My hope is that this mini-series does as much justice to those men who fought the Japanese as Band of Brothers did to Easy Company, the entire 101st Airborne, and those who served in the European theater. The trailer looks like it will.

My thoughts on the politics of Iran are simple, we do not have an obligation to interfere with a country’s democratic elections, no matter what the feelings are for the leader. The unrest and violence against protesters is something we should all agree is wrong, but to suggest that President Obama stand-up and condemn what is happening in Iran as far as the elected official is concerned is hypocritical. Our defense of democracy cannot be blurred by the social issues that infect other nations. If Obama was to step in and declare Mousavi the winner then he has done nothing for democracy or for the people of Iran. This ties directly into the fact that Ahmadinejad may have actually won the election by a bigger margin than what his own polls suggested.

We should be watching the unrest and making sure that our feelings towards using violence to quash protests are known, but our politics on who we want elected need to be left out of the discussion. What happens in Iran is important but our meddling in their affairs is no better than other times we’ve done so, no matter how noble some think it is.

Yet, halfway around the world people are protesting and dying for change in their country. Seems like our priorities are out of whack. We’re worried about whether restaurants should be serving trans fats while Iranians are being told they are not allowed to gather in public places. Let’s get our priorities in order and worry about the things that matter, which, I’m sorry to say, do not include what talking heads say on television.

It is a great site with a great team behind it and allows users to look at their local communities from a granular level. Users can see crime statistics, restaurants, businesses, food inspections, and tons of other useful information.

Watching the ceremonies that took place today in France made my eyes water. I saw war veterans being stopped in the street and asked for their autographs, being treated like royalty, and being thanked. The news station interviewed some of them and their humbleness was unbelievable, most explained that they were just doing their part and that the ones who deserve our thanks are the ones who did not come back. Those who paid the ultimate price do deserve our gratitude, but the ones who lived through the war deserve to know that their  hard work is not unnoticed and was not in vain.

The generation that stormed the beaches that morning is slowly dying, we need to thank them and take as much time as we can to know their stories.

June 6, 1944 changed history. Americans, British, Canadians, French, and Australians stormed the beaches of Normandy and parachuted into places like Merville and Ranville. They fought for every inch of beach and in doing so, started a chain reaction to overthrow the evil that had infected Europe.

Flag over Pearl Harbor War Memorial

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer for most families and they use the holiday weekend to visit the beach or have friends over for BBQ. It’s fun and enjoyable but it views the “holiday” in the wrong light.

Today is a somber day. It is a day to remember those who have fought in service of their country and paid the ultimate price. From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, millions of men and women have served in the armed forces.

So take a moment to think about the freedom that we all share and the price that was paid for it.