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From The Home Front - by Lilla

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast -- you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." -- Eddie Cantor

[ November 2006 ] [ January 2007 ]

From The Home Front - December 2006

Holiday Wishes

December 19th 2006 16:46

I'm sorry I haven't been around much but I have been fighting off whatever this most recent bug that has been going around.
I wanted to collect messages from others and post them here for the troops but I have changed my mind and decided to ask all of you who take the time to visit this page to leave your own message to those who are far from home this season and to their families as well.

Please keep in mind this week as you sit down with your loved ones and enjoy a day or even days together that there are many who will have Christmas in a mess tent or a mess hall far from home and there will be families on this side with only one real wish for Christmas and that will be a call from their loved one.

Please keep the messages to good wishes and support, we can discuss politics another time. You don't have to leave your name if you don't wish to do so but please do leave a message.

If you know of a service member who needs to be able to make a call home you can request a 10 minute calling card from operation uplink or if you prefer you can make a donation. My husband recieved a few of these while he was in Iraq and those ten minutes made a world of difference on both our morale and our budget. I don't endorse a great many charities because I have limited experience but Operation Uplink is one of the finest I have ever seen.
Operation Uplink

My own message to our troops and families.

Without you and those who have come before you, we would not be free to celebrate the holidays in any way we see fit. Because of you, you live in freedom and for that we all owe you a huge debt of gratitude. The price of freedom is not only paid on the frontlines but back home as well. My prayer for all of you is that you are soon reunited with your loved ones in a safe and free world. God Bless and thank you.

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Posted By: Trudy - Category: No Category

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DISRESPECT AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT ARE NOT BEDFELLOWS

December 9th 2006 12:42

This was written by my friend Johna Moody. With her permission I am posting this here, thank you Johna for both your generosity and your infinite wisdom.

I Have been around for a very long time. I have experienced some very strange behavior from people regarding politics, personal behavior and spiritual things especially. I had taken it seriously. People said to me don't let it bug you, consider the source, they are just that way. But some of those using that strange behavior was doing so in the name of Debate, some called me names I don't use in privacy still others ridiculed me and spoke of my lack of whatever they were peddling that day: education, travel, sophistication. Who cares they used it.

I have been studying war talk lately. I hear those who have no clue going off on those who do. I find those who want no part of any war, just peace and freedom; these appear to be completely unaware of the cost of freedom and oh so brief peace. I like people. I like myself. I like varied writing, discussion and disagreement. I do not like it when people decide to deride decency to make a point that has no point. I want to share my points of view on this. In my opinion freedom has been ours for a long time and was purchased with the lives, limbs and dedication of those fighting for it every time it was in question. To me every member of a free society owes it to the Military and their families a debt of gratitude in thank you, and governmental monetary aid to meet all their needs including medical, housing and places to talk, worship or just be with people who care. I am not open for any debate, discussion, or fight over this.

Debate has rules, strict rules. The point of debate is to prove your point of view or stance to be the correct one. Thus the other person has to be wrong. There are judges in the proof. That can not go on under bias conditions such as bias media with any level of fairness and justice. So NO DEBATE CAN BE PROVED PUBLICLY WITH ACCURACY, FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE. Debate is a forum. Debate is not a amateur sport.

Discussion has rules, rules that stop discussion short of a fight. These rules are civil rules known by civilized man. Discussion is to increase the knowledge base of a subject, to lead a participant to a higher level not to tear them or their subject matter down. Discussion must carry with it respect. It can not ride on the backs of a 'know it all attitude' and use various critical verbiage to belittle the person who disagrees with you. Civilized people can disagree and never offend one another.

Disrespect is the art of demanding your way right or wrong. It is the act of using illegal tools to beat the other person into shame, shape or submission. This is gained by calling others names when they have simply told you they don't see an issue like you see it. It is calling others names and doing an all out campaign of disrespect against them when they call you one back in the same area, be it political, religious, military or racial.

The First Amendment was not created so you could call anybody anything you wanted to. It is not there to cover the disrespectful. It is there to allow people freedom of expression in discussion or a civil manner of resistance to political, religious or racial acts. It is not to cover hate language. Any derogatory shaming and evil name calling is disrespectful and not your right under the First Amendment.

Some of the Judgments that float even in public media are not covered by the First Amendment:

Your faith in God does not make you a Bible Thumping Fundie; however, that name is not taken by those of faith as derogatory, it is meant to be.

Education is never to be ashamed of, but what is it? It can be a college certified completion of a study or course. It can be an experience learned by hard knocks. It can be a lesson learned by someone's show of love and understanding. Then it can be the joys of Wisdom learned through humility, strength and courage to say what is needed and only that. It can be a man or woman's stint in the military fighting for your First Amendment's right.

If you can control your need to always be right; to always speak your piece and others be damned you are behaving a way we are fighting in the Middle East to break. To have here and give them the right to speak without retribution. Are we coming under retribution in this country for demanding civility, respect and freedom from vile disrespect which is violent behavior.

© Johna Moody 2006

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Posted By: Trudy - Category: No Category

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A Soldier's Liberties

December 6th 2006 03:28

The other night my husband and I were talking about politics and the such and as he often does when I least expect it; he came up with a gem of wisdom that knocked my socks off.

As we discusses protesters, etc... he said to me: "You know it's pretty sad that we give up our right to say no, we give up the right to walk away, we give up our normal lives, our jobs and our family; we give up our basic freedoms to defend those who disagree with everything we do."

I thought he was a bit off on that as I stated to him that they do it for everyone; he clarified: In a country that is ruled by a dictator those who agree with the government don't need to be defended; but those who disagree need to be protected from the the wrath of a dictatorship. In the end the military in the US and other free countries are defending those that disagree with them more than those who do agree.

I had never considered it that way, but he does have a very good point.

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Posted By: Trudy - Category: No Category

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Irrelevance

December 6th 2006 02:42

All questions at the public meeting that day were about life beyond the grave.

The Master only laughed and did not give a single answer.
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Posted By: Lilla - Category: No Category

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The Pledge Of Allegience

December 4th 2006 11:00

I am not generally a fan of anyone in politics and in general I figure when they start talking they have an agenda behind it, but this is one time, I am grateful that someone spoke up and said something. This was sent to me by a friend and I figure it's worth sharing with others.

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Posted By: Trudy - Category: No Category

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Would You Like Cash For Writing Badly?

December 2nd 2006 03:00

Oh yes please I hear you say, I write terribly! Well, do you? My guess is that you may not be as good at writing badly as you think you are. In fact, writing badly is something writers from around the globe aspire too… Yes, there are professionals out there that will gobble you up for dinner when it comes to writing badly…

…what

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Posted By: Lilla - Category: No Category

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June 2009

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February 2009

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