HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS!

Moms are always special, and today is the day that we take time out to make sure that we say thankyou, so...

THANKS MOM!!!

Roe v. Wade 35 Years

Today marks the 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade; thirty-five bloody years in the insane war against unborn children.

It is also the birthday of a remarkable man who was spared from death by a mother who knew she carried a priceless gift.

This anniversary of Roe v. Wade marks the first time that I truly feel hopeful that the tide is turning. If polling data can be trusted, it would seem this young generation coming up has more heart and decency than my own and for that, I am so very grateful.

Carl Kilo posted this on his birthday two years ago. He is 43 years old today.

1/22/1965

In a small town not far from Chicago, 41 years ago today, a life was spared. A drug addicted mother gave birth to a child. This child was now to endure weeks of blood transfusions and treatments.

In the city a few miles away a young husband and wife dreamed of having a child of their own. The husband was a dirt farmer from Mississippi who went in the army young and then to Illinois to find work after his discharge. The young wife was a honors student, her family rooted deep in coal from the dark hollows of Dickenson County was in Illinois doing the same. They met in church and were married a few months later.

They adopted the unwanted child born on this day in 1965 years after that. The hospital where the child was born was closed a short time later for abortion issues and a black market baby selling deal. The parents provided this child with love and a home. They afforded this child a chance to dream, to become what he wished, even though working in coal was not their wish for him. We should not forget the biological mother. You see, she afforded him the same dream. She chose not to hold her mistakes against him. She chose to offer him life and a chance to dream. She should be commended for her unselfishness. The child had never told her this until today. She said it gave her such great peace to hear that. Her child responded he was just glad she gave him the chance to be here. So many are not given that chance.

Happy Birthday, Kilo!

Prayer Circle Needed for Kat!

As you go about your day, please keep ODBA member Kat of CatHouse Chat in your prayers. Her family has suffered a devastating loss. Losing family members is hard enough, but it is doubly hard that she has lost so many -- three cousins at one time-- in a traffic accident. Two of which were age 9 and 12.

Those who are frequent readers of her blog know that Kat is a Christian -- and unapologetic for it, in a world that is hostile to Christianity. I believe her faith is strong, and she will weather this storm for her family. I pray a prayer of intercession for her and her family. God's love and merciful care on all of you.

Psalm 71:20-21

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

Kat, if you can read this, know that we here at UCV love you, and our hearts and prayers go out to you. If you need us at all, for anything let us know.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

Update***

Kender will be watching over Kat's blog till she returns. I will try and coordinate with her any way that we can show support are caring for Kat and her family during this time of need.

If you have a moment, stop by her blog and post a comment for her.

The Joy of Being Different

Somehow, I identify with this scenario; I get the same thing when I pull up to the local biker hangout full of “‘Bousa boys,” on my Kat.

I must have a screw loose. I told some friends that I would meet them near
the local twisties for a breakfast ride. They all ride sportbikes and assumed
that I would be riding one as well. Imagine their surprise when I made my
entrance on Yamaha's new V Star 1300 Tourer. I was greeted by
laughter and snickers (nothing new to me), but took comfort in one of my
favorite lines, "You all laugh at me because I'm different, while I laugh at you
because you're all the same."

-- Troy Siahaan, “Little Big Cruiser” Rider Magazine


I would add in my case, that mine is paid for.

For all who fight the good fight ...

... sometimes you just have to kick off the shoes, crank up the volume and get ALL FIRED UP!



All Fired Up by the awesome Pat Benatar

Belated Happy Father's Day

I wanted to take a few minutes and, belatedly, say Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

From all of us here at UCV!!

***

Share your Father's Day Stories: anyone who want's to share their Father's Day story, come by and post it. I'd love to hear what some of the father's got. ;-)

Memories of Memorial Day Weekend: Rolling With the Thunder

What a weekend this has been! Here is an “after-action brief” on the events of this weekend.

Friday:
Friday for me began with making last minute preparations to the motorcycle for the big Rolling Thunder XX (twenty) Rally in Washington DC. I checked all my gear, and made sure the ad-hoc uniform was straight. Then, for the evening, I took the bike out on the highway for a test run up I95. I took it up to Ashland and back: no problems – traffic was good, no problems with the bike, everything was ready.


Saturday:
Got up early and did some grocery shopping. The UCV cookout was Saturday at 1pm. It was great to see some very old friends come back to see us, and it was even better meeting new people. Saturday was hot and steamy with unusually high humidity for this time of year. But, the barbecue was great, the company was excellent, what more could I ask for?
What was the best part? The best part of the day had to be seeing Cargo Squid back at home with his family again. (The T-shirts he gave us weren’t bad either.)
Squid, one last time – WELCOME HOME BUDDY FROM A JOB WELL DONE!

After returning home, I wiped some of the stickiness off, and spent the rest of the day with Mrs. F22 ("The General") and “Small-bird” watching movies. Family time is great. Then, it was an early “turn-in” for the high-point of the weekend: Rolling Thunder.

Sunday:
Reveille was at 5am. I wanted to be on the road by 7am so I might miss the heavy traffic.
Being at a Rolling Thunder Rally in DC is something that can barely be described.
On the ride into town, there were fire trucks and firefighters and everyday people who were at the overpasses coming into DC that were waving at the bikers as we rode into town. Once we were there, there were people out in the streets who greeted the bikers as we came in. I quoted someone as describing “an ocean of bikes.” That is true. I tried to take a photo of the entire crowd and had to take four separate pictures to get the area where I was at – and that was just ONE parking lot! There were at least one full lot IN FRONT of us, and one full lot BEHIND us! By the time my area pulled off to participate in the parade portion of the event, we had been waiting for an hour and a half – think of how many bikes it took to cause that kind of delay time! There was so much more than this to show and explain, that I will do a section specifically on “R.D. Twenty” and post it to the web site.

Monday:
I spent the afternoon at the Virginia War Memorial. I didn’t see the ceremony there, but my intent was to come and spend some quiet time reflecting on, and saying thanks to all those who gave their life to protect and serve this country. It is humbling to see the names of those that are there, and all of the mementos that were left by loved ones for their fallen soldiers.
While there, I ran into an old friend of UCV; Hawgske from our local A.B.A.T.E. group.
He and some of his riding friends were there doing a poker run to some local spots and to some of the veteran cemeteries and war memorials. I followed them to The Dog House bar in Shockoe Bottom for a quick drink and conversation, then we all headed in our own directions. I’m looking forward to catching up with them and doing some roads with them one day. Polished the day off with another barbecue at home.

All together, it was a weekend that I will never forget. I did take pictures of the Rolling Thunder event and of the War Memorial. Those are to come soon.

--f22strike

Memorial Day Weekend: With Rolling Thunder

This weekend, I'll be in Washington DC with many other veterans for the Memorial Day demonstration by Rolling Thunder. Members of Rolling Thunder will ride from the Pentagon parking lot to Washington DC in what some people have described as "a sea of bikes."

People from all over the nation come to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers and those who are missing in action. This will be my first time at a Rolling Thunder event. As a motorcycle enthusiast and a veteran of Gulf War One, I feel a need to be there this weekend. I feel the need to be with the people who have worn the uniform and have been through war -- one far worse than mine -- and have come through it with a deeper respect for patriotism, and respect of freedom. I want to be with people who don't feel that the American flag is something to be ashamed of. I want to be with people who, like me, have sat in the foxhole and faced death head-on and know what the true value of "you watch my back, I'll watch yours" is.

