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LeRoy Collins Commentary 461

Commentary #461
25 July 2010

TRANSCRIPT OF SEC GATES AND GEN MCCHRYSTAL's REMARKS AT FT. MCNAIR (UNCLASSIFIED)

This is a rather extraordinary transcript of the retirement ceremony of General Stanley McChrystal. It contains some of the best warrior ethos I have ever read. Stay with it, because his classical metaphor at the end is sensational. A professional warrior with this sense of family is good to the core, his disparaging remarks of the White House leadership (or lack thereof) notwithstanding.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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TRANSCRIPT OF SEC GATES AND GEN MCCHRYSTAL's REMARKS AT FT. MCNAIR (UNCLASSIFIED)
Presenter: Secretary Of Defense Robert M. Gates, Army Chief Of Staff General George W. Casey and General Stanley A. McChrystal July 23, 2010

SEC. GATES: Well, first off, I would tell you that the weather here today is worse than in Jakarta.

We gather today to say farewell to a treasured friend and colleague and to pay tribute to one of the finest men at arms this country has ever produced.

There are many distinguished guests and VIPs here today but none so distinguished and none so important to General McChrystal as his wife, Annie and son, Sam.

Like so many Army families since 9/11 and especially families in the special operations community, they have endured long separations from their husband and dad. And like so many families, they have done so with grace and resilience. Our nation is deeply in your debt.

We bid farewell to Stan McChrystal today with pride and sadness. Pride for his unique record as a man and a soldier. Sadness that our comrade and his prodigious talents are leaving us.

Looking back at the totality of Stan McChrystal's life and career, it seems appropriate that he ended up in the special operations world, as virtually nothing about this man could be considered ordinary.

Even as he rose to the highest ranks of the service, he retained his trademark humility and remarkably low requirements in his trappings, tastes and what we at the Pentagon call personal maintenance.

He had little use for amenities that tend to grow up around the rear echelon, much to the chagrin of a few of his ISAF colleagues. To Stan, fast food counted as fine dining, but neither fine dining nor beer gardens had any place in his war zone.

In spite of or, perhaps, because of his no-nonsense approach to war fighting, Stan enjoyed a special bond with his troops. They respected his devotion to them as well as to the mission. And as evidenced by all the uniforms here this evening, they remain just as devoted to him.

That's because Stan never forgot about the troops most often in harm's way. Always keeping in mind the frontline World War II soldier quoted by Stephen Ambrose, "Any son of a bitch behind my foxhole is rear echelon."

His fearsome exercise, sleeping and eating routines are legendary. I get tired and hungry just reading about them.

At the same time, this consummate Ranger possessed one of the sharpest and most inquisitive minds in the Army. A scholar who earned fellowships to Harvard and the Council on Foreign Relations, a voracious reader who, as one of his friends told a reporter, was prone to spending his free time wandering around old bookstores and reading about what he called "weird things" -- stuff like Shakespeare.

The attacks of September 11 and the wars that followed would call on every ounce of General McChrystal's intellect, skill and determination. Over the past decade, no single American has inflicted more fear and more loss of life on our country's most vicious and violent enemies than Stan McChrystal.

Commanding special operations forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Stan was a pioneer in creating a revolution in warfare that fused intelligence and operations. He employed every tool available, high-tech and low, signals, intelligence, HUMINT and others in new and collaborative ways.

As a lieutenant general, he went out on night missions with his teams, subjecting himself to their hardships and dangers. After going on one operation that resulted in a fire fight, some of his British comrades awarded Stan the distinction of being the highest-paid rifleman in the United States Army.

Night after night, intercept by intercept, cell by cell, Stan and his forces first confronted and then crushed al-Qaeda in Iraq. It was a campaign that was well under way before the surge when the violence seemed unstoppable and when so many had given up hope in our mission there.

Stan McChrystal never lost faith with his troopers, never relented, never gave up on Iraq. And his efforts played a decisive part in the dramatic security gains that now allow Iraq to move forward as a democracy and us to draw down U.S. forces there.

Last year when it became clear to me that our mission in Afghanistan needed new thinking, new energy and new leadership, there was no doubt in my mind who that new leader should be. I wanted the very best warrior general in our armed forces for this fight. I needed to be able to tell myself, the president and the troops that we had the very best possible person in charge in Afghanistan. I owed that to the troops there and to the American people.

And when President Obama and his national security team deliberated on the way forward in Afghanistan, General McChrystal provided his expert and best unvarnished military advice. And once we all agreed on the new strategy, General McChrystal embraced it and carried out the president's orders with the brilliance and devotion that characterize every difficult mission that he has taken on and accomplished throughout his career.

Over the last year, General McChrystal laid the groundwork for success and the achievement of our national security objectives in that part of the world. I know the Afghan government and people are grateful for what he accomplished in a year as ISAF commander and the lives of innocent Afghans saved, the territory freed from the grip of the Taliban, for the new vigor and sense of purpose he brought to the international military effort there.

As he now completes a journey that began on a West Point parade field nearly four decades ago, Stan McChrystal enters this next phase of his life to a respite richly earned. He does so with the gratitude of the nation he did so much to protect, with the reverence of the troops he led at every level, with his place secure as one of America's greatest warriors.

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, General Stanley A. McChrystal.

GEN. MCCHRYSTAL: This is frustrating. I spent a career waiting to give a retirement speech and lie about what a great soldier I was. Then people show up who were actually there. It proves what Doug Brown taught me long ago; nothing ruins a good war story like an eyewitness.

To show you how bad it is, I can't even tell you I was the best player in my little league because the kid who was the best player is here tonight. In case you're looking around, he's not a kid anymore.

But to those here tonight who feel the need to contradict my memories with the truth, remember I was there too. I have stories on all of you, photos on many, and I know a Rolling Stone reporter.

Look, this has the potential to be an awkward or even a sad occasion. With my resignation, I left a mission I feel strongly about. I ended a career I loved that began over 38 years ago. And I left unfulfilled commitments I made to many comrades in the fight, commitments I hold sacred.

My service did not end as I would have wished, and there are misperceptions about the loyalty and service of some dedicated professionals that will likely take some time but I believe will be corrected.

Still, Annie and I aren't approaching the future with sadness but with hope and iPhones. And my feelings for more than 34 years I spent as an Army officer are a combination of surprise that any experience could have been as rich and fulfilling as mine was and gratitude for the comrades and friends we were blessed with.

That's what I feel. And if I fail to communicate that effectively tonight, I'll simply remind you that Secretary Gates once told me I was a modern Patton of strategic communications. Fair point.

So if we laugh tonight, it doesn't mean all these years have not been important to me. It means the opposite; that every day and every friend were gifts I treasure and I need to celebrate.

But first, I need to address two questions that we've been asked often lately. The first is: What are you going to do? Actually, Annie is the one who's asking me that. I'm thinking I'd be a good fashion consultant and spokesman for Gucci -- (laughter) -- but they haven't called.

The other question is always asked a bit tentatively. How are you and Annie doing? We did spend some years apart, but we're doing well. And I am carrying some of what I learned into retirement.

First, Annie and I are reconnecting. And now, we're up on Skype with each other. Of course, we never did that all the years I was 10,000 miles away, but now we can connect by video link when we're 15 feet apart. And I think she really likes that. (Laughter.)

I was so enthused I tried using Skype for a daily family VTC -- (laughter) -- where I could get updates and pass out guidance, but there's some resistance to flatter and faster in the McChrystal household.

The same is true for the tactical directive I issued soon after my return. It's reasonable guidance: One meal a day, early-morning PT, the basics of a good family life.

But I've gotten a few night letters, and Annie's stocking up on ammonium nitrate fertilizer -- (laughter) -- which is strange since our new yard is smaller than this podium.

Although the insurgency is relatively small -- one woman -- she's uninterested in reintegration. (Laughter.) I assess the situation as serious and, in many ways, deteriorating. (Laughter.)

Mr. Secretary, look at her. I'm thinking at least 40,000 troops.

Let me thank everyone for being here. This turnout is truly humbling. Here tonight are my wife and son, my four brothers, two nephews, mentors, comrades from countless phases of my career, and some special guests whose service and sacrifice are impossible to describe with words.

But because this crowd is pretty big, for good order and discipline, I've divided you all into four groups. Please remember your group number. (Laughter.) Group 1 are all the people who accepted responsibility for making this ceremony work from the planners to the soldiers on the field. My apologies for all the time you spend in the heat. You're special people. And in my mind, you also represent soldiers all over the world. You have my sincere appreciation.

The second group -- (applause). The second group is distinguished servants of all nations who have taken time from your often-crushing schedules to be here. And thanks for your years of support and friendship. I got you out of the office early on Friday.

Group 3 are warriors of all ranks, and that includes many who don't wear a uniform but defend our nation with whom I have shared aircraft, VTCs, remote outposts, frustrations, triumphs, laughs and a common cause for many years. You are not all here. Some of you are deployed and in the fight. Others rest across river in Arlington. Most of the credit I've received actually belongs to you. It has been your comradeship that I have considered the greatest honor of my career.

Finally, Group 4 is all those who've heard we're having two kegs of beer in the backyard after my ceremony. This group includes a number of my classmates from West Point, old friends, most of the warriors from Group 3, and some others who defy accurate description. Anyone already carrying a plastic cup might be considered the vanguard of Group 4. (Laughter.) Everyone here today is invited to join.

To Secretary Gates, I want to express my personal thanks, certainly, for your generous remarks but more for your wisdom and leadership which I experienced firsthand in each of my last three jobs. Your contribution to the nation and to the force is nothing short of historic.

Similarly, I want to thank the many leaders, civilian and military, of our nation beginning with President Obama for whom and with whom I was honored to serve. Whether elected, appointed or commissioned, the common denominator of selfless service has been inspiring.

As COM ISAF, I was provided a unique opportunity to serve alongside the professionals of 46 nations under the leadership of NATO. We were stronger for the diversity of our force, and I'm better for the experience.

My thanks, also, to the leadership and people of Afghanistan for their partnership, hospitality and friendship. For those who are tempted to simplify their view of Afghanistan and focus on the challenges ahead, I counter with my belief that Afghans have courage, strength and resiliency that will prove equal to the task.

My career included some amazing moments and memories, but it is the people I'll remember. It was always about the people. It was about the soldiers who are well-trained but, at the end of the day, act out of faith in their leaders and each other; about the young sergeants who emerge from the ranks with strength, discipline, commitment and courage.

As I grew older, the soldiers and sergeants of my youth grew older as well. They became the old sergeants, long-service professionals whose wisdom and incredible sense of responsibility for the mission and for our soldiers is extraordinary.

And the sergeants major -- they were a national treasure. They mold and maintain the force and leaders like me. They have been my comrade, confidante, constructive critic, mentor and best friend.

A little more than a year ago on a single e-mail, Command Sergeant Major Mike Hall came out of retirement, leaving a job, his son and his amazing wife Brenda to join me in Afghanistan. To Mike, I could never express my thanks. To Brenda, I know after all these years, I owe you. I also love you.

To true professionals like Sergeants Major Rudy Valentine, Jody Nacy, Steve Cuffie, CW Thompson, Chris Craven, Jeff Mellinger and Chris Farris, your presence here today is proof that, when something is truly important, like this ceremony, you're on hand to make sure I don't screw it up.

I've been blessed with the presence of old friends throughout my career, friendships that began long ago at West Point, Forts Benning, Bragg, Lewis or countless other locations and shared years of Army life, moving vans, kids, laughs, disappointments, and each other's successes which grew into bonds that became critical on the battlefield.

I treasure a note I received during a particularly tough time in Afghanistan in 2007 from fellow commander, Dave Rodriguez, that quoted Sherman's confidence that, if he ever needed support, he knew his friend Grant would come to his aid if alive. Serving with people who say and mean such words is extraordinary.

I served with many. Many of you are here tonight. And not all the heroes are comrades are in uniform. In the back of a darkened helicopter over Kunar, Afghanistan, in 2004, a comrade in blue jeans whose friendship I cherish to this day passed me a note. Scribbled on a page torn from a pocket notebook, the note said, "I don't know the Ranger Creed, but you can count on me to always be there." He lived up to his promise many times over.

To have shared so much with and been so dependent on people of such courage, physical and moral, integrity and selflessness taught me to believe.

