A young soldier was in his bunkhouse all alone one
Sunday morning. It was quiet that day, the guns and
the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't
made a noise.
The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day
of the week. As he was sitting there, he got out an
old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk.
Just then an Army Sergeant came in and asked, "Why
aren't you with the rest of the platoon?"
The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind
and spend some time with the Lord."
The sergeant said, "Looks like you're going to play
cards."
The soldier said, "No sir, you see, since we are not
allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in
this country, I've decided to talk to the Lord by
studying this deck of cards."
The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do
that?"
"You see the Ace, Sergeant, it reminds that there is
only one God.
The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and
New Testaments.
The Three represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost.
The Four stands for the Four Apostles: Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John.
The Five is for the five virgins, there were ten, but
only five of them were glorified.
The Six is for the six days it took God to create the
Heavens and Earth.
The Seven is for the day God rested after working the
six days.
The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife,
their three sons and their wives, in which God saved
the eight people from the flood that destroyed the
earth for the first time.
The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of
leprosy. He cleansed ten but nine never thanked Him.
The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God
handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone.
The Jack is a reminder of Satan. One of God's first
angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly
and wicked ways and is now the Joker of eternal hell.
The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary.
The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all
kings.
When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with
365 total, one for every day of the year.
There are a total of 52 cards in a deck, each is a
week, 52 weeks in a year.
The four suits represents the four seasons: Spring,
Summer, Fall and Winter.
Each suit has thirteen cards, there are exactly
thirteen weeks in a quarter.
So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just
pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of
all that I have to be thankful for."
The sergeant just stood there and after a minute, with
tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said,
"Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?"
I am an American.
That's the way most of us put it,
Just matter-of-factly.
They are plain words, those four;
You could write them on your thumbnail
Or you could sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky.
But remember, too
That they are more than words.
They are a way of life.
So whenever you speak them,
Speak them firmly;
Speak them proudly;
Speak them gratefully.
I am an American!
THE NEW PLAN
I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of one plan
for peace. " Books, not Bombs" won't work. The head mullahs won't let
anyone read them. If they do, they poke their eyes out. Here's the plan:
1) The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their
affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini and the rest of them 'good old boys'. We will never "interfere" again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with
Germany, South Korea and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We
would station troops at our borders. No more sneaking through holes in
the fence.
3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and
leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder
will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where
they are. France would welcome them.
4) All future vis! itors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90
days unless given a special permit. No one from a terrorist nation would
be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself, don't
hide here. Asylum would not ever be available to anyone. We don't need
any more cab drivers.
5) No "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they
don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.
6) The US will make a strong effort to become self sufficient energy
wise. This will include developing non polluting sources of energy but
will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness . The
caribou will have to cope for a while.
7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for
their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else.
8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we
will not "interfere". They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds,
rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides' most of what we give them
is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very
little, if any anyway.
9) Ship the UN Headquarter to an island some place. We don't need the
spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, it would make a good
homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one
can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. Now, ain't that a winner of a plan.
Stand Up for America Rally Speech By: Beth Chapman
I'm here tonight because men and women of the United States military have given their lives for my freedom. I am not here tonight because Sheryl Crowe, Rosie O'Donnell, Martin Sheen, George Clooney, Jane Fonda or Phil Donahue, sacrificed their lives for me.
If my memory serves me correctly, it was not movie stars or musicians, but the United States Military who fought on the shores of Iwo Jima, the jungles of Vietnam, and the beaches of Normandy. Tonight, I say we should support the President of the United States and the U.S. Military and tell the liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippy, tie-dyed liberals to go make their movies and music and whine somewhere else.
After all, if they lived in Iraq, they wouldn't be allowed the freedom of speech they're being given here today. Ironically, they would be put to death at the hands of Sadam Husssein or Osama Bin Laden. I want to know how the very people who are against war because of the loss of life, can possibly be the same people who are for abortion? They are the same people who are for animal rights but against the rights of the unborn.
The movie stars say they want to go to Iraq and serve as "human shields"
for the Iraqis. I say let them buy a one-way ticket and go.
No one likes war. I hate war! But the one thing I hate more is the fact that this country has been forced into war-innocent people have lost their lives - - and there but for the grace of God, it could have been my brother, my husband, or even worse my own son.
On December 7, 1941, there are no records of movie stars treading the blazing waters of Pearl Harbor.
On September 11, 2001; there are no photos of movie stars standing as "human shields" against the debris and falling bodies ascending from the World Trade Center. There were only policemen and firemen - -underpaid civil servants who gave their all with nothing expected in return.
When the USS Cole was bombed, there were no movie stars guarding the ship
- - where were the human shields then?
If America's movie stars want to be human shields, let them shield the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles, or New York City, let them shield the lives of the children of North Birmingham whose mothers lay them down to sleep on the floor each night to shelter them from stray bullets.
If they want to be human shields, I say let them shield the men and women of honesty and integrity that epitomizes courage and embody the spirit of freedom by wearing the proud uniforms of the United States Military.
Those are the people who have earned and deserve shielding!
