I Am Still the Same Old Flag

I Am Still The Same Old Flag
Hello, remember me?
Some people call me Old Glory, others call me Stars and Stripes;
I have been referred to as the Star Spangled Banner.
But whatever they call me, I am your Flag, or as I proudly state ....the Flag of the United States of America.
There is something that has been bothering me, so I thought I might talk it over with you.... because it's about you and me.
I remember some time ago, I think it was Memorial Day, people were lined up on both sides of the street to watch the parade.
The town's high school band was behind me, and naturally, I was leading the parade.
When your Daddy saw me coming along, waving in the breeze, he immediately removed his hat and placed it against his left shoulder so that his right hand was directly over his heart. Remember?
And you, Yes, I remember you. Standing there straight as a soldier. You didn't have a hat, but you were giving the correct salute.
They taught you in school to place your right hand over your heart. Remember little sister? Not to be outdone, she was saluting the same as you.
Oh, I was very proud as I came down your street. There were some soldiers home on leave and they were standing at attention giving their military salute.
Also, some V.F.W. veterans with their caps at jaunty angles were saluting smartly. Ladies as well as men, paid me the reverence I deserve.
Now, I may sound a little conceited. Well, I am. I have a right to be, because I represent the finest country in the world.... the United States of America.
More than one aggressive nation has tried to haul me down, but they all felt the fury of this freedom loving country.
Remember...many of you had to go overseas to defend me.
What has happened? I'm still the same old Flag.
Oh, I've had a couple more stars added since you were a boy.
A lot more blood has been shed since that Memorial Day parade long ago.
Dad is gone now, The home town has a new look.
The last time I came down your street, I saw that some of the old landmarks were gone, but in their place, shinning majestically in the sun, were a number of new buildings and homes.
Yes sir, the old home town has changed.
But now....I don't feel as proud as I used to.
When I came down your street, you just stand there with your hands in your pockets and give me a small glance, then look or turn away.
When I think of all the places I've been... Ansio, Guadalcanal, Battle of the Bulge, Korea, and Vietnam I wonder what's happened?
I'm still the same old Flag.
But now I see children running around and shouting as I pass by.
They don't seem to know who I am. I saw an old man take his hat off, and then look around. He didn't see anybody else with theirs off, so he quickly put his back on.
Is it a sin to be an American anymore?
Have you forgotten what I stand for?
Have you forgotten all the battlefields where men fought and died to keep this nation, your nation, free?
When you salute me, you are actually saluting them.
Take a look at the Memorial Honor Rolls sometime.
Look at the names of those who never came back, and are resting 'neath white crosses on a far away shore.
Some of them were friends or relatives of yours, maybe even went to school with you.
That's who you're saluting....when you revere me.
Well, it won't be long until I come down your street again.
So when you see me, stand straight, place your hand over your heart, and you'll see me waving back. My salute to you, I'll show you that I too, remember!
-Unknown

It's A Mall World, All Right...

I swear! What is up with this generation?
Alot of places I look, I see girls my age that are trying to dress like they're already seniors, putting on five pounds of makeup on their faces, flirting with every single guy in every single class as well as their boyfriend of the moment (who knows? in a week they'll just have another one, right?) . Don't get me started on fake eyelashes! *shudder* I honestly think those things are just fuzzy little caterpillars glued to your eyes... Oh yeah, and the "Hm, showing my underwear hanging out of my Abercrombie jeans makes me look hot!"
I'm not saying that's the case with EVERY girl. I only said alot of places I look. And it's pretty scary. The girls and guys who have no idea with what's going on around you, or pretend to impress other people, are going to grow up to be voting, driving, drinking! They're more obsessed with celebrities, who's dating who, backstabbing, what's "in" and what "isn't", and "getting back at that ____".
Tell me, when will ANY of this matter in college or in the real world? Will it matter if ONE PERSON rejected you on Myspace, you DIDN'T get that fifty dollar shirt from Hollister, or that you COULDN'T get an SUV for your Sweet 16 in college? (SUVs scare me, to be honest....gas guzzling pieces of crap!) Will it matter in real life? I highly doubt it (unless that shirt from Hollister is one of only 3 shirts you own or something like that...)
I highly doubt it will.


I honestly think alot of the guys and gals in my generation need to GET OVER THEMSELVES. Look, calling yourself an "Alpha" or a "Goddess", making a clique, acting like you are above everyone (including those much more mature than yourself)...this is a wake up call. None of this matter in the real world! No one really cares!

Awesome rapper

Her name is M.I.A. She (along with Matisyahu and a little, teeny bit of Timbaland) is the only rapper that I really like. She's Sri Lankan and has some awesome songs. Can't wait to get her CDs Piracy Funds Terrorism, Kala, and Arular!

