A CONSERVATIVE Texan's thoughts on Equality

Rhode Island has become the tenth US state to grant same sex marriage equality.  Texas is NOT among the other nine.

It may come as a shock to some who believe all Texans are Bible thumping, hate mongering, hypocrites but as a true CONSERVATIVE I am for Equality.  Sadly too many mouthy, judgmental, hateful, nasty 'christians' claim that God gives them the power to hate, to be cruel, to be nasty.

I was raised a Southern Baptist.  For those who may be a bit confused on what that is, let me give you a quick & dirty rundown.  Southern Baptists don't drink, don't dance, don't gamble, don't do drugs, and are fine upstanding people.  Southern Baptist women are meant to be quiet, pregnant, in the kitchen while the man takes the reins of everything.  Well, that's what SOME Southern Baptists would like you to believe.  It is incredibly far from the truth.

My Poppy was a deacon in our church.  It was years before he would take the position as he drank beer regularly.  My Mimi was anything but a quiet, subservient wife in the shadows.  She was a lady about it, but she spoke her mind and stood her ground.  You might never have expected to find cold hard steel in her veins, but under than cute little rolly polly exterior beat the heart of a lioness.

My aunt sat on the board until she was RUN OUT of that church by some of the aforementioned hateful, nasty 'christians'.  She was legitimately elected to office by the members of that church and a few holier-than-thous decided to take it upon themselves to 'cleanse' the church of her.  They claimed her being gay was morally wrong and God was against it, that Jesus condemned her for it.  Thing is, Christ NEVER said anything about homosexuality.  PERIOD.  Nada!  Not one single, solitary, RED word was EVER attributed to him.

These same holier-than-thous put into office, without election, a gay man that then cruised the church for young men to abuse.  He was caught doing it many times but was always protected by those nasty 'christians', the vipers in the den so to speak.  Don't think gay had anything to do with their hate - they used it as an excuse to punish those they wanted & reward those that kissed their asses.  That is NOT in keeping with the message of Christ.

I was raised by true Christians.  Those who said it was NOT their place to judge, not their right to deny others the same things they took for granted.  People who would give you the shirt off their back, the sweat of their brow, the food from their plate.  People who were learned, 5 generations of teachers & counting!, educated, worldly people who stood for what was right.  There was no moral grey ground, there was right & there was wrong and there aren't enough of them left in my opinion.

As a product of these people I can not, WILL not stand idly by and watch my fellow Texans denied the very basic right of marrying someone they love.  I'd like to take on quite a few of the most common arguments against equality - in all its forms.

Marriage has LONG predated Christianity, every Abrahamaic religion is a baby compared to the concept of marriage.  Marriage was not "one man, one woman".  Even today Islam, an Abrahamaic religion at its core, is NOT about "one man, one woman".  Mormons, not Abrahamaic but still a commonly practiced religion, is NOT "one man, one woman".  That argument will NOT hold water with anyone that has even a passing understanding of human history.

Marriage between consenting adults has been going on long before Christianity came to this land.  Hundreds of tribes held same sex marriage as sacred, blessed by the Gods.  Just because someone says that Jesus says its wrong doesn't mean it is.  Nor does the claim that no one has ever done same sex marriage here make it so.

The government has no business deciding what consenting adults can, or can not, get married.  The government only takes money to issue a marriage license.  Since the government issues the money, and issues the license, at what point does someone who is 'gay' using make it illegal?  How can a government both issue money claiming to represent the people while at the same time denying the people the ability to spend it equally as they see fit?

The Equal Protection clause clearly states that any marriage contracted in one state is valid in all others.  Hence why my 16+ years of marriage have been valid in Colorado and Virginia even though I was married in Texas.  What basic Constitutional understanding would allow someone to believe that the Equal Protection Clause applies only to heterosexuals?

Those that claim marriage is for the production of children, since when?  In my own family I can pinpoint people who are married without children.  Be it the male or female that is infertile, a conscious choice not to have children, or a medical condition preventing it their marriage is no less valid under the law.  Bearing children is NOT and never has been the point of marriage.

The claims made that marriage can't be redefined.  I beg to differ.  Two hundred years ago my father would have had to PAY my husband land, crops, goods, or animals if not all the above, to marry me.  In short, I would have been SOLD by my father to my husband.  That is not marriage.  That is a form of slavery.  Thousands of years ago I would have had to have slaves to buy my marriage.  Heaps of gold, spices, pricey materials, animals, property, land, slaves ... they were all required to purchase a groom.  We don't do that any more, thus marriage has already been 're'defined.

