I'd like to meet:
Any person with similar intrest, any political conservative, any Brother Mason, anyone who works in the same field as me, or anyone who lives in my community.
I love meeting new people. MY PAGE IS VERY POLITICALY CONSERVATIVE,BUT DO NO BE PUT OFF BY THAT IF YOU ARE NOT A CONSERVATIVE! I AM VERY OPEN MINDED AND ENJOY MEETING PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE.
I will send anyone a request to add me as a friend if they seem interesting. That is the whole point in myspace, to keep up with old friends and make new ones! Oh yea.... my wife....She is that beautiful lady you seee in all my pics. Her myspace URL is http://www.myspace.com/obsequiousways . Send her a friends request and she will add you I am sure. She likes meeting people also, she is just not as agressive as I am. ..... Of course as far as singular individuals goes, I would like to meet... G. W. Bush, Eddie Van Halen, Sean Hannity, and Stephen King. I would have liked to have met, John Wayne, Elvis, Ronald Reagan.My DAD!!My Dad is the greatest influence in my life. Yes, my wife and son are the most important thing in my life NOW, but my Dad has done more to shape me into who I am than any other person. My Dad has been the hardest working person I have ever known. No person I know has ever even came close to the way he has worked all his life. He worked 38 years at the paper mill before he retired, but that is nothing. He has also farmed full time. He could go on less sleep than any person I have ever known. He always worked way more hours on the farm than he did at his regular job and I could count on one hand how many times he missed work in the entire 38 years he was at the mill. About the only time I remember him ever missing work was if me or my sister was in the hospital or something major like that. He would never just call in if he himself was sick. I am so proud of my Dad. He was raised poor. He was one of eleven kids. His Dad was a sharecropper, among other things. There is nothing wrong with being a sharecropper, but it was hard work and little money. My Dad worked hard as a kid. He grew up and continued to work hard, then he bought a farm when I was just a kid. He has made something of himself and he did it all on his own...... He taught me so much. It is amazing at how growing up on a farm was a tool for him to teach me so much. I remember being young and him letting me drive/operate a tractor. He was riding with me and teaching me everything. I was so young I had to stand up and put all my weight on one foot to mash the clutch. He had to go to the barn to get something and left me alone with the tractor. I was so happy that he trusted me to run it by myself. Then disaster struck. As I was turning around at the end of the row, I hit a fence post with the cultivater that I was plowing with. I freaked out, shut the tractor off and just sat there scared to death of what Dad was gonna say when he got back. He came walking up in a few minutes and asked why I had stopped. I don't even think I could speak. I just pointed at the broken post. Dad looked at it then looked at me and asked me "Do you know why you broke that post?". Now I was really scared. I knew it was because I had done something wrong but was not just sure what I had done wrong. He then said " You broke that because you are out here working. If you had been laid up in the house watching cartoons this would have never happened, but if you get out of the house and work, things like this are gonna happen. Don't worry, we can fix that post. It is no big deal. I am just glad you are out here working with me". It meant a lot to me then and I have always remembered that little lesson throughout my life. I still try to look at life that way. You only make mistakes if you are doing something. Set back and do nothing and you may never make a mistake, but that is no way to live. Another very rememberable day me and Dad was riding down the road to who knows where, when I saw this big 4wheel drive tractor. I said " Man!, I wish that was our tractor!". Dad looked at me and said "No son, you wish we could someday be able to get ourselves our own tractor like that, but you don't wish for what belongs to someone else". It was so simple, but that is the way Dad is. He just naturally gets it. He naturally knows how you are supposed to live your life. I am now 38 and I can say with 100% assuredness that he has never told me a lie. I have never heard him tell anyone a lie. He has always told me it is better in any dealings you have with anyone, to get beat on a deal or done wrong, than to ever do someone wrong. That was just a few of thousands of little lessons he taught me. He used to carry a little peice of paper in his wallet with a litte saying on it. He would take that thing out ever so often and read it to me and my sister, or anyone who would listen. I bet he still has it in his wallet. I want to share that litle saying with you here>>> THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW DAY. GOD HAS GIVEN ME THIS DAY TO USE AS I WILL. I CAN WASTE IT-- OR USE IT FOR GOOD, BUT WHAT I DO TODAY IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE I AM EXCHANGING A DAY OF MY LIFE FOR IT! WHEN TOMORROW COMES, THIS DAY WILL BE GONE FOREVER, LEAVING IN ITS PLACE SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TRADED FOR IT. I WANT IT TO BE GAIN, AND NOT LOSS; GOOD, AND NOT EVIL; SUCCESS, AND NOT FAILURE; IN ORDER THAT I SHALL NOT REGRET THE PRICE I HAVE PAID FOR IT.<<< I have no idea where he got that from, but he has lived by it. I am who I am because of my Dad!!!...This is about my Uncle Joe!!!!
