good evening dark wraith:

allow me to express my deep appreciation for your service in the artillery. i have seen airborne troops, and both light and heavy infantry from other countries that were as good and sometimes better than the lads we could field. i have never, not once, in any situation, be it actual battle or demonstration, seen the equal of american gunners. my nights of decent sleep on the battlefield and the vast majority of any success the other grunts and i ever attained was in a large measure due to the skill, courage and relentless application of them by our magnificent gunners.

you bravos stand alone, at the top of the world.

the very best in history.

i thank you for the life you gave me with your guns.

Steven Reynolds writes at TheAllSpinZone:

"They had a Veterans Day Parade in Long Beach Saturday, and some veterans groups against the War in Iraq applied to join in the parade, presumably to honor their brothers who have died. Alas, politics got in the way. Evidently they no longer allow veterans to participate in Veterans Day Parades unless they are 100% behind the idea of war, no matter the circumstance."

Thank you for your service, Dark Wraith. Then, as now.
Thank you for keeping me safe.

PoLT, after reading from your link, I admit to being kinda torn. While it is intolerable when they try to silence Vets who are against the occupation, this venue might not have been the best place to do it, although it sure would have been a possible PR coup for the anti-war movement. The committee got someone to do the math, and with the pro-imperialists and the straddlers, added to the non-giveashitters, it sounded like a lose-lose to them.

I fought for the right for Americans to freely express themselves?

The hypocrisy of those in this country is mind-boggling!
We can't express differing views at political rallies; we can't express our views on public owned but corporate controlled airwaves; we can't defy the minority of the country that controls the majority opinion.
We live in a country that is so politically correct that reverse racism is tolerated and even encouraged. There is no "White History Month", there is no "Miss White America", for those would be racist. I have no problem with the reverse. I have a problem with those who are offended by one but accept the other.
We allow the Klan to march in the South but deny gays the same right.
We must have quotas for education to be fair but we can have minorities solicit public money to benefit only minorities. (Those damn Druids!)
We're all racists. Anyone who says he isn't lies. But we must be tolerants and understand...yet we're not.

Billy Joel said, "You can speak your mind, but not on my time." If it's your time, fine. But others have just as much right to their time. And when their time is belittled, ignored or not granted, we failed as the nation the founding fathers imagined.

Sadly, I fought so that George Bush could lie to the American Public.
Worse, I fought so that George Bush could send soldiers to die for his reasons because (some) people voted for him.
Even worse, I fought to allow Dick Cheney to destroy the Constitution.
But I also fought to destroy those who would destroy our way of life, whether they be foreign OR domestic foes!

We have to make others realize the fight isn't over.

Good Morning, Dark Wraith.

Love the snark on this graphic.

In a world of so many made-up holidays, me thinks this is the only one we should pay any attention to.

Thank you.

Well, there is March 18th, Missouri Mule. Nomered "Irish PROFESSIONAL Drinker's Day", it's half-priced shots, for those laughing at the amateurs sleepin' off St. Patty's day celebratin'!