For Americans! (And those that don't understand us)

[1985_BMW318i]

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - ANALYZED BY RED SKELTON'S TEACHER

As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of
Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this
lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.

I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.

PLEDGE - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

ALLEGIANCE - - My love and my devotion.

TO THE FLAG - - Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there
is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.

UNITED - - That means that we have all come together.

STATES - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight
individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary
boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

AND TO THE REPUBLIC - - Republic--a state in which sovereign power is invested in
representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it's from the
people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

FOR WHICH IT STANDS

ONE NATION - - One Nation--meaning, so blessed by God.

INDIVISIBLE - - Incapable of being divided.

WITH LIBERTY - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own life, without
threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

AND JUSTICE - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

FOR ALL - - For All--which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it
stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been
added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a
prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?
Red Skelton



For those that do not know we have more then 48 states now, However this was from a Great American Entertainer years ago,
here is the URL for those Interested in American feelings

http://media.radcity.net/KILT/patrioticdownloads.html

[1985_BMW318i]

SOLDIER DIED TODAY
Author Unknown

He was getting old and paunchy
and his hair was falling fast
And he sat around the Legion
telling stories of the past,
Of a war that he had fought in
and the deeds that he had done
In his exploits with his buddies;
they were heroes, everyone.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors,
his tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
for they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
for old Bob has passed away
And the world's a little poorer,
for a soldier died today.

No he won't be mourned by many,
just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary
very quiet sort of life,
He held a job and raised a family,
quietly going on his way;
And the world won't note his passing;
'tho a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing
and proclaim that they were great,
Papers tell of their life stories
from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier
goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
to the welfare of our land
Some jerk who breaks his promise
and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow
who in times of war and strife
Goes off to serve his Country
and offers up his life?
The politician's stipend
and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate
to the services he gives,
While the ordinary soldier,
who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal,
and perhaps a pension small.

It's so easy to forget them,
for it was so long ago
That our Bob's and Jim's and Johnny's
went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians,
with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
that our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger
with your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out
with his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a soldier
who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and country,
and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier
and his ranks are growing thin
But his presence should remind us,
we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
in the paper that might say:
OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.



Well that pretty much sums it up for me.

[1985_BMW318i]

One More from another great American Entertainer!


An Open Letter To The Hollywood Bunch:

Ok let's just say for a moment you bunch of pampered, overpaid, unrealistic
children had your way and the U.S.A. didn't go into Iraq.

Let's say that you really get your way and we destroy all our nuclear
weapons and stick daisies in our gun barrels and sit around with some white
wine and cheese and pat ourselves on the back, so proud of what we've done
for world peace.

Let's say that we cut the military budget to just enough to keep the
National Guard on hand to help out with floods and fires.

Let's say that we close down our military bases all over the world and bring
the troops home, increase our foreign aid and drop all the trade sanctions
against everybody.

I suppose that in your fantasy world this would create a utopian world where
everybody would live in peace. After all, the great monster, the United
States of America, the cause of all the world's trouble would have disbanded
it's horrible military and certainly all the other countries of the world
would follow suit. After all, they only arm themselves to defend their countries
from the mean old U.S.A.

Why you bunch of pitiful, hypocritical, idiotic, spoiled mugwumps. Get your
head out of the sand and smell the Trade Towers burning. Do you think that
a trip to Iraq by Sean Penn did anything but encourage a wanton murderer to
think that the people of the U.S.A. didn't have the nerve or the guts to fight him?

Barbra Streisand's fanatical and hateful rankings about George Bush makes
about as much sense as Michael Jackson hanging a baby over a railing.

You people need to get out of Hollywood once in a while and get out into
the real world. You'd be surprised at the hostility you would find out here.
Stop in at a truck stop and tell an overworked, long-distance truck driver
that you don't think Saddam Hussein is doing anything wrong.

Tell a farmer with a couple of sons in the military that you think the
United States has no right to defend itself.

Go down to Baxley, Georgia and hold an anti-war rally and see what the folks
down there think about you.

You people are some of the most disgusting examples of a waste of protoplasm
I've ever had the displeasure to hear about.

Sean Penn, you're a traitor to the United States of America. You gave aid
and comfort to the enemy. How many American lives will your little, "fact
finding trip" to Iraq cost? You encouraged Saddam to think that we didn't
have the stomach for war.

You people protect one of the most evil men on the face of this earth and
won't lift a finger to save the life of an unborn baby. Freedom of choice
you say?