One of the more ludicrous arguments is that if gays can marry, then homosexuality will spread.  That one is so far beyond the reach of logic, but I shall try.  Guns are legal, not everyone owns one.  Cars are legal, not everyone owns one. Marriage is legal, not everyone marries.  The sheer lunacy of saying that two consenting adults making a commitment will somehow make people gay is just beyond me.

There are those that say a gay marriage will cheapen their heterosexual marriage.  My marriage is NOT under threat from gay people.  There isn't some light in his loafers man hiding in a dark alley waiting to jump my husband & make him FABULOUS!!!  If you're really that terrified that your marriage will end and your spouse will marry someone of the same sex, you've got much deeper issues in your life.

The most odious, to me, claims are from those quoting Leviticus.  One can not claim Christianity & go Old Testament.  Christ clearly stated he came to make a NEW covenant, thus negating the old one.  He negated the dietary laws of Leviticus - bacon y'all, we're talking the loss of bacon if we go OT.  The sheer number of supposed, self described 'christians' that flaunt every violation of Leviticus while claiming homosexuality is wrong boggles my mind!  God said all sin is equal, thus eating bacon is on par with being gay if you want to actually see the Bible for what it says.  Polyester clothing, shellfish, BACON, they're all wrong according to Leviticus.  In my world, if BACON is wrong I don't want to be right!!

I think I hit on most of the big arguments against equality, but really they all boil down to one nasty, ugly truth.  That some Americans believe they're legally better than others.  That is in direct violation of our basic premiss of government.  "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."  The ability to LIVE, the LIBERTY to purse HAPPINESS.  Not dependent upon color, religion, sexuality, hair style, height, age, weight, yada yada yada.  Just the basic 3 rules of our entire form of government - LIFE, LIBERTY, pursuit of HAPPINESS.  Gardening makes me HAPPY, doesn't mean I'm going to force you to garden!  Mall shopping does NOT make me happy, but I'm not going to try to ban you from doing it if you enjoy it.  Thus, no one who truly supports liberty, any basic student of logic, any true Christian, can possibly stand against equal rights.  It is beyond odious to me that some even dare attempt to twist such basic, honest beliefs to fit their hate.

Shifty Powers & how we treat our REAL Heroes

So the oft carried, always miss attributed, Shifty Powers letter is making the rounds again on Facebook.  It got me to thinking.  Sadly, Darrell Powers (aka Shifty) passed in 2009, right before we PCSd back to the states.  I know we got coverage on AFN in Europe, but I doubt there was much coverage in the states - it isn't like the man was a genuine HERO (at least according to the garbage they show on US tv).


I remember, late May 2002, waiting to board a plane in Dallas.  We were flying out to our next duty station in England.  There was a mild kerfuffle at the x-ray & security station.  I thought nothing of it really, until I realized the hold up was an elderly gentleman & his wife.  I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was being held up, he clearly did not pose any threat to anyone.


I was busy getting an infant, a young child, myself & the husband through security so I wasn't paying that much attention.  Until I caught the emblem on his hat.  It was just a standard dark blue, military retiree style, baseball cap.  I had made a mental note to tell him "Thank You" for your service when I realized it was a retiree, but that emblem.  It troubled me.  I KNEW it, but it was rare to see.  I honestly had to think about it for a few moments before I placed it.  That was a very rare, very seldom seen, very important emblem.

That is, for those who may not know, a Congressional Medal of Honor ribbon.  That was the ribbon on his hat!  When it hit me what it was, I was in genuine awe.  That is not a medal often seen, and it was awarded for going well above the call of duty to his nation.  It made me that much more determined to give him a proper thanks for his service, and hopefully find out a little bit about him.


I got a moment to speak to him while we were waiting to board early.  He was accepted for early boarding, I assume, due to his age.  We got early boarded due to the kids.  I was just glad we managed to be right behind him in line so I could chat with him.