I want to tell a veteran from WW2 "thanks for protecting my parents so I could be born." I want to tell a veteran from the Korean War that he and his sacrifice are not forgotten. I want to tell a veteran from Vietnam that "I love and respect him for doing what he had to do, when called to do his duty. I want to give him a belated hug and a "welcome home hero" that he so much deserves. I want to say "What's up, brother?" to a fellow Gulf War vet who went over to Kuwait and ate M.R.E.s and sand just like I did, in order to turn back a dictator's agression. I want to say "Thanks for protecting me and my wife and kids" to a kid just out of high school or college who has avenged the death of thousands of innocent Americans, drove a murderous sheik into hiding in a mountainous moonscape in Afghanistan, toppled a ruthless dictator and deprived him of the opportunity to kill thousands more with weapons of mass destruction, held radical Islamic terrorists at bay, and offered the chance to have true peace and freedom to the people of Iraq. If I can do all of these things, I will be a happy man. But if I do only one of these things this Memorial day, I will be a changed person, forever.

But most of all, I want to stand with all these people and say thanks to those who answered the call, but didn't come home. I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with my veterans and say to ours who have fallen, that you are not forgotten. In all of lifes comings and goings, your sacrifice is remembered.-- f22strike

Video: by jeffmcshay
Posted on YouTube: 04/04/07

Crossposted at "Alpheus Pope" blog

Blogging the Barbecue

It was such a great day outside that we at the f22 household decided to break out the grill and do some barbecue.
This puts me in a great frame of mind for the Memorial Day weekend coming up along with the UCV Memorial Day Barbecue next weekend. I'll try out some recipies and let you know how they come out.



Update: The finished product!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS EVERYWHERE!!

I know the special day is not till tomorrow, but I did not want to take the chance of being late with the greeting:

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL MOMS EVERYWHERE!!


****

For those who are traveling, drive safely. You can check traffic conditions here.
You can find some great poems for mom here.
Last minuet shopping? You know where to go.
Need photos developed? I do it online here.

A Prayer for the Survivors and the Fallen

Gracious Lord,

On this day of tragedy, I ask that you would take into your tender care, those who are now no longer with us, that they may now reside with you. Comfort, O Lord, greiving family members. You can comfort in ways no person can. I ask that you touch thier hearts. Help fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins and friends, begin to deal with the aftermath of what has happened today. Though they may never understand why, may you bring strength to their souls as they begin the process of moving on in life without those whom they had hoped never to lose. May you bring peace to thier hearts as they greive.

Bless O Lord, those young people whose life is changed forever by this day. Help the wounds to heal. Help them to find peace and strength to cary on despite the physical and emotional scars. Hold them in your loving care as we would hold our own child. Take them by the hand and walk with them in their time of trial. Help them to accept and go on. Help them to find a strength in them they may never have known that they had. Help them to increase in faith O Lord, faith in You, the one who can not fail. Faith in You, O Lord, who can bring light from darkness, strength from weakness, and a way from no way. Help them to know and love You, O Lord. For in You IS life, and in You, all things are possible.

I ask these things, in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Grandfathers' Love

With all of the negative press going on over the last week about whacked-out fathers killing or torturing their children I though we could use some good news about the dedication of a Grandfather to his grandson:

“SAO PAULO, Brazil — A 66-year-old man saved his grandson from the grip of a 16-foot-long anaconda by beating the snake with rocks and a knife for half an hour, authorities said
Thursday.

"When I saw the snake wrapped around my grandson's neck I thought it was going to kill him," Joaquim
Pereira told Brazil's Agencia Estado news service. "It was agonizing, I pulled it from one side, but it would come back on the other."

Pereira's 8-year-old grandson, Mateus, was attacked by the anaconda while wandering near a creek on his grandfather's ranch in the city of Cosmorama, about 250 miles northwest of Sao Paulo.

While the boy was playing with friends, the snake attacked and wrapped itself around him, police officer Hudson Augusto said. Anacondas are not poisonous, but kill their prey by coiling around them and squeezing until victims suffocate.

It brought me to the ground and bit me," the boy told Globo TV. "Then it started crawling up my neck and began suffocating me."

Mateus' friends ran to get his grandfather, who reached the scene and battled with the snake until he had hurt it so badly that it let go of his grandson.”

*****
I don’t pretend to know exactly why people do what they do, when they hurt a child. I do know that inside each person is the strength to do the impossible when a loved one – especially a child is in danger. I know I would do whatever I could to protect mine. This story, hopefully, can balance out some of the negative images of dads over the last few days.