Throughout the course of history, this country has remained free, not because of movie stars and liberal activists, but because of brave men and women who hated war too. However, they lay down their lives so that we all may live in freedom. After all - "What greater love hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friend," or in this case a country.
We should give our military honor and acknowledgement and not let their lives be in vain. If you want to see true human shields, walk through Arlington Cemetery. There lie human shields, heroes, and the BRAVE Americans who didn't get on television and talk about being a human shield
- they were human shields.
I thank God tonight for freedom - - those who bought and paid for it with their lives in the past - - those who will protect it in the present and defend it in the future.
America has remained silent too long! God-fearing people have remained silent too long!
We must lift our voices united in a humble prayer to God for guidance and the strength and courage to sustain us throughout whatever the future may hold.
After the tragic events of Sept. 11th, my then eleven -year-old son said terrorism is a war against them and us and if you're not one of us, then you're one of them.
So in closing tonight, let us be of one accord, let us stand proud, and let us be the human shields of prayer, encouragement and support for the President, our troops and their families and our country.
May God bless America, the land of the free, the home of the brave and the greatest country on the face of this earth!
AMERICAN
I like big cars, big boats, big motorcycles, big
houses and big
campfires. I believe the money I make belongs to me
and my
family, not some governmental stooge with a bad
comb-over who
wants to give it away to crack addicts for squirting
out babies.
Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes
you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat
or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving
to the ball game.
I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason,
that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong
in the Girl Scouts!
I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is
not a phobia, it is an opinion.
I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of
anything
except numbers.
The only things I can think of that are truly
discriminatory
are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet
Magazine,
Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black
America.
Try to have things like the United Caucasian College
Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television,
or Miss White America and see what happens. Jesse
Jackson will be knocking down your door.
I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others
because they are different, weird, or tick me off.
When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in
cities where 70% of the population is black, that's
not racial profiling, it is the law of statistics.
I know what sex is, and there are not varying degrees
of it.
If I received sex from one of my subordinates in my
office, it
wouldn't be a private matter or my personal business.
I would be "FIRED" immediately!
I believe that if you are selling me a milk shake, a
pack of
cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do
it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be
an American citizen you should have to speak English!.
My father and grandfather shouldn't have to die in
vain so you can leave the countries you were born in
to come over and disrespect ours.
I think the police should have every right to shoot
your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell
you to stop.
If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in
English, see the above lines.
I feel much safer letting a machine with no political
affiliation recount votes when needed. I know what the
definition of lying is.
I don't think just because you were not born in this
country, you are qualified for any special loan
programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax
breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop,
trinket store, or any other business.
We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries
and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms so
that decades later they could come over here and tell
us our constitution is a living document and open to
their interpretations.
I don't hate the rich. I pity the poor. I know
wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television,
and that doesn't stop you from watching them.
I believe a self-righteous liberal or conservative
with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel
with an attitude.
I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny
he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you
off, go and invent the next operating system that's
better and put your name on the building. Ask your
buddy that invented the Internet to help you.
It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child
right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the
kid and smack their little ass' when necessary and say
"NO.
I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want
them, but please don't pretend they are a political
statement. And Please stay home until that new lip
ring heals, I don't want to look at your ugly infected
mouth as you serve me fries!
I am sick of "Political Correctness" and of all the
suck ups that go along with it. I know a lot of black
people, and not a single one of them was born in
Africa, so how can they be "African-Americans"?
Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around
saying I am a European-American because my great,
great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from
Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere
else.
I WILL NOT FORGET....
I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked myself, "Why
didn't the Jews fight back?"
Now I know why.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and asked myself, "Why
weren't we prepared?"
Now I know why.
Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil
people.
On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed
themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists
because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their
captors.
On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too
many Am! ericans naively reject the reality that some nations are
dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists
and media personnel want us to forget the carnage. They say we must
focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the
killers. They implore us to understand the motivation of the
perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist
the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes
crashing into the Twin Towers.
I will not be manipulated.
I will not pretend to understand.
I will not forget.
I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to
kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's
address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel
about him, he is still our president."
I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President
Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and
commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters
weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely
-- nor should they be expected -- to show deference."
I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an
attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States
of America.
I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists
and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated
telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby
compromising America's ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone,
land lines, faxes and modem communications.
I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory! strikes like
those perfected by the previous administration.
I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the
silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport.
I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar demonstrators" who
exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American obscenities.
I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by
American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning
soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.
I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose
reassurance over reality.
I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told
Labor Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter
of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does
anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
There is no! compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds,
no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or
be defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"
I will force myself to:
-hear the weeping
-feel the helplessness
-imagine the terror
-sense the panic
-smell the burning flesh
-experience the loss
-remember the hatred.
I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself,
"Where did they find the courage?"
Now I know.
We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.
-- Ed Evans, MGySgt., USMC (Ret.)
Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
I AM AN AMERICAN SAILOR
Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal -yours is but a moment. I am the spirit of heroes past and future.
I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop mizzen of yankee clipper ships.
Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross. My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands.
I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia. I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewy said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta.
I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong. But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brother went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark and the Samuel B. Roberts in the mine infested waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world; on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again. Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean, and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.
I am the American Sailor.