This evening, I spent over three hours watching the spectacular film Saving Private Ryan.  It's a bit of a tradition for me to watch it near the anniversary of D-Day.  Tomorrow marks the 65th anniversary of when British, Canadian and American forces stormed the beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah beaches.   I still am in awe of all the soldiers who have ever taken the courageous step of putting on the uniform.  Whether that serviceman or woman shed blood for their country on the sands of Normandy, or on the streets of Arkansas, recruiting for the Army, whether that person served on a destroyer or in the supply rooms, whether that person held a rifle or just pushed a pencil, I still hold an admiration and respect far beyond the words I can muster on this screen.
My eyes welled with tears at the end of the film when all the rows of Crosses and Star of David markers lined the hallowed grounds of western France.  My eyes well with even more tears when I realize the America these men and women fought for, still fight for, is losing a grip on its own purpose.  We have become what we so despised.  Have we forsaken freedom for the fast paced conveniences of government on demand?  Have we traded the scared papers of the Constitution or Declaration of Independence for a simple food stamp?  Have we given blind trust to those who would lead us to whichever fate they choose with no question or qualm?   Since the very first musket ball rolled out of the barrel in 1775 to the latest round spinning out of an M-4 carbine in Afghanistan or Iraq, we have stood up against tyranny to defend our sovereignty.  Has it all been for naught?  My mind can barely grasp how we have, through trial and tribulation built this country from nothing in almost 233 years, yet we are managing to dismantle all we hold sacred in a matter of months.
We bow to our foreign enemies while demonizing those great men who have created thousands of jobs in our country.  They  seek to ban firearms, shredding the Second Amendment while laughing heartily at the First.   They seek to silence those in opposition as so often the corrupt do.  They hold our hands as if we are invalids, explaining that if we trust in the almighty government, we shall fear no evil. 
There is an old saying "one can spend a lifetime building a reputation, and all it takes is a moment to destroy it."  As we implode with frightening speed, we must ask ourselves, "what have we done?"   If we don't owe ourselves the question, we certainly owe it to those who have shed blood for us.

Is the Obama administration completely retarded?  I mean, we all kinda got the feeling they were kinda special, in a special kinda way, but the ideas they're throwing out there are the kind that get normal people a nice cushy 8x11 padded room.  Steven Chu, Obama's energy secretary thought it would be a marvelous idea if all the roofs on earth were painted white to combat global warming.  These people have lost there minds.
Let me put it in perspective for you.  Let's say you've got a credit card debt of $45,000.  Let's say at the same time, you live in a high crime neighborhood and on more than one occasion your home has been invaded.  Let's also say at the same time, your neighbor down the street thought it would be a nifty idea if he bought himself an assault rifle, and every now and then he likes to shoot it in the air to show everyone it works.  Let's also say a few houses down the street, there's a guy who sucker punched you and kicked you in the crotch, and he said he'd do it again, and he'd like to see nothing more than to see you die.  You don't know why he hates you but hate you he does.  Now, of all these things you could be worrying about, you think you hear a raccoon living in your attic.  The raccoon may or may not exist, but you really just can't sleep at night thinking it's there.  You spend $15,000 to get consultants who are convinced you have a raccoon there, and they tell you if you don't do something now, you'll get rabies and die.  You focus all your time on catching this raccoon, and you blame the fact that you have food in your refrigerator because obviously that's what attracted him.  So you throw out all of your food.  Good.  Now you think it might be because you once had the Discovery Channel on and they had a show about raccoons and the sound of the show may have attracted him, so you cancel cable.  Mind you, all this time, you only THINK you have a raccoon in your home, you're not even quite sure you do.  But you can't take chances.  So, while your crazy neighbor thought a machine gun isn't enough, he got a rocket launcher.  Your credit card debt is worth more than your house is worth.   People are walking in and out of your home with no fear of getting caught.  And that guy that hates you?  He just borrowed that rocket launcher from your crazy friend.  All because you thought you heard a raccoon in the attic and you had no other goal in life but to solve that one problem which may or may not exist.

