Senator Inhofe, not one of the most brilliant minds in the US Senate, has pushed through a bill which allows members of the military when not in uniform to decide if they wish to salute the American flag or not. Huh! The next time you are at the ballpark and a guy doesn’t place his hand over his heart during the Star Spangled Banner you will know he is a member of the military.
I really like a new law in Bulgaria which makes kindergarten mandatory and abolishes tests in order to enter high school. I oppose all laws which require tests to get into high school. This is written by someone who never could get into the elite high schools of New York City due to bad performance on tests.
Lebanon has an interesting marriage law. A couple must be married in a church, mosque or synagogue. The nation does not recognize civil marriages unless the couple got married in another country. Ordinarily, if two people are of mixed religions, the female converts. Of course, the female should convert, how else could we males continue running a country. Fortunately, many Lebanese couples of different faiths can head to Cyprus and end the ridiculous circumstances interfering with marriages.
There is encouraging news from Denmark. Eighty percent of people agree former felons should be allowed to work in their office as do 60% of business people. Now, if we could just get Americans to adopt a similar attitude we might begin to address problems confronting Americans who get out of jail and want work.
I have nothing against Attorney General Gonzales. I believe he is treated unfairly by Congress and the media. You just can’t punish a man who has a faulty memory, what if it is a sign of senility. Would you pick on your senile grandfather who can’t remember? Isn’t it wonderful living in a nation in which the chief legal authority can’t remember anything?
I have to admit that I respect Don Rumsfeld despite writing a nasty book about him. He sticks to his mistakes without quavering or equivocating. Damn it, he may be wrong but so what? He is not one of those wishy washy liberals who always worries about the truth. He is a tough guy.
Rudy Giuliani has a health plan. He wants to allow everyone to obtain a $15,000 tax break that can be used to purchase health care. This will definitely assist people making $25,000 a year. Now, they can pay $15,000 of it in taxes and then get it back to use for medical coverage. You have to understand, $15,000 is what Rudy G. gets for coughing during one of his speeches to the business community in which he tells them about his wonderful tax ideas.
I will not comment on the following, in fact, I refuse to read the story behind this headline which appeared in the Finnish newspaper, Sanomat:
Camel Kills Wild Ass In Helsinki Zoo.
4 responses so far ↓
1 SSgt E. R. Scott // Dec 12, 2007 at 4:24 pm
It never ceases to amaze me how the media messes their stories up. I guess the “impudent observer” that wrote about this story, listed in the first paragraph above, is ignorant of the difference between a military salute and a civilian salute. This law does not “allow members of the military when not in uniform to decide if they wish to salute the American flag or not” as stated above, but rather allows military veterans the protected privilege to render a military salute instead of a civilian salute. The fact is – we live in a free country, and anyone can choose whether they will salute the flag or not, regardless if they are a veteran or not. I hope this error was made out of ignorance, for that can be forgiven. If you intentionally misreported this fact, then it reveals your lack of character to be able to skew such an honorable topic. Great job, Freddy! Not only did you steal the insult the honor of the veterans for whom which the law was created, but also you insulted the honor of our national ensign and the people currently serving to protect it and its meaning. If you want to sling mud at a politician, please don’t do it at the expense of our national treasures – the flag and our veterans.
Here is an excerpt from Strategy Page, a more credible source:
August 19, 2007: The U.S. Congress just passed a law (S.1877) allowing military veterans to render a military salute to the flag, while not in uniform. In the past, it had been customary for only military personnel in uniform to use the military salute when recognizing the flag. Civilians and military personnel (including veterans) used the civilian “salute” of placing ones hand over ones heart. But this custom had never been recognized by law, and many veterans would render a military salute to the flag. This wasn’t illegal, but it wasn’t quite legal, either. Not a big deal for most, but for many veterans, and active duty military personnel wearing civilian clothes, it is a big deal. Flags were originally invented mainly as military symbols, an early form of battlefield communication. It still sometimes serves that purpose. It’s still something soldiers die for, or even under. Always being able to render the military salute to the flag thus means something for those who have served to defend it with their lives.
Very respectfully,
SSgt E. R. Scott, USMC
2 Fred Stopsky // Dec 12, 2007 at 4:50 pm
My point was satirical. In this day and age with our brave fighting men and women struggling in a crazy war, a Senator is worried about saluting the American flag. I served in the military and was proud to salute my flag, but right now I wish Senator Inhofe(who doesn’t believe in evolution) would focus on laws to help Americans like ensuring everyone has medical insurance.
3 SSgt E. R. Scott // Dec 14, 2007 at 10:52 am
Mr. Stopsky:
I thank you for your professional response and military service. While your point may be satirical, tell those combat veterans who have returned from Iraq that the law granting them their right to render a military salute to the flag is unimportant. I think you will get a response on the contrary to what you are communicating. When you try to expose the folly as you perceive it at the expense of something sacred, then prepare for it to be taken the wrong way. By the way, I don’t believe in evolution either. I belive in our Creator, known to most as God and me personally a Jesus Christ. How does that ever tie in with the saluting the flag thing – as far as I am concerned you just strengthened the credibility of Senator Inhofe as a man with character and moral courage.
4 Bob Nielsen // Feb 3, 2009 at 2:04 pm
SSgt E. R. Scott,
I’ve always placed my hand over my heart when saluting the flag – I’m curious. As a military man (and thank you for your service, BTW), would it offend you if a civilian used a military salute to the flag? I’m speaking for myself, since I have tried 3 separate times to join the military, but health issues do not allow me to serve. Would it offend you if I, or someone in similar circumstances, used a military salute to salute the flag?
Respectfully,
Robert W Nielsen
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