Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don’t believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.
I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos’n Mate. Now I live in a “rest home” located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.
One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.
So here goes.
I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish. I can’t figure out what country you are the president of.
You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like: “We’re no longer a Christian nation,” “America is arrogant” – (Your wife even announced to the world, “America is mean-spirited. ” Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)
I’d say shame on the both of you, but I don’t think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.
After 9/11 you said,” America hasn’t lived up to her ideals.”
Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn’t mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.
I don’t think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.
Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.
Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don’t, I’ll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.
And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don’t want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don’t mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don’t want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.
One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you’re the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you’re not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you’re thinking of.
You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You’re not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That’s not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don’t want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.
Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
FYI, According to Snopes, this the real deal.
Tags: Barack Obama, democrat, incompetent, Politics, US Military, US Navy, Worst President Ever
Posted in Our Dear Leader, Politics | 3 Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009
The Washington Times reports:
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Among the projects being funded at the possible cost United States Military Personnel lives is an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts democrat.
While most of the money taken from the operational military budget was from pork projects funded by democrats, there were some Republicans with their snouts in the pork trough, including the the two RINO senators from Maine.
Tags: culture of corruption, democrat, Politics, pork, US Military
Posted in Culture of Corruption, Politics | No Comments »
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Tired U.S. Army Boots
A pair of U.S. Army boots.
Tags: Boots, Photography, Urbin Photography, US Military
Posted in Photography, US Military | 2 Comments »
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
It’s not the one the Russians are building. Given the Russian’s record of failure with nuclear reactor’s and generally poor environmental record, any buyer’s are doing so at their own risk.
The world’s first floating nuclear power plant was built in the early 1960s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It was the MH-1A Sturgis, a converted WWII Liberty ship. The BBC falsely reported that the Russians were building the first floating nuclear power plant back in 2006, and other news agencies are still repeating their mistake.
Also posted at Urbin Technology.
Tags: American History, Corps of Engineers, Nuclear Power, US Army, US Military
Posted in American History, energy, Nuclear Power, US Military | No Comments »
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
Graduating Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis will not be allowed to wear their swords, which are part of the official dress uniform, in presence of our Dear Leader.
According to the Washington Times, nothing resembling a weapon is to be allowed in the presence of the one described by a hard core leftist as “our great and divine leader.”
Let’s get this one straight, these are graduating Midship from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, who are about to become active duty officers of the U.S. Navy, swearing an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution and Barack Hussein Obama is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Yet these young men and women, who are about to put their lives on the line to implement our Dear Leader‘s foreign policy can not wear a sheathed ceremony sword in the same room as the President of the United States of America, who will be guarded by multiple Secret Service agents carrying semi-automatic handguns, fully automatic SMGs, and quite probably a few more weapons more modern and dangerous than a meter long length of steel that may or may not even have a decent edge on it.
Just which one of our Dear Leader’s handlers decided on this bit of policy that can be described as absurd, paranoid and insulting in the extreme to the men and women of United States military?
Sadly, I can’t say I’m surprised by this action, it does fit the mindset of our Dear Leader and his leftist policies.
Tags: Add new tag, Barack Obama, incompetent, Politics, US Military, Worst President Ever
Posted in Our Dear Leader, Politics, US Military | 4 Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
A Memorial Day special Monday Book Pick. If you have seen the series and haven’t read the book, do so. There is a lot of detail that didn’t make it to the screen. This book follows Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, from their initial training to the unit’s deactivation in November 1945. The Normande landings on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and more.
Monday Book Pick Archive
Tags: 101st Airborne, book, Memorial Day, Monday Book Pick, US Army, US Military
Posted in Monday Book Pick, US Military | No Comments »
Sunday, April 26th, 2009
I was at the Boston University Tri-Service ROTC Pass in Review ceremony yesterday and got a lot of great photographs. Here is one that I think came out quite well.
Army Cadet with Saber
This photo is also posted on the Slices of Life Photography Blog.
There are more photographs of this event at Urbin Photography.
Update: November 3, 2009, I’ve learned that there is an ad on Facebook using this photograph, without my knowledge or permission, and with my copyright notice clearly cropped off. If you see this add on Facebook, could you please flag it as a copyright violation and send me a screenshot of it.
Tags: Add new tag, Boston, Boston University, Canon, digital photography, Photography, ROTC, Urbin Photography, US Army, US Military
Posted in Photography, US Military | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
The new Star Trek movie had an advance premiere, complete with the cast and director.
What is really cool, is where they held it. Camp Arijan, Kuwait. Yup, a sneak premiere for members of the US Military serving overseas.
Present were actors Zoe Saldana, Bryan Burk, Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine, Eric Bana and director/producer J.J. Abrams.
Here are some quotes collected by Spc. Howard Ketter
“We feel priviledged to be here and to meet the people who are working hard on our behalf,” said John Cho, who starred as Hikaru Sulu in “Star Trek” the movie.
“It’s so easy for people to take for granted, the fact that [service members] are here doing work that makes this possible,” said Abrams.
“It struck us that there was an opportunity to not just have it be about the movie, but to have it be about something that’s more important than all that stuff,” Abrams commented.
Good on Abrams and the cast!
Tags: Kuwait, Science Fiction, SciFi, Star Trek, US Military
Posted in Science Fiction, Star Trek, US Military | No Comments »