Turns out he served on the European front, and was captured by the Germans.  He didn't go into much, but I mentioned my great-grandfather was a POW of the Japanese (he was), and was rescued from Cabanatuan.  This gentleman, I never caught his name he was very polite but not at all in to talking about his exploits, made a point of saying he endured nothing compared to what the Japanese did to their POWs.  That, to the great granddaughter of a man who lived it, is belittling his own experiences.  The Germans weren't nice to POWs, they didn't obey the rules of war, they blocked the Red Cross just as much.  This man went hungry, was cold, was mistreated, had suffered in the name of his fellow countrymen & women to protect them from his very pain.  He was, and IS, an hero.  He came when called, he offered his life blood to his nation to protect & defend those he loved.  That is no small feat.  This man, who had fought for his country while a young man, didn't think himself worthy of what my great-grandfather went through.  It nearly broke my heart for him to think he didn't really do anything worthy of the praise he received.


He went on to mention that he didn't endure nearly what those that didn't come home did.  The mark of a truly humble, honest, quiet servant of his nation & people.  He discounted his own trauma, his own suffering, as not up to that which others endured.  I had no real response to that, other than he served his nation where & when he was needed and he shouldn't think that his experiences weren't important.


I happened to ask what the hold up was at the security line.  I was being nosy, I admit it.  It turns out he was flying with THE MEDAL in his carry-on bag.  Yes, THAT medal.  The highest honor his nation's military could bestow on him (or anyone for that matter) for his military service.  He offered to get it out & show it to me, but he was already being much more than polite by having a chat with me so I didn't put him out in any way.  Yes I'd have LOVED to see it, but then I'd have wanted to touch it and well, that's just rude!


The reason THE MEDAL was in his carry on?  I shouldn't have to explain that one.  The fact that it was is what had caused the kerfuffle.  Apparently security made him put it through the x-ray machine!  Then demanded he open it as it was metal & it seems they though it was a "threat" to security.  Not a "thank you sir, for your service". Not an awed silence at seeing one, and the man who earned it.  Just total ignorance of WHAT it was, and WHY he had it.  That, well even now I admit flabbergasts me!  How far the US has fallen that a real, genuine, CMOH award recipient & his CMOH were unknown, and instead viewed as a security threat!


This quiet, unassuming man who should have had parades in his honor, was a "threat" as deemed by the security folks at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.  As a Texan, I was doubly humiliated and offended that this man was ill treated.  He bore it with quiet dignity, answering their questions about himself & the medal.  He bore my questions & chat with dignity.  All I had to offer to him in return was a mere, meager, "thank you".  I'm sure he'd had that before, and I pray he had it since, but I was honored to be in his presence & to have the ability to offer such a thanks.


We boarded the plane, and as we always keep the kiddos on until last to avoid the crush to get off, I didn't get to speak to him again.  I never did catch his name, and never really knew enough of his service to find him on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society site.  Sadly I don't know if he is still living or if he has since passed.  What I do know is that for one fleeting moment in time, I stood beside & chatted with, a REAL hero.  I know that one of the, still giving, gifts of his service & his life is my thankfulness for the smallest moment to speak to him.  To offer to him the true thanks of myself, for everything he endured.


I never got to meet my great-grandfather, he passed long before my birth, but I did get to meet a man who bore arms at the same time he did.  Maybe a different theater, a different version of the same nasty enemy of freedom, but a man of quiet honor none the less.  I hope he knew just how much it meant to me to get to speak to him, to get to offer him a humble, simple thanks.

So did your sign change?

According to the Minnesota Planetarium Society (don't they just sound like farmers watching stars instead of cows), the zodiac is NOT correct. Honestly it isn't & hasn't been for a long time. The sun signs as given are based on 2000 year old astrology. Not 2000 years worth of astrology, literally astrology that was done 2000 years ago.

So are you now one of the new, 13th sign? Ophiuchus is actually now the 12th sign, so you late blooming Sagittarius may get to stay where you are. However I'm a Leo - through & through. My sign is still Leo, thought I'm now in the "cusp" week at the beginning of the sign.

Not that I live my life by my astrology. Its just an amusement. Any Ophichus readers out there? Did your sign change? Do you think you fit well in your 'new' one?

Veteran's Day

To all my friends, family, and readers who are veterans, related to them, or support them - THANK YOU

I have been blessed to be raised around Marines, Navy, & Army troops. I am blessed to have met & married one of the most honorable, awesome men on the planet & lived an insane & priceless life with him. I have been enumerable blessed to meet & befriend so very many men & women in the military, my life would be severely lacking without you. I have been honored & blessed to meet just a few of our Allies but they are shining examples of the best mankind has to offer, deep & true friends. I have been blessed to meet (sometimes in person!) many of my blog readers who have served their nation & I am constantly ...