Annie's here tonight. No doubt she walked the 50 feet from our front door in cute little Italian shoes of which we have an extensive collection. (Laughter.) In Afghanistan, I once considered using Annie's shoe purchases as an argument to get Italy to send additional forces. (Laughter.) But truth be known, I have no control over that part of the McChrystal economy. (Laughter.)

But she's here like she's always been there when it mattered. Always gorgeous. For three and a half years, she was my girlfriend then fiancée and, for over 33 years, she's been my wife.

For many years, I've joked, sometimes publicly, about her lousy cooking, terrifying closets, demolition derby driving and addiction to M&M candy, which is all true. But as we conclude a career together, it's important for you to know she was there.

She was there when my father commissioned me a second lieutenant of infantry and was waiting some months later when I emerged from Ranger School. Together, we moved all we owned in my used Chevrolet Vega to our first apartment at Fort Bragg. The move, with our first days in our $180-a-month apartment, was the only honeymoon I was able to give her, a fact she has mentioned a few times since.

Annie always knew what to do. She was gracious when she answered the door at midnight in her nightgown to fight Sergeant Emo Holtz, a huge mortarman, carrying a grocery bag of cheap liquor for a platoon party I'd hastily coordinated that evening and not told Annie about following a Friday night jump. I got home not long after to find Annie making food for assembling paratroopers. Intuitively, Annie knew what was right and quietly did it.

With 9/11, she saw us off to war and patiently supported the families of our fallen with stoic grace. As the years passed and the fight grew ever more difficult and deadly, Annie's quiet courage gave me strength I would never otherwise have found.

It's an axiom in the Army that soldiers write the checks but families pay the bills. And war increases both the accuracy of that statement and the cost families pay.

In a novel based on history, Steven Pressfield captured poignantly just how important families were and, I believe, are today. Facing an invading Persian army under King Xerxes, a coalition of Greek states sent a small force to buy time by defending the pass at Thermopylae and were led by 300 special, selected Spartans. The mission was desperate and death for the 300 certain.

Before he left to lead them, the Spartan king, Leonidas, explained to one of the Spartan wives how he had selected the 300 from an entire army famed for its professionalism, courage and dedication to duty.

"I chose them not for their valor, lady, but for that of their women. Greece stands now upon her most perilous hour. If she saves herself, it will not be at the gates. Death alone awaits us and our allies there but later in battles yet to come by land and sea.

"Then Greece, if the gods will it, will preserve herself. Do you understand this, lady? Well, now, listen, when the battle is over, when the 300 have gone to death, then all Greece will look to the Spartans to see how they bear it. But who, lady, will the Spartans look to? To you. To you and the other wives and mothers, sisters and daughters of the fallen.

"If they behold your hearts riven and broken with grief, they too will break and Greece will break with them. But if you bear up, dry eyed, not alone enduring your loss but seizing it with contempt for its agony and embracing it as the honor that it is in truth, then Sparta will stand and all Greece will stand behind her.

"Why have I nominated you, lady, to bear up beneath this most terrible of trials, you and your sisters of the 300? Because you can." To all who wear no uniform but give so much, sacrifice so willingly and serve as such an example to our nation and each other, my thanks.

As I leave the Army, to those with responsibility to carry on, I'd say, service in this business is tough and often dangerous. It extracts a price for participation, and that price can be high.

It is tempting to protect yourself from the personal or professional costs of loss by limiting how much you commit, how much of belief and trust in people, and how deeply you care. Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don't want to follow cautious cynics. They follow leaders who believe enough to risk failure or disappointment for a worthy cause.

If I had it to do over again, I'd do some things in my career differently but not many. I believed in people, and I still believe in them. I trusted and I still trust. I cared and I still care. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Winston Churchill said we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. To the young leaders of today and tomorrow, it's a great life. Thank you.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 460

Commentary #460
25 July 2010

Just a "field trip"

The only comments I can make which make any sense to me are...DISGUSTING and EMBARRASSING!!!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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If you're not sure what "big government" implies, take a look at this

Field Trip

But you have already read about this in your local newspaper ...Oh no, you didn't? OK then, you saw it on CNN... No?...INTERESTING!!!

You and I may never see health care again the way it used to be, but "Emperor Obama" took six (6) doctors with him for a 3 day visit to London - along with 494 other essential staff. You just gotta love this spread-the-wealth, hopey-changey thing....

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 459

Commentary #459
5 July 2010

Something to Ponder on the 4th of July

Janet, thanks for this message re the signors of the Declaration. I knew the story, but did not know the particulars. What a “reward” they had for their leadership during stressful times for the Colonists. But I have the impression they knew they might be singled out if they signed,... yet they signed anyway. That is COURAGE at the "Crossroads of History".

/s/ Roy

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Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British, charged and sentenced to death as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants.

Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, and well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured by the British.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid for freedom.

Remember: freedom is never free!

Patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 458

Commentary #458
4 July 2010

Islam Explained

...a point of view we dare not ignore.

If you do not think it is feasible to deport millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S., go to Google and lookup Operation Wetback. Here you will find it can be done... and was done... during the administrations of Presidents Hoover, Truman, and Eisenhower. President Reagan went the other way and offered amnesty. LC LC

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Islam Explained in Layman's Terms
(Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.)

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

"Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel."
-- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.

Well, boys and girls, today we are letting the fox guard the henhouse. The wolves will be herding the sheep!

Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn't this make you feel safer already?

Obama and Janet Napolitano appoint Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim who was born in Damascus, Syria, as ADC National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).

NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic, a devout Jew or a devout Protestant...? Just wondering.

Was it not "Devout Muslim men" who flew planes into U.S. buildings 8 years ago?

Was it not a Devout Muslim who killed 13 at Fort Hood?

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 457

Commentary #457
4 July 2010

4th of July.....in church

Today is Independence Day in America, the Fourth of July; it is the day in 1776 when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, which was authored principally by Thomas Jefferson. This document can fit onto one page.

The Rector of our church in Tampa asked me to preach the sermon for both services on Sunday July 4, 2010, and here is what I said: LC

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What an honor it is for me to preach on this special day in the history of our Nation, i.e. the 234th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I was here in this same church for the U.S. Bicentennial 34 years ago, and I remember it well because it was such a letdown; the Rector was on vacation, so he left his young Curate in charge….and he blew it! He started by saying words like: "after all the hype, the Big Day has arrived, and see, it is like any other day in hot July. We have endured the Bicentennial hype for months now, so it is time to get back to reality", etc. So, I am here today to say I think this day is a BIG DEAL, and I hope you feel the same as I.

On several occasions in my past, I was in a foreign country on July 4th. I found that most of my indigenous hosts knew it was a special day for Americans, and they expected us to treat it like a sacred milestone in our lives. For the U.S. Navy, that meant rigging Full Dress Ship, where we would link all the signal flags together in a long line and hoist up the center of that long line to the highest point on the ship, and secure one end to the bow and the other to the stern. On an aircraft carrier, that linkage of flags exceeds 1000 ft and the zenith is the height of a 15-story building. In the case of submarines, we did not carry many signal flags so we would breakout the largest American Flag we had and raise it on our tallest periscope, i.e. about 65 feet above the keel. Yes, it was a BIG DEAL, and especially in a foreign country.

Among the most memorable Fourths for me was in 1987 when I led a small cadre of Naval Reservists to visit 5 seacoast countries on the west coast of Africa. In prior years our Defense Department policy was to visit all countries on the Atlantic ocean with a U.S. Navy ship at least once every three years. By that time (1987) our Navy had shrunk from 2,000 ships (Korean War), to 1000 (Vietnam War), and 500 by 1987 (280 ships now). To substitute for a ship visit, I was sent in a 30 year-old Navy P3 patrol plane with the Atlantic Fleet Band of 17, plus my staff of 5…… to Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome. Because of our arrival in Equatorial Guinea on 5 July, the American Ambassador decided to delay his annual American Independence Day celebration to the night of 5 July to include my entourage.

The Ambassador reminded me the Soviets commonly sent a very low-ranking member of their legation to downgrade the American celebration……so I should not feel the boorish offense was aimed at me. Being part of the Receiving Line, I was entranced by many delegations, who were robed in colorful traditional dress. In the middle of it all, in came the token Soviet...the Soviet Ambassador’s chauffeur, who was having a wonderful time, intending no offense, and "stoned" out of his mind, with a broad glassy-eyed grin on his flushed face. He thought the American Independence Day was wonderful.

But you did not come here today to hear sea stories, so what does this date have to do with God, the U.S. Armed Forces, and American Independence?

Somewhere in our past we learned that God’s grace comes thru clearest when we help others. In the Armed Forces we are often required to serve in places and among people who have little in common with us, other than we are all human beings, sharing the same planet, and we are mixed together in this crucible called life. As we grow we have experiences, some good, some bad, some noble, some evil, and we learn how to discern the difference. We learn from history that there are always those who seek power and dominion over others, and if unchallenged, some of that power can be directed against those unable to defend themselves. The Bible is full of such despots, and we have many such zealots in the World today,…..and America is deemed to be above such characterizations, but we are often accused of such domination by those whom we have the military power to subdue.

Thomas Jefferson understood the "strands of liberty" well enough to weave them into the "fabric" we call the Declaration of Independence,…and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th 1776. The first two paragraphs of the Declaration set the stage of WHY for the Declaration; then there is a list of 29 factual reasons to support the WHAT in the Declaration. The last paragraph is the RESOLUTION in the Declaration which tells King George III of Great Britain what the American Colonists are going to do about it….thus setting the stage for the Revolutionary War. We won that one and several since, but each such confrontation consumes the lives of many of America’s youngest, best and brightest...to make it possible for the rest of us to pursue our respective lives and vocations where our biggest "enemy" is the Tax Collector. Those patriots from this church who stood the watch on the Ramparts of Freedom in World War II are listed on the two tall stained glass windows in the South Transept of this church. Those with the gold star did not come home alive. Today we commemorate a newer era of defenders of liberty from this Church’s membership who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars (1950-1975). Bronze plaques with the names for each conflict have been cast and are now mounted on the north wall of the nave and the west wall near the north entrance to the church, and we will consecrate them just a few minutes from now. Most of us know the names, and many are among us today. All served with distinction and deserve our thanks for their unselfish service at a time our Nation needed them.

And the beat goes on. Today there are many thousands of Floridians defending our Nation in some Godforsaken parts of the World, not because they want to be there, but they want to protect our Country, and they have been ordered wherever they are. Already 200,000 Floridians have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since SEP ll, 2001. My oldest grandson, Phillip Jacob, a former Acolyte in this church, is now at Parris Island SC, learning to be a Marine. He is finding out the regimen for a Marine demands his best in order to serve his fellow Marines, his family, his friends, his fellow Americans, and his God. Semper Fidelis, Phillip; what you are doing is a BIG DEAL for you, and for all of us.

Another former St. Andrew's Acolyte, my son Roy III, was honorably discharged from his Army Ranger battalion at Fort Lewis WA just days before they parachuted into Panama during Operation Just Cause. Several of those killed were friends of young Roy.

Finally, I leave you today with some Scripture, which helps explain why I have spent so much of my adult life at sea and wearing this Navy uniform (quoting from the Book of Psalms, Chapter 107, Verses 23-30)...let us bow our heads in prayer: "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep; For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven",...or maybe just the Breton sailor’s simple prayer "Lord, the sea is so great, and my boat is so small." Amen.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Rear Admiral, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired)

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 456

Commentary #456
3 July 2010

The way it really is

I have always felt sorry for those who hate to go to work. Such people seek every excuse to take sick leave to miss work. They count the days to the next holiday, come late and leave early. Their work efficiency is low because they hate their job.

Here is a farewell address from a guy who loved his job. It was time to leave and he was going to be OKay about it. But he was going to have fond memories and he was satisfied and proud of what he had accomplished. VFA-203 in a Navy Reserve Squadron.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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A fighter pilot's "Dinner speech"
(A Great Change Of Command Dinner speech by CDR "Beef" Wellington, former USN VFA-203 "Blue Dolphins" C.O.)