A 100% True American Hero.
I am so proud of my Uncle.......Joseph C. Hidalgo...To whom this may concern;I, Joseph C. Hidalgo, enlisted with the 1st. Marine Division after the attack of Pearl Harbor and served from January of 1942, through out the duration of World War II in 1945. After my tour of duty with the Marines, I enlisted and retired from the Untied States Air Force of May 1964, with 22 plus years of duty for my Country.I have been awarded the following Medals: From the Secretary of the Navy, Washington:The NAVY CROSS MEDAL:The President of the United States takes pleasure in Presenting the Navy Cross to Joseph C. Hidalgo, United States Marines Corp ReserveNavy Cross Medal - for Heroic Achievement in Action against the enemy on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, from 10, September, 1944 while serving as a Stretcher Bearer of Company C. First Battalion, Fifth Marine Division, subjected to enemy gunfire for forty-eight continuous hours, and on occasion, he efficiently performed double duty as corpsman and stretcher-bearer when all available pharmacist's mates were need else where. By assuming responsibility for the evacuation of his wounded comrades, he contributed materially in saving over thirty lives. His heroic valor and untiring self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval service. Sign by: General U. S. M. C. Commander of the Marine Corp. C. B. CatesTHE BRONZE STAR MEDAL:In the Name of the President of the United States, the Commanding General, Fleet Marines Force, Pacific, takes pleasure in awarding the Bronze Star Medal to:Private First Class Joseph C. Hidalgo, United States Reserve for service as set forth in the Following CITATION:"For heroic achievement in action against the enemy on PELELIU ISLAND, PALAU GROUP, from 15 September, 1944 Private First Class Hidalgo, serving as a stretcher bearer with an assault company of infantry, on numerous occasions worked day and night carrying badly needed supplies up to the front and the wounded to the rear under enemy fire. He carried out his duties in a most praiseworthy manner. At one time he and another marine were the only two stretcher bearers at the front, During this period, for forty-eight continuous hours under enemy gunfire, he worked indefatigably at carrying up supplies and numerous wounded to the aid station. When corpsman were lacking he did double duty as a corpsman and stretcher-bearer. Both duties being performed with skill and efficiency. Private Class HIDALGO was wounded on the front lines on 27 September 1944, while in the performance of his duties, His outstanding loyalty and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Signed by Lieutenant General, H. M. Smith, U. S. Marine Corps.A MARINE CORPS COMBAT CORRESPONDENT DISPATCH:By Sergeant Walter Wood, a Marine Corps Combat Correspondent...Somewhere in the South Pacific (Delayed)-- Marine Private First Class Joseph C. Hidalgo, 19, of 1124 Arkadelphia, Road, East Thomas, Birmingham, Ala., can rightfully be called versatile.Hidalgo, son of Mrs. Marie (Hidalgo) Thompson, of East Thomas, came overseas two years ago as a cook. Today he wears the Bronze Star Medal for doubling as stretcher-bearer and corpsman at Peleliu in the Palau Islands.For 11 days, before he was wounded by a Jap sniper, Hidalgo aided wounded Marines, gave first aid to innumerable comrades, performed a blood plasma transfusion under fire and, on occasions, worked day and night carrying badly needed supplies to the front.Officers who recommended Hidalgo for the Bronze Star say he worked for 48 continuous hours under enemy gunfire to carry supplies to the front and bring wounded men back to an aid station. When corpsman were lacking, he gave first aid. The Officers didn't know this until one seriously wounded Marine was brought back by stretcher bearers with a tag on his jacket indicating that a blood plasma had been given. The tag said when and how much and it was signed not by a corpsman, but by "Pfc. Hidalgo."Hidalgo was wounded in front of a Jap pillbox, while banding three wounded Marines.He was evacuated from Peleliu, but rejoined his outfit long before the day awards were made. Brigadier General Louis Jones, assistant commander of the First Marine Division, presented him the medal "for heroic achievement in action against the enemy"-USMC--SILVER STAR MEDAL:CITATION " For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with a Marine rifle company on OKINAWA SHIMA, RYUKYU ISLANDS on 9, May, 1945. Private First Class HIDALGO repeatedly and unhesitatingly, without regard for his own safety, carried out his duties as a stretcher bearer in a valley covered by enemy fire on three sides. For more than five hours he worked in the valley, exposing himself to severe enemy crossfire, organizing stretcher teams from his own units, and adjacent units, and directing the evacuation of wounded men wherever he found them on the battlefield. By assuming responsibility for the evacuation of his wounded comrades, he contributed materially in saving over thirty lives. His heroic valor and untiring self-sacrifice were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."Sign; Roy S. Geiger, Lieutenant General, U. S. Marine Corps. True Copy Sign by, Ronald V. Slagel / Secretary of the Navy / John L. LullwanBRONZE STAR MEDAL- with COMBAT "V" for service at Peleliu Island, Palau Island on 15, September, 1944PURPLE HEART MEDAL - for wound received in action against the enemy at Peleliu on 20, September, 1944.PURPLE HEART MEDAL - for wound received in action against the enemy in Central Pacific Area 26, September 1944./ United States Pacific Fleet, South Pacific Force, Service Squadron / 14, October 1944 /Sign By Paul Hendren /PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATIONS with one BRONZE STAR award the 1st. Marine Division for service on Peleliu in 1944 and Okinawa in 1945.DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS / awarded Temporary Citation and Distinguished Service Cross / First endorsement 1 August 1945 / dated 10, August 1945 / Sign By/a/ D. Peck2 d endorsement / 5, September 1945/ Delivered with Congratulations. /Sign By /s/ J. N. Frisbie A true copy; Sign By Ronald V. Slagel Major, USAF (MSC) AdjutantGOOD CONDUCT MEDAL / for service from 1942 to 1945.ASIATIC- PACIFIC MEDAL / with FOUR BRONZE STARSVICTORY MEDAL, World War IICOMBAT MEDIC BADGECITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE AIR FORCE COMMENDATION MEDAL TO JOSEPH C. HIDALGOAirman First Class Joseph C. Hidalgo, AF14256728, distinguished himself by meritorious service as Supervisor of the American Youth Association Section of Personnel Services, during the period 1 June 1957 to 15 January 1959. Airman Hidalgo materially improved the recreational program for young people of Sembach Air Base. His voluntary off-duty efforts on numerous additional projects, especially in the area of sports, substantially increased the overall success of the base's mission. The efficiency, loyalty, initiative and devotion to duty displayed by Airman Hidalgo, reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. /s /t / James H. Price Colonel, USAF CommanderLetter of Appreciation; 30 April 1964....United States Air Force, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia to Joseph C. Hidalgo Route 4, Box 342G Valdosta, Georgia.1. It is with pleasure