This administration, I fundamentally believe, wants America to fail.  I don't say those words lightly.  While I believe many liberals are misguided, and want the best for America, (they just have different standards on how to achieve them,) I think this administration truly, unabashedly wants this country to burn to the ground.  By spending asinine amounts of money on every unnecessary garbage program, then having the chutzpah to slash defense spending, we are not only inviting attack, we might as well send our enemies driving directions for their bombers.  This administration wants to cut funding to the F-22.  I'm sorry, but at this point, the only thing separating this country as a super power is that plane.  That fighter jet keeps us as a viable military power for another twenty to twenty-five years.   To reduce it even slightly is like tying a martial artists hands together and expecting him to fight with only his feet.  Can it be done?  Sure.  But if you have the arms available, pardon the pun, you best be using them.   Spend, spend, spend.  That's all this administration can do.  We'll spend money on solar power.  We'll spend money to bail out Buicks.  We'll spend money to teach children to put condoms on bananas, but spend money on fighter jets?  Tsk, tsk.   Let me tell you something.  I don't ask much from the government, but one thing I gladly allow my tax money to go to is our national defense.  Sorry, I'm just too damned lazy to start learning Mandarin Chinese right now.  And about the only thing stopping Kung Mao Chickens from chopsticking it to us is our vastly superior military.   It's like watching our nation commit hari kiri.  Ladies and gents, we are falling on our own sword, but it's not out of honor, it's out of sheer stupidity.

    As freedom wanes to the impulses and fears of the masses, does dusk settle upon the land of the free and home of the brave?  The egregious acts of those in power have endangered, corrupted, and devaluated the freedoms and prosperity WE have taken for granted.   Our founding forefathers held these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, yet today WE seem to believe in the equality of outcome, not just opportunity.  WE expect government’s role to be that of a provider, and in turn, government expects complicity from US.  No matter our choices, good or bad, WE expect there to be no consequences for OUR mistakes, and no rewards for OUR hard work.   Today, our generation sets forth a cascading avalanche of dangerous and incomprehensible reform which will not easily be undone and impossible to ignore.
    WE sit idly by as our cherished freedoms vanish, and OUR government reaches its tentacles into the pockets and around the necks of every soul it touches.  OUR money dwindles, OUR enemies, foreign and domestic, lick their lips with perverse pleasure waiting for OUR COLLAPSE while WE gleefully discard the very things which made OUR country great.  Those in this government of the people, by the people, and for the people, have done no less than the following:

