101st Airborne, Shifty

Shifty

"Shifty" By Chuck Yeager

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 Episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time.I just saw an elderly gentleman having Trouble reading his ticket.I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of The 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he d been in the 101st Airborne Or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 ... " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training Jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy .. Do you know where Normandy is?"At this point my heart stopped. I told him "Yes, I know exactly where Normandy is,and I know what D-Day was."

At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ."

I was standing with a genuine war hero ....And then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes... And it's

real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip."My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on Jan. 17 after fighting cancer.

The Perfect Solution-Get A Job

This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco , TX Nov 18, 2010

Put me in charge . . .

Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks? You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.

In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the “common good.”

Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.

If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND While you are on Gov’t subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov’t welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

Sarah in 2012

THE MSM AND OTHERS  HAVE TOLD  US THAT SARAH PALIN HAS TOO MANY NEGATIVES AND CANNOT BE ELECTED---WHAT A CROCK! THEY ARE AFRAID OF PALIN AND  THOSE LIKE HER! THEY WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO SUPPORT SOME MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD ER,  WHO STANDS FOR NOTHING AND WILL DO LITTLE TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO.  IT'S TIME FOR A REAL CHANGE AND TO SET AMERICA BACK ON ITS REAL COURSE.  THE STRUGGLE IS  BETWEEN COLLECTIVISM OR INDIVIDUALISM----YOU MAKE THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama the Ham!!!!

WHAT A HAM! HE NEVER KNOWS WHEN TO SHUT UP!!
WE ALL KNOW HE TALKS TO MUCH, BUT THIS IS WAY
OVER THE TOP!! POOR GUY---HE JUST CAN'T HELP IT!

Freedom of Choice

FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY ACCORDING TO AMERICAN LIBERALISM.  IN MY LAST YEAR AS A TEACHER MY SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS OPERATING UNDER "FREEDOM OF CHOICE" A SYSTEM THAT ALLOWED THE PARENT OF ANY STUDENT IN THE COUNTY TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO THE SCHOOL OF THEIR CHOICE.  THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE THE AMERICAN WAY, BUT LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES IN WASHINGTON DECIDED THAT THE SYSTEM WAS NOT PROVIDING THE DESIRED RESULTS AND A LAWSUIT PUT THAT SYSTEM INTO THE FEDERAL COURTS.  AND AS YOU MIGHT GUESS THE FEDERAL COURTS CONCLUDED THAT "FREEDOM OF CHOICE" WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND UN AMERICAN.  MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL WAS TOLD TO ABANDON THAT AND FORCE MY STUDENTS TO GO TO A SCHOOL NOT OF THEIR CHOICE, AND DESPITE MY CONTRACT I WAS REASSIGNED TO ANOTHER SCHOOL.  I RESIGNED AND NEVER TAUGHT AGAIN.  THAT WAS MANY YEARS AGO, BUT I'M STILL MAD AS HELL AND WILL NEVER FORGET THE ARROGANCE OF  THE ALL-POWERFUL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL MY LIFE.  GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION BUT THE PROBLEM!!!!

And for those who clicked on the "freedom of choice" link thinking it was a pro-abortion post and supported the murder of the unborn I really feel sorry for your  twisted logic---"freedom of choice" is not freedom to take a life!!!

FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS THE AMERICAN WAY!!!

Play Dixie

BECAUSE I CAN NO LONGER HERE DIXIE AT MY HIGH SCHOOL OR AT MY UNIVERSITY

 I WILL PLAY IT HERE!!THANKS TO THE NEO-FASCISTS AND THE NEW BOOK-BURNERS AND THE NEW RE-WRITERS OF HISTORY! DO YOU REALLY WHAT THIS SHIT IN THE NAME OF PROGRESS, IN THE NAME OF PROGRESSIVES???? 

Man-Made Flooding on The Mississippi River

Morganza Spillway-Louisiana

SEVERAL DAYS AGO THE MORGANZA SPILLWAY ABOVE BATON ROUGE, LA WAS OPENED TO PREVENT THE WATER LEVELS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN BATON ROUGE AND NEW ORLEANS FROM RISING TO HIGHER LEVELS.  THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED THAT THE RISING WATERS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM BATON ROUGE TO NEW ORLEANS MAY CAUSE A BREACH IN THOSE LEVIES BELOW BATON ROUGE AND CAUSE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGES TO INDUSTRIES AND PRIVATE BUSINESSES AND HOMES.  THIS MAY OR MAY NOT, HAVE OCCURRED BUT THE SOLUTION WAS NOT TO TAKE THE RISK, BUT INSTEAD GO FOR THE SURE BET THAT BY OPENING THE SPILLWAY NORTH OF BATON ROUGE THAT WOULD FLOOD THOUSANDS OF HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN THE ATCHAFALAYA BASIN SOUTH AND WEST OF BATON ROUGE THE GAMBLE COULD BE AVOIDED AND THAT LESS POPULATED REGION WOULD BE SACRIFICED FOR THE PERCEIVED GOOD OF THE MANY.