Two days ago I closed out my career as a Naval Aviator. The realization is just now starting to hit me, as I'm sure it will the rest of you someday. What follows are my remarks at my farewell dinner. Several of the guys in my squadron had asked me for a copy of what I had written and because it had been jotted down on the back of a cocktail napkin in my weird-assed hand writing and because these things came from my heart, I debated for a while whether or not to write it down, but the response from all the guys and their wives was so humbling and overwhelming, I thought ... why not.

Being an F/A-18 pilot and an airline pilot at the same time gives you an interesting and different perspective. Unlike others, at my airline (NWA) they do not have a history of hiring Single Seat Naval Aviators and as such we are definitely in the minority. On every trip when you first sit down next to a guy, the first volley of questions in getting to know each other always includes "What is your background?" Based on 3 years in the airline industry, I have recently decided to flat out lie and stop telling guys that I am a Naval Aviator and an F/A-18 pilot. You might be asking yourself, why would anyone do that? There are 3 reasons.

One - Because everything that the uninformed population knows about Naval Aviation they got from the movie Top Gun: a credible and reliable source of information if there ever was one.

Two - Because when I tell guys that I am an F/A-18 pilot, the machismo and bravado that immediately comes from the left side of the cockpit becomes somewhat intolerable and I am forced to sit and listen to stories for the next 4 days that go something like, "Mike, did I tell you about the time when I landed my C-5 on a 15,000 foot runway with only 30,000 pounds of fuel in the tanks, with the weather at mins, and oh, oh yeah, did I say it was at night." You gotta be kidding me!

Three - Because, in their state of curiosity, invariably questions get asked about what flying the F/A-18 is like and what this business of Naval Aviation is all about. It is in my futile attempts to answer these questions that I have finally decided that it is impossible to do so. How can anyone possibly explain Naval Aviation?

How do you explain what it has been like to have seen the entire world through the canopy of an F/A-18 like a living IMAX film?

How do you explain what is like to fly an engineering marvel that responds to your every whim of airborne imagination?

How do you explain the satisfaction that comes from seeing a target under the diamond disappear at the flick of your thumb?

How do you explain catapult shots - especially the night ones?

How do explain the exhilaration of the day trap (landing on the carrier deck)?

How do you possibly explain finding yourself at 3/4 mile [on final], at night, weather down, deck moving, hyperventilating into your mask, knowing that it will take everything you have to get aboard without killing yourself?

How do you explain moons so bright and nights so dark that they defy logic?

How do you explain sunrises and sunsets so glorious that you knew in your heart that God had created that exact moment in time just for you?

How do you explain the fellowship of the ready room where no slack is given and none is taken?

How do you explain an environment where the content of a man's character can be summed up into two simple 4-word phrases - "He's a good stick " or "He's a fricking idiot."

How do you explain the heart of maintenance professionals whose only enjoyment comes from taking care of our young sailors and providing us with "up" jets to execute our craft?

How do you explain the dedication of our young troops who we burden with the responsibilities of our lives and then pay them peanuts to do so?

How do you explain the type of women who are crazy enough to marry into Naval Aviation, who endure long working hours and long periods of separation and who are painfully and quietly forced to accept the realization that they are second to the job?

The simple fact is that you can't explain it; none of it.

It is something that only a very select few of us will ever know. We are bonded for life by our proprietary knowledge and it excludes all others from our fraternity. As I will, no matter where you go or what do, you should cherish that knowledge for the rest of your life. For when I am 90 years old sitting on my porch in my rocking chair and someone asks me what I have done with my life, I will damn sure not tell them I was an airline pilot, but rather I will reach into my pocket, pull out my Blue Dolphin money clip and tell them I was a Naval Aviator, I worked with the finest people on the planet, and that I was the Commanding Officer of the Blue Dolphins."

This says it all.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 455

Commentary #455
3 July 2010

Florida National Guard and Declaration of Independence

for the info of FDVA......

Last Saturday at Camp Blanding, my wife and I attended the Change of Command ceremony for the Adjutant General of Florida,....at Camp Blanding (about 15 miles east of Starke). It was a hot morning in the sun, but also a reminder that the Florida National Guard (approx 12,000 men and women) is a major participant in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).

For your info,....the Florida National Guard includes the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard. I am working on a Navy National Guard idea since Florida has more coastline (total of approx 2000 miles) than any other State.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend including Independence Day and the State holiday on Monday. If you have 10 minutes to spare, I invite you to read the Declaration of Independence in 1776(only 4 pages long, ...and attached).....which lists the 30 examples of tyranny committed by the King of England against the American Colonists. HAPPY FOURTH !!!

/s/ LeRoy Collins
Executive Director
Flolrida Department of Veterans' Affairs

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IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abol ishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies;

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

# # # #

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 454

Commentary #454
1 July 2010

...if you care about what happened to GEN McCrystal

The truth is ultimately exposed.

It is still a bit early to get all the facts surrounding the “firing” of the senior commander of our troops in Afghanistan, General Stanley McCrystal USA, but the essay attached may come close. The most pertinent facts revealed may be….. our National leadership is so incompetent and self-serving, the worst can happen in this “perfect storm” of a bankrupt world economy, a mindset of entitlements gone awry, 500 million people in the World hating Americans, and a poisonous environmental tragedy of Biblical proportions is unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

It would appear the inmates are now in charge of the asylum.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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June 29, 2010 Who Betrays Us?
By G. Murphy Donovan

Crystal is not glass. Strike crystal and it rings like a bell. When it breaks, crystal makes a special noise, a sound like the end of music. The other day, we heard the end of a special elegy, the 24 notes of taps, when General Stanley McChrystal furled his flag.

McChrystal was no ordinary infantryman; he chose the road not taken. Rangers are a unique fraternity where only extraordinary warriors thrive. Those who rise to the top in any calling often walk a fine line between genius and eccentricity, and soldiers are no exception. General McChrystal crossed the line more than once, but he never stepped on a land mine until Rolling Stone magazine came to do a "profile" at HQ Afghanistan.

The agent of McChrystal's demise was an effete freelancer who looks and sounds like a prep school refugee. Michael Hastings was on special assignment for a magazine whose usual fare is sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Yet, like Hugh Hefner's Playboy, Jann Wenner's Rolling Stone has cultural pretensions. Those affectations were on full display in the McChrystal issue. Lady Gaga [sic] graces the cover; equipped with a bullet brassiere on full auto. Ms. Gaga is a performance artist whose cultural niche is defined by Madonna groupies.

Like Hefner, Wenner panders to a young and, by their own definition, hip demographic of readers under 30 years of age; both publishers might charitably be described as priapic geriatrics at 84 and 64 years of age, respectively. Like all purveyors of progressive culture, Wenner has trouble separating value and vulgarity. And to no one's surprise, he consistently carries water for the left -- as a Clintonista or, more recently, as an Obama contributor.

From any perspective, we have to assume that General McChrystal and/or his staff was aware of these things and the risks of having of an antiwar zealot in their midst. The key question to be answered is: Who was using whom?

After Afghanistan, a maverick like McChrystal wasn't going to be selected for a political job like Army Chief of Staff. Hard to picture McChrystal, like the incumbent George Casey, making the rounds of the Sunday gab shows reminding citizens that the feelings of Muslims are more important than the safety of soldiers massacred at Ft. Hood, Texas. And surely McChrystal wasn't a candidate to follow Mike Mullen into the political swamp at the JCS. On the Pentagon's E Ring, Mullen is better known for social issues, like gay rights for sailors, than he is for war-fighting. There were no stars in McChrystal's future, either; he already had his four.

McChrystal is a country music fan, so no doubt he's familiar with Kristofferson's iconic line: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." When McChrystal let the fox into the Afghan hen house, he knew which huevos were in play.

Before the Rolling Stone controversy, the friction between the "White House wimps" and the military brass was the worst-kept secret in Washington. Yet the rift, from the beginning, was cultivated by the president -- and what can be described only as a cabal of divisive beltway toadies. From the start, Obama ignored the field commander, refused to define the enemy or describe the end game -- or explain to the American public why Afghanistan "is a war of necessity." The party line had three "soft" features: don't use the word "war," don't mention Islam, and restrict descriptions of the bad guys to either Taliban or al-Qaeda.

Shortly after the election, Obama put on his long pants and fired the previous ISAF commander in Afghanistan -- and then dithered for months over troop deployments. Since then, the White House has been driving on a learner's permit. In the past year and a half, the commander in chief has met the tactical commander on few occasions; McChrystal, in contrast, has met with Hamid Karzai, face to face, over fifty times during the same period. If McChrystal claims Obama is "disengaged" only on the subject of war, the general is being generous.

The hapless Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-NV), told America that the Iraq "war is lost" just before the last American election. A newly elected vice president followed up with very public carping at General McChrystal's expense. If there were ever a toady who should be cashiered for loose lips, it's Joe Biden (hereafter known as Joe "Bite Me" to troops in the field). Biden doesn't just put his foot in his mouth; he doesn't bother to remove his shoes after he steps in something. Biden's advice on Iraq was to subdivide it -- i.e., into three new states [sic] -- as if the U.N. didn't have enough dysfunctional members.

"Team" Obama was augmented by Richard Holbrooke and Karl Eikenberry early on, both sent to Kabul, presumably, to make sure McChrystal walked the "soft power" walk. Unfortunately, neither Holbroke nor Eikenberry plays well with other adults.

Holbrooke's function in South Asia is as a dark swan. He doesn't seem to get along with anyone but himself. In the foggy world of diplomacy, androgyny, and cookie-pushing, Holbrooke stands out. He is supposed to be a special envoy, but his specialties might be limited to arrogance and petulance. Holbrooke, former Clintonista and incumbent Karzai-basher, doesn't play well wit third-world leaders or allied military officers.

And Eikenberry's performance isn't too far removed from Holbrooke's. Soon after arriving in Kabul, Ambassador Eikenberry started to "back-channel" McChrystal, (i.e., send critical, uncomplimentary reports back to Washington). Indeed, Eikenberry's pique seems to have been tweaked because a Brit, and not Eikenberry, was appointed "viceroy" -- a slight he seems to lay at the feet of a Karzai/McChrystal conspiracy. Eikenberry was miscast in Rolling Stone as a martinet "stuck in 1985"; the year may be closer to 1895, and the Eikenberry character could have come straight out of "Gilbert and Sullivan."

On the U.N. side of Kabul, the blue helmets were having a civil war of their own. Norway's Kai Eide and his American deputy, Peter Galbraith, had a transnational shootout over the legitimacy of Hamid Karzai's election in 2009. Galbraith got fired, Karzai got a second term, and Eide took the Quisling special back to Scandinavia. Eide was and remains an ardent fan of accommodation with the Taliban.

These "team" players were supplemented by a gaggle of second-guessers back in Washington, with the president's national security advisor, Jim Jones, on point. Jones' most recent contribution to the clueless sweeps was a "greedy Jew" joke spliced into a speech that was supposed to underline American support of Israel. After eighteen months in office, the Commander in Chief has traveled to several Arab, Turkish, and Muslim capitals, yet never to Israel. Mr. Obama's Islamic globetrotting sends a message consistent with Jones' taste in jokes. From the beginning, the former Marine commandant, like Joe Biden, also made loud noises that undermined or contradicted McChrystal's strategy at the front.

So what's a soldier to do when a president hand-picks him to lead the charge in combat and then allows lower-echelon cockroaches to eat his lunch? McChrystal did what any good guerrilla fighter would do: He let another insect carry a poison pill back to a dysfunctional nest. Indeed, General McChrystal performed one final service for his country: He used a press nitwit to expose a confederacy of national security dunces using the prescribed "soft" tactics -- things like toxic ridicule.

The clincher in all of this is Hillary; she comes off like the Cheshire cat, grinning from ear to ear while the Oval Office tries to put lipstick on another pig. Clinton has kept her distance: "Give him [McChrystal] what he wants," says she. If and when the Obama national security crowd self-destructs, Hilary can say "I told you so," pick up the pieces, and do a pantssuit rendition of what Bobby Kennedy did to Lyndon Johnson in 1968.

Any idea that McChrystal was insubordinate or threatened civilian authority is bravo sierra, as they say in the barracks. The general simply raised the blinds and let in some light. He even helped the young president to grow up a bit. On the day Obama let his field commander go, the president used the word "war" to describe the Afghan conflict. That's progress! Obama then appointed a third field commander in eighteen months; demoting the CENTCOM commander to replace McChrystal in Kabul.

And yes, the new guy is the old David Petraeus, who, when serving in Iraq under George Bush, was vilified by the left, including then-Senator Obama, as a liar and traitor. Indeed, the same news outlets that published those scurrilous George Soros ads now celebrate the Petraeus choice as "inspired." General "Betray Us" under a Republican has morphed into General "Save Us" under a Democrat. So much for politics stopping at the water's edge.

So what's the plan now? It appears the exit strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan is on schedule (according to Joe Bite Me) and Petraeus will be the happy face of at least one success, even if it belongs to the previous administration. Yet the president is still hostage to a campaign slogan, that "war of necessity." Unfortunately, the Oval Office position is already flanked left and right. The incumbent does not want to carry any war, of choice or necessity, into the next presidential cycle. And the Cheshire cat just grins and waits.

All of this highlights the distinction between politics Chicago-style and principled soldiering McChrystal-style. Given a choice between sacrifice and survival, which road do men of character take? McChrystal has answered that question: He fell on his sword. Obama will get back to us in thirteen months.

Stanley McChrystal may have furled his flag, but let's hope he has not spiked his guns. In or out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the threat whose name we dare not speak will get worse before it gets better. When it does, real soldiers will need to strap on their irons again. Keep your powder dry, Stan.

The author is a Vietnam veteran with 25 years of military service. He also writes at G. Murphy Donovan and Agnotology in Journalism.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/who_betrays_us.html at June 29, 2010 - 06:28

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 453

Commentary #453
30 June 2010

End of Day 6-30-10

There is no substitute for experience, and the experience in Massachusetts so far with socialized healthcare is not good. Look at this...

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer

Gaming The System

The state-run healthcare system in Massachusetts has often been cited as the model for ObamaCare. But today's Boston Globe has a very compelling report outlining one of the biggest problems with the program.

One of ObamaCare's main selling points was that health insurance companies could never deny anyone coverage for any reason, no matter their condition. Theoretically, guaranteed coverage works only if there is an individual mandate that forces everyone to buy insurance.

If you don't buy insurance, you're subject to a fine. Constitutionality aside, many analysts fear that ObamaCare's mandate isn't strong enough and many folks will simply opt to pay fines instead of paying the premiums. But once they do get sick, then they'll buy insurance because they can't be turned down. When they regain their health, they'll drop out again.

According to the Boston Globe that is exactly what is happening in Massachusetts. These "inactive members" are gaming the system and driving up costs for active members by hundreds of millions of dollars a year. And that's just in one small state.

This experiment in socialized medicine has not reduced healthcare costs in Massachusetts. Costs have, in fact, skyrocketed, insurance companies are losing money, premiums are going up and Governor Deval Patrick has resorted to price controls.

* * * * *

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 452

Commentary #452
29 June 2010

I am a Submariner

I do not know who wrote this, but I identify with most of it. I was a Submariner also...for most of three decades. Wonderful shipmates.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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DIVE DIVE

I served on the Holland over a century ago.
I still serve to this day on the Trident, Los Angeles & Seawolf class boats and look forward to shipping on the Virginia, Texas, and Hawaii.
Places like Fremantle, Rota, LaMadd, Chinhae, Pattaya, Sasebo, and Subic stir my soul.
For I am a Submariner.

I rest in peace beneath many seas across this earth.
I was on the Barbel off Palawan, the Scorpion off the Azores and the Bonefish in the Sea of Japan. We gave them hell in the harbors at Wewak and Namkwan.
I am a Shellback, a Bluenose, a Plank Owner, a MCPO of the Navy, a CNO, and a President.
For I am a Submariner.

I heard Howard Gilmore's final order, "Take Her Down."
I heard the word passed, "Underway on Nuclear Power."
I have done every job asked of me, from Messcook to Torpedoman to Motormac to COB to Skipper.
I know "Snorkel Patty" and Admiral Rickover.
For I am a Submariner.

I have twin Dolphins tattooed on my chest and twin screws tattooed on my ass.
I know the difference between a Lady and a Hooker but treat both with equal respect.
I know Georgia Street and Magsaysay drive. And although the Horse & Cow keeps moving I will always find her.
I know the meaning of "Hot, Straight, and Normal."
For I am a Submariner.

I have stood tall and received the Medal of Honor and been thrown in the Brig for being Drunk & Disorderly.
I know the reverent tone of "Diesel Boats Forever" and the Gudgeon's "Find em, Chase em, Sink em."
I was on the Spearfish evacuating nurses from Corregidor and the Skate when she surfaced at the North Pole.
I have spent time in the Royal Hawaiian.
For I am a Submariner.

I have gone by names like Spritz, Cromwell, O'Kane, Ramage, Breault, "Mush" and Lockwood.
I have served on boats like the Nautilus, Thresher, Parche, Squalus, Wahoo and Halibut.
On December 7th I was onboard the Tautog at Pearl Harbor.
I was also on the Tusk in '49 and sacrificed myself for my shipmates on the Cochino.
For I am a Submariner.

I have stood watches in the cold of Holy Loch and the heat of the South Pacific.
I know what the "41 For Freedom" accomplished.
I was on the Sealion at Cavite in '41 and the Archerfish in Tokyo Bay in '45.
I have endured depth charges and POW camps.
I was on the Seafox when we lost five sailors to a Japanese ambush on Guam.
For I am a Submariner.

I tip beers over sea-stories with my shipmates at yearly conventions. We toll the bell and shed a tear for our buddies who are on eternal patrol.

Many pilots have been glad to see me, including a future president.
I have completed numerous highly classified missions during the Cold War.
Because "Freedom Is Not Free," be assured that I am out there at this very moment.
For I am a Submariner.

"The American submariner is the principle reason the bad guys rarely get to peek under Lady Liberty's nightie and your kids don't eat sushi at school."

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 451

Commentary #451
29 June 2010

Overwhelm the American economy, then....

This essay from Barack Obama’s classmate @ Columbia University has a disturbing viewpoint from within. WAKE UP AMERICA!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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WAYNE ALLYN ROOT: Overwhelm the system

Barack Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. To the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos -- thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within.

Barack Obama is my college classmate ( Columbia University , class of '83). As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University . They outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands. Add up the clues below. Taken individually they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant, Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a socialist/Marxist state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for survival ... and can be counted on to always vote for bigger government. Why not? They have no responsibility to pay for it.

-- Universal health care. The health care bill had very little to do with health care. It had everything to do with unionizing millions of hospital and health care workers, as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that giving free health care to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a depression?

-- Cap and trade. Like health care legislation having nothing to do with health care, cap and trade has nothing to do with global warming. It has everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the economy and a criminal payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Those powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE, which owns NBC, MSNBC and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama "spread the wealth around."

-- Make Puerto Rico a state. Why? Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers. But this has been Obama's plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat senators, five Democrat congressman and a million loyal Democratic voters who are dependent on big government.

-- Legalize 12 million illegal immigrants. Just giving these 12 million potential new citizens free health care alone could overwhelm the system and bankrupt America . But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical, education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security.

-- Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go? It went to Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering $125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). All those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America . The country goes broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the means.

-- Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers, redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to deserve it (except vote for Obama). Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes in order to starve the government. Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes to starve his political opposition.

With the acts outlined above, Obama and his regime have created a vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system.

Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme -- all devised by my Columbia University college classmate Barack Obama using the Cloward and Piven Plan.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 450

Commentary #450
22 June 2010

John Adams quote on church and state

A friend of mine came across this interesting quote while reviewing a book about St. Thomas More, a serious thinker on the question of church/state relations:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." -- John Adams (October 1798 address to the military)

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 449

Commentary #449
21 June 2010

Letter to Phillip @ Parris Island

Phillip, just thought I would write to tell you what we have been doing lately, since you have been there.

Weekend before last, your grandmother and I went to the Island to check on hurricane preparation and the oil spill in the Gulf. We had to delay it a day because our ferry boat Captain was attending a meeting of all commercial boaters in the counties who are being impacted by the BP oil spill in the Gulf, especially off the coast of Louisiana. Part of the all-day meeting on Friday was to inform and instruct how they can be helpful…and paid for lost revenue from their lessened commercial activity caused by the spill.

By Saturday when we arrived at the ferry landing, our captain was quite critical of how the meeting had been handled the day before. BP was apparently giving out checks for $5000 to almost anybody who claimed loss of revenue. Our captain refused the money now, but said he would track his current earnings and compare with last year, and submit a claim for the difference…..a much wiser approach. Earlier the same week during the Tuesday Cabinet Meeting, the State Chief Financial Officer (and current candidate for Governor) Alex Sink, was quite critical of the BP practice of paying the $5000; she publically called it BP’s “shut-up money”. Our captain said the payout was quite reckless, and cited two cases of payouts with which the payees purchased illicit drugs and died from the overdose just two days later. Stupid practices plus stupid people equaled death in those two cases.

While most of the emergency instruction of the commercial boaters centered around oil boom deployment, they did not have much boom to deploy. By the time we left 24 hours later, four semi tractor trailer trucks had delivered more booms.

While on the Island, we were fortunate the Jeep ran good, and I added two new gallons of gas in the tank. By the way,….. we are using the same green ’95 Jeep your mother had when you were growing up. It has 110,000+ miles, but runs pretty good. For some reason we cannot open the rear hatch. But as you know, on the Island there is always something to fix. This time our chores included replacing two A/C units and the tool room toilet. We had some nearby craftsmen to help us…then we left the Island on the pre-scheduled Sunday Ferry run.

I had a lengthy swim both Saturday (late afternoon) and Sunday morning early. Both were cool, reasonably calm surf, and no trace of oil-spill in the water. As I walked across the beach to ascend the stairs to the house, I could not help but mutter to myself: we have been fortunate to have this place on a beautiful Florida beach since 1969, but this oil spill may have long-reaching impact on the entire Gulf Coast. That may be the last chance I have to swim on that beach for the remainder of my lifetime. Pity.

The whole family is looking forward to your Graduation in August. Love from your grandfather…..DUNAH

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 448

Commentary #448
21 June 2010

Ink Spill

Here is a clever graphical representation of what our Nation is going through for the foreseeable future. It would be funny if it were not so true.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Red Ink

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 447

Commentary #447
11 June 2010

Flag Day June 14

It may be an obscure National Day to most others, because it is not a holiday……but I think it is worthy of our attention anyway.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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FLAG DAY 2010

On June 14, 1777, the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress adopted a resolution, which gave birth to our National Flag. The resolution read: "Resolved that the Flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

General George Washington explained: "We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty."

On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson announced during his Memorial Day address, that June 14th of each year would be celebrated as Flag Day. "This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation....Though silent, it speaks to us -- speaks to us of the past, of the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it."

Today, our Flag is a beacon for liberty, a symbol of hope for all people who "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed -- that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...."

Our flag flies over a national government, which, at its foundation, was predicated on the premise that it be concerned with what can be done FOR its citizens, not on what can be done TO its citizens.

On this Flag Day 2010, we American Patriots display and pay homage to our National Flag.

To purchase the highest quality U.S. flags available (and support The Patriot Annual fund) please link to http://PatriotShop.US/ (By American -- Made in the USA!)

FATHER'S DAY
Fathers should add tangible spiritual elements to family life. This means taking your family to church, of course, because being active in a congregation grounds you in faith. But it also means bringing spirituality into your home. Play spiritual music. Incorporate grace into mealtimes. Institute regular family prayer and study. Talk about what you believe, why you believe it, and how it applies to your daily lives. Dads, you know you can expect some nice gifts from your families when Father's Day arrives. And from homemade artwork to the inevitable tie, they will be things you treasure. But nothing compares to what you can give them all year long -- the gift of faith.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 446

Commentary #446
8 June 2010

The fragile existence of Israel

If you have ever been to Israel, you can appreciate the precarious existence of that state, surrounded by Muslim states, who want to eviscerate the Jews. They have tried it several times, and Israel has successfully defended itself with the help of the U.S., which the surrounding states understand. If they believe this President is not supportive, Israel will have cause to feel less secure, and their protagonists may be emboldened to invade tiny Israel from all sides. There is nothing in the past which can justify any basis for Israel to trust its neighbors. The cheapest solution for the U.S. might be to offer every Israeli $1million to move to the U.S. during the next year. Surely that would stimulate the U.S. economy...with already educated people. Outrageous? NAH...practical.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Benjamin Netanyahu made the mistake of believing the president is serious about stopping a nuclear Iran.
By JOHN BOLTON

Benjamin Netanyahu's first term as Israeli prime minister collapsed in 1999 in part because he had an unhappy relationship with President Bill Clinton. It is understandable then that Mr. Netanyahu's current government had, until last week, strived to stay close to President Barack Obama.

That strategy would have been entirely sensible if Mr. Obama were simply another president in the long line since Franklin Roosevelt who vigorously asserted U.S. national interests, championed our friends (especially beleaguered ones), and kept alliances strong. But Mr. Obama is different. He is our first post-American president. He looks beyond American exceptionalism and believes that our role on the world stage should be merely one nation among many. Mr. Netanyahu's strategy is therefore out-of-date and flawed.

Israel has sought to accommodate Mr. Obama on two critical issues: negotiations with Palestinians and Iranian nuclear weapons. These efforts have largely kept bilateral disagreements out of sight. But now the suppressed conflicts are fully visible and will either be resolved or cause a serious collision between Israel and the U.S.

On the Palestinian front, Mr. Netanyahu's government has tolerated 14 months of feckless administration diplomacy that has not altered geopolitical realities between Israel and the Palestinians.

Last week's announcement of the construction of new settlements in East Jerusalem while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel was an unnecessary step. But optics are not the real problem. Mr. Biden's response ("I condemn the decision"), approved in advance by Mr. Obama, and then emphasized by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a blistering Friday phone call to Mr. Netanyahu, foreshadows what lies ahead. It won't be pretty.

Mr. Netanyahu's efforts to avoid open disputes with Washington have not won him White House plaudits. Mr. Obama almost certainly believes the real obstacle to peace is not new housing or unfortunate timing but so-called Israeli intransigence.

On Iran, Mr. Netanyahu has faithfully supported Mr. Obama's diplomacy, hoping to build credibility with the president against the day when Israel might have to strike Iran's weapons program pre-emptively. Jerusalem, for example, currently backs U.S. efforts to increase sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, doomed to failure though they are. As time passes, Israel's military option grows more difficult and the chances for success shrink as Iran seeks new air-defense systems and further buries and hardens nuclear facilities.

Mr. Netanyahu's mistake has been to assume that Mr. Obama basically agrees that we must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But the White House likely believes that a nuclear Iran, though undesirable, can be contained and will therefore not support using military force to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

What's more, Mr. Obama is also unwilling to let anyone else, namely Israel, act instead. That means that if Israel bombs Iranian nuclear facilities, the president will likely withhold critical replenishments of destroyed Israeli aircraft and other weapons systems.

We are moving inexorably toward, and perhaps have now reached, an Israeli crisis with Mr. Obama. Americans must realize that allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons is empowering an existential threat to the Israeli state, to Arab governments in the region that are friendly to the U.S., and to long-term global peace and security.

Mr. Netanyahu must realize he has not been banking good behavior credits with Mr. Obama but simply postponing an inevitable confrontation. The prime minister should recalibrate his approach, and soon. Israel's deference on Palestinian issues will not help it with Mr. Obama after a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear program. It would be a mistake to think that further delays in such a strike will materially change the toxic political response Israel can expect from the White House. Israel's support will come from Congress and the American people, as opinion polls show, not from the president.

Mr. Obama is not merely heedless of America's predominant global position. He is also embarrassed enough by it not to regret diminishing it. In fact, we have achieved pre-eminence not simply to preen our American ego, but to defend our interests and those of like-minded allies. Ceding America's role in world affairs is not an act of becoming modesty but a dangerous signal of weakness to friends and adversaries alike. Israel may be the first ally to feel the pain.

Mr. Bolton, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author of "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad" (Simon & Schuster, 2007).

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 445

Commentary #445
5 June 2010

The Star Spangled Banner

I’ll bet you did not know this...but I think you should! LC

In 1931 Congress declared this as the official anthem of the United States.

Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

"Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other elevations that surround a fort. The first stanza asks a question. The second gives an answer:

On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep.
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has failed, and the British can do nothing more but sail away, their mission a failure.

In the third stanza, Key allows himself to gloat over the American triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment, Key probably was in no mood to act otherwise. During World War II, when the British were our staunchest allies, this third stanza was not sung. However, here it is:

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more slowly than the other three and with even deeper feeling.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n - rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto--"In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 444

Commentary #444
5 June 2010

Memorial Day Observance Remarks by Admiral Collins

Steve, I am late to thank you for helping me with my address for Memorial Day 2010, which was a very big deal, thanks to you. Jane and I stayed overnight at the BOQ, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, where I have stayed many times before. I estimate the crowd was 1,000. It was hot, but the enthusiasm was high and the reverence was sincere. We had two Congressmen present, but neither spoke. The Mayor spoke, then introduced me, and this is what I said:

Thank you for that warm introduction on this very important (and warm!) day of remembrance for all Americans. It’s wonderful to be back in Jacksonville, a great Navy town, where I had a 2-yr Navy command 25 years ago.

Mayor Peyton, Congressman Crenshaw (I forgot to cite Congresswoman Corinne Brown), Families and friends of those we honor today… my fellow veterans..ladies and gentlemen:

America has been blessed with freedoms unlike any nation in the world. Generation after generation, the courage and commitment of our fighting men and women... through war and peace... have allowed us to flourish as individuals... as a society... and as a Nation.

The history of the world was shaped and molded by the tens of millions of American veterans who put their lives on hold to wear the uniform, to stand against the aggressor, to bear true faith and allegiance to our flag and all it represents.

Today… as we prepare to add more names to this Veterans Memorial Wall… we remember, honor, and salute all servicemembers, who for more than 230 years, have answered the Call of Duty with their selfless service and sacrifice.

In ceremonies across our state and around the nation, Americans are expressing their gratitude for our departed soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Merchant Mariners.

(Here I mentioned two friends, both combat veterans in WWII, who died in the last few days.....one a submariner, age 97 who was awarded the Silver Star in combat at sea with the Japanese,......the other, age 92, an Air Force Colonel, who commanded the first U2 squadron flying reconaissance over the Soviet Union during the Cold War).

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln spoke of our Nation’s obligation to repay our debt to those who died in service to our country when he said... “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

Today, as we stand before this Memorial Wall, let us again rededicate ourselves to advancing their unfinished work by never losing sight of... and never forsaking... the noble cause for which they were prepared to give their last full measure of devotion.

Their example of strength and perseverance and sense of duty give us further resolve.

On this Memorial Day, let us always remember that freedom is not free.

Let us always recognize the nobility of military service in liberty’s name, and let our thoughts be with the dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we hold so dear. We owe them our deepest gratitude and utmost support.

Let us be most thankful, that in each generation, brave men and women, will always step forward to take the oath of allegiance as members of America’s armed forces, willing to fight and if necessary die, for the sake of our freedom and for the sake of our children and our Nation’s future.

Let us also share the importance of Memorial Day with our children and our grandchildren, so they, too, can learn the lessons of patriotism, commitment to our Nation, and the values embraced by those whose names rest on this wall. And in doing so, we will take our place in the long line of Americans who have understood that it is “altogether fitting and proper” to pay tribute to those who have secured the blessings of liberty for our Nation.

As we depart this morning, please join our fellow Americans in an act of unity, and pause wherever you may be at 3 o’clock today for one minute, in the National Moment of Remembrance. It is a moment everyone can spare for those who bought our freedom with their lives.

(Here I mentioned that by that time, I hoped to be back in Tampa to say goodbye to my oldest grandson, who at 6pm that day would be mustered by his Marine recruiter, and put on a bus with other Marine Recruits for an overnight ride to begin Basic Training @ USMC Training Base, Parris Island SC. That stirred an enthusiastic response, especially from the Marines in the crowd. P.S. I did not get back in time).

May God bless all the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who died protecting our freedom; may God bless all those who serve in uniform today, or have served in the past; and may God help us preserve the freedoms all of them so faithfully and skillfully defended. And may He always bless the United States of America.

# # #

Most of the ceremony remaining was devoted to honoring 6 new names being added to the Memorial Wall of deceased Veterans, which provided the backdrop for the program. These six deceased Veterans were represented by family and friends. Let me say here that when a Gold Star Mother or Wife stands up and tells you what Memorial Day means to her, you had better listen, because it comes from very deep in her heart.....and that is what happened here. A wreath was brought forward for each of the six names, and each of the six U.S. Armed Services. It was a very moving experience.

I would like to leave you with a poem printed on the back page of our program for that day. I thought it was especially suitable for Memorial Day 2010 in Jacksonville FL ("Where Florida Begins"):

EULOGY FOR A VETERAN

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush.
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand on my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

/s/ Anonymous

Steve, thanks again for making a major contribution to this patriotic day in Florida's largest city.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
RADM USNR-RET
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 443

Commentary #443
4 June 2010

THE THINGS THEY CARRY IN AFGHANISTAN

This was recently printed in the Denver Post. It may come the closest to reality for a Marine deployed to Afghanistan than anything else we have seen. With my oldest grandson having begun Basic Training with the Marine Corps at Parris Island SC earlier this week, I hope he does not see it, lest it dilute some of the Gung Ho he left home with last Monday.

This attached article notwithstanding,....for my grandson, we have told him joining the Marines may be the most important decision of his life. He is an art major @ USF, just completed his Freshman Year, very quiet personality, tall and gangly, rarely assertive on anything, grew up in a split family, messy room, long hair, unathletic, assigned to a USMC Reserve transportation unit in Orlando, surrounded by a strong family support unit, girlfriend not supportive of his Marine decision, never stood up straight before, did a lazy job in Boy Scouts, crummy shoes, played a trombone in his high school marching band, motivated by schoolmates who enlisted in the Marines straight out of high school, step mother has a son who graduated from Air Force Academy (now an AWACS pilot), father is an architect, maternal grandfather is a retired Navy Admiral, Mom is a professional athlete (teaches rowing), adoring grandparents. Out of this mosquito-infested crucible in South Carolina will come a new young man........a Marine!

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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The things they carry in Afghanistan
By David Fennell
Posted: 05/31/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

Editor's note: David Fennell of Littleton is a major in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is stationed in Marjah, Afghanistan, as head of the Civil Affairs Group there. Before that, he served a tour in Iraq. His father, Denny, asked David to sum up his experiences as he nears the end of his deployment.

Although I've gotten used to things around here, this place can wear on you. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in our mission and its importance to both the Afghan people and security back home. Still, southern Afghanistan is a hard place.

The question Marines ask themselves most when talking with folks back home is "Where do I start?" There are no easy answers.

Sand, moon dust, terrain, weather, enemy, Marines getting hurt, Marines taken out of action, high op tempo, 2 4/7, working with locals, working with civilians, working with Afghan government, working with Afghan police, working with Afghan army, working with international forces (ISAF), bad food, drinking tea with locals knowing you'll get sick, getting sick, watching for IEDs, looking for ambushes, suicide bomb threats, enemy murdering and intimidating the local population, local "friends" working with enemy, Marines getting killed, controlled IED detonations, wondering what caused an explosion, the kids, seeing bad things happen to kids, bad kids throwing rocks, bad kids taunting and making gestures that you're going to get blown up, locals gaming the system, locals complaining about everything, locals always want more, some locals step up and the enemy takes some locals down...

Sand storms, bad sleep, incoming rockets, burn pits, relieving yourself in a bag, reports, reports, reports, briefs, briefs, briefs, VIP visits (generals, ambassadors, Afghanistan officials, etc.), second-guessed by others, second-guessing yourself, media, interpreters, bad interpreters, not being able to find an interpreter, losing gear, getting gear stolen, keeping Marines motivated, rewarding Marines, punishing Marines, taking care of interpreters, patrolling through canals and irrigated farms, getting your only pair of boots wet, getting your camera wet, Medevacs, finding IEDs, waiting hours for EOD to detonate IEDs, acronyms, hearing Marines in a firefight over the radio, losing communication, incoming mortars, long days, short meals, dirty uniforms, making yourself sick from your smell...

