[Rhodes22-list] Political: How California liberals treat a war hero

[TN Rhodey]

Hank,

Go figure huh? Sometimes people can't see the forest through the trees. I 
have a lot of respect for any veterans especially former POWs. I think the 
Dems come out of this looking pretty foolish.

I remember the POWs coming home in the 70s. They really needed to ease back 
into everyday life. The Navy sent quite a few ex-POWs to the Naval War 
College in Newport RI.. My father attended War College for the first class 
after POW release. We lived in Navy Officer Quarters near Fort Adams. 2 of 
our neighbors were Navy Pilots and former POWs. One family (Captain North) 
had high school age children and we all hung out together. Captain North 
spoke at our High School and provided very graphic descriptions of his 
torture. Why anyone would not show respect is beyond me!

We only lived in Newport for a year but I do rember the sailing! I had a 
sunfish chained to a tree in Brenton Cove that I could splash at a moments 
notice. I also had my Military ID and "Skipper" card that allowed me to rent 
Cape Cod Mercury Cat Boats and a variety of 18 - 25 foot sloops.

Wally


>From: Hank <hnw555 at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Political: How California liberals treat a war 
>hero
>Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:43:38 -0400
>
>My uncle just sent me this and I thought some of you on the list might
>appreciate it.
>
>Hank
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>From: Neil F Shearman <neilthai at usa.net>
>Date: Jul 18, 2006 4:54 PM
>Subject: How California liberals treat a war hero
>To: ". Friends" <nfshear at yahoo.com>
>
>  *4th of July in California Assembly*
>
>*From John Campbell, **
>California Republican Assemblyman *
>
>*4th of July**: In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the
>state Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor.
>These "celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the 
>House
>and often involve singing and dancing.  Every one of my 4 years have seen
>substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (which Commemorates the Mexican
>victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla ), St. Patrick's Day (for
>the patron Saint of Ireland), and Chinese New Year's Day, among others.  
>But
>never once have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July. 
>*
>
>*So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for
>Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part
>of a 4th of July ceremony.  As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy 
>pilot
>i n Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison.  In
>1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North Vietnamese television in
>Hanoi after torture to get him to "respond properly."  During this
>interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell out the word
>"torture."  He was asked about his support for the war in Vietnam to which
>he replied "I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only
>news sources I have are Vietnamese.  But whatever the position of my
>government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long
>as I live."  Four of his 8 years in prison were spent in solitary
>confinement.  He later wrote the book "When Hell was in Session" 
>chronicling
>his experience in Vietnam. *
>
>*When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973, he
>said "We are honored to have had the oppo rtunity to serve our country in
>difficult circumstances.  We are profoundly grateful to our
>Commander-in-Chief for this day.  God bless America." *
>
>*Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero. *
>
>*The Democrat leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor, and
>there was no 4th of July celebration.  A memo from the Democrat speaker's
>office said "problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content,
>and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony."
>Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the "separation of church
>and state" and therefore they would not allow him to be on the Assembly
>floor or to speak. *
>
>*Upon hearing about this, Governor Schwarzenegger offered his meeting room
>for a ceremony with Admiral Denton.  The room was overflowing with people.
>Only one elected Democrat was in attendance.  A number of veterans of the
>last 4 wars were present.  Admiral Denton gave a very moving speech about
>the 4th of July and about the undeniable commitment of our founding 
>fathers'
>to their faith in God.  He talked about how the war on terrorism may be the
>most difficult war we have yet fought.  And he went on to say that he fears
>that partisan attacks on our mission and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
>sound too familiar to what he experienced in Vietnam.  Following his 
>speech,
>The Governor came out to personally spend time with him. *
>
>*Then this American hero, whose debt from us all can never be repaid, flew
>home to Alabama. *
>
>*The Assembly did meet on that day.  And we did have a ceremony that lasted
>nearly 20 minutes.  That ceremony was to celebrate the career of a reporter
>from the LA Times on the occasion of his retirement.  Democrats universally
>praised him as being "balanced."  He was allowed to speak for about 10
>minutes.  Admiral Denton was no longer in the building. *
>
>*Four years of Cinco De Mayo and not one recognition of the 4th of July.  
>An
>LA Times reporter praised, and the very person whose sacrifice allows him 
>to
>express his opinion is banned.  It is perverse.  It is wrong.  And it is
>disrespectful to all the men and women in uniform who have stared death in
>the face and to those who gave the ul t imate sacrifice for the American
>people. *
>
>*Admiral Jeremiah Denton is a hero like all the other men and women of the
>Armed Forces, because he defended the ideals set forth with America's
>independence. *
>
>*Democrats are always railing about intolerance and discrimination.  But 
>yet
>in practice, it is they who engage in regular state-sanctioned
>discrimination and who are intolerant of the presentation of other views.
>Maybe they are worried that people will listen. *
>
>*I do not send you this to bash Democrats.  I send you this to demonstrate
>the huge chasm that exists between registered, voting Democrats, and 
>elected
>Democrat lea dership.  I hope those of you who are not Democrats, will send
>this to your friends who are.  If you are a Democrat, don't be ashamed.  Be
>angry.  Straighten out your party and your leadership, or leave it. *
>
>*Fortunately, we do not need the approval of the Speaker of the Assembly to
>celebrate our nation's independence.  Nor do we need his permission to 
>thank
>those who fought to give us and to maintain our freedoms.  On the 4th of
>July, as the burgers cook and the fireworks fly, let us always
>remember......and give thanks. *
>
>*As a final offering, I give you a poem that Admiral Denton read to us,
>through eyes clouded with tears:*
>
>
>*"It is the soldier, not the reporter,** **
>        Who has given us freedom of the press.*
>* It is the soldier, not the poet, *
>*        Who has given us freedom of speech.*
>* It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,*
>*        Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.*
>* It is the soldi e r, Who salutes the flag,*
>*                         Who serves beneath the flag, *
>*                         And whose coffin is draped by the flag,*
>*        Who allows the protester to burn the flag." *
>
>
>
>
>"If we do not protect our troops, why should they protect us?" - Major 
>Frank
>Stolz
>
>
>
>"Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than 
>a
>U.S. Marine."
>
>-- J. N. Mattis, Major General, U.S. Marines Commanding General's *Message
>to All Hands,* March 2003
>__________________________________________________
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