I stand corrected. Not only is the U.S. considering this, apparently the Obama administration is taking the lead in pushing it forward.

From the Weekly Standard, dated Monday 10/5:

The Obama administration has marked its first foray into the UN human rights establishment by backing calls for limits on freedom of expression. The newly-minted American policy was rolled out at the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council, which ended in Geneva on Friday. American diplomats were there for the first time as full Council members and intent on making friends.
...
So it cosponsored a resolution on the subject with none other than Egypt--a country characterized by an absence of freedom of expression.
...
The new resolution, championed by the Obama administration, has a number of disturbing elements. It emphasizes that "the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities . . ." which include taking action against anything meeting the description of "negative racial and religious stereotyping." It also purports to "recognize . . . the moral and social responsibilities of the media" and supports "the media's elaboration of voluntary codes of professional ethical conduct" in relation to "combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance."
...
Pakistan's Ambassador Zamir Akram, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, made it clear that they understand the resolution and its protection against religious stereotyping as allowing free speech to be trumped by anything that defames or negatively stereotypes religion. The idea of protecting the human rights "of religions" instead of individuals is a favorite of those countries that do not protect free speech and which use religion--as defined by government--to curtail it.
...
In 1992 when the United States ratified the main international law treaty which addresses freedom of expression, the government carefully attached reservations to ensure that the treaty could not "restrict the right of free speech and association protected by the Constitution and laws of the United States."

The Obama administration's debut at the Human Rights Council laid bare its very different priorities. Threatening freedom of expression is a price for engagement with the Islamic world that it is evidently prepared to pay.

Click here to read the whole article.

Interestingly enough, although they speak in terms of "religious tolerance" the only religion any of the folks supporting this seem interested in "protecting" is Islam. I see no reference to complaints about defamation of Christians or Jews, or Buddhists or Hindus, or atheists or anyone else. I would not want any such "protections" in the form of limits on free speech - the freedom of expression is a fundamental right that must be protected at all costs, even if it means that someone (probably everyone) is going to be offended at some point in time. I would much rather risk being offended than give up such a vital freedom as that of free expression.

That our own government seems willing to not only sign on but lead the charge to violate our own Constitutional rights in the name of fostering international "consensus" is absolutely unacceptable. If they think such actions will garner favor among our enemies, they are wrong. It will only garner further contempt from both enemies and allies (and the current administration seems quite confused as to which is which) as we will be seen as weak, abandoning our principles.

More on this here:
Obama signs up to stop YOUR freedom of speech at UN. Happy now?
Obama Introduced UN Resolution To Limit Free Speech

~~~~~~~~
Here is the video referenced above:

Imagine going to the doctor... DMV-style!

2009-10-07T08:32:00.003-04:00

H/T Alexa Shrugged

Healthcare Ad Parody

2009-10-07T08:18:00.005-04:00

H/T Alexa Shrugged

For all the celebrity "experts" (too funny)

Even Jon Stewart is on the MSM's case over this one...

2009-09-21T00:08:00.001-04:00

The so-called "mainstream media" (I rather like Glenn Beck's new term "fringe media") is finding out the hard way that ignoring a story doesn't make it go away. It only serves to reveal just how out-of-touch they are with what's going on in America and to hasten their rapid descent into irrelevance.

It's a little hard to ignore things like systemic corruption at an organization that receives billions in taxpayer funds and just happens to have close ties to the president.

You know it's bad when Jon Stewart actually calls them out on it. This is hilarious:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

The Audacity of Hos

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests