Harold Estes Said it All

Letter to Obama from Harold Estes
Amen! This one is attributable to Mr. Estes as verified by snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp
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
When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.

The Week Before Christmas

The Sunday before Christmas was yesterday. We put up our Christmas Tree. I don't know where the time goes. My daughter and 3 grandchildren came over top help decorate the tree. It is amazing how children can bring back the magic of Chritmas. My grandson was so excited to come over and decorate the tree. What fun! He put the angel on the tree. Where is the camera when you need it? We almost finished the tree and could see the kids were getting very tired. We had dinner and then the kids and I cuddled on the flow amidst big pillows and soft blankets. That is the best part. They will be small for such a short time. The evening ended with the baby asleep on my chest with his head against my neck. Sheer bliss.

Now to find the gifts I hid in a safe place until time to wrap. Why can I never remember those places? I hope I remember before Christmas Eve.

Just a few short days until we celebrate the birth of Jesus - the reason we have the holiday. Retail has forgotten why they are so prosperous, why they are able to make so much money in the first place. In the midst of the commercial, the rush and the madness, a baby was born to usher in the age of Salvation. The age of peace.

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
- - Author Unknown

Happy birthday Jesus. Merry Christmas to everyone, peace and good will to all.

Later.

Ever wonder why?

I was just thinking about the seasons.Where are they and who gets them? We seem to get fall, winter, 2 days of spring and one day of summer - sometimes. That is totally not fair to those of us who hate the cold weather. The only good thing about winter is the lack of mosquitoes and other obnoxious insects.And don't forget the snakes. They are supposed to eat thousands of pounds of mosquitoes but I have yet to see them do it. There seems to be only one thing to do to get through this next horendous several months. Join the bears and hybernate....

Later

SPORTS HEROES USING STEROIDS

Much ado about nothing. I think we should put all of our sports players on steroids. That way they would all be on an even playing field and would be playing at their enhanced best. We wouldn't have to get all excited about drug testing.

Whatever happened to the integrity in this country, now they are overpaid and have to use drugs to play even better to get even more money.

I used to like baseball, now I can't be bothered. I think they should work for a living like the rest of us and play ball for the fun of it and let the money fall the way of idols.

Disrespectfully submitted.

We The People Stimulus package

This guy's video on YouTube has been so popular that Obama Called him personally . He said that he was very disturbed with the video and invited him to the White House. Obama also said he wanted the White House to handle the Press and not to talk about the video or the White House visit. That's interesting. Watch it now. This may be the best six minutes invested in your future. You may have to turn your Sound Control up some. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeYscnFpEyA

Does any more need to be said?

MY HERITAGE

Sometimes I like to think about where I came from. I know I was born in Detroit, and my grandparents came down from somewhere in Canada and settled in Michigan. But my great grandfather Finley was born in Inverness Scotland. Our clan is MacInnes. That is my dads side. I don't know much about my mom's side. But I hear there is a history somewhere.

The top left picture is the clan coat of arms.

This next one is the family crest with the clan motto on it. "Ghift Dhe Agus Righ" when translated means: "By the Grace of God and King

Below are some pictures of the highlands of Scotland, the Loch Ness River and the Falls of Clyde Scotland

I hope you have enjoyed this little trip the land of my heritage. I did.

Until next time...

JOINED A HEALTH CLUB

I haven't been this excited in a long time. I joined Orchard Hill Health Club last night. The have an indoor heated pool, a jacuzzi and sauna. They offer water aerobics 2 nights a week at a time I can actually commit to. I had so much fun last night I could have stayed in the water all night. Check out this pool slide from their outdoor pool!

The indoor pool is functional and just what I need.

So I have high expectation of not only having a good time, but getting back in shape.

All for now.

Check ya later.

mary