that I congratulate you upon your retirement from the United States Air Force after completed more than twenty years service.2. Your extensive efforts, taken in sum, have afforded valuable contribution to the United States Air Force. I am certain that you enjoy a feeling of deep satisfaction based on your accomplishments.3. I wish you the best of success in your civilian endeavor. /Vincent M. Miles Colonel USAF CommanderThis Story is a salute and true Facts to Citations and Medals of;JOSEPH C. HIDALGORetired Air Force Sgt. Joseph C. Hidalgo is still waiting for the congressional Medal of Honor that he was promised when he saved fifteen wounded comrades by covering a Jap grenade with his own body.Today Joe is retired from the Untied States Air Force. Joe served in all four branches of the Armed Services, but at heart he is still a United States Marine. The thirty-two ribbons that he is authorized to wear attest to the fact that he has cheated death many times, and today is one, if not the most highly decorated living men of World War II.The Personnel of "C" Company First Battalion Marine Division, lay sprawled out in the leeward shelter-side of the scorched, bombed out crater, still permeated acid-thick with the stench of smoldering shell cases. Fourteen straight days of facing purgatory on earth, living every minute of every hour facing death on the combat line had taken a terrible toll of lives from what had once been a proud combat efficient infantry squad. The remnants of "C" Company lay tattered, and lay den, and bleeding row after row, in the boxed-in steaming hot jungle hospital tent. A small group of Marine Infantry, all that was left of the Company, stood at the perimeters surrounding the pillbox of the fighting group."LITTLE JOE, QUITE A MAN"Hour after hour he made the trip back and forth between the front line and hospital tent, always under constant pressure and danger of enemy fire. Joe neared the hospital tent again, a severely wounded infantry man cradled in his arms. He staggered under the weight, and from exhaustion, brought on by serving as a stretcher-bearer when all available pharmacist mates were needed elsewhere. By assuming responsibility for evacuation, he contributed to saving over thirty lives. (For Heroic Achievement in Action Against the Enemy on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, from September 10, 1944)September 15, 1944 with the Palau group, Private First Class Hidalgo, serving as stretcher-bearer with an assault company of infantry, on numerous occasions worked day and night carrying badly needed supplies to the front line and the wounded to the rear under enemy fire. He carried out his duties in a most praiseworthy manner. At one time he and another Marine were the only stretcher-bearers at the front. During this period, for forty-eight continuous hours under enemy gunfire, he worked indefatigable at carrying up supplies to the front and numerous wounded to the station. For eleven straight days before he was wounded by the Jap sniper, Hidalgo aided wounded marines, gave first-aid to innumerable comrades. He performed a blood plasma transfusion under fire.Later, those Marine infantry men, brought in from the jaws of death did not know they would owe their lives to the bravery, devotion to duty, and medical skills of 'Little Joe', a truly soldier's kind of man.Joe kneeled in front of the pillbox of the fighting group administering first-aid and bandages to the wounded September 26, 1944, until he himself fell with a bullet hit him in the thigh. in a matter of an hour or so, Joe had been patched up at a rear medic station and was back in the thick of it at the front line. That did not stop Joe from carrying on with his duty for several more long hard days, between the front line and the set up hospital tent."A Legend Is Born"A blood red sun hung low in the West, only minutes away from sinking into the black waters of the Peleliu Islands. Sporadic rifle and machine gun fire cracked back and forth across the thickly wooded combat line to break the eerie silence, which hung over the jungle at sundown. An occasional grenade slammed into the mud at the rear of the hospital tent receiving area to echo a muffled explosion of death and destruction into the dog-tired ears of fifteen liter cases, all helplessly shattered of mind and body. They lay tagged and waiting ; waiting to lose an arm or leg to be amputation there in the heat and filth of a far-off South Pacific Island. Late on a September afternoon in 1944, unknown at the time the small group of sweaty, completely bushed medics who had worked around the clock without sleep or relief, a Marine Legend was about to be born there in the midst of death within the sweaty confines of a hospital tent on a stinking, filthy, enemy infested Pacific Island.Little Weir 130 pound Private First Class Joseph C. Hidalgo "C" Company Cook was busy at his self-appointed job of saving lives of badly wounded men; many of them friends of Joe's, suffering intense pain lay pinned down on the lines critically needing medical attention if their lives were to be saved. Joe saw this at a glance, and made a quick decision, The years he had spent caring for his invalid mother and learning all he could about medicine and care for the sick, in that split second of decision. Those Marines, brought in from the jaws of death by Joe, did not know that later, they would owe their lives to the bravery, devotion to duty, and medical skills of Little Joe.Joe went down the rows of liter cases administering aid here, a sip of water to an old 'Sag' there, giving a puff of his cigarette to a buddy on another cot. Then it happened, a Japanese sniper succeeded in lobbing a grenade into the hospital tent. No one saw it. The results would have been ghastly, but for the trained of Joe Hidalgo. Joe saw it, and acting on trained instinct, he immediately plopped his helmet over the grenade to absorb the full blast as the grenade ripped open his insides. Over fifteen who were in the hospital tent that day were saved, by 'Little Joe', a Marine of Hero stature whose exploits written in glory, bravery and blood across the sands of many South Pacific Islands have rightly earned him a place of respect and honor in the history book of the Marine Corps, and the hearts of all Marines. To a Marine, he will be affectionately always as 'Joe Hit-N-Go' one helical Marine."Fleeting Days"The first Joe remembered following the grenade blast that tore through his insides with a terrible punishing force was waking up in the half-limbs of reality aboard a Naval Hospital ship bound for New Guinea. A long series of operation and convalescence left Joe with plenty of time for thinking, While lying between cool clean white sheets of the Naval Station Hospital far removed from the terrible nightmare of combat, Joe's thoughts went back to Memphis, Tennessee. Events of his life marched past the memory window of his mind as he lay wondering whether all of the pain and suffering was worth the ideals he believed in . They were! The Saint Peter's Orphanage in Memphis came into focus between tears of pain as Joe though back to the starting point of his life. His Mother separated in marriage had served as a nurse in the orphanage. The only home Joe, the younger of one brother and two sisters, had known for the first nine years of Joe's life. Joe