Needing air support but not getting it, taught not to look at Afghan women, taught not to talk to Afghan women, not knowing how to react when an Afghan woman approaches, false claims of Koran burning, false claims of night searches, false claims of civilian casualties, lies, lies, lies, protests, riots, local leaders calm protests and riots for a few prayer rugs.

Taking malaria medication, flak jackets, Kevlar, bad feet, bad knees, bad back, bad haircuts, looking forward to firefights, dreading IEDs, sand in everything, too few computers, no printers, no scanner, generators go down, e-mail goes down, "where's your report?", cold winter, no heat, local gets shot, local comes to Marines for help, is local a Taliban who we shot?, Marines trying to be experts in crime scene investigations, getting mail late, getting mail stolen, not getting mail at all, being hungry, saving the last Ramen noodle, losing weight, bad shaves, hot days, no A/C, sunburned faces and necks, white arms and legs, trying to get contractors to start development projects, contractors getting intimidated and robbed by Taliban, contractors getting kidnapped by Taliban, workers being killed by Taliban, hoping a Marine "makes it," going to memorial services, hoping it's never your Marine, rules of engagement, escalation of force, taking small arms fire from house, having to let detainee go for lack of evidence, running out of wet wipes, running out of water, losing your flashlight, running into razor wire at night, living in the "gray," questioning how much corruption is acceptable, flies in your food, flies in your eye, trying not to be motivated by hate, broken-down vehicles, stuck vehicles, getting caught on an extended patrol without NVGs, did I do enough? did I do it right? and . . . did I mention the sand?

It's just a normal day or week or month out here, but Marines seldom bring up any more than a few of these things to complain about.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 442

Commentary #442
30 May 2010

Letter from the USNA Supe, May 27th

The Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) requested that the President of the Alumni Association forward the following letter to all Chapter Presidents. It is my understanding that the Supe was responding to a letter written by a USNA professor to the New York Times. As a current member of the USNA Alumni Association's Admissions Committee, I thought the Supe's remarks were topical and worthy of your interst.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Military Academies: A National Treasure
May 27, 2010
By Vice Admiral Jeffrey L. Fowler, U.S. Navy
Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy

Developing our nation's future military officers is an important national priority. Professional military officers, and the training and education systems that prepare these leaders, significantly contribute to the armed forces' ability to promote peace and prevail in war.

A May 21st opinion piece in the New York Times, The Academies' March Toward Mediocrity, casts doubt on the effectiveness of our military academies in producing the qualified leaders needed to serve in our armed services. The author of the op-ed specifically states that "mediocrity is the norm" at our academies. I strongly disagree with the author's assertions and conclusions.

My perspective on the value of our military academies emerges from 32 years of naval service to include five command tours of duty, operating with our nation's other military branches and allied nations, and encountering the full spectrum of military operations. I have observed countless military academy graduates over my career and can say without the slightest hesitation that these graduates make significant contributions to the well-being of our forces and demonstrate their value to our national defense on a daily basis. As the superintendent of the Naval Academy for the past three years, I have been honored to guide the development process of thousands of midshipmen and can state with confidence that we provide the Navy and Marine Corps with superb young officers who prove their mettle every day in the mountains and villages of Afghanistan, and on, above and below the world's sea lanes.

The op-ed author seems to base his opposition to the academies on three tenets. The first is academy graduates cost more than Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduates and this additional cost is not providing the taxpayer with a superior product. The second is that a focus on intercollegiate athletics has had a detrimental impact on the academies' "pursuit of excellence." And the third is that there is "an unofficial affirmative-action preference in [academy] admissions." I will address each of these arguments in turn.

The military academies are of course not the sole source of our nation's officers. For more than a half-century, our officer commissioning sources have included academies, university ROTC programs and officer candidate schools (OCS). Periodic discussions that frame the commissioning source debate as simply a one-or-the-other option dismiss the fact that our military benefits from the distinctive qualities offered by each commissioning source. The military academies have the unique role of providing officers who are immersed in the traditions and values of their respective services and motivated to share and sustain those traditions and values throughout our armed forces. Those who enter the military via ROTC or OCS bring their own unique perspectives and experiences, but have not had the same intense exposure to the daily routine of military life.

The cost associated with educating a Naval Academy midshipman is also far less than stated in the May 21st op-ed. When a midshipman fails to complete the academy program and is charged for their four-year education, that bill comes to $170,000, a figure established by the Department of the Navy. The costs associated with educating an academy student are in fact comparable to or less than the total realized costs of educating an ROTC student at select private or other state-funded universities. At the Naval Academy we take seriously our obligation to the American taxpayers to achieve the maximum return on their investment.

Service academies, as compared to other commissioning sources, also have the ability to quickly adapt academic, leadership and professional curricula to emerging threats and changing world conditions. Simply stated, Naval Academy programs reflect the needs of the customer – the active duty Navy and Marine Corps. Since we control what is taught in academic and professional courses, the Naval Academy has, for example, over the past three years been able to quickly increase foreign language and cultural exposure, initiate cyber warfare studies, adjust engineering and science courses, and tailor ethical decision making case studies to the reality of today's warfare - all to better prepare our graduates to serve in an increasingly interdependent and dynamic world.

In response to the op-ed author's concern about athletic excellence, I must stress that the academies graduate physically fit leaders, not merely scholars. All academy students are student-athletes who strive for physical development via daily fitness routines and either mandatory intramurals, club sports or varsity athletics. While it may be popular to diminish the value of athletic competition at the intercollegiate level, the military academies represent some of the best examples of student-athletes who compete at the highest levels. This commitment to excellence on the field complements the classroom, where the Naval Academy continually ranks number one or two in the nation for student-athlete graduation rates.

Our commitment to athletics also contributes to our midshipmen learning about teamwork, esprit de corps and overcoming adversity. Naval Academy student-athlete graduates are serving faithfully at all levels of the Navy and Marine Corps, from the most junior officers to 4-star admirals, including two former Naval Academy varsity athletes who between them lead U.S. military operations spanning two-thirds of the globe.

Finally, I will address our admissions process. The service academies are national institutions due to our mission to produce leaders for our nation and because our student bodies are comprised of the talent from every corner of America. We search diligently in every congressional district for candidates who are well-rounded morally, mentally and physically, and offer the experience and perspectives that enrich the life of the academy and our military. The backgrounds of these potential candidates cross all racial, gender, ethnic, socio-economic, religious and geographic lines.

I must emphasize that we admit only highly motivated, well-rounded individuals based upon their combined excellence in academics, athletics, leadership potential and community service. Applicants compete in a single, fair, structured and highly selective process. Simply stated, the Naval Academy's admissions processes are in accordance with applicable federal laws and based on an individual's performance and potential for future success as a naval officer.

Not surprisingly, the competition to receive appointments to the academies is intense. Every academy has encountered an increase in the numbers of applicants over the last few years. This increase in applicants goes far beyond economic reasons and reflects the fact that young Americans want to tackle the challenge of an academy, gain useful real-world leadership experiences and be part of something bigger than themselves. Witnessing the commitment to service prevalent across the nation, this generation is running toward the fire, not away from it.

We believe the Naval Academy's reputation for excellence – both past and present – is enduring. We seek young men and women who will be able to balance a demanding academic, physical and leadership development curriculum. As a result, the military academies have been and continue to be ranked among the nation's very top colleges. Many educators, guidance counselors, professional associations and the media recognize the academies for their challenging, progressive and effectual educational programs.

Important indicators at the Naval Academy point to a program that demonstrates excellence, not "mediocrity." A 10-year analysis of semester GPA's shows an upward trend in spite of an increasingly demanding curriculum and an unwavering commitment to maintain the highest of standards in the classroom. During this same timeframe, we note similar progress in our cumulative multiple that measures a student's combined academic, physical and military performance.

The number of midshipmen achieving recognition on the academy's very competitive merit lists has increased, including a doubling of the minority students achieving this distinction over the past 10 years. Nearly 84% of the Naval Academy Class of 2010, all completing a demanding technical course load, will graduate in four years. This achievement very favorably compares to the national average that approaches 30% and 55% for the four- and six-year graduation rates, respectively.

The ultimate measure of the academies' value, however, is the performance of our graduates. Across the board, the feedback we receive is that recent academy graduates are performing superbly, and our Navy and Marine Corps are well served by these leaders. The senior enlisted and officer leaders of our Navy and Marine Corps are telling us that when our graduates report to their units, these young men and women are ready. And those units and our graduates in recent months have been called upon to provide disaster assistance in Haiti, conduct anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa and engage in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. There is no room for mediocrity in these operational theaters and our graduates are proving they are up for the challenge.

A recent decision by the Navy SEALS, arguably one of the most selective and demanding training programs in our military, again points to the quality of Naval Academy graduates. To head off undesirable attrition rates in training, the SEALs increased the dispersal of Naval Academy graduates undergoing SEAL training with officers from other commissioning sources. The Naval Academy graduates' high performance and example of teamwork and drive helped to influence their peers and achieve a noticeable decrease in overall attrition within the SEAL training pipeline.

We receive additional feedback from our congressionally mandated board of visitors—comprised of elected officials, business executives and educators who are appointed by either Congress or the President. These very experienced and accomplished leaders continue to applaud the academies' accomplishments, contributions and direction.

Lastly, the military academies continue to do more than simply graduate officers. As "leadership laboratories" for our students, the mission of the military academies has and continues to include an obligation to graduate leaders to serve the nation. Academy graduates have and will continue to contribute to the military and nation in many ways. Whether our graduates serve a career in the military, or assume positions in government, business and education, academy graduates are highly sought out for their leadership skills and propensity to succeed.

The one point upon which I do agree with the op-ed author is that the academies must always remain vigilant to maintain the level of excellence demanded by our citizens and continually assess and monitor our progress. I believe we are maintaining the highest standards, preparing our young men and women for the complex and volatile world they will face and graduating extraordinary leaders to serve our Navy, Marine Corps and nation. As we march forward, we march only in one direction and that is the direction of selfless service and professional excellence.

# # # # #

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 441

Commentary #441
23 May 2010

A new Marine in the family?

Perhaps 6 weeks ago, I was surprised to find out my oldest grandson decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He was not tough, athletic, macho.....the usual stereotype for a Marine. Instead, he had been a trombonist in his high school band, had become known for his artistic talents, and had a retiring, even shy personality. I asked him WHY?

Even his answer was shy...almost apologetic.....He had several friends from high school who went straight to the Marine Corps following high school graduation. They had been deployed to the Middle East in the same interim Phillip was pursuing his Freshman Year as an Art Major in the University of South Florida. He was impressed with their new-found demeanor as Marines. They were confident, improving themselves, and contributing to the National Defense. Phillip was inspired by that.....and so was I.

His father and I caucused on the matter, since he had no previous military experience, whereas my military associations in uniform had spanned 38 years of heightened National conflicts starting with the Korean War in 1952, until the "First Gulf War" pushing Iraq out of Kuwait commencing 1990....i.e. 38 years of military involvement. I reacted to his father that Phillip sounded like he was joining the Marine Reserves for the right reasons, and that we should be supportive. Phillip's stepmother is an Air Force Mom, with a 26 yr old son who flies the AWACS aircraft worldwide. So all the family support fell into place,.....but his girlfriend is not convinced. She was not with us that night.

We had a send-off party for him night before last with all but one of his cousins present for dinner in our house. I used the occasion to ask Phillip to explain what he will be doing for the next 6 months. Already he has been doing intense physical training with his Marine Recruiter 3 times each week. In my introduction of Phillip, I told everyone he had made the decision on his own, ......that his father and I, plus our wives ......think it is a good decision, and that I am sure it will prove to be one of the major decisions of his life.

He must satisfactorily complete the 13 weeks of Boot Camp at Parris Island SC before he earns the title of a U.S. MARINE......at a graduation ceremony the first week in September 2010. We promised Phillip we will be there for his Graduation. He will be changed forever because of this extraordinary experience. PHILLIP, WE ARE ALREADY PROUD OF YOU.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 440

Commentary #440
22 May 2010

Selecting a career

...for those who are parents of teenagers......

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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An old country preacher.....had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young men his age, the boy didn't really seem to know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it. One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects.