Humbled

Honored

Blessed

& so many more things by living this life.

The military people I know & love are wonderful examples of what an American is. They are from so many different walks of life, but they all personify the virtues that make this nation the greatest on the planet. Honor, dignity, responsibility, dedication & selflessness. You are heroes among men, even though none that I know would ever consider themselves a hero, nor would they toot their own horns. So as a wife, a grandchild, a niece, a friend, a loved one of so very many of them, I'll toot their horn for them.

THANK YOU to each and every one of the myriad military members I've had the great honor to know in my life. You have helped make me a better person, you've helped make my country a better place to raise my children, and you've helped make the world a better place for everyone. There are not words enough to convey the depth of my appreciation, or thanks but to each and every one of you, I owe a deep debt for all you've done & all you'll do.

Thank you!

A date which will live in infamy

To the Congress of the United States:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to the Secretary of State of form reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government had deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces -- with the unbounded determination of our people -- we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

68 years ago we were sucker punched. 68 years later, we still remember.


Today, when the bell tolls again, remember those young men & women who withstood the onslaught of hate & terror. Who got themselves up, bandaged their wounds, buried their dead, & fought with a righteous anger against an aggressor without the intestinal wherewithal to fight fair. A bully is a bully, no matter what their size. Their hallmarks are to strike in the dark, attack civilians, & lay waste without thought to the costs in innocent lives. We've fought bullies before, we fight bullies now & I have no doubt that they will soon meet the same fate which is far more merciful than that which they gave out.

Enough with 2012!

Ugh. I hate doomsday predictions, and I hate chicken littles. Combine the two and you're in for a world of scorn and ridicule! Graft that stupidity onto an ancient calendar and we're reaching levels of animosity reserved for only the most insidious perpetrators of arrogant Western though.

The world WILL NOT END in 2012! The damn Maya say so, their calendar says so, astronomers say so, archaeologists say so, and so does the dang Bible! No amount of morons looking for star happenings in galaxies light years away, no number of dumbass hollyweird movies, or Discovery Channel specials will change that!

Look here, I may be a pagan and be quite proud of it but even I remember the Bible. Yea, that pesky little frame work so very few who espouse Christianity ACTUALLY follow. Its followers have been screaming Armageddon and the end of the world since 34 CE. They don't have such a good track record with the end of the world and all.

Then we have the sandwich board loons. The "END IS NIGH" kind of folks. The Y2Kers, the Hale-Bop comet crazies, and the like. The ones who screamed that Bird Flu, then Swine Flu would be the eradication of humanity. If only it was, to get rid of the likes of them!

Seriously folks, its time to put down the funky purple kool-aid and get a grip!

Mankind can not possibly fathom the end of the world. I have no idea when it will happen, but I'm perfectly okay with saying Dec. 2012 ain't it. The fact a cycle in a millenial old calendar comes to a close on that date does not equate to the end of the world. If I know you and you espouse this belief, expect an ass beating come 2013, because I will be around and you will be a moron in need of a boot up side your behind!

Ahhh, knowledge

I love acquiring it, and I see it as a goal to learn something new every day. With the help of a fellow blogger, far more knowledgeable than I, I've learned several new things and re-enforced other things.

May I have the honor of introducing Paleoglot? The man is near to a fount of Etruscan knowledge, though I got to him through analysis of the Piacenza liver. His analysis is very well reasoned, though many of the technicalities of Etruscan language escape me.

I suggest you have a good root around his archives, they're really interesting. He also uses tags much more efficiently than I do. For anyone who desires a deeper understanding of linguistics and proper study of them versus what's sold to many a college student of the modern world, he is a breath of fresh air. For the layman, he may be too technical but fall back to learning something new every day, a term perhaps?, and you'll be able to understand him and rationally look at proto constructions of language with a critical and more informed eye and ear.

Never Underestimate

The power of a child. George Boon, one of the fathers of Romano-British archaeology and a force to be reckoned with in the archaeological community, wrote many letters supporting the protection of Roman remains in Britain following WWII. A series of them have been found in the archives of Bristol, and they're very well written for an 11 year-old boy, but you can read the drive and determination quite clearly.

An Auspicious Day

I didn't even pay a haruspex either!

