A long lost pilot will be coming home
Big Y, Amherst
Amherst College (that majestic flag high on a hill.)
Hadley Town Hall
Amherst Town Hall
Amherst Post Office (University Drive)
Amherst Post Office (Town Center)Of course the Feds are not subject to state law. But only the Federal Government can send our troops to war.
-----Original Message-----
From: State House Events (BSB)
Sent: Wed, Jul 29, 2009 1:10 pm
Subject: Half Staff Notification for Friday, July 31, 2009
Good Afternoon Everyone,
Governor Patrick is ordering the American and Commonwealth Flags lowered to half-staff on Friday, July 31st from sunrise until sunset for Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos who was killed in action.
Pursuant to gubernatorial protocol which states,
"The U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on the day of interment of any soldier from Massachusetts who is killed in action in a war zone while on active duty,”
Please be advised that Governor Patrick has ordered that the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Friday, July 31, 2009, in honor of Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts who was killed in action in Afghanistan on July 23, 2009.
Suzzette
State House Event Coordinator
As atune as we are to honoring the dead of our armed conflicts, should we not be just as vigilant in prosecuting those who would use fraudulent evidence to beat the drums of war?
ReplyDeleteIn this particular case Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts was killed in action in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteAnd Afghanistan is the country from which that SOB launched a cowardly but most devastating attack on our country, slaughtering 3,000 Americans (over 90% of them civilians) eight years ago.
God bless that young man for giving his life in service to this great country. I can not understand why Amherst doesn't follow flag protocol.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Afghanistan (since you brought it up), why do we not destroy the poppy crops when 90% of the world's heroin comes from there? How can we turn our eyes from this evil? Heroin kills 400 Americans every year.
Why do we spend so much resources on destroying US marijuana crops, when no one has ever died from overdose? Just some questions I have.
Good point. I think it has to with economics.
ReplyDeleteWhy does America allow cigarettes to be legal when they kill over 400,000 Americans per year?
UWe're mired in a local conflict with the Taliban (not the people who attacked us on 9/11) with escalating casualties. This will be more like Vietnam than Iraq was because like Vietnam there's no end game. Our own Defense Department estimates 300,000-600,000 troops are needed. That's not going to happen so we are going to continue an underfunded and under-resourced war that the Taliban can just wait us out on. Thanks Obama!
ReplyDeleteSadly, we can only expect ever more such brave young men and women to be casualties of this nonsense. Don't take my word for it.
ReplyDeleteWorst US Month in Afghanistan
The month of July had the highest death toll for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began nearly eight years ago.
Former State Department official Wayne White, now of the Middle East Institute, says high U.S. casualty rates in Afghanistan will likely continue for some time.
For sure.
ReplyDeleteBut the US casualties in Iraq are down from a few years back (not that I want to get into the Viet Nam era "body counts.")
They better be down because it's the longest war in U.S. history. Hopefully, it is over by now.
ReplyDeleteTom G,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great we can start with Bill Clinton, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, John Boy Kerry and a host of others. Click and paste the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwqh4wQPoQk
Placing blame squarely on the president who betrayed true conservatives by enlarging government is awfully narrow minded
But what would we expect from posters who will not claim responsibility by not signing their post's.
My thanks and condolences to Nicholas Xiarhos family and to all the family's who have suffered the loss of a loved one during this war.
"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old
age shall not weary them nor the years condemn
at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remmeber them"
Lord Byron
They better be down because it's the longest war in U.S. history. Hopefully, it is over by now.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the 50 Years War? (1939-1989). That seems like our longest one, and we were at war first with socialism (NAZIs) and then with communism. And we ended that by WINNING...
Oh, and Larry, you neglected to give UMass credit for putting its flag at half staff...
Hey Ed,
ReplyDeleteSorry, how could I forget Umass? They do have a pretty BIG flag.
I just wish the town would take down the UN flag and replace it (like Umass has) with a state flag.
Larry why are half-staff flags such an obsession of yours? I don't see how this matters SO MUCH that it is so regularly on the blog.
ReplyDeleteObsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.
ReplyDeletePeople with OCD may be plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts or images, or by the urgent need to engage in certain rituals. They may be obsessed with germs or dirt, and wash their hands over and over. They may be filled with doubt and feel the need to check things repeatedly.
Effective treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder are available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies that can help most people with OCD and other anxiety disorders lead productive, fulfilling lives.
;-)
Because Max, it is a symbol and symbols are powerful things (maybe I'm a tad too right brained.)
ReplyDeleteWhy did that SOB knock down the Towers? Because of what they represent (not to mention trying to kill as many people as possible.)
NATO troops killed in weekend fighting
ReplyDeleteAt least six NATO troops were killed in Afghanistan Saturday, and three more died today -- a bloody start to August after a record number of troops were killed in July.
"But the US casualties in Iraq are down from a few years back (not that I want to get into the Viet Nam era "body counts.")"
ReplyDeleteDidn't you say we won Iraq? Yet we still suffer casualties. A little fuzzy there, lad.
I think not.
ReplyDeleteSomehow the death of a warrior makes me proud too, but it leaves me confused because that doesn't make any sense. Let's stop raising our kids to aspire to give their lives for our country instead of living it out for themselves, their families, and communities.
ReplyDeleteDidn't you say we won Iraq? Yet we still suffer casualties. A little fuzzy there, lad.