1. A Bible...

2. A silver dollar...

3. A bottle of whisky...

4. And a Playboy magazine...

'I'll just hide behind the door,' the old preacher said to himself. 'When he comes home from school today, I'll see which object he picks up.

If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a Blessing that would be!

If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be abusiness man, and that would be okay, too.

But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord, what a shame that would be.

And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a Skirt-chasing womanizer.'

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room.

The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room, he spotted the objects on the table..

With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired this month's centerfold.

'Lord have mercy,' the old preacher disgustedly whispered.

'He's gonna run for Congress.'

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 439

Commentary #439
22 May 2010

USNA=MEDIOCRITY????

Below is a very recent essay in the New York Times from long-time and sometimes controversial US Naval Academy(USNA) professor Bruce Fleming. I do not agree with his thesis entirely,…… but I am glad, if what he says is true, it is coming from someone other than some old Alumni (like me).

Of interest to me is Dr. Fleming’s claim that current USNA emphasis is not zero-tolerance (….of illicit drugs usage), but zero-attrition of anticipated graduates. He suggests a single high standard in admissions should apply to all. Sounds good.

As a member of the Naval Academy Alumni Admissions Committee for several years now, I can acknowledge there has been recent interest in USNA admissions to parallel the Fleet re its current ratios of women, minorities, ……and yes, athletes who are mentally and physically qualified,….plus geographical diversity among the States. If the sole reasons for selection to USNA were academic class standings, SAT scores, and extra-curricular leadership (i.e. a meritocracy), it might follow that any others need not apply.

Having observed USNA officers and those from other colleges/universities working at sea, ashore, as civilians; I believe the leadership skills of MOST of the USNA officers tend to be better at first than MOST of the new officers from other schools, though there are notable exceptions. This difference tends to diminish with experience, though the expectations of the USNA officers tend to remain higher…..based upon my participation on Selection Boards for new Flag Officers (i.e. those with a minimum of 20 years Commissioned service). We should not resort to a strict meritocracy for USNA selection, because we will tend to quantify the selection process and not use interviews where a good selection interview can drill down deep into the candidates’ motivations for a Naval career when eyeball-to-eyeball.

Having said that, I think there is a place for quantifying how the USNA graduates have performed in their careers, and whether there are any indicators where the top (and low) performers could have been predicted somewhere on the front-end of the entire admissions process……..a complex order.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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The Academies' March Toward Mediocrity
(NEW YORK TIMES 20 MAY 10) ... Bruce Fleming

Annapolis, Md. - THE idea of a football star receiving lenient treatment after testing positive for drug use would raise no eyebrows at most colleges. But the United States Naval Academy "holds itself to a higher standard," as its administrators are fond of saying. According to policy set by the chief of naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, himself a former commandant of midshipmen at the academy, we have a "zero tolerance" policy for drug use.

Yet, according to Navy Times, a running back was allowed to remain at Annapolis this term because the administration accepted his claim that he smoked a cigar that he didn't know contained marijuana. (He was later kicked off the team for a different infraction, and has now left the academy.)

The incident brings to light an unpleasant truth: the Naval Academy, where I have been a professor for 23 years, has lost its way. The same is true of the other service academies. They are a net loss to the taxpayers who finance them, as well as a huge disappointment to their students, who come expecting reality to match reputation. They need to be fixed or abolished.

The service academies are holdovers from the 19th century, when they were virtually the only avenue for producing an officer corps for the nation's military and when such top-down institutions were taken for granted. But the world has changed, which the academies don't seem to have noticed, or to have drawn any conclusions from.

With the rise after World War II of the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at universities around the country, the academies now produce 20 percent or less of the officers in each service, at an average cost to taxpayers of nearly half a million dollars per student, more than four times what an R.O.T.C.-trained officer costs.

The institutions are set on doing things their own way, yet I know of nobody in the Navy or other services who would argue that graduates of Annapolis or West Point are, as a group, better than those who become officers through other programs. A student can go to a civilian school like Vanderbilt, major in art history (which we don't offer), have the usual college social experience and nightlife (which we forbid), be commissioned through R.O.T.C. - and apparently be just as good an officer as a Naval Academy product.

Instead of better officers, the academies produce burned-out midshipmen and cadets. They come to us thinking they've entered a military Camelot, and find a maze of petty rules with no visible future application. These rules are applied inconsistently by the administration, and tend to change when a new superintendent is appointed every few years. The students quickly see through assurances that "people die if you do X" (like, "leave mold on your shower curtain," a favorite claim of one recent administrator). We're a military Disneyland, beloved by tourists but disillusioning to the young people who came hoping to make a difference.

In my experience, the students who find this most demoralizing are those who have already served as Marines and sailors (usually more than 5 percent of each incoming class), who know how the fleet works and realize that what we do on the military-training side of things is largely make-work. Academics, too, are compromised by the huge time commitment these exercises require. Yes, we still produce some Rhodes, Marshall and Truman Scholars. But mediocrity is the norm.

Meanwhile, the academy's former pursuit of excellence seems to have been pushed aside by the all-consuming desire to beat Notre Dame at football (as Navy did last year). To keep our teams in the top divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, we fill officer-candidate slots with students who have been recruited primarily for their skills at big-time sports. That means we reject candidates with much higher predictors of military success (and, yes, athletic skills that are more pertinent to military service) in favor of players who, according to many midshipmen who speak candidly to me, often have little commitment to the military itself.

It's no surprise that recruited athletes have been at the center of recent scandals, including a linebacker who was convicted of indecent assault on a female midshipman in 2007 and a quarterback who was accused of rape and dismissed from the academy for sexual misconduct in 2006. Sports stars are flattered on campus, avoid many of the onerous duties other midshipmen must perform, and know they're not going to be thrown out. Instead of zero tolerance, we now push for zero attrition: we "remediate" honor code offenses.

Another program that is placing strain on the academies is an unofficial affirmative-action preference in admissions. While we can debate the merits of universities making diversity a priority in deciding which students to admit, how can one defend the use of race as a factor at taxpayer-financed academies - especially those whose purpose is to defend the Constitution? Yet, as I can confirm from the years I spent on the admissions board in 2002 and '03 and from my conversations with more recent board members, if an applicant identifies himself or herself as non-white, the bar for qualification immediately drops.

Some in the administration have justified the admissions policies on the ground that it "takes all kinds" to be officers. But that's not really what the academies recruit. They don't give preference to accomplished cellists or people from religious minorities or cerebral Zen types.

We've even given less-qualified students a backdoor into Annapolis - the Naval Academy Preparatory School, our remedial institution in Newport, R.I., for admitted students who are not prepared to enter the academy itself. And if students struggle academically when they get to the academy, our goal is to get them to graduate at whatever cost. Thus we now offer plenty of low-track and remedial courses, and students who fail can often just retake classes until they pass: we have control over their summers and their schedules, and can simply drag them through with tutoring.

I've taught low-track English classes; the pace is slower and the papers shorter than in my usual seminars, but the students who complete them get the same credit. When I've complained about this, some administrators and midshipmen have argued that academics are irrelevant to being an officer, anyway. Really? Thinking and articulating are irrelevant to being an officer?

The picture I have drawn of the academy is not what most Americans imagine when they come to a parade and see all those clean-cut young men and women standing in nice rows with their chests out (as they will at next week's graduation ceremony). Some may argue that our abandonment of merit as a criterion for officer status is simply the direction the military overall has taken - the stress of fighting two wars has lowered the bar for enlistment, and R.O.T.C. standards have also declined. But I'd like to think we could do better.

We have two choices. One is to shut down Annapolis, West Point and the other academies, and to rely on R.O.T.C. to provide officers. Or we can embrace the level of excellence we once had and have largely abandoned. This means a single set of high standards for all students in admissions, discipline and academics. If that means downgrading our football team to Division III, so be it.

We also need a renaissance in our culture. We need to get our students on board with the program by explaining our goals and asking for feedback from cadets, graduates and the armed forces at large. Now, we're just frustrating the students and misleading taxpayers.

Change won't happen from within. The short-term academy administrations want to keep the hype flowing, and tend to lack the big-picture thinking necessary to seeing the institution objectively. Rather, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and other civilians need to mount a full re-conception of the academies: deciding what do we do that's wrong, what's irrelevant and what deserves to be saved. Otherwise, my most promising students will continue to tell me, "Sir, this place shows you what not to do."

(Bruce Fleming, a professor of English at the United States Naval Academy, is the author of the forthcoming "Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide.")

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 438

Commentary #438
18 May 2010

Coming soon.....to happen here

How did it become a crime to defend one's own life in his home with personal firearms in the once great British Empire? It started with the Pistols Act of 1903.

This seemingly reasonable law forbade selling pistols to minors or felons and established that handgun sales were to be made only to those who had a license. The Firearms Act of 1920 expanded licensing to include not only handguns but all firearms except shotguns..

Later laws passed in 1953 and 1967 outlawed the carrying of any weapon by private citizens and mandated the registration of all shotguns. Momentum for total handgun confiscation began in earnest after the Hungerford mass shooting in 1987. Michael Ryan, a mentally disturbed man with a Kalashnikov rifle, walked down the streets shooting everyone he saw. When the smoke cleared, 17 people were dead.

The British public, already de-sensitized by eighty years of "gun control", demanded even tougher restrictions. (The seizure of all privately owned handguns was the objective even though Ryan used a rifle.) Nine years later, at Dunblane , Scotland , Thomas Hamilton used a semi-automatic weapon to murder 16 children and a teacher at a public school.

For many years, the media had portrayed all gun owners as mentally unstable or worse, criminals. Now the press had a real kook with which to beat up law-abiding gun owners. Day after day, week after week, the media gave up all pretense of objectivity and demanded a total ban on all handguns. The Dunblane Inquiry, a few months later, sealed the fate of the few sidearms still owned by private citizens.

During the years in which the British government incrementally took away most gun rights, the notion that a citizen had the right to armed self-defense came to be seen as vigilantism. Authorities refused to grant gun licenses to people who were threatened, claiming that self-defense was no longer considered a reason to own a gun. Citizens who shot burglars or robbers or rapists were charged while the real criminals were released.

Indeed, after the Martin shooting, a police spokesman was quoted as saying, "We cannot have people take the law into their own hands." All of Martin's neighbors had been robbed numerous times, and several elderly people were severely injured in beatings by young thugs who had no fear of the consequences. Martin himself, a collector of antiques, had seen most of his collection trashed or stolen by burglars.

When the Dunblane Inquiry ended, citizens who owned handguns were given three months to turn them over to local authorities.Being good British subjects, most people obeyed the law. The few who didn't were visited by police and threatened with ten-year prison sentences if they didn't comply. Police later bragged that they'd taken nearly 200,000 handguns from private citizens.

How did the authorities know who had handguns? The guns had been registered and licensed. Kind of like cars. Sound familiar?

WAKE UP AMERICA; THIS IS WHY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS PUT THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN OUR CONSTITUTION.

"...It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.." --Samuel Adams

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 437

Commentary #437
17 May 2010

Billy Graham at 90

BILLY GRAHAM
Current Age: 90
Truth...........from a man the media has never been able to throw dirt on.....amazing!

He has certainly hit the "world" on the head!

Billy Graham

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God!'

Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. (It's worth a try!) 'One Nation Under God!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 436

Commentary #436
14 May 2010

Update on ADAMS Class Museum in Jax

Jim, I am highly impressed with your spectacular progress in making Downtown JAX the final homeport of USS C.F. ADAMS. The brochure is sensational, and I noticed you included FDVA in the support group in the text, along with the FL Secretary of State. Incidentally,......the incumbent has submitted his resignation as FLSECSTATE, so be alert for a new advocate in that office. Let me know if I can help.

A somewhat related matter.......I am looking for a prominent military supporter from Northeast FL, whom I can appoint to the Board of the Florida Veterans Foundation (www.FloridaVeteransFoundation.org). While it would be nice to have a Veteran, .......at this stage it is more important to select a person with fund-raising skills/contacts to fortify the Foundation treasury. Anybody come to mind in JAX?

Thanks again for the ADAMS update. Your sustained devotion to this project is a significant testimony to PERSISTENCE.......