THEY have spent money which does not exist, money which it cannot pay back, to pay for their mistakes.  They take by force from those who are able to succeed to fund those who have made poor choices.
THEY have requisitioned monies from those who contractually earned it, abandoning the Constitution of these United States of America, whereas in Section 9, Clause 3 states: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
THEY have approved a budget exceeding $3,000,000,000,000 which is one-fifth of the entire Gross Domestic Product of this country.
THEY have allowed a tax code to exist which exceeds 17,000 pages whereas an average King James Bible is roughly 2,200 pages.
THEY have appropriated monies for inane and unnecessary projects as asinine as the research into the genes of grapes to funding a dance theatre in Brooklyn, NY.
THEY have proposed eliminating privacy in voting for individuals in a company which may become unionized.  The card check legislation would allow open ballots whereas a worker would not have the privacy to determine whether their company should be unionized or not.  Intimidation and harassment by union members would influence those who would otherwise reject such measures.
THEY have proposed restricting free speech with the “Fairness Doctrine” in which private media organizations are restricted on what their commentators can say, and how they can say it.  The Fairness Doctrine would require talk shows to present the opposite side of a particular view, and in no uncertain terms, dictate how a show can be run by its host.
THEY have cut funding to the F-22 Raptor Fighter jet, the most advanced fighter plane in the world, promoting unnecessary projects and cutting the vital defensive weapons.  A government’s responsibility at the very least is to defend its people from all threats, foreign and domestic.  By eschewing our most powerful weapons, we are abandoning government’s primary role, and substituting it for a bastardized ad hoc interpretation of what it best serves.
THEY have refused to secure our borders from hostile invasion, choosing to spend money on far more important grape genome research.
THEY have proposed freeing enemy combatants in the War on Terror from prison centers, releasing them into our United States of America, and funding, supporting, and providing for them.
THEY have eliminated calling the War on Terror, the War on Terror.
THEY have proposed reinstituting a ban on assault weapons when Russia plans to militarize the arctic, when Mexico’s drug lords are waging war both at and within our border, when enemies abroad threaten to strike our homeland.  They have failed to address the fact that law abiding citizens are not the cause of crime, bur rather the victims, and that criminals will not be dissuaded by their legislation to acquire powerful weapons.  They are taking the ability for the individual to defend him or herself and empowering criminals to attack the defenseless.
THEY have enacted legislation which forces “volunteerism” with the Serve America Act on our youth in such a way as to promote serfdom and servitude to the government within a representative republic.  
THEY have promoted a separation of Church and State, yet spout the dogma of the Church of Global Warming, whereas scientific debate is hushed and the rhetoric of fear has influenced legislation.   As more scientists question the validity of man-made global warming, they are in effect, branded as heretics.  
THEY have demonstrated fiscal irresponsibility, dovish national defense, inept and hurried legislation, dangerous infringements upon our liberties, and disdain for our sacred Law of the Land.   
These times are troubled, but we find ourselves shovel in hand burying ourselves deeper into this quagmire.  We voted for change, and change we have received, but when we change all that is good, decent, honest and prosperous in this nation to bend to the whims of power hungry elitists, we have done ourselves no favor.  WE the people are still capable of the freedoms our founding forefathers died for.  WE would be dishonoring their names if WE allow such indecencies to persist unchecked.   
    Sir Isaac Newton told us for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and as the pendulum swings to toward oppression and despair, WE the people, not THEY the government are the only hope to see the great pendulum swing back toward goodness, hope, and riches both tangible and intangible.  WE the people are the core of this country, and it is not by the grace of government, but by the grace of God we are free, happy, and prosperous.  
    Laws can be written, codes can be enforced, but it is the core values each individual possesses which grow our nation to greatness.  WE the people have the ability and obligation to change these measures, to prevent catastrophe, to preserve liberty, to promote goodness, and to demonstrate to the world that WE will not go quietly into the night, WE will not let sanity and justice be replaced with envy and pettiness, WE will not lie in front of the steaming tank of oppression, but WE will shout from the top of our lungs WE ARE FREE!

Perhaps, this analogy has been done before, but let me explain the immigration situation in terms of a little story.
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Phil and Tom.  Both lived in a fairly poor neighborhood, but dreamed one day of ownin their own bake shop.  Tom, being the older brother had the first opportunity.  He applied for a loan from the bank, but was rejected the first time due to some credit problems.  It was very frustrating for Tom, but he was patient and waited to fix his credit, and get all his papers together.  Phil, the more brash of the two brothers saw the difficulties his older brother had to go through to get a loan to open up a bakery.
So one day Phil bought a revolver from someone off the streets.  He put on a ski mask, and walked into the town's bank.  When he walked inside, he ordered everyone on the ground and pulled out his gun.  He told the tellers to fill the bags with money, and soon, they were bristiling with hundreds of thousands of dollars.  He ran out of the building.  The police knew about the problem, but their standing orders were only to apprehend bank robbers that actually fired the gun, so they didn't even chase Phil.   The police wanted to, they knew his description, they even could trace where he lived,  but it was policy not to do anything about it.
A little time goes by, and Phil now has enough money to purchase a bakery.  He becomes a good baker.  He's a hard worker, and the townsfolk all enjoyed his products.  In fact, other than the bank robbery, Phil never broke another law again.  Phil became rich off the bakery, and even donated to the community.  He built a park for the children, sponsored a baseball team, and even helped troubled youths stay out of paths of crime.
But not all of the townspeople were happy.   Many knew that Phil robbed that bank, and while he may have been an upstanding citizen, all his good fortunes were a direct result of that crime.
So some of the people protested.  They believed that a crime is a crime, and penatlies should be enacted.  Some even wanted to kick Phil out of his bakery.   Phil countered back that being a baker is a hard job, you work with ovens,  messy flour, and get up before the crack of dawn, and he said few people in the town would want to do such a job.  Many people agreed and defended Phil, saying these other townspeople were cruel and said Phil was just trying to make an honest living doing a job none of them would do.  (A small voice in the crowd said "I'd do it."  But no one seemed to hear Tom."
Back to our friend Tom.  He had still been waiting for loan applications to go through, and finally had enough money to open his own bakery.   But he realized that Phil had the advantage of already being there and taking up the best job.  Tom felt cheated.  He worked through the system, he dealt with the hardships and bureaucracies involved in opening a bakery, and here was his brother living the high life due to taking the easy way out.  Because Phil committed a crime, he got ahead in life, and Tom's fidelity got him nowhere.
Tom looked down, shuffled his feet, and said to himself bitterly  "Who said crime doesn't pay?"