Well I'm going to exercise some freedom of choice of my own. If I see any
of your names on a marquee, I'm going to boycott the movie. I will completely
stop going to movies if I have to. In most cases it certainly wouldn't be
much of a loss.

You scoff at our military who's boots you're not even worthy to shine. They
go to battle and risk their lives so ingrates like you can live in luxury. The day of
reckoning is coming when you will be faced with the undeniable truth that the war
against Saddam Hussein is the war on terrorism.

America is in imminent danger. You're either for her or against her. There
is no middle ground.

I think we all know where you stand.

What do you think?

God Bless America!
Charlie Daniels


I know where I stand, With my brothers and sisters in the US Armed Forces Defending a way of life not just for ourselves but for the Iraqi People who's suffering has been ignored for to many years, Its not about oil or land, its about Freedom and those that know what it means who goes willingly into battle to liberate a people who have never felt the Freedom of speech, The Freedom to walk down the street without fear of being pulled aside and handed a gun to kill without knowing why, Its about Freedom to live free as those of us in this Forum to whine gripe and bitch about others as we see fit and not worry about someone knocking down our door in reprisal. God Bless America and God Bless our Troops

[1985_BMW318i]

Here is one more,


I AM YOUR FLAG
Master Sgt. Percy Webb

I was born on June 14th, 1777.
I am more than just cloth shaped into design.
I am the refuge of the World's oppressed people.
I am the silent sentinel of Freedom.
I am the emblem of the greatest sovereign nation on earth.
I am the inspiration for which American Patriots gave their lives and fortunes.
I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to the bloody swamps of Vietnam.
I walk in silence with each of your Honored Dead,
to their final resting place beneath the silent White Crosses, row upon row.
I have flown through Peace and War, Strife and Prosperity,
and amidst it all I have been respected.
My Red Stripes....symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation.
My White Stripes....signify the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons.
My Blue Field....is indicative of God's heaven under which I fly.
My Stars....clustered together, unify 50 states as one, for God and Country.
"Old Glory" is my nickname, and proudly I wave on high.
Honor me, respect me, defend me with your lives and fortunes.
Never let my enemies tear down from my lofty position, lest I never return.
Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy.
Worship Eternal God and keep His Commandments,
and I shall remain the bulwark of peace and freedom for all mankind.
I am your Flag

[1985_BMW318i]

One more great statement for us Older Folks

The Old Man
If I could, I'd enlist today and help my country track down those
responsible for killing thousands of innocent people in New York City
and Washington, D.C. But, I'm over 50 now and the Armed Forces say
I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 35 to join
the military.

They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-
olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able
to join until you're at least 35. For starters: Researchers say 18-year-
olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex
a couple of times a day, leaving us more that 28,000 additional
seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a
cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. If we can't kill the enemy
we'll complain them into submission. "My back hurts!" "I'm hungry!"
"Where's the remote control?" An 18-year-old hasn't had a legal beer
yet and you shouldn't go to war until you're at least old enough to
legally drink. An average old guy, on the other hand, has consumed
126,000 gallons of beer by the time he's 35 and a jaunt through the
desert heat with a backpack and M-60 would do wonders for the old
beer belly. An 18-year-old doesn't like to get up before 10 a.m. Old
guys get up early (to pee). If old guys are captured we couldn't spill
the beans because we'd probably forget where we put them. In fact,
name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser. Boot camp
would actually be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed
and yelled at and we actually like soft food. We've also developed a
deep appreciation for guns and rifles. We like them almost better than
naps. They could lighten up on the obstacle course, however. I've
been in combat and didn't see a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging
over the side, nor did I ever do any pushups after training. I can hear
the Drill Sergeant now, "Get down and give me...er ... one." And the
running part is kind of a waste of energy.

I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet. An 18-year-old has the whole
world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to actually carry on a
conversation, to wear pants without the top of the butt crack showing
and the boxer shorts sticking out. To learn that a pierced tongue
catches food particles. And that a 200-watt speaker in the back seat of
a Honda Accord can rupture an eardrum. All great reasons to keep
our sons at home and to learn a little more about life before sending
them off to a possible death. Let us old guys track down those dirty,
rotten cowards who attacked our hearts on September 11. The last
thing the enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million old
farts with attitudes.

[Toksin]

I've seen that Soldier Died Today poem before, very touching. Wasn't it recently ruled that the Pledge Of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it said "One nation, under God"...or did they not end up ruling that way.

Either way, PC is getting ridiculous.