ReplyDeleteThere were Japanese units in the jungle that didn't surrender until the late 1970s. We are STILL in Germany and Japan some 64 years after we won those wars - and we were suffering casualties in Germany well into the 1950s.
Oh, Afghanistan sent no one. Almost all of the 911 lads were from Saudi.
ReplyDelete"Ethnically, but not physically. The kingdom had expelled them."
So now they were afghan's physically? Is there a point? America, where English is spoken, but not understood.
Might I suggest that one study a little International law?
Lets say that the US let a lot of, say, Mexicans into the country and they all were living in Detroit. And lets further say that the Mexicans were going across the lake and blowing up stuff in Canada, killing Canadians, and such.
So, under International law, Canada comes to the US and says we would like to have those perps to prosecute them - or we would like you to do so. They have done bad things on our territory and we want to see them punished - and be sure they won't do it again.
And if the US refuses to do either, Canada is not only perfectly within its rights to bomb Detroit, but in asking the entire community of nations to help. This is what happened in Yugoslavia - and in Afganistan.
"And the Taliban was given a choice: Surrender the terrorists or be considered terrorists yourselves. They made a bad choice..."
We'll see who made the worse choice. Don't seem like we put the Taliban out of business.
Hey, Ed, If it's such a great cause, why are you not over there. May Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos rest in peace. He was a good man in an ill thought out cause.
Don't seem like we put the Taliban out of business.
ReplyDeleteBecause of lying, treasonous scum like you. FDR (your hero) would have tossed you and yours into jail...
Hey, Ed, If it's such a great cause, why are you not over there.
Because my skills and abilities better enable me to serve my country here, than there.
Further, there is a serious logical fallacy there - that is like saying that no one can criticize UMass students unless you are attending UMass yourself. That would silence more than a few in this town....
Don't seem like we put the Taliban out of business.
ReplyDeleteBecause of lying, treasonous scum like you. FDR (your hero) would have tossed you and yours into jail...
I would like to know the lie I told. Treason, I would aver, is supporting a war that is ruinous.
Let's see, they hate us for our freedoms, such as the Bill of Rights. I exercise one and Ed would like to see me in jail. He hates me because of our freedoms.
Oh no! The Taliban are all around us and have names like Ed.
Because my skills and abilities better enable me to serve my country here, than there.
Further, there is a serious logical fallacy there - that is like saying that no one can criticize UMass students unless you are attending UMass yourself. That would silence more than a few in this town....
No, Ed, The logical fallacy is letting someone else sacrifice their life for your cause.
Just what skill are you utilizing that is more important than taking your place in the line.
Oh, of course, if you don't support Larry on this thread the Taliban will be marching into Whole Foods tomorrow to take advantage of the hummus special.
You're a Chicken Hawk. You may think I am treasonous scum but I enlisted when it was my turn. I didn't give some song and dance about how important I am here. It was a mistake as the nation's leadership was not serious about it, but then again, Plus ca change.
"we were suffering casualties in Germany well into the 1950s."
ReplyDeleteDocument that. If there were, they were neglible. The war in Iraq is not over. We bribed some Sunnis to stop bugging us. When we stop bribing them, it will start up again.
There were no more than about ten Japanese and they were mostly avoiding contact.
Published on Saturday, July 11, 2009 by the Associated Press
ReplyDeleteUpside Down Flag Has Vet in Fight for 1st Amendment Rights
Dispute Over Flag Protest Erupts in Wisc. Village
by Robert Imrie
WAUSAU, Wis. - An American flag flown upside down as a protest in a northern Wisconsin village was seized by police before a Fourth of July parade and the businessman who flew it - an Iraq war veteran - claims the officers trespassed and stole his property.
A day after the parade, police returned the flag and the man's protest - over a liquor license - continued.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is considering legal action against the village of Crivitz for violating Vito Congine Jr.'s' First Amendment rights, Executive Director Chris Ahmuty said.
"It is not often that you see something this blatant," Ahmuty said.
In mid-June, Congine, 46, began flying the flag upside down - an accepted way to signal distress - outside the restaurant he wants to open in Crivitz, a village of about 1,000 people some 65 miles north of Green Bay.
He said his distress is likely bankruptcy because the village board refused to grant him a liquor license after he spent nearly $200,000 to buy and remodel a downtown building for an Italian supper club.
Congine's upside-down-flag represents distress to him; to others in town, it represents disrespect of the flag.
Hours before a Fourth of July parade, four police officers went to Congine's property and removed the flag under the advice of Marinette County District Attorney Allen Brey.
Neighbor Steven Klein watched in disbelief.
"I said, 'What are you doing?' Klein said. "They said, 'It is none of your business.'"
The next day, police returned the flag.
Brey declined comment Friday.
Marinette County Sheriff Jim Kanikula said it was not illegal to fly the flag upside down but people were upset and it was the Fourth of July.
"It is illegal to cause a disruption," he said.
The parade went on without any problems, Kanikula said.
Village President John Deschane, 60, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said many people in town believe it's disrespectful to fly the flag upside down.
"If he wants to protest, let him protest but find a different way to do it," Deschane said.
Congine, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq in 2004, said he intends to keep flying the flag upside down.
"It is pretty bad when I go and fight a tyrannical government somewhere else," Congine said, "and then I come home to find it right here at my front door."
What's the point of having flags if the only purpose they serve is to infuriate people who see them flying at the incorrect height depending on the occasion?
ReplyDeleteAnd why bother making your bed in the morning after you wake up as you are only going to get back in later that night. Nitwit.
ReplyDelete