“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.”
- Abraham Lincoln
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago at 9:28 am. Add a comment
A man without ambition is dead. A man with ambition but no love is dead. A man with ambition and love for his blessings here on earth is ever so alive.
–Pearl Bailey
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 12 months ago at 11:56 am. Add a comment
Written by someone who has been there, the following is a “guest” posting from a dear friend:
During the past decade since the attacks of September 11, 2001, we have been a nation at war. In Afghanistan, our enemy has been the Taliban, Al Qaida and countless foreign fighters whose only goal has been to kill Americans, in great numbers.
It has–and continues to be–a long war. Against an amorphous, enduring enemy.
The centerpiece of that war has been a single, elusive icon of terror who personally directed the mass killings of innocent people around the world.
From the first day, we fought back. And we continue to fight.
We have lost friends, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. We have heard the sound of Taps echo and linger in the distance. Many courageous men and women have returned with grievous wounds—sometimes invisible to the naked eye.
Despite the many obstacles, dangers and threats, we continue to fight.
In a long war, the sacrifice is often spread across generations.
Many of those operators who raided that compound 30 miles outside Islamabad were likely too young to drive when the 9/11 attacks occurred.
And yet, these volunteers most certainly remembered that fateful day, and were thinking about it as they were being transported into Pakistan via Special Operations helicopters in the dead of night. The images were likely decisive in their decision to take their oath– to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Fueled by adrenalin, a healthy dose of fear, and a supreme confidence in their equipment and training, warriors like these know well that things can and likely will go wrong. That’s why they rehearse. Whether they are on their target or supporting from afar, it’s why they look after one another, and will never leave a fallen comrade behind.
They are the best living definition of a team. Because they operate as a single unit toward a common, understood objective. They never quit. When the conditions change, they adapt. They can communicate intuitively, with silent hand and arm signals through the green glow of night vision goggles, or single syllable transmissions spoken into a whisper mike. They often follow orders delivered a continent away. They are brothers–closer to one another than their own immediate families.
When they are in pursuit of a target, political boundaries are irrelevant. Moving as a synchronized team, they act decisively and selflessly, and inform their hosts later.
Mission first.
Fortunately, these operators are ours.
It is these remarkable men who are deployed forward in a land they do not seek to permanently occupy, and who, in the most desperate circumstances, continue to fight — for all of us.
–John Fenzel, May 2, 2011
John is a dear friend, a patriot who wears the uniform and author of the outstanding book “The Lazarus Covenant”
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year ago at 11:39 pm. Add a comment
Persistence
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” – Emile Zola
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year ago at 7:21 am. Add a comment
THIS IS PRICELESS
One detail that is never mentioned is that in Washington, D.C. there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument. With all the uproar about removing the Ten Commandments, etc., this is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this amazing historical information, even though I’ve seen and touched this 6.6 pound aluminum cap when the monument was undergoing repairs in recent years.
On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. , are displayed two words:
Laus Deo.
No one can see these words. In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn’t care less.
Once you know Laus Deo’s history, you will want to share this with everyone you know. These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America.
Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words.. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world.
So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply,
they say ” Praise be to God!”
Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States, it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty-five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo. “Praise be to God!”
From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l’Enfant… a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.
A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.
Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898 steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the landings the memorial stones share a message…
On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore;
On the 20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians;
On the 24th a presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6.
Praise be to God!
When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God!
Such was the discipline, the moral direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President of our unique democracy “One Nation, Under God.”
I am awed by Washington’s prayer for America. Have you ever read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on!
“Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Laus Deo!
When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over our nation’s capital, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and height of “Laus Deo “, its location, or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: “Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalm 127: 1)
It is hoped you will share this with every child you know; with every sister, brother, father, mother or friend. They will not find offense, because you have given them a lesson in history that they probably never learned in school. With that, be not ashamed, or afraid, but have pity on those who will never see this because someone failed to send it on.
GHTime Code(s): nc nc Posted 1 year ago at 2:13 pm. Add a comment
’Twas Easter-Sunday.
The full-blossomed trees
Filled all the air with
Fragrance and with joy.
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:01 am. Add a comment
Love is the lamp that lights the universe: without that light . . . the earth is a barren promontory and man the quintessence of dust.
–Mary Elizabeth Braddon
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 1:07 pm. Add a comment
Fort Sumter - Currier and Ives
It was the Spring of 1861. Trouble and dissent were brewing for months within the South and on the horizon there would be an attack that would be considered the beginning of the US Civil War. All the Federal buildings within the port city of Charleston, South Carolina had been seized, except one… Fort Sumter which lay in the middle of Charleston’s harbor.
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GHTime Code(s): nc nc nc nc nc nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 9:41 pm. Add a comment
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.
-Abraham Lincoln
GHTime Code(s): nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:51 am. Add a comment
Army Day can be traced back to a little-known Defense Test Day, which was observed only twice: once in 1924 and once in 1925. Congress then disallowed any further observances of this day. In response, the Military Order of the World War under Colonel Thatcher Luquer established Army Day. Army Day was first celebrated on May 1, 1928. That date was chosen in hopes of dampening Communists’ celebration of Workers’ Day, which also occurs on May 1. But, starting in 1929, Army Day was changed to April 6, the anniversary date of the United States’ entry into World War I.
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GHTime Code(s): nc nc nc Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:59 am. Add a comment