THE FLOODS THAT WILL ROLL THROUGH "CAJUN COUNTRY" ARE NOT NATURES WRATH, BUT RATHER "MAN-MADE" BY POLITICIANS WITH AGENDA'S AND PERSONAL MOTIVES FOR FAME AND FORTUNE. GOVERNMENT ALWAYS TAKES FROM ONE GROUP AND GIVES TO ANOTHER IN ADVANCING THEIR CAUSE IN THE NEXT ELECTION. AN EASY CALL FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND THE ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS, BUT NOT GOOD FOR THE RURAL CAJUN'S OF SOUTH LOUISIANA---HELL JUST NOT ENOUGH VOTES THERE.

Voices of the Liberal Fascist

Every night I see and here the "Voices on the Left". I see the violence in the streets, I see conservative speakers taunted and literally run from the podiums at some of our most prestigious universities. I see the marches in Oakland in support of a cop-killers. Most of these hateful demonstrators seem to be young. To me, its a sad commentary on the youth of this country. They claim to support change and openness, but simply cannot tolerate anyone with an opposing view. They condemn a capitalism system, that has provided them with one of the worlds highest standard of living. The United States economy is the envy of the world and people are literally tearing down fences in order to get here. Yet these misguided souls see only evil and corruption here. They listen to their I-pods and text on their blackberries about how bad things are. They look to socialism with the foolish belief that a system such as that will make their lives better, forgetting that it never has worked well in any country. Western Europe being the best example---higher unemployment, lower economic growth and millions trying to come to the U.S. for a better way of life. Youth is often a time spent in search of something new and different, a search for the exotic to show ones Independence, and a time to toss aside traditional values. Most will in time outgrow these adolescent tendencies, some however will be in that rut for their entire lives and that is sad. We can to some degree, excuse the ideologies embraced by some of the youth of this country, we cannot excuse or condone the rudeness and violence they display toward those who disagree. This cannot be allowed to continue---to do so,would in the end, mean the destruction of our democratic system. A free and open exchange of ideas is a necessary part of our system. As for those mature adults, that participate in these disruptions of our freedom of speech, I have little use for them. Theirs are the tactics of hate and a new form of fascism not seen since the days of Nazi Germany.

 

Extremism in Defense of Liberty is No Vice!

SOME OF US ARE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE WORDS OF BARRY GOLDWATER IN THE 1964 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, "EXTREMISM IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE AND MODERATION IN THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE IS NO VIRTUE" I MAY NOT HAVE THE WORDS EXACTLY RIGHT BUT YOU GET THE MESSAGE.  OF COURSE GOLDWATER WENT ON TO LOSE THAT ELECTION IN A LANDSIDE TO LBJ. THAT ELECTION FOLLOWED ON THE HEELS OF THE KENNEDY ASSIGNATION IN 1963 AND THE CHARGES OF RIGHT WING  EXTREMISM WERE RAMPANT IN THE COUNTRY AT THAT TIME BY THE ONLY NEWS MEDIA OF THE DAY, NBC, CBS AND ABC---ALL LEFT-LEANING MSM ORGANIZATIONS.  FOX NEWS DIDN'T EXIST THEN.  ALSO THAT ELECTION CAMPAIGN FEATURED THE INFAMOUS "DAISY AD" LEADING MANY AMERICANS TO BELIEVE GOLDWATER WOULD GET US INTO A NUCLEAR CONFLICT WITH THE USSR.

AGAIN WE SEE THE MSM AND MANY ON THE LEFT BRANDING SOME ON THE RIGHT AS "EXTREMIST" WHO WILL DESTROY AMERICA.  THEY SPECIFICALLY TARGET (OOPS THAT BAD WORD) THOSE STRONGEST VOICES ON THE RIGHT SUCH AS PALIN, LIMBAUGH AND OTHERS IN THE HOPE OF SILENCE THEM OR AT THE VERY LEAST DEMONIZED THEM SO THAT THOSE FAINT HEARTED AMERICANS IN THE MIDDLE WILL TURN AWAY AND SUPPORT A LEFTEST AGENDA. 

