Monkey Butter's blog: "FREEDOM TO FASCISM"

In 1865, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, mentioned at a social gathering that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.
In the Spring of 1866, he again mentioned this subject to General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk. General Murray embraced the idea and a committee was formulated to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead.
Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly. Wreaths, crosses and bouquets were made for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast and draped with evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.
On May 5, 1866, civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries and were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services including speeches by General Murray and a local clergyman. The ceremonies were repeated on May 5, 1867.
The first official recognition of Memorial Day as such was issued by General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was General Order No. 11 establishing "Decoration Day" as it was then known. The date of the order was May 5, 1868, exactly two years after Waterloo's first observance. That year Waterloo joined other communities in the nation by having their ceremony on May 30.

In 1965, a committee of community leaders started plans for the Centennial Celebration of Memorial Day. The committee consisted of VFW Commander James McCann, chairman, American Legion Commander Oliver J. McFall and Mayor Marion DeCicca, co-chairman, along with Village Trustees, M. Lewis Somerville, Roscoe Bartran, Richard Schreck, Tony DiPronio, and VFW Vice-Commander, Kenneth Matoon. Their goals were: "to obtain national recognition of the fact that Waterloo is the birthplace of Memorial Day through Congressional action" and "to plan and execute a proper celebration for such centennial observance."
In May of 1966, just in time for the Centennial, Waterloo was recognized as the "Birthplace of Memorial Day" by the United States Government. This recognition was long in coming and involved hours of painstaking research to prove the claim. While other communities may claim earlier observances of honoring the Civil War dead, none can claim to have been so well planned and complete, nor can they claim the continuity of observances that Waterloo can.
The Centennial Celebration that year brought dignitaries from government, military, veteran's organizations and descendants of the original founders of Memorial Day. A once luxurious home on Waterloo's Main Street, built in 1850, was purchased from the county and restored. Now the Memorial Day Museum, it houses artifacts of the first Memorial Day and the Civil War era.

Memorial Day is commemorated each year in Waterloo. The parade, speeches, and solemn observances keep the meaning of Memorial Day as it was originally intended to be.

SLEEP LAST NIGHT? Bed a little lumpy... Toss and turn any... Wish the heat was higher... Maybe the a/c ! Wasn't on... Had to go to the john... Need a drink of water... Count your blessings, pray for them, Talk to your Creator And The next time when... The other car cuts you off and you must hit the brakes, Or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to be, Or you're served slightly warm food at the restaurant, Or you're sitting and cursing the traffic in front of you, Or the shower runs out of hot water, Think of them... Protecting your freedom! -Message from Iraq The proud warriors of Baker Company wanted to do Something to pay tribute To our fallen comrades So since we are part of the only Marine Infantry Battalion left in Iraq the one way that we could Think of doing that is By taking a picture of Baker Company saying the way we feel. It would be awesome if you could find a way to share This with our fellow countrymen.. I was wondering if there was any way to Get this into your Papers to let the world know that 'WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN' And are proud d to serve our country. ' Semper If 1stSgt Dave Jobe.'

sheri is the 215,841st person to join the cause Honor our Fallen Soldiers. Join her: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/join/2719/439 60233?m=2c16bad3.

thanks horny...you rock

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Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer are not allowed in most public schools anymore Because the word 'God' is mentioned.... A kid in Arizona wrote the attached NEW School prayer: - Now I sit me down in school Where praying is against the rule For this great nation under God Finds mention of Him very odd. If Scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow Becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all. In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They've outlawed guns, b ut FIRST the Bible . To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd. It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen If you aren't ashamed to do this, please pass this on. Jesus said, 'If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father.'