recalled the memories of walking of with the Priest on the huge lawn, and sitting for what seemed like hours under the big trees, just talking. He wondered about his friends and thought about how they would go around back for his Mother to slip them cookies in the mid-afternoon.After that Joe's Mother remarried and his family moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Joe's older sister (Rose) remained at Saint Peter's Orphanage in Memphis, because she was soon to become a Nun. Later she was to travel to Birmingham, Al. to visit with her family. The family was in route back from Memphis, and was returning to Birmingham when the automobile accident happened. Rose was killed instantly and Joe's Mother and Step-Dad were left bedridden for the remainder of their life. After the accident, Joe, of necessity, was forced to curtail schooling and pitch in to help operate the family's secondhand furniture and hardware store. When most kids were worrying about nothing more serious than Dad loaning them the family car, Joe was out hustling up extra jobs in order that the family could make financial ends meet.December 7th, rumbled across the infamous act of pearl Harbor struck with great force on the patriotic senses of American youth. Joe Joined the ranks of those rushing to call colors of a Nation which sustained a crippling military blow. Considering he was not yet seventeen years old, his announcement of 'I want to enlist' probably brought an admiring grin to the weather-beaten face of the hardened Marine recruiter the day Joe marched into the Birmingham Recruiting Office and announced his intentions. Finally, Joe's big day arrived. A sympathetic Marine recruiting officer listened to Joe's story; he investigated the circumstances of his home life, and decided he should merit a break in life. They granted him a waiver on his age and enlisted him into the Marines. By February 1942 he was a seasoned combat Marine serving with the First Marine Division which at the time was rather busily engaged in chasing the Armies of the Rising Sun over a good part of the South Pacific real estate.To cite the circumstances which earned Joe his chest full of decorations would require a good- sized book. To pinpoint any one and label it as representative of his long combat record would be injustice to the bravery and valor displayed by him throughout the war. Yet , it would be well to any one incident out of a great guy, a brave fighter, and a United States Marine.For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with a Marine Rifle Company on Okinawa Shima, Ryuker Island on May 9, 1945, Hidalgo repeatedly and unhesitatingly, without regard for his own safety, carried out his duties as a stretcher-bearer in a valley covered by enemy fire on all three sides. The "C" company at the time was covering action on a ridge overlooking a deep valley. On the retreat up the steep slopes many Marines fell and hours later were pinned down where they had fallen, bleeding and suffering. Joe knew this and the knowledge of it ate at his conscience. The thought that his buddies were lying down there suffering was more than he could stand, although he had been told by his officers that it would be suicide to attempt an evacuation of the wounded from this Valley of Death. In spite of the warning, Joe commanded an amphibian tractor and with it faced almost certain death as he went into the valley to bring out his friends. For more than five hours, he worked in the valley, exposing himself to severe enemy crossfire, organizing stretcher teams from his own and adjacent units, and directing the evacuation of wounded men wherever he found them on the battlefield. By assuming responsibility for the evacuation of his wounded comrades, he contributed materially in saving over thirty lives.Asked, "How does one survive three years of continuous close association with death in combat, Joe's answer given in deep humility, a classic reply of a combat man's confidence in GOD, was "If it is GOD'S will, man will survive anything, cruelty, torture, pain, even death....besides a lots of folk back home were praying for me.Note:This is a true story from records and citations received through the President of the United States. Research wrote by Mary Hidalgo.GOD COMMANDMENT:John 15 -12 This is my Commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.John 15 -13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Joe served more than three Continuous years, through out the duration of World War II. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corp after Pearl Harbor was boomed. During the entire War, Joe did not killed anyone. Joe was there for a reason, and that was for helping his friends and saving lives. He was a true Marine, Combat Medic. I have always believe that Joseph was brought back from the jaws of death for a special reason. To know him is to love him. If he can't help you, he would never do you any harm. He has always been an inspiration and brought Special Meaning to my life.Wife: Mary HidalgoI read this a few years ago. I have never seen anything that was so inline with how I feel!ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D.,author of "On Killing."Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so
because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy
things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that
may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,
even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth
dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the
United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive
creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the
murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate
is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans
are not inclined to hurt one another.Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent
crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record
rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which
means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one
in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are
committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably
less than two million.Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation:
We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people
who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme
provocation. They are sheep.I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the
pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow
into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue
shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and
someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For
now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators."Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there
who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil
men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget
that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in
denial."Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to
protect the flock and confront the wolf."If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive
citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy
for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But
what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow
citizens?
What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking
the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathedLet me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep,
wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes
them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the
world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids'
schools.But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police
officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely
to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the
sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone
coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the
path of denial.The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is
that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep
dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished
and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative
democracy or a republic such as ours.Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that
there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them
where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our
airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much
rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to
hide behind one lonely sheepdog.The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough
high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not
have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had
nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT
teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel
those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs
feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded
hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt
differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how
many times you heard the word hero?Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a
funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the
breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a
righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous
battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move
to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After
the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America
said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said,
"Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I
could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a
warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there.
You want to be able to make a difference.There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but
he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able
to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the
population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals
convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious,
predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast
majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped
walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like
big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able
to protect itself.Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be
genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most
people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans
are choosing to become sheepdogs.Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the
man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an
operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other
three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone
and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to
the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a
transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business
people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves,
ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible
evil of evil men. - Edmund BurkeHere is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of
police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real
sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves.
They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be
whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay,
but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your
loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If
you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt
you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want
to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious
and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive
in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are
well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt
holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of
religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer
in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your
place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the
break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other
cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I
asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at
a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally
deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen
people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day
if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do
was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the
eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself
after that?"Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer
was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and
would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for
"heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective,
or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids'
school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can
happen and that there must be safeguards against them.Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often
their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog
quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with
yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there
helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically
destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is
counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and
horror when the wolf shows up.Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth
when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't
train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy.
Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you
are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at
your moment of truth.Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11
book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to
terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an
insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it
isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more
unsettling."Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in
small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some
level.And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of
his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you
step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that
the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime.
Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you
walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to
yourself...
"Baa."This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no
dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees,
a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on
the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the
other.
Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America
took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps
toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started
taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that
continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved
ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.Costumes...One of the greatest cowboys I ever knew, did not look like one. He was a horse trainer. When I was very young he would train some of my dad's horses. He would be out there training these horses, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, baseball cap, and tennis shoes. No cowboy hat, boots, big belt buckle or trench coat. Sure when he would take a horse to a horse show or anything like that, he would be dressed out as a traditional cowboy. But he did not dress like one on a day to day bases. I asked my dad why that guy didn't dress like a cowboy and my dad told me that the guy was so confident in who he was and what he could do with a horse, that he felt no need to try and convince people he was a cowboy. He was the real thing. On the contrary, I knew a guy that always wore boots, cowboy hat, and a long leather trench coat. He even drove a 4 weel drive truck. But he lived in town and had never even been on a horse in his life. He was no cowboy, he just wore the costume. All my life I have questioned peoples actions, including my own. For instance, can I own and ride horses and not wear the costume to town? Can I enjoy watching a football game and yet not wear the costume. Do I have to wear a shirt to the mall or where ever that says what team I am for? Can I enjoy hunting and fishing and yet not wear a camouflage costume to a restaurant? Could I own and ride a motorcyle without wearing the costum consisting of all black leather and obscene writings on a leather vest? I am not putting anyone down for doing this stuff. I just see it for what it is. If people are "into" something, they tend to go all out and wear the costume of their choosing. I find that very interesting. It makes me look close at myself and wonder what my costume is and what it represents. If I wear jeans and a t-shirt and tennis shoes with no logos or "style" represented, is that the costume of a conformist? A non-rebel? I hope not, because I have always considered myself a Rebel at heart!Loyalty and Honor.....Words mean a lot to me. Think of this. God created everything with words. He spoke the world into existence. We think in words. Have you ever thought about your earliest memories as a child. Notice those memories tie in to when you were developing your language skills? You may recall somethings as a child in which it is visual, but I bet even though it is a visual memory, it was still stored in your brain as words. Like "Mom's Blue Dress" as opposed to that thing, wearing that thing, in that color". You knew the words: Mom, Blue, Dress before you could store the information in your brain to be recalled later.
OK... all that was sorta gibberish, to just make the point.... Words are important.
So when I sit around and think of things... in words... I think of how some words have very powerful meaning. Like trust, respect, love, devotion, honor, valor, loyalty, fidelity, courage, and many more like these.
The other day I was browsing through some myspace sites and saw where a guy had this on his page "Loyalty above all things except Honor". Wow! I read that, then reread it several times.
What if we could truly live or lives like that. Where Loyalty was our main effort and goal in life. Loyalty to God, Country, Family, Friends, Job, Community, Groups, and Organizations. What if that was above all else.... except honor. Meaning.... you would be Loyal to everything you had any obligation to, as long as it never crossed the line of doing something dishonorable. HONOR! What a word! Webster says Honor is: n 1 high regard 2 good reputation 3 adherence to right principles 4 glory or credit 5 title of certain officials 6 something showing respect- v 1 treat with respect 2confer an honor on 3 accept as valid
I like that "adherence to right principles" part. So. To say "Loyalty above all else, except Honor", means I will devote all of my being to "The Cause", but I will never compromise my principles.
How cool is that?!Why do some people vote for the Democrats?.....It amazes me how many folks vote Democrat. I live in the Southeast corner of Alabama and work in Florida. Close to half the folks around here vote Democrat. Thankfully, it is less than half. They vote Democrat because that is the way their mom and dad votes or maybe it is because of the "myth", that Democrats are for the poor man. They vote for a liberal party, yet if you ask anyone around here 99% are very conservative on almost every issue.
For example, on issues like gun control, all most everyone will tell you quick.. " I am against gun control. They will have to kill me before they take my guns from me" Yet they vote for the liberal Democrats who are the very ones for gun control.
You can ask anyone how they feel about taxes and everyone you meet will tell you we are taxed way too much. Some of those same folks will turn around and vote for a Democrat. Democrats are all about raising taxes. They say stuff like, "We are just gonna tax the rich", but if you got a job, they think you are rich. They are into "Redistribution Of Wealth". Playing Robbin Hood... Take from the rich and give to the poor. That sounds noble and all that, but Robbin Hood was a thief! I think we are ALL taxed too much. the rich, the poor, and everyone in the middle. We all are taxed way too much.