What can we learn from the separation of church and state in terms of firearms?  Increasingly, entities such as the ACLU and other left wing groups are pushing for a separation of church and state in all public venues.  The First Ammendment states "

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  Now pay close attention to the wording "Congress shall make no law..." sounds pretty specific, right?  Yet congress is not involved when it comes to George Washington Elementary School's Christmas Play, that's something so minutely local it's not a concern of the federal government; that is, until the ACLU steps in.  What does this all have to do with firearms, you might wonder?  Ah, here's where it becomes interesting.  If the First Ammendment has such reaches as to affect local government, that sets a precedent for the other ammendments.  Therefore, the Second Ammendment "

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." also shall by that logic trump local jurisdiction.  So, if a town or county or state decided to make restrictions on gun sales, ownership, or use, the second ammendment would nullify that law.  Furthermore, the wording of the Second Ammendment is ironically more straightforward than the first.  "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."  It does not mention congress, it says shall not be infringed.  And that boils down to the local level.  If the First Ammendment is enforceable on a local level, then all the rights in the bill of rights should be of equal importance.  The 13th Ammendment prohibits slavery.  If a town decided to legalize slavery, it would be considered Unconstitutional, in regards to the 13th Ammendment.  So why do we allow cities, towns, counties, and states to interpret the Second Ammendment to whatever definition best suits them?  We cannot have one without the other.  If even one of the ammendments in the Bill of Rights is foresaken, they are all null and void.  And moreso of the Second Ammendment than any other.

According to this article I found on Yahoo News http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070802/wl_nm/afghan_hostages_dc the South Koreans blame us, not the Taliban and Islamofascists for the capture and executions of some of their people.  I'm getting just a bit tired of the world blaming America for everything.   If we do something proactive, we're branded as baby killers.  If we do nothing we're labeled as cold and uncaring.   We've been protecting, arming, training, supplying, and guarding the South Koreans since the 1950's.  54,246 of our American soldiers died protecting the South Koreans from the menacing North (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War_Veterans_Memorial).  Do those deaths mean nothing to the South Koreans?  What about the deaths after the cease fire.  For decades we have protected the South, and have fought minor skirmishes with the North, resulting in fatalities.  The South Koreans have become a very prosperous nation, and it is largely due to the fact that their jealous and insane relatives in the North are kept at bay with the help of our armed forces.   The anti-American trend is growing world-wide.  From Europe, to Africa, to Asia, South America, and of course the Middle East.  America is ever the villain, until someone threatens their own borders, then they beg us to help, and we rarely turn away.  Our goal is to always win hearts and minds, but some hearts are black, and their minds are absent.

There is very little veil anymore disguising the intentions of our enemies.  Hugo Chavez stated in the UN yesterday that America is "on its way down".  Here's some very basic math hopefully even a liberal can add up.  Chavez goes around the world, buys sixty military aircraft (fighters, helicopters) and over 100,000 assault rifles.  He makes military alliances with countries like China, Iran, Belarus, Russia, and Cuba.  Iran is in the process of building nuclear weapons and has submarines.  Is it too hard to calculate that once Iran has enough nuclear weapons to wage anhilation on Israel, that it might send some leftovers to Chavez?  Chavez would then only have to smuggle the weapon over the US border, which even though Venezuela is a South American country, should not be hard to accomplish.  Chavez wants a first strike on the US.  He wants to hit us hard.  He will send over Venezuelans over the US border to wage terror and guerilla tactics. 100,000 assault rifles?  I highly doubt it's for his regular army.  I believe he is truly preparing an insurgency within the United States.  Call me insane, or what you will.  But I'm sure there were those who thought Churchill was insane when he warned Britain about Hitler.  We are living in a time with enemies as diabolical as Hitler, in a climate as dangerous as the Cold War, and in a time where the country is as divided, if not more so, than during the Civil War.  Boycott Citgo, and voice your opinion that we need to shut down the border before it's too late, and the War on Terror isn't in cities like Kabul or Baghdad.  It will be in cities like Des Moines, or Cheyene, or Cuyahoga.  Now more than ever, we need to stand strong.