Illegal Immigrant from Mexico Helps Crash Survivor Illegal immigration continues to be a hot topic for politicians, as evidenced by the amount of time spent on it at this week's Republican debate. To some, it seems "illegal-alien bashing has become a national sport," as Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts puts it, and she and others are pointing to the story of illegal immigrant Manuel Jesus Cordova Soberanes as a counterpoint. Cordova, a 26-year-old Mexican bricklayer, was "two days into his walk and about 50 miles from Tucson" on Thanksgiving when he came across a boy whose mother had been killed in a van crash, The Associated Press reports. Cordova gave up his chance to "disappear" into the United States to help 9-year-old Christopher Buztheitner, who had walked away from the crash. Cordova got a fire started, found food in the van for the boy and waited while he slept. Fourteen hours later, a group of hunters found the pair and called for help. "I am a father of four children. For that, I stayed," Cordova told AP. "I never could have left him. Never." Cordova was taken into custody and deported. Roberts writes that Cordova is "probably nobody special." And that's the point. I don't know if anything should be done for Cordova. He did what any human being should do. Maybe what we can do in appreciation is to reclaim the debate that has been taken over by the extremes, those who would have you believe that every person here illegally is out to rob us and cheat us and steal our country. The Tucson Citizen reports that the response to the story from its online community has been mostly positive. But about a quarter of the readers weren't swayed by Cordova's "act of compassion." One wrote that the media are "heaping praise" on the story to further an immigrant-loving agenda. 11:57 AM ET | 11-30-2007 | permalink Comments (Send a comment) I'm going to assume a majority of the quarter of the readers that weren't swayed by Cordova's actions are southern religious conservatives, and it saddens me that they can't recognize a true "good samaritan" when they see one. Cordova SHOULD be praised for his actions, because everyone can look up to them and learn from them. I wonder if there were Americans criticizing our government for an "immigrant-loving agenda" in 1886 when France gave us the statue of liberty. I think it was more celebrated. Well, I guess back then Americans were not too many generations away from their immigrant ancestors to forget an "immigrant loving-agenda" is what got them here. Sent by Bryan | 1:00 PM ET | 11-30-2007 The immigration debate is such a non-issue. This is an awesome story though. What have all of those old white-haired jerks running for the republican nomination done for anyone. And this (I would have to assume) desperate immigrant dude helps out the meek and helpless. Now those are values. Sent by Jody Sol | 1:17 PM ET | 11-30-2007 This is the kind of person I want in this country. Compassionate, mindful people. We can model the behavior we desire, and we can reward those who also model that behavior. Give him a work visa, encourage him to immigrate. This man who took a child in, while crossing the desert wilderness. He sacrificed his own dream of entering this country, to do what is right. Shouldn't we reciprocate? Sent by Sundog | 1:22 PM ET | 11-30-2007 One day, many decades or even a century or more from now, this episode might still be remembered as a parable of what America and its people had become in the twilight of its power. Sent by George deMan | 1:34 PM ET | 11-30-2007 We are losing our humanity. "We the people"to me means all the people of the World, not just persons who happen to have been born in the USA. Teach your children to look at everyone as a special part of our World. Anger only brings more violence. Peace Sent by Carlos Sotolongo | 2:06 PM ET | 11-30-2007 A friend told me about a conversation he had with a woman who came of age in Nazi Germany. He asked her what it was like to grow up in that environment and what the general social atmosphere was, especially regarding the Jews. She told him that in modern America the best parallel to get an idea of the mood of the German people at that time, would be to consider the attitude of many Americans toward illegal immigrants from Mexico today. Apparently bashing Jews as a 'national sport' was a precursor to the concentration camps. Sent by John R. Otten | 2:07 PM ET | 11-30-2007 Perhaps "Bryan" can share with us the reason it's proper to assume that Sr. Cordova's critics are "southern" and "religious." It may be well to fight fire with fire - is it just as well to fight bigotry with bigotry? Sent by Edwin | 2:19 PM ET | 11-30-2007 I agree with the person who said the immigration debate is such a "non-issue." It is--it's really about having babies, having families, not NEEDING to let people enter the country illegally. Then this one act of compassion could be seen for what it is, and a rule bent. I live in Mexico, by the way, and there are many people like Cordova here, because they still believe in God. Sent by Janet Baker | 2:27 PM ET | 11-30-2007 This is a great act of humanity. A standpoint that we should take in making descisions that can impact generations to come. Good bless everyone, not just "America"! Sent by MM | 3:02 PM ET | 11-30-2007 Those who forget the sins of the past are doomed to repeat them. I'm glad that my parents taught me to stand up for the basic human rights of all people, not just "people like us". It saddens me to hear language like "immigrant-loving". Substitute your demographic for immigrant and that hate has been spewed before. With every word & deed we teach. What did you teach your child today? How will it change the course of history? Sent by Nika | 3:45 PM ET | 11-30-2007 I am southern, religious and conservative. I can fairly be lumped into the group that Bryan refers to as "they" and would like to respond to his accusations. In my opinion acts of goodness and compassion should have no sway in the debate over illegal immigration. One man's individual heroism under exceptional circumstances cannot erase the need for our nation to control her borders. Cordova is a good man who deserves praise and even special consideration but we shouldn't allow illegal immigrants into America just because they are good people, although that should be one of the standards for legal immigration. The argument is not about the moral fitness of the immigrants coming into our country. Impolite and unsophisticated racism exists in the south and that is a shame, but it is not convincing evidence that we should open the borders and allow unchecked immigration. Sent by Terry | 4:11 PM ET | 11-30-2007 God bless Mr. Cordova. Shame on America! What kind of country treats people in such a shameful way! He saved this little boy's life and yet he was not even given a thank you before he was deported like a criminal!