The Colts Will Face the Bears in the Next Super Bowl!

It was a nail-biter right up till the very end. Indianapolis pulled out the victory and made it to the Super Bowl. They will face the Bears in two weeks to decide in front of the world, who the best football team really is. Congrats to both teams. I look foreward to the big game.

Back in the Driver's Seat for a While

Boy, it’s great to be back with everyone on a Sunday night, and a break from all of the training. I’m not as tired as I used to be at the start, so I guess you can call it progress.
Anyway, I will be around till late tonight making some posts, and catching up on some of the news for the week. I have a huge list of things I wanted to talk about and will get to as many of them as possible, before I tire-out completely.

Chicago Bears Make it to the Big Game

For those who are interested, the Chicago Bears are going to the Super Bowl their opponents will be….

Sometimes Change is Good...

Blogging for me has been light over the last week, but it won’t stay that way. I have to make some time adjustments, and I haven’t gotten my time “formula” right yet. I refuse to let the content of my posts fall downward, so rather than put up something that is “half-done” I let it wait. You, our readers deserve better than rhetorical “fast-food.”

You see, a few weeks ago, I made some comments about not wanting the mainstream media (MSM) to have the last word in interpreting the news. I also previously made some comments about the defense of this country; that I would defend God, family, and country to my last breath if need be, and not let those who would harm this country win. I meant what I said. They were not just idle words. Over the last few weeks I have had both statements on my mind, and had been considering how to fulfill those words. I have chosen what I think is the best path to achieve this.

I can’t divulge all of what I am doing – some of it is classified right now and can’t be released. Those parts that I can talk about, I will. But I have spent the last week in heavy pursuit of some of these goals to the tune of 15 extra hours a week of intense physical and mental training. By the time I do get home I am completely exhausted – sometimes too tired to write. As an example, in the last two days I have physically run almost nine miles, and that’s just running. I try and spend some time with my lady and my little one, before passing out on the bed, and starting the day all over again.

I let this be known not for sympathy or to say how great I am, but to let you know why the writing has been scarce. It was a great honor for me to be asked by Flora to become a regular poster on this blog. I don’t take lightly supplying you with news and insight on a daily basis. I will continue to give you, our loyal readers, the best “me” that I can – and this time the best “me” would only come with some change. I’ll outlay more details later.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

From all of us here at United Conservatives of Virginia;



Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Morning -- Thoughts and Hopes

It's 10 minuets to 7am here in Richmond, VA and you can sit back and watch all the living room lights come on in the subdivisions and screams of joy as they do. By 8am the streets will be full of bicycles, pocket bikes, battery powered four wheel drives and who knows what else.

On days like today, I can see clearly what we are fighting a war on terror for. We do it so that each of these happy little faces will be able to experience Christmas morning till they grow up and can give a Christmas morning of their own for their children, and not have to have a childhood of hate and war, death and destruction, and false blame and needless despair.

Thankyou my Lord for coming into this world to save us, and may we all accept the gift of grace that you have offered us. Give us strength to fight the coming battles, so that the tradition of honoring You will go on without end, and the faces of the little one you love so much will be happy, safe, and know Your blessed name. Amen.

Great Santa Site

The "Scared of Santa Gallery" is priceless. This one is #55.



"My picture was taken at the local bank and I think it was free because I was a member of the Rusty Rooster Booster Club, a "start-them-early" savings program. I'm pretty sure I was six years old in the picture, and I'm pretty sure Santa just finished a heavy night of drinking." -- C. W., Chicago

Hat tip to Baritone News Network

Accolades To A Mighty Warrior: Stevie Long

DURHAM - The robber was holding a gun to 5-year-old Mary Long's head when a 3-foot-tall Mighty Morphin Power Ranger leapt into the room.

"Get away from my family," 4-year-old Stevie Long shouted, punctuating his screams with swipes of his plastic sword and hearty "yah, yahs."
The News & Observer

Stevie

Hat tip to FreeRepublic.com