Here are some of her songs....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M9wm_QEIaWs "Galang"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VDSnLcu2HTI "Bird Flu"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y9_Dk_F98cU "Jimmy"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7NVfuSFREmU "Bucky Done Gun"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=knQuxZj9rTA "Sunshowers" (my fav song of hers)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kEzCs3LGTKI "10 Dollar"


MTV refused to play her song "Sunshowers" until the line "Like PLO I don't surrender" (PLO= Palestinian Liberation Organization, look it up) was removed. Load of BS, though- they still play other rappers promoting sex, drugs, alcohol, running from the cops....!

Random post.

One night a man dreamed he was walking along the beach with Allah. As scenes of his life flashed before him, he noticed that there were two sets of footprints in the sand. He also noticed at his saddest, lowest times there was but one set of footprints.
This bothered the man. He asked Allah, "Did you not promise that if I gave my heart to you that you'd be with me all the way? Then why is there but one set of footprints during my most troublesome times?"
Allah replied, "My precious child, I love you and I would never forsake you. During those times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then I carried you."

I just felt the need to post this. I do plan on going to Afghanistan one day.

To support, or not to support.

I really admire Rory Stewart. Those who know me well know I admire him immensely (insert wink here, wink wink!). He's my hero.
But at the same time, you have to disagree with the guy on some things. Looking at http://afghanistanica.com/category/media/, I really do side with the blogger on this one.

From http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071003/national/afghan_cda_rethink_3:
Canada should help lead a major refocus on parts of the country, namely in the north, that actually support democratic reform and development, he says.
Hang on! Why not the south? The danger there is extreme, yes. But why not focus on the south as well, since that area is so obviously, well, screwed?
Those three or four things may include efforts to improve education and infrastructure in Kabul and other relatively peaceful zones where such development is welcome, Stewart says.
Is development not welcome in the south? Personally, I think there are some people in the south of Afghanistan that would love what Stewart is offering.

This was from another interview:
Afghans are bored with foreign consultants and conferences and are saying, ‘Bring back the Russians: at least they built dams and roads.” To win them over we should focus on large, highly visible infrastructure to which Afghans will be able to point in 50 years — just as they point to the great dam built by the United States in the 1960s.

Huh? I just read something on this same dam:

It was the largest economic failure toward the development of the country. It, however, provides a good guide for development work in Afghanistan -- it certainly doesn’t serve as a model for future projects, however it does serve as a less for what kind of projects should not be undertaken. ( http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies.org/Foreign%20Affairs/us-afghan/helmand_0.htm )

That project was a failure. It sucked! It blew! Was a bomb! Shot to hell! Check out the link here: http://afghanistanica.com/2007/04/01/rory-stewarts-damn-afghan-dam/ and look at the NASA comparison of the area, 1976 to 2002.

I'll always love the man. Always! He's amazing. Great guy. But sometimes, when I see him challenged by others, I tend to go with the people critisizing. *sigh*

Terrorism- not just Moslems.

First post here. Yippee!
I find the ignorance on terrorist groups fascinating. The fact that people are constantly saying, "All Moslems are bad, all Moslems are terrorists", frightens and sickens me.
The thing is, I think America is too stereotypical and we very easily jump to conclusions, without bothering to educate ourselves on the topic. We don't bother to think or realize that the Church went through quite a bloody time period as well.

And, Heaven forbid, there ARE Christian terrorist organizations! There is the Army of God, a pro-life terrorist organization. I myself am pro-life, but I think using force and detonating bombs at gay bars, abortion clinics, and so in is ridiculous. Then there's the Phineas Priesthood, which is very against homosexuality, interracial relationships, and abortion. (Hey! If you're going to ban interracial relationships or homosexuality, you might as well go around saying blonde people cannot marry brunettes or redheads, and that Episcopalians cannot marry Roman Catholics!)

There are Jewish terrorist groups as well, although one of them lasted from 1979-1984, another one from 1931-1948, and yet another group no longer is engaged with terrorist actions.

There's also Sikh terrorist groups, the Aum Supreme Truth (a religious, homicidal cult from Japan), and the Lord's Resistance Army (Christian/Pagan/Muslim, in Uganda). There's also the Tamil Tigers (Sri Lanka).


Yes, the list of Moslem terrorist organizations is pretty damn long. I'm not going to defend any of them, either. But to say that all Moslems are terrorists, support Saddam Hussein, and blow themselves up in the name of Allah. Allah=God=Yahweh. They are all the same- we have the same God!
No religion is completely peaceful. You're always going to get the same extremist wackos mixed in. But before you go ahead and generalize, educate yourself with a [reliable] source! [Reliable as in another site other than Wikipedia, hee!]