Today is the accepted founding of Rome in 753 BCE. Today is the greatest win of the Texican Revolution - San Jacinto! Two of my greatest loves connected in their greatness on one day!

I hope your day is wonderful, and don't go reading entrails ...

Back from

The Phlegraean Fields. While I didn't meet Dis Pater, or get to see the Sybil in action in Cumae, I had a good trip.

As of now my card reader is misbehaving so I can't upload any of the 3 gig of photos I took of the region, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabae or the other regions but I have lots of photos.

I took a friend on a "private tour" of Pompeii. We happened to both go to Naples (her first time) with the families and she wanted to see the dead people in Pompeii. So, I took them to the Suburban Baths, the Casa Ara Massima, Casa del Principe de Napoli, Casa Amorini Dorati, & Casa del Menandro in 7 hours. I also got to visit the ancient herbalist in Pompeii for some Lavender perfume, and some honeysuckle oil and even some cooking goods. I also made a point of paying homage to the Lares in all the shrines I found. A pox on those that would take the offering to the gods!

Hopefully they enjoyed the trip, even if I did keep them awhile. Oh, and for the record they've closed the cafes in Pompeii's & Herculaneum's Scavii. That sucks butt as they both had bathrooms, though they did open up a few new goodies in Herculaneum (but the Villa of the Papyri is still closed for excavations).

I got to see Roman Hell (technically the entrance to the Roman Underworld). Saw what's claimed to by the Sybil's cave at Cumae (I highly doubt it), the Temple of Zeus, and the Temple of Apollo (I would think the caves in the region of the Apollo would be where the Sybil was). Cuma wasn't a bad trip, but not much of it survives sadly. I also paid homage to Apollo and Zeus, though not to the 'Sybil's cave'. Again, a pox upon those that would disrespect the offering!

I'll upload pics as soon as I can access them via my finicky card reader.

Nefertiti

The beautiful one has come. Indeed.




Nefertiti's real face found?

Even after 3300 years we can't leave her alone. She's one of the great beauties of history, and her sculpted head exerts a power over modern man that few can rival. Sadly I've never gotten to Berlin to see her, but even in photo form she is beautiful to behold. No wonder her titles include "Heiress, Great of Favours, Possessed of Charm, Exuding Happiness, Mistress of Sweetness, beloved one, soothing the king's heart in his house, soft-spoken in all, Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt, Great King's Wife, whom he loves, Lady of the Two Lands, Nefertiti'". Yeah, any wonder why Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) is considered the author of many of the Bible's songs of love and wonder in the Old Testament? What man on the planet would describe his wife in such a way in this day and age?

Anyhoo, the folks in Berlin believe they may have found Nefertiti's 'real' face on the limestone bust. It's a very interesting though that in ancient Egypt you never died as long as someone remembered you. Considering the millions that know her face and name today, millenia after her disappearance from Egyptian history, one would be inclined to say the ancients had it right.

¡Recuerde Goliad!

Today is yet another infamy of Mexican aggression at the instigation of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. 400+ unarmed men many of which were wounded, men promised the protection of their captors, men told they were being marched to safe quarters as prisoners of war, were gunned and bayoneted on the roads leading out of Goliad, Texas. To disgrace themselves even more, the human monsters did it on Easter Sunday in 1836.

Yet another mass murder - a brutal Massacre - puts more Texican blood on Mexican hands. The battle for Independence is coming to an end ...


¡Recuerdo Goliad! Do you?

A sad day

In Texas history. Edward Clark usurped the rightful place of Sam Houston as Governor of the great State of Texas. Sam wouldn't swear allegiance to the Confederacy, so he was shat upon by the democrats of his day. One would say their party isn't much changed from the days of illegal removal from office those that stood up for the good of the people.

I'm sorry they treated you like that Mr. Houston. You deserved better. Texas deserved better.

The Runaway Scrape

Sam Houston abandoned Gonzales, and fled from the advance of brutal dictator and mass murderer Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. It would be two days until Houston learned of the Fall of the Alamo from Mrs. Dickinson, then all out panic would spur the Texicans to flee.

Gonzales was burned to the ground to prevent it falling into Mexican hands. Many more towns, villages, and farms were burned in a scorched earth campaign to deny the Mexican army food, and pillage.