Muslims have found yet another trivial issue to kill, mame, destroy, and riot over.  The Pope's remarks, benign, harmless, and rather truthful have been taken so wildly out of context by the radical islamofascists, that people are dying as a result.  Isn't it interesting that the very comments the Pope quoted about islam seem to be proven true by their actions? Taken from CNN.com here is the quote that so much rage has sprung from aparently.

"He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'" http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/09/15/pope.islam/index.html

The Pope was quoting 14th Century emperor of Byzantium.  Let's take a look at that statement, and compare it to what Al Qaeda in Iraq just stated:

"you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the 'jizya' tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (being killed by) the sword." http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-09-18-pope-qaeda_x.htm

Well golly gee willikers ya don't say?  Anyone notice any similarities?  Seems like they're proving not only the Pope right, but the 14th century emperor as well!  If radical islam wants to wage a war on Christians, I say bring it on.  According to http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm there are over 2 billion Christians in the world, most of them in first world nations that have strong militaries.  Christians believe in love and forgiveness but also in the right to defend themselves.  The burning of the figure of the Pope, murdering of nuns, torching of churches can wear thin on the patience of the civilized world.  With islam constantly starting wars with all its neighbors, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddists, Sikhs, and other religions, they are the aggressors and have no moral high ground.  Against evil oppression, I urge you to stand strong.

Well I tried posting this at 6:30 in the morning, but thanks to Seattle liberal Bill Gates' program internet explorer, I lost the post before I had to go to work, so we'll try this again, but with less coffee in my system.  Now, the title is fairly self explanatory, boycott citgo. Why?  You may ask. Well before I begin, let me first state that I understand the people that own Citgo stations and that work there, and even most of the people working in corporate functions in the company are upstanding decent Americans, and I truly do apologize in advance, but this must be said.  Citgo is partially owned by the Venezuelan government.  The same government that the communist dictator Hugo Chavez runs also owns Petroleos de Venezuela, parent company of Citgo.  Don't believe me?  Hear it from the horse's mouth.  Taken directly from Citgo's website: "Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.(PDVSA) is a world energy corporation, owned by the Venezuelan State. Its operations cover the exploration, production, refining, transport and marketing of hydrocarbons, as well as the Orimulsión®, chemical, petrochemical and coal businesses." http://www.citgo.com/AboutCITGO/PDVSAprofile.jsp  Why should we be concerned?  What has Venezuela ever done to us?  Well our round little South American friend Hugo (pronounced "Ooo-go" by cuturally sensitive liberals) doesn't much like us yankee gringos.
According to Jim Heintz of the Associated Press from 7-25-06 taken from http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2006/07/25/venezuelas_chavez_in_russia_to_ink_deal/ Heintz states "Chavez is to sign a series of major Russian weapons contracts, including a more than US$1 billion (790 million euro) deal for 30 Su-30 fighter jets and 30 helicopters."  Hmm, what would he possibly need that for?  To protect himself from Barbados? Oh, along with the sixty aircraft, Chavez ordered some 100,000 assault rifles, just FYI.  Ah but the fun doesn't stop there.  Chavez has visited Iran and met with the Hitler of our times Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and condemned our ally Israel's defensive opperations against Hezbollah. He has also met with leaders in the only remaining European dictatorship, Belarus, and often states that he is standing up to the imperialism of the United States.  This man is a clear and present danger, and is within our own hemisphere.  He controls one of the largest oil reserves in the world.  Everytime you fill up at Citgo, you are indirectly sending a chunk of that change to the war chest of Chavez.  Perhaps filling your tank up with Citgo gas has helped buy a kalashnikov rifle for Venezuela, or contributed to a shiny new MiG.  As I stated in the beginning of my post, I truly wish no ill will towards the good and hard working employees of American Citgo stations and affiliates.  However, the fact remains, money from American drivers does go to Chavez and his government to be used against us.  I realize it may be impractical, if not impossible for many in the fuel industry to just abandon their jobs or try to find another vendor, but would you feel right working for a company that gives money to our enemy?  Make up your own minds, and stand strong.

Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich recently asserted we are at the beginning of World War III (or IV if you count the Cold War as a world war).  Bravo to the Speaker.  He is right, this is a war on a truly global scale, affecting nearly every continent, save Antarctica.  But Mr. Speaker, if I may be allowed to expand a bit, I have my own theories as well.  Indeed it is a world war, but there are two other wars going on right now that we may not be as aware of.  We are in the middle of a world war, a civil war, and a cold war.  The world war is obvious. with Islamo-fascists as the main culprits, we are conduction operations in the Middle East, in South Asia, the Europeans and South Americans are involved, and it may expand into Africa.  But the civil war has been brewing in the United States as well.  Granted, it isn't a "war" so to speak with bullets and tanks, but rather a war for ideologies and policies.  Liberals have assaulted many conservative issues, ramping up their attacks on Christians (note the war on Christmas), attacks on gun owners and hunters (reference the new cartoon movie "Open Season"), attacks against the home with legislation to legalize gay marriage, and the list goes on and on.  Of course conservatives are indeed fighting back, and thus it is a civil war of words.  And remember, a country divided shall not stand (especially when so much evil external to the country threatens!) The final war I see ourselves engaged in, is that of a cold war.  Hugo Chavez, the psychopathic dictator of Venezuela is openly trying to obtain allies abroad to "help fight the imperial United States".  He has visited with Fidel Castro, the governments of Iran, Belarus, Vietnam, China, and Russia.  He even acquired Russian MiG's and assault rifles to arm his banana republic.  Another emerging cold war is between the US and North Korea.  The criminally insane despot of the North has starved his people for decades in order to increase military production against what he sees as a US threat to invade.  Now this strange little man has nuclear weapons, and we seem to be at a helpless stalemate.  Also, the good old days of the Soviet Union may be over, but Russia hasn't received the memo.  Vladimir Putin has been a constant thorn in our sides for several military and diplomatic incidents.  Not to mention we're constantly finding Russian spies that continue in their old KGB ways.  
So there you have it folks, we're deep into a World War, Civil War, and Cold War all wrapped in one.  And there are some osteriches with their heads in the sand that seem to believe we're not involved in any war!  Either way America, Stand Strong.

Greetings.  While this is not the first blog I've posted, it is the innaugural post for this particular blog.  And what a night to post.  Here we are on the fifth anniversary of the horrific day we realized we are at war.  Islamo fascists turned things that we take for granted; box cutters, pocket knives, commercial transportation, into deadly weapons of mass destruction.  This was not merely a criminal act.  This was not merely a terrorist attack.  This was a declaration of war against not the government of the United States, it was a declaration of war against you, me, and everyone in the world that does not believe in radical Islam.  While we in the United States are blessed to be protected by the worlds absolute best fighting forces, we must realize they are not the only targets in this war.  But take heart, while you and I are targets, we are at the same time soldiers.  We owe it to ourselves and our fellow man to not sit idly by, waiting for the next attack.  While we cannot all be firing M-16's at the enemy, or dropping laser guided bombs from jets, or launching cruise missiles from sea, we can still fight in our own way.  We have the duty to assist law enforcement by reporting anything we deem to be unusual or suspicious.  We have the duty to prepare ourselves not only for terrorist attacks, but for other disasters as well.  Anytime we can rely on ourselves in a disaster, it allows other supplies to go to those who desparately need it.  So, while Osama Bin Laden and his friends want you to believe the battle is hopeless and there is nothing you and I can do other than convert to radical Islam, I say there is plenty we can do.  Be vigilant, be prepared, offer support both morally and physically to those who risk their lives on the battlefield or repsonding to emergencies.  Donate time and money to worthy charities that help our soldiers and community.  Our enemies underestimated us in World War II, but while the battle was certainly being won on the battlefield itself, it was also being won at the homefront.  A people with high morale can defeat even the most stubborn and dispicable enemies.  Stand strong.