Who says you can’t home again?

I had the pleasure of going back home of sorts earlier this week.  For the third straight year I was invited back to my high school to announce a basketball game as a guest play-by-play announcer.

It was the second time that I was able to make it back to Piketon High School and broadcast the Redstreaks on radio again.  Boy was it fun.  And it was much appreciated too.

It seems more and more today being appreciated for a job well done is a rarity.  It was appreciated and I heard a lot of good comments and very kind words and to that I say thank you and you’re welcome. 

Regardless of the outcome of the game (which Piketon did win) it was the most fun that I had in quite some time.

Who says you can’t home again?  Not me.  Thanks to all those at Piketon High School that made it happen and thanks for welcoming me back home. 

Once a Redstreak, always a Redstreak.  Good luck this year to Piketon in defending the SVC Championship and hopefully they will have another run to the state tournament.

A Veteran’s Day Thank You

I would like to send a special thank you to all the veterans on this your day that is set aside to honor you.

Thanks to all of you who have served and sacrificed to keep us free.   Thanks to those are seving at this time. 

May God richly bless each and every one of you!

For those who lost their lives for our freedom.  May we never forget — may we ever be grateful.

The Music Stopped…

I received this in an e-mail recently and wanted to pass this along.   Our troops truly are heroes.  Please remember them in your prayers.

MUSIC STOPPED

For those who are unaware, at a military theater, the National Anthem is played before every movie. This is written from a Chaplain in Iraq : I recently attended a showing of ‘Superman 3′ here at LSA Anaconda.

We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature.

All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through The National Anthem the music stopped. Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments; and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.

Here, the 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen? Even here I would imagine laughter, as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start. But here, you could have heard a pin drop.

Every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off: “And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.”

It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq .

I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here. Remember them as they fight for you! Pass this along as a reminder to others to be ever in prayer for all our soldiers serving us here at home and abroad. For many have already paid the ultimate price.

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins LSA Anaconda is at the Ballad Airport in Iraq , north of Baghdad.

A Note From an American Hero

Whether or not you agree with the policy of the United States military being in Iraq.  There are some good things going on over there, despite what the media and the cowards in Washington tell us.

The following is a part of a note from a soldier in Iraq, a true American Hero.  I will not reveal his name, but his dad is a member of the church where my dad is an elder (Rutherford Church of Christ).  I do not know for sure whether or not the soldier is a member of the church.  Whether he is or not — it doesn’t change the message.

The church sent him and the troops a care package with phone cards and such.

The soldier sent the church a note thanking them for the packages and the cards.  He also said this.  “I thank you for supporting a cause that is larger than any of us.  This is something I hold with pride.  For the ones who fight for it, freedom has a meaning the protected will never know.” 

Let’s see the media, the congress and the president talk about that. 

God Bless the troops and God Bless the USA!

Remember to keep this solidier and all the troops in your prayers.

Sad and pathetic!!!!!!!!

The following is an e-mail sent to me by my dad.  It is from a retired military person.  The only words that can sum it up for me are sad and pathetic.

I just heard, on the radio, that the United States House of Representatives has observed a moment of silence in honor of Michael Jackson…..

Can you believe this….!!!!

Setting aside all of the allegations regarding his  molestation of young men/boys, what has he ever contributed  towards the lasting history of America that warrants such recognition ??

 

In comparison, when was the last time that the Pelosie (I hope that I have misspelled her name)  led and dominated House of Representative observed such a moment in the memory of a fallen member of the United States military….like a recipient of the Medal of Honor ??

 

Further, can any of you tell me when, or how many, of our gallant military have been recognized by the House of Representatives for heroic actions?  Let’s start with the award of the Medal of Honor…..

 

How long will we tolerate this !!  Watch your back’s, America !!!

 

Bruce R. Harris

LTG, USA (Ret)

The two most powerful words in the English language

The two most powerful words in the English language.

We need to say them, alot and we don’t say them enough for whatever reason. 

A child should say them to a parent/grandparent.

A parent/grandparent should say them to a child.

A boss should say them to an employee.

An employee should say them to a boss.

A friend should say them to another friend.

A student should say them to a teacher.

A teacher should say them to a student.

A customer should say them to a store clerk.

A store clerk should say them to a customer.

I could go on and on.

What are the two most powerful words in the English language.   “Thank you.”

Everybody wants to be appreciated.  To a boss, a little thank you every once in a while will go a long way in performance.  To a parent or a child, or a friend, a teacher, student, the same holds true.

