***Bumped – from 12/7/2010***
The seminal event that saved the world.
Sir Winston Churchill interpreted the eventual outcome correctly as soon as he learned of the attack. Fascism, from Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, and Tojo’s Japan, would soon fall:
Being saturated and satiated with emotion and sensation, I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.
Even though we suffered tremendous loss of life, and it plunged the world further into the darkness of fascism, this was the beginning of the end. For the world we inherited today, we owe to the many thousands who sacrificed to earn the peace, beginning on that day.
We were wrought low, to our very knees, but we would not submit. We helped to free the European and Asian continents, and cemented the greatness of the American Spirit into the annals of history.
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.
We could use a little bit more of our righteous might these days.
Remember.
Posted in 
Veterans Day. Every year we take this one day to thank those who have served. As we should. The truth is that there is no possible way that we can offer enough thanks to those who have served.
On Memorial Day, we honor those who have died in war, wearing the Uniform of the United States. It is easier to grasp the enormity of that sacrifice, because the measure of the sacrifice confronts us immediately: An American who gave their life in war. There can be no greater sacrifice. Armed Forces Day honors those currently in service in the military of the United States.
But Veterans Day is a bit different. We honor all who have worn the uniform in service to the United States, during peace time or during war. The measure of that sacrifice takes a bit more effort. Since 1973 military service has been voluntary. The sacrifice of veterans since that time is something to note. Many veterans from 1940 through 1973 were called to service through the Selective Service Act. But all veterans since 1973 had a calling to service. While the distinction is small, the sacrifice of any veteran, conscripted or voluntary, is exactly the same, and our gratitude should be of equal measure. The veteran has offered the very best of themselves, not only at their own expense, but tendered also with the sacrifice of their families.
In truth, the American people have an enduring love affair with those who have worn the uniform. Despite what many would see at a protest today, the men and women of the United States Military ensure that this country exists in peace. To those that willingly step forward and say “I give myself, in totality, to my country, and family” we can only offer the sincere love and gratitude of a humble nation. We must keep faith with our Veterans, we owe them an unpayable debt. The greatest nation on the face of this earth exists and prevails due to the service of these fine Americans. God bless each and every one of them.
Joseph Ambrose, an 86-year-old World War I veteran, attends the dedication day parade for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982. He is holding the flag that covered the casket of his son, who was killed in the Korean War
Andrew Kim
“He never wanted to be in the spotlight, but the spotlight always managed to find him.“
Andrew Jay-Hoon Kim was 26 years old. A graduate of Columbia University, Andrew worked at Fred Alger Management on the 93rd floor of One World Trade Center. And while Andrew had a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, it was music and faith that dominated his world. Andrew played guitar, clarinet, and piano. Blessed with a beautiful signing voice, Andrew was a member of a Jazz ensemble.
Andrew helped coach the Leonia High School Girls’ Junior Varsity Tennis Team. The tennis courts in Leonia have been renamed and dedicated to his memory.
Though he lived in Leonia NJ, he worshiped at Bethany United Methodist Church in Wayne NJ, where he helped fellow parishioners meet the calling of their faith.
Andrew’s Legacy.com Guest Book can be found here
A small memorial for Andrew can be found here
The world is so much poorer for the passing of this remarkable young man.
Montgomery Hord
Montgomery McCullough Hord was 46 years old. He was born in Grand Island Nebraska, and raised in Central City Nebraska. He and his wife Lisa Sharp Hord had three children, Molly, and twins Sophie and Jackson. Montgomery was survived by his sisters, Sara Beck and Debra Taylor, and his brothers, Dan Hord, and Stacy Hord
Montgomery was Vice President and Partner of Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center. He was a fan of the military, and every year on Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day would call and thank his Father in law Fred Sharp for his service in the Air Force in World War II.
A Legacy.com memorial page for Montgomery can be found here
A New York Times portrait of Montgomery can be found here
Eli Chalouh
Eli Chalouh was an employee of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance in the World Trade Center. He was 23 years old. He came to the United States with his family from Syria when he was 14. He had graduated form Long Island University in 2001. Eli was a member of the Long Island University Honor Society, and was named Outstanding Accounting Student of 2001 by the University staff.