[Jimster]

The Pledge is stupid- one of those "Only in America" things Do they make the foriegn kid who hates America and can't wait to go back where he came from say it?????? It is a sack of shit in the Ultimate- I'm going to market some toilet paper with the pledge written on it- it'd be a sure-fire success

That hollywood guy is a redneck who made no sense and stated no fact- I'm going to send Saddam €5 and tell himself to go buy an Ice Cream with it and cheer himself up. He also forgets that Iraq is defending itself- not the United States.

And why does it seem that American people think they are the only free nation in the world???? They may have been the first- but they are most definitley not the only one.


And old farts shouldn't be in the army- because your body & fitness goes downhill after 40

[taranaki]

Charlie Daniels should stick to making 'good ole boy' music for the cowboy hat-wearing fraternity.His marketing strategy is a whole lot smarter than the Dixie Chicks,but he's just as guilty as the rest of the celebrities of mouthing off on a subject that is outside of his field of experience.The record of his military service in his biography is conspicuous by its absence.Basically,he left school in 1955 and formed a band.There have been plenty of opportunities for him to serve his country on the battlefield since then,but curiously..............he hasn't.

"The Old Man",however is hilarious.

As for the Pledge Of Allegiance?


http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle....toryID=2524463



one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.


I DON'T THINK SO.

[YogsVR4]

Originally posted by Jimster
The Pledge is stupid- one of those "Only in America" things Do they make the foriegn kid who hates America and can't wait to go back where he came from say it?????? It is a sack of shit in the Ultimate- I'm going to market some toilet paper with the pledge written on it- it'd be a sure-fire success

That hollywood guy is a redneck who made no sense and stated no fact- I'm going to send Saddam €5 and tell himself to go buy an Ice Cream with it and cheer himself up. He also forgets that Iraq is defending itself-not the United States.

And why does it seem that American people think they are the only free nation in the world???? They may have been the first- but they are most definitley not the only one.

And old farts shouldn't be in the army- because your body & fitness goes downhill after 40

Take your medication and get off your high horse. If someone doesn't want to say the pledge they dont have to. Feel free to use your toilet paper as you see fit. Its your ass.

Nobody here claims that America is the only free nation in the world. It just a lot of people outside America keep saying we do.

[taranaki]

Originally posted by YogsVR4


Nobody here claims that America is the only free nation in the world. It just a lot of people outside America keep saying we do.

I don't think that I have seen anyone make that claim yet Yogs, if you could link me to it I'd be obliged.

What a lot of us non-Americans have noticed however is the persistent claim that America is doing what is right and that certain countries are acting unreasonably by failing to follow suit.We've also seen people argue,without any logic or reason that the United States is the finest country in the world,and has saved our asses in many conflicts,and that we'd all be speaking German by now yadayadayada.......

it gets pretty tiresome hearing this over and over again.Since there is no way of reconstructing history without including the U.S.A.,NOBODY will ever know what 'might' have happened.As to all speaking German?What is so scary about that?take the Nazis out of the equation and Germany has reshaped itself from a country laid waste by allied bombing into a major industrial and economic power in less than a lifetime.I have a great deal of respect for the German people,unlike some people in this forum whose prejudice does not allow them to see Germany in any terms other than Adolf Hitler.

[YogsVR4]

Originally posted by taranaki


I don't think that I have seen anyone make that claim yet Yogs, if you could link me to it I'd be obliged.

Read Jimsters post and my quote of it

And why does it seem that American people think they are the only free nation in the world????

He is claiming that we claim to be the only free nation in the world. Which I say is not being done.

[taranaki]

Yogs' sig"Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." -- Colin Powell

.

Mr Powell is either mistaken,or a liar.

It might pay to take into consideration that the U.S. military seldom leaves a region once it has a toehold.Here's a representative list of U.S.external military facilities.