We seem to be able to offer criticism very easily, but it’s a little harder to say thank you, or to appreciate a job well done or for the fact that you received good service or that somebody just did something nice for you.

For those that utter the two most powerful words in the English language on a regular basis, keep it up.  For those who could use them more than they do, be encouraged and committed to make that happen and I bet you’ll find things will be a lot smoother.

As for reading this post and visiting my blog —- “Thank You.”

Oh Boy! Not Good

The following is a news article from onenewsnow.com.  It is not good, especially coming on the heels of Obama’s mistake with Tom Daschle.  All I can say is get ready folks.  This is just the beginning.

Obama’s choice for #2 spot at Justice worries conservatives

Jim Brown and Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow – 2/4/2009 8:45:00 AM

 

Updated 11:30 a.m. Central

 

A conservative legal scholar is raising red flags about President Obama’s pick for deputy attorney general — namely his reliance on foreign law to interpret the U.S. Constitution. The nominee has also been characterized as a ‘porn lawyer’ and a ‘hired gun’ for the ACLU.

Heritage Foundation fellow Steven Groves is urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask Deputy Attorney General-nominee David W. Ogden some pointed questions on Thursday regarding his views on constitutional interpretation.
 
In the 2005 case Roper v. Simmons, Ogden succeeded in convincing a narrowly divided Supreme Court to declare the juvenile death penalty unconstitutional and spare the life of his client, who killed a woman in cold-blood nine months before he turned 18.
 
Groves says Ogden argued that the high court should look to laws, legal opinions, and decisions of foreign countries and international organizations regarding the death penalty. He notes that in particular, Ogden cited the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) — a 1989 treaty that bars the execution of people who commit crimes while under the age of 18.
 
Ogden, says Groves, pointed out that the United States is one of only two countries in the world that has not signed onto that treaty.
 
“[He argued] that doesn’t mean that the U.S. doesn’t have to follow the treaty, [but that] it means the opposite — that the United States must follow the treaty that it has specifically decided not to join,” says Groves. “Why? Because [Ogden argued] the rest of the world has joined it — and so therefore it’s some new customary, international norm and the United States must outlaw the juvenile death penalty.”
 
Social conservatives are also expressing concern about an amicus brief Ogden filed in the Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, in which he claimed that “abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems.” In addition, other conservatives are uneasy with Ogden’s past legal representation of Playboy, Penthouse magazine, the ACLU, and the largest distributor of hard-core pornographic movies.

 A ‘porn lawyer’
It’s that pro-porn stance that concerns Alliance Defense Fund special counsel Pat Trueman. As Trueman notes, criminal prosecutions is one of the areas Ogden would be responsible for.
 
“The reason David Ogden is going to be trouble is that he is a pornography lawyer [who was] prominently involved in the Playboy cases representing Playboy, Penthouse, other cases,” says Trueman. “[And] he has fought against keeping public libraries free of pornography to protect children.”
 
In other words, he says, Ogden opposed using Internet filters. The pro-family group Fidelis picks up that argument.
 
“[Ogden] has opposed filters on library computers protecting children from Internet smut, and successfully defended the right of pornographers to produce material with underage children,” charges Fidelis president Brian Burch.
 
“Ogden’s record is nothing short of obscene,” Burch continues in a press release. “[He] is a hired gun from Playboy and the ACLU. He can’t run from his long record of opposing common-sense laws protecting families, women, and children.”

According to Trueman, Ogden also is strongly pro-homosexual and pro-abortion. “I think that you have a man here who is going to be trouble from day one to the end of his term — but there’s still time to defeat him,” he counsels.

Trueman encourages people to contact both of their U.S. senators, urging them to oppose Ogden’s nomination. Those hearings are scheduled to begin tomorrow (February 5).

Merry Christmas

This will be the last post before the Christmas holiday.  I hope to get a couple out before the first of the year.  But I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very merry Christmas.

Thanks to all have vistited my blog in the three plus months that I have been blogging and I hope for bigger and better things in the New Year.

Thank You

Thank you to all the veterans who have served and sacrificed to preserve the freedoms that God has given us.  If you see or talk to a veteran today, thank them.

Welcome to my blog

Hello,

I’m Mark.  I hope you enjoy my blog.  I hope to have fun with it and hope it is something that can be a benefit.

Jackie Robinson’s epitaph reads “A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives.” I hope that this can have an impact.

Thanks ahead of time for anytime that you check out my blog.