Most folks have never heard of Yuri Kochiyama.  That is a damn shame.  Yuri Kochiyama has been one of the leading social justice advocates in the United States for more than 40 years...  

I know there have been other diaries about Joseph Dwyerm, but IGTNT, and some mornings I remember what is really important. Today is one of them.  This isn't about Joseph, this is about Tom, patriotism, and sacrifice.

It all started with the quote "Joseph never came home."

This is gonna be a short one. One of my heroes is gone and I'm just too stricken to really put much into this...

Comedian George Carlin dies at 71

John McCain is a war hero.

OK, I said it.  I actually pretty much believe it.  I also do not want this man anywhere near the Presidency.  So why do I bring it up?

People have always regarded comets as "messengers of the gods".  The meaning ascribed to a comet's appearance is comprised of many factors, including the mythological story of the constellation that the comet's path highlights.  This past autumn (2007),  a remarkable comet, Holmes, appeared in the nightime sky, as a huge blue sphere (larger than the diameter of our sun).  It's path of maximal brightness carried it through the constellation of Perseus, crossing in front of two of that constellation's stars in particular- Mirfak, and Algol.  Pleases join me below the fold to explore this myth's relevance for our own time.

Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed "The Fighting Quaker" and "Old Gimlet Eye," was a Major General in the U.S. Marine Corps and, at the time of his death, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

During his 34 years of Marine Corps service, Butler was awarded numerous medals for heroism including the Marine Corps Brevet Medal (the highest Marine medal at its time for officers), and subsequently the Medal of Honor twice. Notably, he is one of only 19 people to be twice awarded the Medal of Honor, and one of only three to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor, and the only person to be awarded a Marine Corps Brevet Medal and a Medal of Honor for two different actions.

Heroes are created by popular demand, sometimes out of the scantiest materials, or none at all. – Gerald Johnson, American Heroes and Hero Worship, Harper and Brothers, 1943

Those with long memories and large libraries will recall that there are few instances of the creation of a popular hero without the invention of a poet, or creative writer, or an uncritical and echoing media.

True heroism is seldom so celebrated.

    John McCain was a Naval Aviator.  On his twenty-third bombing mission over North Vietnam later in 1967, he was shot down, badly injured, and captured as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese. He spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war, including periods of torture, before he was released in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.

   He has been called a war hero because of these experiences.  It has shielded him from attack during his political career, and is a major contributor to his selection as the Republican presidential nominee this year.

My question is, how does being captured and held prisoner make you a hero?

By a wide margen Moezeldin Elmostafa, a Sudanese immigrant with a green card was chosen the 2008 Readers Digest Hero of the Year.

You remember the 2006 Duke University Lacrosse team case. The Players were cleared, DA Nifong got disbarred and one of the key witnesses was Taxicab driver Moezeldin Elmostafa, a Sudanese immigrant with a green card.  Even when faced with the intimidation of criminal charges, Moezeldin refused to be intimidated by the police and testified in favor of the Duke students.

I have been following a very sad case of 9/11 fraud for several years now, never quite believing that the wheels of justice would ever turn. While I've had difficulty generating mainstream interest in this story, the person who perpetuated the fraud (Scott Shields) has caused irreparable damage to the typically unheralded heroes who are always there for us at devastating urban disasters .... such as that at Ground Zero following the infamous 9/11  attacks.

The Search and Rescue Dog Foundation's founder's comment says it all:

What is really sad is the fact that there are thousands of search and rescue volunteers that are honest, have trained and certified and are now blemished.

As the founder of the search and rescue dog foundation and a 911 k-9 handler, I have been asked about the legitimacy of my foundation because of Scott.

Volunteers spend hundreds of hours training and thousands of dollars of their own money to assist others.

For the majority of the general public...no we do not get paid by the government. EVERYTHING comes out of our own pockets.

Okay, so maybe Hillary got caught red handed about her Bosnia trip, and maybe so far the media doesn't care..

you Obama Robots ever take a second to think about why? Same reason no one cared about McCains gaffe - because when it comes to foreign policy experience, Hillary has WAYYY to much bank to be taken down by something so small as this.

I mean, just because you debunked this one measly claim doesn't mean she didn't:

I am going to try and not add much to this story. My older brother who was a big time Peaceful Vietnam protester just connected some dots for me.

Have you ever heard of helicopter gunner Lawrence Colburn? He was part of the helicopter crew that helped stop the My Lai massacre and he is my cousin.

Here is a piece from the story:

Much More below...

Dorothy escorted three individuals to the Emerald City in search of heart, courage, and a brain. Today she might find one character in need of all three.

Mind and heart are a well-known deficiency of the Midland Moron, but I'm curious as to how quickly after 9-11 the courage part of the equation was forgotten. Instead, Dubyah was posed as the War President, the martial monarch leading his legions, albeit from thousands of miles clear of the scene of any danger, or even discomfort.

Return with me now to that thrilling day of yesteryear...

This election year is definately Mr. Todd's breakout year.  The suave style and demure way he handles delegate math has made Chuck Todd the true star of the 2008 Election season.  Sorry ladies, Chuck is a happily married man.  But as long as Hillary stays in the race, we will continue to enjoy the brillance that is Chuck Todd.

Wow.

Rarely have I felt moved by the courage of the American politician facing the "Establishment" controlling the Congress and tell nothing but the truth in his quest to stop the protracted & pointlessly bloody Vietnam War by divulging the lengthy texts of the leaked "Pentagon Papers" into the Congressional record for permanent posterity, end the mandatory draft and bring home the troops.

Let the first short intro video speak for itself.

Tom Lantos is dead.

From Wikipedia:

Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos (February 1, 1928 as Lantos Tamás Péter - February 11, 2008) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing California's 12th congressional district (numbered as the 11th District from 1981-93). The district includes the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a small portion of southwest San Francisco.

Lantos had announced in early January that he would not run for reelection in 2008 due to cancer of the esophagus.

He was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress.

Lest we forget.

The title initially brought all the Abrahamic faiths together... Initially, I had "Christian extremists" in lieu of "thugs". But, I felt a bit queasy about even mentioning that the thugs were Christians, similar to my feelings when I keep hearing ad nauseum about "Islamic extremists" or Islamic radicals or what have you. Because really what does Christianity have to do with this, except that the thugs were misusing their religion? Just like what does Islam have to do when Muslims do crazy things in its name or sometimes not even in Islam's name (like the tragic murder of Aqsa Parvez)?

Regardless, the incident brought together practitioners of the three faiths (one being misrepresented of course), not on an interfaith stage, but rather in a bizarre incident; a strange twist that is positive on many fronts, yet negative on others.

Bush critic to run for Congress

"I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened, by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency," Harry Taylor proceeded to tell the president. "And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself." - Charlotte observer

Harry was the tipping point. He was the first person to publically question the authority of the president. He paved the way; took the risk; spoke the truth to power. Now he is running for congress and seeks your support.

Do the right thing. Give what you can. Dare to question.

http://www.actblue.com/...