Gut Reaction

In addition to ruling on Obamacare on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled on the "Stolen Valor" statute signed into law by former President George W. Bush. The law had made it a crime to lie about one's having received military honors or medals. The Supreme Court struck it down by a 6-3 vote.

While I understand the indignation of American citizens at those who would misrepresent their military record so as to get accolades of which they are undeserving, I also worry about the precedent that would be set by allowing the government to become the arbiter of truth in the public forum. We already have laws making it a crime to lie under oath. If we start allowing the government to categorize other lies according to their level of offensiveness, I have to wonder where it will stop? Especially now, with Obamacare still breathing and providing the federal government even more of an excuse to invade every aspect of our daily lives, do we really need to grant it the power to decide what kinds of lies are acceptable and what kinds are not? Again, unless it's done under oath, I consider lying to be a moral/spiritual offense, not a legal one.

Disclaimer: I have been paying attention to very little these days apart from the care and feeding of my own barracks and the troops therein, so I could be sadly misinformed on this whole issue. But this is what my gut tells me. Please be kind to my gut. It's had a hard year.

A Worthy Cause to Consider This Memorial Day

Do you play the bugle (or trumpet, cornet or flugelhorn) or know someone who does? If so, please visit Bugles Across America to find out how that ability can help to honor a veteran while providing untold comfort to his family at the time of his death. If you don't play but would like to encourage this organization in its mission of providing live buglers for the funerals of veterans, your monetary donation is welcome. It will be used to equip musicians who are willing to help but who no longer have the necessary equipment. Bugles Across America also facilitates the transfer of instruments, uniforms, and the like from organizations who no longer need them to those that have lost theirs due to calamity or natural disaster or who are simply trying to get started and need some help doing so.

Supporting the causes of both music and country while serving veterans and their families: I can't think of a more noble goal.

HT: Fox News

Quote of the Day

"Never, ever put a man in charge of your military defense who has not at the very, very least, successfully done battle with his own teenagers."

From Kyle-Anne Shiver, "Barry, Honey, Can We Talk About Torture?", American Thinker

Show Your Support

On this Independence Day, 2008, take a few moments from the barbecue and watermelon and fireworks and apple-bobbing to pray for our troops both at home and abroad and to remember and give thanks for our founding fathers as well as all who have worked since the birth of our nation to keep us safe and protect our freedom.

And if you have a moment, pay a visit to the Department of Defense site Show Your Support to see all the ways we at home can express our appreciation to those who daily sacrifice of themselves for the benefit of us all.

Haditha

As a bookend to my recent post on the Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Boumediene, please read this column about the so-called Haditha "massacre" by David Harsanyi of the Washington Post. Seems our Marines are getting exonerated left and right. But is the left wing press reporting it?

Harsanyi writes,

"Now that foreign terrorist suspects have the right to habeas corpus, maybe U.S. Marines will be extended the courtesy of a trial before being smeared as cold-blooded murders."

Click here to continue reading.

The Court and the War

During the course of this election season, I have more than once heard it said--usually by fellow conservatives--that a choice between John McCain and the Democrat candidate, whether Clinton or Obama, is no choice at all because of McCain's departure from conservative ideology on several issues. I have all along rejected that argument, seeing a huge difference between a McCain presidency and a Clinton or Obama one, and I early on decided to support McCain wholeheartedly because of the lasting damage I think a Democrat in the White House would do at what is one of the most critical points in our nation's history that I think I have witnessed in my lifetime. For me, the two most defining issues of this election are the Iraq War and the Supreme Court, and I think a Democratic victory in the fall would have a devastating effect on both, leading to a self-defeating military retreat that would compromise our national security and the appointment of justices that would turn our Supreme Court into a bastion of liberal activism instead of the Constitutional lockbox it should be.

Now those two issues--the War and the Court--have intersected in a way that chillingly highlights the choice before us come November. In case you missed it, the Supreme Court last week granted a writ of habeas corpus to Lakhdar Boumediene, a Guantanamo Bay detainee with known ties to al Qaida. In doing so they have ignored both precedent and the Constitution and created a new precedent that will impact the effectiveness of our military in frightening ways. Professor of Law John Yoo explains it much better than I can--please go read. Then take note that Barack Obama has embraced this ruling and John McCain has condemned it.

For me the choice is clear and becomes clearer by the hour. The difference between these two candidates is huge and the stakes are high. A vote for anyone but John McCain in this election is a vote for Mr. Obama. If that scares you as much as it scares me, it's time to support the candidate that has the best chance of preventing that outcome and thus keeping us safe.

Our Changing Military

Have you heard about this?

Married troops living together in Iraq

My gut tells me this is not a wise change in policy. But I am not a soldier, nor do I have an immediate family member serving overseas right now. I would be interested in hearing from my readers who fit into either of those categories. Do you think this is a good idea?

"A Mom's Battle"

If you can, take a moment to read this poem today. And then go hug a military mom (or dad), and say a prayer for their children, whose watch allowed us to go to sleep in security last night.

HT: Boots on the Ground.

In Memoriam

Roy C. Hollis, 1915-1994

I am thinking about my dad today. Although he did not give up his life for our country, he did put it on the line. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in November of 1943 and entered active service the following month. He served as a Staff Sergeant in Troop B of the 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron. His occupational specialty was rifleman. His Separation Qualification Record states that he “supervised the activities of 11 men in a rifle squad. Was responsible for the control, coordination, and tactical employment of squad. Loaded, aimed, and fired a .30 Cal Garand rifle. Is familiar with carbine, Browning automatic rifle, machine gun, etc. Also is familiar with all types of hand weapons and hand to hand fighting techniques.” His discharge papers list the following battles and campaigns: Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. Decorations and Citations received were the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; the Good Conduct Medal; the World War II Victory Medal; and three Bronze Service Stars. He was honorably discharged on November 1, 1945.

As I was growing up I remember my dad talking about how he fought at the Battle of the Bulge, how he marched from the English Channel to Czechoslovakia, how he almost got run over by a German tank, and how he was the only original member of his squad to survive the war. He wasn’t a religious man, but when he spoke of the war he thanked God for protecting him and bringing him home. He said that on more than one occasion he remembered a fellow soldier waking up with the feeling that his time had come--that he would not survive the day--but my dad said he never had that feeling. Somehow he always knew he would make it home.

I regret that I didn’t pay more attention to his stories and that I didn’t appreciate all that he went through in service to his country. My dad died on June 16, 1994 at the age of 78 after an extended battle with lung cancer. He is survived by five children, six stepchildren, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, one sister, and his second wife (my mom).

I still miss him. Thank you, Daddy, and rest in peace.