100th ASG, Grafenwoehr, Germany
104th ASG, Hanau, Germany
10th ASG, Okinawa, Japan
17th ASG, Sagamihara, Japan
20th ASG, Taegu, Korea
22nd ASG, Vicenza, Italy
23rd ASG, Pyongtaek, Korea
26th ASG, Heidelberg, Germany
34th ASG, Seoul, Korea
501st CSG, Uijongbu, Korea
53rd ASG, Bad Kreuznach, Germany
6th ASG, Stuttgart, Germany
80th ASG (Belgium), Chievres, Belgium
80th ASG (Denmark), Copenhagen, Denmark
80th ASG (Luxembourg), Bettembourg, Luxembourg
80th ASG (Netherlands), Schinnen, Netherlands
80th ASG (United Kingdom), Southampton, United Kingdom
80th ASG, Grefrath, Germany
98th ASG, Wuerzburg, Germany
Armed Forces Rec Center, Berchtesgaden, Germany
Atlantic East Bank, Colon, Panama
Atlantic West Bank, Colon, Panama
Aviano AB, Pordenone, Italy
Coastal Systems Stations, Panama City
Comfleact Yokosuka, Yokosuka, Japan
Incirlik AB, Adana, Turkey
Kadena AB, Koza City, Japan
Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Iwakuni, Japan
Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler, Naha, Japan
Misawa AB, Misawa, Japan
NAV Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Sasebo, Japan
NAV Security Gp Act, Galeta, Galeta Island, Panama
NAV Ship Repair Fac, Yokosuka, Yokosuka, Japan
NAV Station, Guantanamo Bay, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Naval Activities, U.k., London, United Kingdom
Naval Air Facility Japan, Atsugi, Japan
Naval Air Station, Sigonella, Sigonella, Italy
Naval Computer & Telecom Sta, Yokosuka, Japan
Naval Security Gp Act, Edzell, Edzell, United Kingdom
Naval Station, Keflavik, Keflavik, Iceland
Naval Station, Panama Canal, Rodman, Panama
Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, Pearl Harbor
Naval Station, Rota, Rota, Spain
Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy
Naval Support Activity, La Maddalena, Italy
Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia, Diego Garcia
Navshiprepfac Det Sasebo, Sasebo, Japan
Pacific East Bank, Panama City, Panama
Pacific West Bank, Panama City, Panama
Pirinclik AS, Diyarbakir, Turkey
RAF Croughton, Croughton, United Kingdom
RAF Lakenheath, Lakenheath, United Kingdom
RAF Mildenhall, Mildenhall, United Kingdom
Ramstein AB, Landstuhl, Germany
Spangdahlem AB, Spangdahlem, Germany
U S NAV Supt Act Souda Bay, Crete, Greece
Woomera AS, Woomera, Australia
Yokota AB, Tokyo, Japan

It is by no means complete,I know of at least two additional facilities here in New Zealand alone where the U.S.military has a presence,and when you add the roaming fleets of Navy carriers and warships,there's not much of the globe that isn't within stiking distance of any country that falls foul of Uncle Sam.The question is not so much,is America building an empire,as when did it happen?Some of these facilities date back to WW2!
_________________

[YogsVR4]

Mr. T that list is very disingenuous. If any of those country ask the US to leave, we will. Just like Korea. They were heading down the road for us to leave. Rumsfield said fine we'll plan on leaving (not in so those words). Shortly their after they were asking for more troops. We mentioned leaving Germany and going to Poland who wanted us to have a base there. The Germans had a fit. You don't like the US to have a base in New Zealand, then have the government ask us to leave. Bet they won't do it. Not because their afraid of attack. But they know its in their best intrest to have the US fleet in the area. It brings in money and has another country footing the bill for your own protection.

[TexasF355F1]

Originally posted by Toksin
I've seen that Soldier Died Today poem before, very touching. Wasn't it recently ruled that the Pledge Of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it said "One nation, under God"...or did they not end up ruling that way.

Either way, PC is getting ridiculous.

I think it was never changed, but the sad thing is that it all started by a little girl supposedly having a problem with it. In reality she was a pawn in her dads sick game of trying to change something he didn't like, and to me that makes him a horrible father. No one is forced to say the pledge of allegiance. Even when I was in elementary school the teachers would tell us we don't have to say the pledge if we dont want to.

[taranaki]

Originally posted by YogsVR4
Mr. T that list is very disingenuous. If any of those country ask the US to leave, we will. Just like Korea. They were heading down the road for us to leave. Rumsfield said fine we'll plan on leaving (not in so those words). Shortly their after they were asking for more troops. We mentioned leaving Germany and going to Poland who wanted us to have a base there. The Germans had a fit. You don't like the US to have a base in New Zealand, then have the government ask us to leave. Bet they won't do it. Not because their afraid of attack. But they know its in their best intrest to have the US fleet in the area. It brings in money and has another country footing the bill for your own protection.

So....if the Iraqis decided they'd like you to leave ,and they wanted Saddam back?Hypothetical,of course,it will not happen,but feel free to consider an answer.




The American fleet is not welcome in our waters.New Zealand law stipulates that no nuclear armed or nuclear-powered vessels may enter our territory.The two facilities are the USAF Operation Deep Freeze base at Chrishtchurch,a base facility for servicing the Antartica scientific bases,and the other is Waihopai monitoring station,an electronic eavesdropping facility monitoring military and commercial communications in the South Pacific.