Eager to make his way in this world, he was a kind soul, who spoke Arabic, and English, and learned Hebrew in Brooklyn. Eli filled his far too short 23 years seeking to better himself, and to help those around him.
“Whatever you asked him he would do, and whatever you wouldn’t ask, he would volunteer to do,” said a supervisor at work, Eddie Jaeger. “He was an unbelievably nice kid.“
Eli’s Legacy Memorial Page can be found here
A small memorial page can also be found here
A prayer page for Eli can be found here
Dan Walters, in the Sacramento Bee points out the obvious about government, and the impacts of it’s intrusion into the lives of it’s citizens:
Every new regulatory or taxation policy immediately spawns an array of financial stakeholders who then hire lobbyists and political consultants, distribute money to political policymakers, and seek self-serving applications of government power.
They may be a subsidy from a local government redevelopment agency, a tax loophole, a regulatory crackdown on a competitor, a change in the coastal zone’s regulatory boundaries, or monopoly licensing status, to name but a few examples.
It is so obvious, the buying of votes with the voters’ own money, the pointed pandering at the expense of the people, the naked quest for power, it should make one ill.
The Capitol’s chief activity is, in fact, directly or indirectly taking money from someone and giving it to someone else. And one of its dirty little secrets is that the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on lobbying, contributions and other tools of persuasion pale in comparison to the many billions of dollars that politicians can dispense.
Walters concludes with an example of one of the laws where the Legislature attempts to give exemptions to those who have curried political favor:
If CEQA is a good law, it should be good for everyone, not just those who lack the political clout to gain some relief from its restrictions and requirements.
And if CEQA is too onerous, it should be changed, not merely riddled with special-interest loopholes.
After six weeks of scheduling our IPFlex circuit move with ATT they conclude: “We just need 48 hours notice to test and turn up your circuit” for our mid-September move to our new building.
Friday at noon on a holiday weekend, from AT&T: “If you don’t get the router installed and have our team test and turn up the circuit within 90 minutes, your move will be delayed by three weeks!!!”
Keep in mind:
- I have the router in our current building.
- The new building is under construction.
- The server room is still missing two walls.
- The wiring vendor is still wiring the suite.
- The circuit was just installed in the demarc downstairs, and I need to pull two CAT5 runs 220 feet from downstairs to the comm room upstairs.
- And the new building is 20 minutes away.
Sure, I got it done and tested in 60 minutes. But that’s no way to start a holiday weekend.
And AT&T reports: The move will still be delayed by two weeks.
AT&T can pound sand.
Cableriffic
California Unemployment is going up. Not that it wasn’t already up. It has hovered near 12% for well in excess of a year. And it certainly isn’t going to get better soon.
California has a functional $9 billion budget deficit. Meaning that functionally, because of spending mandated via legislation, and the Californian public’s absurd predisposition of spending through bond initiatives, the state is committed – by law – to spending $9 billion a year more than it takes in.
How does the state raise money – er, sorry- revenue? Taxes. Property and, primarily, income taxes. The fewer people working, the less taxes come in, the more dollars go out for Unemployment Insurance (which is already $20 Billion in debt, but that’s yet another story). So fewer people working is extra-super-double-bad for the budget deficit.
But here is an example of a California company that is growing. Waste Connections is one of the larger waste management companies in the country. They are a national business, in that that they have acquired other companies, and operate in 30 states. It is the Sacramento region’s largest publicly trade company, employing about 200 people in it’s Folsom CA office. They figure that they bring about $100 million to the local economy through various taxes, and charitable giving.
And right now, they are negotiating with Texas to move from Folsom, to Austin, Houston, or Woodlands.
Pivotal in Waste Connections’ decision to relocate to Texas, is whether a piece of legislation passes the California legislature that would allow them to move a higher volume of non-local waste to a landfill in Solano County, where they have made a $100 million dollar investment.
But it is the pervasive attitude of California government, at the State, and local levels, along with the environmental lobby, that frames the story of how California’s economy became the disgrace that it is today. In an environment where California cannot grow new jobs, it is insistent on even chasing away the jobs that are already here.
Kelly Smith, attorney for an environmental group that opposed the bill and Waste Connections’ Solano County expansion, said he hopes the company’s potential exit would result in new landfill owners who are more willing to work with the local community. “I don’t think anybody is going to miss a couple of accountants in Folsom,” said Smith, who represents Sustainability, Parks, Recycling and Wildlife Legal Defense Fund.