Everyone in my community is very pro law enforcement and are for enforcing the laws and punishing those who cannot obey the laws of our land. Yet some still vote for Democrats who are soft on criminals. Democrats are criminal advocates. They worry more about criminals rights than the victims rights. They try to make sentences for convicted felons shorter, when we all know they should be making felon's sentences longer and harder. My community is strongly in favor of the death penalty. Democrats still get some of my community's votes although Democrats are against the death penalty.
Separation from church and state?........ The smart ones around here really do understand that it means keeping the government out of your church, not keeping God out of political issues. How can anyone expect our leaders to make important decisions that effect us all, without having some sort of moral compass to lead them? A perfect example is the Ten Commandments is a courtroom. The intelligent people around here know that it is important to have MORAL guidelines in our court system. Regrettably, some of the intelligent people still vote for Democrats who want all decisions to be made with no moral stance at all.
Just who in the world is not for a strong military? Nobody from around here, yet Democrats still pull in votes although they would love to disband out military, or at lease make it smaller and less efficient. They don't think we need a military because they do not believe we should ever go to war with any country for any reason... EVER! Even if we are attacked!
Folks around here believe in equality. They know slavery was wrong and that at one time minorities were treated a second class citizens. They know this and have moved on. They want true equality now. They feel true equality does not include affirmative action. They know reversed discrimination is as wrong as any other form. Some of these same people will vote for a Democrat even though Democrats strongly support any and all types of affirmative action. Affirmative Action in which you get a job or college admittance not based on your qualifications, but based purely on race or sex.
Folks here in my part of the world feel very strongly about abortion. Even the very few around here who don't see abortion as murder, know that late term abortions are pure evil! So why do Democrats get some of these folks votes even though they are pro abortion even if it is very late in a pregnancy. They basically support a woman carrying a baby full term and killing it at anytime.
You ask anyone and they will tell you "Two men kissing just ain't right!". Yea, most folks don't care what adults do in the bedroom, but they feel passionately that marriage should be between one man and one woman. No matter what you do in private, common sense tell folks that a kid needs a Mom and a Dad! Yes, there are a lot of single Moms and Dads doing a great job of raising their kids. But if given a choice, most reasonable people feel the government should do everything it can to support a kid being in a stable family. Moms and Dads both have separate and important roles in a child life. If you allow gay marriage and for gays to adopt kids, you are guaranteeing that a child will be raised without that important element in their life. A few of these same people around me that know these things, will still turn right around and vote for a Democrat. A Democrat that sees no problem with two men or two women marrying and raising kids.
Though my community does not have the problem of illegal aliens as bad as other parts of the country, we do have our share of it. People around here know that we need to CLOSE OUR BORDERS! Then, after we fix the border, we need to deal with those here who have violated our nations sovereignty. That does not mean giving them special treatment over those who are trying to come here the right way. Democrats can still get a few votes from my community. My community who understands this issue so well. Sadly, no political party seems to be willing to do the right thing and close our border, but if it ever does happen, it will not be the Democrats who do it.
The problem is that there is a strong tradition of voting for Democrats based on how our parents and grandparents voted. Maybe 50 or a 100 years ago I may have voted Democrat too. But in the past 40 or so years the Democratic party has been hijacked by the left wing liberals. Folks now days are not paying attention. They are just voting based on tradition. If you keep up with politics by watching MTV, Oprah, or other junk like that, you will never realize just how out of whack the Democrats are. CBS, ABC, NBC, and CNN ain't much better. They are all liberals. The only way you are gonna get the truth about politics and the state of our country is by watching FOX News Channel, or listening to talk radio shows like Sean Hannity, Bill O'Rielly, Michael Savage, Neal Boortz, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh and others like them.