While even now debate rages as to if Houston was trying to lead Santa Anna into a trap on the Louisiana border, it is clear Santa Anna had a well earned reputation as a man that would mass murder, mutilate, and massacre those who opposed him. As the Texian army fled, it left settlements unprotected, so the settlers were smart enough to run to save their skins.

The Texas War of Independence is picking up speed. Soon it will come to a head, but there are dark deeds yet to be seen before Texas will be free of Mexican aggression.

March 6, 1836

A hallowed and bloody day in Texas history. Today, shorting after 6am Texas time, Mission San Antonio de Valero had fallen to the Mexican Army. Brave men fought and bled to free Texas from the yoke of Mexican dictatorial aggression. They weren't perfect, some were downright scoundrels, but in the act of giving their lives for a cause of liberty, and in the defense of a nation they are forever remembered as heroes.

Many died in the open air of the mission grounds. Many died stinking, horrible, hot deaths in the long barracks and the chapel. They freeze in the winter and boil in the summer. God alone could stand the stench of gunpowder, blood, sweat, and death in those rooms 173 years ago.

There are arguments even now as to what happened to some of the more famous defenders. If they survived, wounded, they didn't live long. Santa Anna records that he had them executed after the battle. That just means the grave injustice of Santa Anna was compounded by a massacre of injured, unarmed men.

He had the indignity of a mass body burn added to their brutal deaths. The story goes that the ashes are in San Fernando Cathedral. I'd think they weren't, Santa Anna had control of San Antonio for too long for them to have been safely salvaged and given a respectful burial. It isn't outside the realms of the possible, but I'm dubious.

The mission lays silent now, though she'll soon see more tour groups, school groups, and tourists. But once, many years ago she played an integral part in the history of the birthing of a Republic. She is a powerful symbol, the Shrine of Texas Liberty. She's served us well for many years, from the time the Spaniards were trying to convert the Indians, to war, and to peace and prosperity. So today, on a sacred day in Texas history, I wish you all freedom, liberty, and justice.

Long live the REPUBLIC!

173 years ago today, at Washington-on-the-Brazos, the Republic of Texas was born! Long live the Republic, LONG LIVE TEXAS!

Today's festivities are tempered with the knowledge that we lost 15 men, 6 captured, 6 escaped (5 later to die at the Goliad Massacre) at the Battle of Aqua Dulce.

To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World:

Fellow citizens & compatriots—I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna—I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken—I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch—The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis

Lt. Col. comdt

P.S. The Lord is on our side—When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn—We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis

Thus they laid seige

Today William Barrett Travis was forced into the Alamo by the arrival of Santa Anna's army. The blood red flag of "no quarter" was raised, San Antonio de Behar had fallen to the dictator's hand, and the siege began.

As sacred a day as this is in the history of Texas, Travis made a very foolhardy decision to hold on to the Alamo, in direct violation of his commanding officer (Sam Houston). Doing so cost the lives of good men, but in turn gave the Republic precious time to mount an army, not just a bunch of volunteers scattered throughout the area. On the one hand it was ignorant and suicidal, on the other is was a desperately needed delaying tactic. History will long fight over if it was a good or bad thing but without it, the Republic would not have had so strong a rallying cry. It turned into a political disaster for Santa Anna with the cruel death of well known American figures, men who's death in war would strengthen American resolve to have Texas in the union, and outside of Mexican control.

30 January, 1945

Today, 64 years ago, one of the greatest US Army victories was had. Not only a military victory, but a moral victory. Aptly named "The Great Raid", 127 US troops, 2 US pilots, and 200 Philippine Guerrillas went 30 miles behind enemy lines to rescued the "doomed ghosts of Bataan and Corrigedor". 837 men came back out. 512 POWs saved from a grave by the bravery and action of dedicated men, who risked their lives to free those diseased, malnourished, abused prisoners of the Japanese.

So, as a thanks from the family of one POW rescued, I'd like to thank the:


US 6th ARMY RANGER BATTALION



ALAMO SCOUTS



Capt. Kenneth R. Schrieber and Lt. Bonnie B. Rucks of the US ARMY AIR COPRS



PHILIPPINE GUERRILLAS Under Capt. Juan Pajota



In the ancient words of the Talmud

* Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.

- Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:8 (37a)

Those men saved the world, many hundreds of times over. All I have to offer is a small set of words for your deeds, but may it be as heartfelt in the receiving as it is in the giving - Thank You. How very fitting that today is the day of the ancient god Pax.