Lawyers. It’s always lawyers.
Mr Smith, how many jobs have you created? Mr. Smith’s solution is to run a growing local company out of the state, in the hopes, *hopes!* that other owners would submit to his green beliefs. Waste Connections has already contributed more to local communities through jobs and charitable giving than you or your feel-good, do-gooder-ism cohorts could hope to contribute in your racketeering, hold-up-artist lifetimes.
Don’t think “anybody is going to miss a few accountants in Folsom”? There are 200 employees in the Waste Connections offices in Folsom. With families. That spend money locally. That pay taxes. Taxes that help hold businesses ransom through governmental edict, so that flim flam shyster dirtbags like yourself can manipulate companies with your gangster tactics into either paying up or leaving. Have you created 200 jobs? Can you? Can you manufacture them on command? Because Folsom will be missing them, and could use those 200 jobs.
At this point, with our state collapsing in upon itself, we cannot afford to wantonly cast aside any jobs. We don’t have the luxury of selecting only those jobs that meet the narrow minded approval of the self appointed arbiters of Gaia. California should not be in the enterprise of chasing away businesses, picking winners or losers. We need to foster business and employment.
Margaret Thatcher wasn’t so far from wrong when she quipped: “The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money’.” It’s even harder to run out of other people’s money when they’ve taken it and moved to Texas.
The path back to California largess is though employment. There is no other way.
Ten years on, and that terrible day still lingers over our nation.
Ten years.
Most often, I remember the feelings of that day. The sense of loss, shock, and despair. But for those lost that day, for their family and friends, we should try to mark that day with the glory of the lives that these souls lived.
An effort to remember the innocent souls lost that day, and the impact that they had on their family, friends, and this world, is conducted annually at Project 2996. The point is to remember the grace of these good people, and what they gave to our world. We try not to recall the evil of that day, or the way they were taken from us. Hundreds of them still lack a remembrance. We need to correct that.
If you have a website, a blog, anything where you can post a remembrance, please consider helping out. Even if it is only a post to mark their passing, or perhaps a link to another memorial. Research and detail would be wonderful, but the most important thing is the effort to remember someone.
It has been ten years. But it isn’t too long to let them be forgotten. Can you help?
Victor Davis Hanson posits at Pajamas Media on the past state of California’s greatness, and our lack of attribution to those who carried the burden of achieving it:
5) I can never quite understand the writ against our ancestors.
I came into this world in 1953 replete with electricity, and modern medicine at the dawn of the age of antibiotics and polio vaccines, and relative peace — no Japanese imperialism, or German Nazism, no death from tetanus. Who gave us all that and at what price? California had then a wonderful university system, impressive freeways, a lean and hard working public sector, and vibrant industry. We were given so much and yet appreciate so little of that inheritance, citing the sins of past generations, less commonly the gifts they bestowed. I said “gifts” because if they were not benefactions, we would have blown up Hetch-Hetchy dam, turned off the juice from the Morro Bay or Moss Landing power plants, or passed on driving on the 99. Has our generation improved test scores, or created safer streets? Is air travel so much better than forty years ago? When one walks into the DMV, or the county assessor’s office, are the employees so much more polite and competent than in the past?
As to VDH’s assessment of California, he’s on point (except to referring to Highway 99 which runs near his Fresno farm homestead as The 99. Only folks from southern California call a highway or interstate “The”).
I was born in 1967, and by the time I was in elementary school the first coloring of the California retreat was manifest. You could still point to the greatness of the California largess, but the cracks were there, and hard to ignore.
Basically, when you live in the land of milk and honey, everyone after the first generation whom built it, or the second generation that saw it being built, expects nothing less, because it was given to them, not because they worked to achieve it. Then the campaign becomes full-throated to provide for citizens, and the reasoning is twofold:
- People like it when things are given to them, and paid for by someone else.
- Giving people something, and having someone else pay for it, is a source of power, and wins votes.
So here we are today in California: bad schools, a crumbling infrastructure, business crushing regulation, a built-in functional $12billion budget hole, and no solution in sight. The most important goal now in California budgeting is The Safety Net.
We used to be something.
Sad, isn’t it?