Oh yea... I know that not ALL Democrats feel and vote this way, but this IS their party's platform.Sports fan? Not Exactly....I used to really follow pro football and other sports. But I reached a point in my life (Maybe I just outgrew them)where I started to question how people are so devoted to one team over another. I live in Alabama, so the big thing around here is if you pull for Alabama or Auburn. I always pulled for Alabama. But I liked Auburn also. People would get down right mad if I told them that. They would say " You got to pull for one and hate the other one". Well that's just stupid! Both teams represent my state I live in. They are both good teams. Why would I not support both teams from my home state? It made me really stop and look at the whole "Sports Fan" thing. I know peolpe that have lived around here their whole lives, but they are big fans of New York teams or Washington teams. If you really want to see something funny ask a big sports fan why he or she pulls for a certain team. They will give you the most craziest reason. Most of them like one team because that is who their parents liked. It is that simple. I love sports, but I just don't get into the whole "My Team" thing. Ask a sports fan if they feel good when their team wins. They will almost always say yes. Then ask them if they feel like a less of a man or a loser if their team does not win. Then watch the look on their face. Why would anyone ever tie their emotions so closely to how a ball game will turn out?Not a really big hunter..... I am not a really big hunter. I have nothing against hunting and have done my share of it. I just enjoy shooting more than hunting. I would rather spend a day shooting houndreds of rounds into paper and seeing how small a group of bullet holes I can make in a target, more than spending all winter in the woods holding a gun and only shooting 3 or 4 times the entire deer hunting seasons. I actually enjoy hunting squirrels. I think it is harder to shoot a little bitty squirrel at 30 yards with a 22 rifle with open sights that is designed to have a range of 40 to 50 yards, than to shoot a big old deer at 80 yards with a rifle designed to shoot 300 or 400 yards. I would hunt squirrels all season long, but.... I don't care to eat squirrels. Another thing is that deer bed down (sleep) in our back yard. We enjoy seeing them out there all the time, so shooting them would be like shooting a pet. Now don't get me wrong; If I look out there and see some big old buck worth hanging on my wall, I will drop him! Like I said, I am not against hunting, it's just not my thing. We have all sorts of wildlife in our backyard which is at the edge of some woods. We have deer, squirrels, bobcats, coyotes, owls, and wild ducks that stay in our small pond at night.Bad American:This went around on emails and was supposed to have been writen by Ted Nudget. But Ted has said that while he agrees with this, he did not write it. Oh well. It still is the coolest thing I have ever read on a email. It is called BAD AMERICAN......I'm a Bad American-this pretty much sums it up for me. I like big trucks, big boats, big houses, and naturally, pretty women.I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some midlevel governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies.I don't care about appearing compassionate.I think playing with toy guns doesn't make you a killer. I believe ignoring your kids and giving them Prozac might.I think I'm doing better than the homeless.I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized. I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird or make me mad. This is my life to live, and not necessarily up to others expectations. I know what SEX is and there are not varying degrees of it.I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. But if you want to that's fine; I just don't feel like everyone else should have to.I believe that if you are selling me a Dairy Queen shake, a pack of cigarettes, or hotel room you do it in English. As of matter of fact, if you are an American citizen you should speak English. My uncles and forefathers shouldn't have had to die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come disrespect ours, and make us bend to your will. Get over it.I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry butt if you're running from them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word 'freeze' or 'stop' in English, see the previous line. I don't use the excuse "it's for the children" as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions.I know how to count votes and I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation do a recount when needed. I know what the definition of lying is, and it isn't based on the word "is"-ever.I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you qualify for any special loan programs, gov't sponsored bank loans, etc., so you can open a hotel, 7-Eleven, trinket shop, or any thing else, while the indigenous peoples can't get past a high school education because they can't afford it.I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet. I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny.I want them to bring back safe and sane fireworks.I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang, but that doesn't mean I want to listen to that crapfrom someone else's car when I'm stopped at a red light. But I respect your right to.I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster or Jack In The Box.I don't want to eat or drink anything with the words light, lite or fat-free on the package.Our soldiers did not go to some foreign country and risk their lives in vain and defend our Constitution so that decades later you can tell me it's a living document ever changing and is open to interpretation. The guys who wrote it were light years ahead of anyone today, and they meant what they said - now leave the document alone, or there's going to be trouble.I don't hate the rich. I help the poor. I know wrestling is fake. I've never owned, or was a slave, and a large percentage of our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either. Please stop blaming me because some prior white people were idiots - and remember, tons of white, Indian, Chinese, and other races have been enslaved too - it was wrong for every one of them.I believe a self-righteous liberal Democrat with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude.I want to know exactly which church is it where the "Reverend" Jessie Jackson preaches; and, what exactly is his job function.I own a gun, you can own a gun, and any red blooded American should be allowed to own a gun, but if you use it in a crime, then you will serve the time.I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it makes you mad, then invent the next operating system that's better and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you.I don't believe in hate crime legislation. Even suggesting it makes me mad.You're telling me that someone who is a minority, gay, disabled, another nationality, or otherwise different from the mainstream of this country has more value as a human being that I do as a white male. If someone kills anyone, I'd say that it's a hate crime. We don't need more laws! Let's enforce the ones we already have.I think turkey bacon, turkey beef, turkey fake anything sucks. I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child-it takes a parent with the guts to stand up to the kid and spank his butt and say "NO!" when it's necessary to do so. I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was Ole Yeller. I didn't realize Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid.I will not be frowned upon or be looked down upon or be made to keep silent because I have these beliefs and opinions. I thought this country allowed me that right. I will not conform or compromise just to keep from hurting somebody's feelings. I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise. Yes, I guess by some people's definition, I may be a bad American.But that's tough.Μολών ΛaβΠMalon Labe! You see that on my page and on many many others. It is the cry of those who will never lay down their weapons!!!!! It is Greek for "COME AND GET THEM!".It is from the historical based movie 300. It is what those of us who believe in the 2nd Amendment, are saying to those who would go against the 2nd Amendment.