LETS FACE A SIMPLE TRUTH, BARACK OBAMA IS A MAN OF THE FAR LEFT AND MOST OF HIS ACTIONS CONFIRM THAT.  THAT'S FINE WITH THOSE IN THE MSM, AS THEY CONTINUE TO PAINT HIM AS ONLY A LEFT-OF-CENTER MODERATE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME BRANDING THOSE LEADING VOICES OF THE RIGHT AS FAR OUT EXTREMIST.  THEY HOPE TO FORCE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO NOMINATE A WEAK "MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD" CANDIDATE WHO CANNOT WIN IN THE GENERAL ELECTION AGAINST BHO.  THEY KNOW, MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, THAT WITH A WEAK CANDIDATE MANY REPUBLICAN WILL STAY HOME AND ENERGIZED SUPPORT FOR SUCH A MAN OR WOMAN WILL NOT EXIST GIVING BARACK AN EASY PATH TO A SECOND TERM.  SO WE MUST HOLD FAST AND NEVER FORGET THOSE WORDS OF BARRY GOLDWATER,  

"EXTREMISM IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE!"

Whore on Terror

Found the below post over at Common Sense-Blog, a great read as are most of the post there!

With the killing of Osama Bin Laden Barack Obama has finally done something which was done in a presidential fashion and on behalf of the entire nation. It required planning, risk taking, courage, and resolve. Also, it was done based upon the perceived self interest of the United States and without seeking permission from anyone else in the world. Bravo.

The handling of the narrative emanating from this heroic action by our courageous military and intelligence people has been, how do you say it politely, bungled. There will be many world wide and in our country who will decry this action, but I say let THEM eat cake for a change.

What is confusing to me is that I see Obi Wannabe taking actions. like killing Bin Laden and racing around the country pledging his undying support for and profound appreciation of, guess who? Our armed forces! In fact his wife and Jill Biden are appearing in commercials every half hour soliciting aid for families of the fallen and injured.

No one can denigrate actions of this sort. However, one must ask whether these are the same people who accused our servicemen of being murderers and rapists just a short time ago. How did David Petreus morph into Director of the CIA after being portrayed as "General Betray Us" in full page ads in national publications two years earlier?

Who were the people who refused to even utter the word terrorist under close questioning from the media and the Congress? What happened to those who called terrorism "man caused disasters"? Obama, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, John Kerry, Barney Frank, Dick Durban, and Harry Reid among others have all relentlessly pursued this line of dialogue for years. Not to mention their henchmen in the media.

In his relentless media blitz Obama freely and repeatedly refers to Bin Laden as the most dangerous terrorist in the world. He describes actions taken by him and his followers as terrorism. He told our fighting men and women he would fight the terrorists wherever they arise. For ever! HUH?

In a recent speech to the Navy Seals who took Bin Laden down he even said America is "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I kid you not! Obi Wannabe and his cabal have openly resisted both saying the pledge of allegiance and, particularly, the inclusion of "under God". Who is this masked man?

So we find ourselves with a dilemma, America. Has Obama undergone a true conversion which has forced him to thoroughly repudiate ALL of his previous history of beliefs of long standing proclaimed openly, forcefully, loudly and often on the world stage? Every time He appears on TV these days he is standing with his head reverently bowed listening to prayers to the Christian God uttered during public assemblies. In every speech he now includes "may God bless America."

During his run for office he derisively harangued Americans as people who cling to their guns, their God, and their Bibles" during times of trouble. He and his kind were laughing at us then! Now, suddenly, he has turned to guns and the military to kill Bin Laden. God is suddenly in vogue in his public discourse. Terrorism has suddenly been unearthed as a real problem facing the nation. Wow! What will he think of next? Possibly even telling the truth. Might as well make the complete conversion while he is at it!

It is up to us to decide. Does Obama really believe in what his current public relations masquerade is pushing? Or has he simply morphed into a "Whore on Terror"?

Osama-Obama-History

Today's truth is tomorrow lie! Yes, history is written by the victors whose vision is clouded by contemporary values of their times. Today Osama is a murderous monster who deserved his death at the hands of Navy SEAL's but tomorrow---well tomorrow is not yet written and the victors hand has yet to put to pen the final determination for the victor is yet to be decided in this protracted conflict. I pray those who will write the final chapter, if such a thing is possible, will be kind to those who favor my believes and values, but knowing of such events past, I am not sure!!  I'm not sure that those who read this will understand the meaning of what I comprehend. But honestly, does it make any difference in the grand scheme of things and as a wise man once said, "the moving hand once written moves on".

Osama Bin Laden Dead

GREAT DAY FOR AMERICA THANKS TO U.S. NAVY SEALS AND OTHER BRAVE MEMBERS OF OUR ARMED FORCES.  THE INTERROGATIONS AT GITMO AND OTHER SITES PAID OFF. SEEMS THAT WATER BOARDING HELP GET THE MAD MAN.