PRESS ON.
NOTHING IN THE WORLD CAN TAKE THE PLACE OF PERSISTENCE......
TALENT WILL NOT; NOTHING IS MORE COMMON THAN UNSUCCESSFUL
MEN WITH TALENT......... GENIUS WILL NOT; UNREWARDED GENIUS IS ALMOST
A PROVERB............ EDUCATION ALONE WILL NOT; THE WORLD IS FULL OF
EDUCATED DERELICTS......... PERSISTENCE AND DETERMINATION ALONE ARE
..............OMNIPOTENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am told that quote came from "Silent Cal" Coolidge, President of the U.S. ...way back when....

/s/ LeRoy Collins
RADM, USNR-RET
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 435

Commentary #435
26 May 2010

Preparation for Memorial Day

Just a reminder --- HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY and a hearty thanks to those who gave all...GOD BLESS THEM ALL!!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


Memorial Day


It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote.

Memorial Day

It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag,

Memorial Day


It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag,

Memorial Day
ETERNAL
REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT
SHINE UPON THEM.


I'd be EXTREMELY proud if this email reached as many as possible. We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service no matter where they serve.

God Bless them all!!!

Makes you proud to be an AMERICAN!!!

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 434

Commentary #434
16 May 2010

2010 Armed Forces Day

Yesterday, my wife and I were at the 8th Annual Armed Forces Day Celebration in Palm Bay (just below Melborne FL) on the East Coast. I turned out to be the main speaker for this gathering of approximately 200 Veterans and spouses, .....mostly from the Vietnam era.

The Mayor and several members of the Palm Bay's City Council were present.....but very few young people. Following several patriotic musical numbers by the Melborne City Band and some local singers,.....plus testimonials from the Mayor and a few others, it was my turn.......

I started by telling them how good it was to be back in Brevard County, ......where I served on Active Duty in 1966 as a member of the Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missile operations test program at Cape Canaveral,......and where our third child was born.....44 years ago (when Palm Bay was a sleepy seaside village of 5,000....and is now inhabited by 107,000!!!). I was invited to be there with their Congressman, Mr. Posey, but he was represented instead by a young man in training to be a preacher, .....so his Invocation and Benediction were lengthy, florid, and very complete.

Attached is the brief message from the Secretary of Defense for this day, some of which I used in my text. I thought you would like to see it, as well. I hope you had a happy Armed Forces Day.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Executive Director, FDVA

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Secretary Gates' Armed Forces Day Message
By Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates

WASHINGTON - On the 60th annual Armed Forces day, I want to express how privileged I feel to be the secretary of defense for a military that has not only shown raw courage on the battlefield, but has time and again demonstrated ingenuity and flexibility in complex and unpredictable environments.

As we draw down our troop levels in Iraq, the media spotlight may wander, but the responsibilities resting on each individual servicemember will grow in what will be a carefully synchronized and at times delicate transfer of security responsibility. In Afghanistan, in keeping with the president’s new strategy, thousands more U.S. troops will confront a ruthless enemy and the ambiguities of a country traumatized by decades of war. Our troops will be challenged elsewhere around the world – whether supplying forces in theater, or responding to natural disasters, piracy, or facing a range of other threats and missions.

The Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns demand an ever-changing set of capabilities and competencies. And yet, every day, I am awed by your ability to transform and succeed in a mission that at various stages has called on you not just to be warriors, but also scholars, teachers, policemen, farmers, bankers, engineers, social workers, and many more – often all at the same time.

Patrick Henry, one of the patriots of the American Revolution, wrote more than two centuries ago: “The battle . . . is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave . . .” To that I would add the resourceful, the intelligent, the agile. I am thankful for your willingness to serve, and have the utmost faith in your ability to face the difficult and dangerous missions that lie ahead. Serving with you is the greatest honor of my life.

# # #

History of Armed Forces Day

Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May.

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense.

# # #

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 433

Commentary #433
10 May 2010

Jack Fellowes, Navy Hero (my USNA '56 Classmate)

Attached is a story of my Naval Academy Classmate, Jack Fellowes, who died a week ago. I last saw him at a Navy football game in Annapolis in 2008, where we had a nice long chat of perhaps 30 minutes one-on-one about life in North Vietnam captivity, ……then, his life afterwards. He had a serenity about his fate, which I found to be especially inspiring, ….not so much from what he said, but from the stoic nature how he accepted it and lived the rest of his life.

This account from the Annapolis newspaper relates some additional tragedies in his life which apparently took their toll……all those other sterling attributes notwithstanding. What a priviledge it was to know Jack, and call him friend.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Read the story

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 432

Commentary #432
30 April 2010

Pamela Murphy, widow of Audie Murphy

For those of us who are old enough to remember Audie Murphy, actor and Medal of Honor recipient from WWII....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Dennis McCarthy
Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010

October 7, 1923 - April 8, 2010
Pamela Murphy, widow of WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, died peacefully at her home on April 8, 2010. She is survived by sons, Terry and James. Pam established her own distinctive 30 year career working as a patient liaison at the Sepulveda VA Hospital, where she was much beloved. Services will be held at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills) on Friday April 16 at 2:30PM.

Pamela Murphy-1

Pam Murphy, the widow of Audie Murphy, was involved in the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center over the course of 35 years, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were a VIP. Pam Murphy died last week at the age of 90.

Pamela Murphy-2

After Audie died, they all became her boys. Every last one of them.

Any soldier or Marine who walked into the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center in the last 35 years got the VIP treatment from Pam Murphy. The widow of Audie Murphy – the most decorated soldier in World War II – would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see a specialist or doctor — STAT. If they didn't, watch out. Her boys weren't Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn't matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her. She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always "Mister." Respect came with the job. "Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy," said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years. "Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor's office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn't matter to Mrs. Murphy. "Only her boys mattered. She was our angel."

Last week, Sepulveda VA's angel for the last 35 years died peacefully in her sleep at age 90.

"She was in bed watching the Laker game, took one last breath, and that was it," said Diane Ruiz, who also worked at the VA and cared for Pam in the last years of her life in her Canoga Park apartment. It was the same apartment Pam moved into soon after Audie died in a plane crash on Memorial Day weekend in 1971. Audie Murphy died broke, squandering million of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women. "Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero," Pam told me. She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment - taking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband's debts. At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy's widow. It was like saying Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you," they said, over and over.

The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie's memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam. She hated the spotlight. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran's Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no. "Honor them, not me," she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. "They're the ones who deserve it." The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said. Incredibly, in 2002, Pam's job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered "excess staff." "I don't think helping cut down on veterans' complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff," she told me. Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates. Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered "excess staff." She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87. "The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project. Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.

Funeral services for Pam Murphy will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the chapel at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. Dennis McCarthy's column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 431

Commentary #431
29 April 2010

Women to begin serving on Navy subs in 2011, officials say

The attached article re women serving in U.S. nuclear submarines seems to be the issue du jour. Having served many years in submarines at sea, I think I understand what is going on here. One of the few plausible reasons to say no is the cost of reconfiguring living accommodations.

If this new policy is allowed to evolve as described in the attached article, I think it will work so long as it is allowed to progress slowly according to a plan as described here. I think it would be wonderful to serve with female shipmates who are qualified exactly the same as the men. The biggest problem may arise if their presence becomes a distraction, because distractions have no place in a combat environment.

Some say there have been a disproportionate number of pregnancies aboard surface ships, where women have been serving for almost 20 years. If that turns out to be the case, the policy should be reigned in and cancelled. But for now, we must give it a chance to work.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy Reserve (Ret.)

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Women to begin serving on Navy subs in 2011, officials say
By Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Producer
April 29, 2010

(CNN) -- The first women to serve on U.S. Navy submarines are expected to be on the job by fall of 2011, Navy officials said Thursday, ushering in a policy change to what has been an elite service open only to men since the start of the modern Navy's submarine program.

While Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the change last month, the Navy had to wait for Congress to review and approve the policy change over a 30-day period which ended at midnight Thursday morning.

The official announcement came later Thursday from the commander of Submarine Group 10, Rear Adm. Barry Bruner, during a news conference at the Navy submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia.

The first women chosen for the program will be selected by the Navy among upcoming graduates from the Naval Academy, the collegiate Reserves Officer Training Corps -- also known as ROTC -- and officer candidate schools.

Those women will go through the intensive 15-month submarine officer training program, which includes nuclear power school, submarine training, and the Submarine Officer Basic Course.

The Navy will implement the policy change by assigning three female officers to eight different crews of guided-missile attack and ballistic-missile submarines. The assignments involve two submarines on the East Coast and two on the West Coast, according to Navy officials.

Smaller, fast-attack submarines are considered to be too small to accommodate the necessary infrastructure change in living quarters that is possible on the larger subs, Navy officials explained.

Integrating female officers into the submarine squadrons is the first phase of the policy change. Including female enlisted sailors into the crews will take place in a second phase in the coming years, the officials said.

Women joined the crews of the Navy's surface ships in 1994, but officials had previously cited limited privacy and the cost of reconfiguring the vessels in arguing against their joining sub crews.

The change in policy was recommended by the top naval officer, Adm. Gary Roughead; the secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus; and Gates. No Navy leaders opposed the plan, officials said.

"The young women that have come up to me since we announced our intention to change the policy have such great enthusiasm," Roughead said in a statement Thursday.

"There are extremely capable women in the Navy who have the talent and desire to succeed in the submarine force," Mabus added in the same statement.

Women make up 15 percent of the active duty Navy: 52,446 of 330,700 sailors in the service, according to Navy statistics.

Female sailors still cannot serve in the elite SEAL program, because those are considered frontline combat unit positions. Similar regulations in the other branches of the military also prevent women from serving in combat positions.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 430

Commentary #430
28 April 2010

Naval Aviation Spectacular

As an airplane fan, you will like this. The pilot of this historic feat in Naval Aviation is a Naval Academy Classmate of mine, and resides in Charleston.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Jim . . . The webpage below describing your C-130 landing on Forrestal (with video) was found by one of my USS Cobbler (SS344) crew members and forwarded to the Cobbler submariners who attended our recent reunion in Charleston. . . demonstrating that submariners can appreciate extraordinary accomplishments, wherever they occur.

Bud

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 7:30 PM
Subject: Fw: Blue Angels

I received this from Captain Alexander. As the Captain notes, RADM Flatley spoke to the Cobbler reunion group during the memorial service on board the USS Yorktown at Patriot's Point.

I'm sure there were more than a few nervous sailors when Admiral Flatley landed his C130 on an aircraft carrier. The story of that accomplishment is at THIS LINK.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 429

Commentary #429
26 April 2010

Haiti hell continues months after earthquake

So you think you have it tough...read this.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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(Sunday Times, UK, April 25, 2010)
Haiti hell continues months after earthquake
The dust has settled, the news crews have gone, and gangs are seizing the aid. Do Haitians have any hope left?
By A.A. Gill

Children's wards in emergency hospitals don't get any easier. Knowing what to expect just makes it worse. But I've learnt not to talk. You just can't trust your voice. And don't let them see you choke. The one thing they really don't need is any more expensively imported western tears.

The tented wards of this make-do hospital are pitched in the courtyard of an old concrete-and-brick one that was untouched by the earthquake, perhaps protected by the little icon of the Virgin Mary. The sick and injured won't go back inside. They're terrified of another shock, of being trapped in their beds under this sorry, suspended, crushing weight. So it hangs empty.

Outside is the Cité Soleil, on the edge of Port-au-Prince, which was, even before the earthquake, the worst place to be a child on Earth. This corrugated slum, built of slime and shit, with its open veins of infectious effluent, is also, by a fathomless irony, shaken but unshriven by the hand of God. It still sprawls triumphant, in all its malignant, blighted horror.

The maternity tent is a mixed, sweet-and-salt place. Babies are all blessings, tokens of hope, and most mothers lie on their little camp beds, safe for the moment in the bubble of relief and joy that birth brings. But this is no time or place to be an infant or a new mother. Most of these women have lost family, their own mothers, and have no homes to return to.

A woman sits, bent and shrouded in misery, on her lap a tiny sprite of a thing, baggy in its own skin. His eyes flutter, head lolls, too heavy for the spindly neck. I've seen this before, this mite, havering in the doorway of life. A doctor whispers that he has hydrocephalus. An hour or so away, in Florida, they'd fit a pipe in his head and drain the liquid. "But we can't do it here, and anyway, he'd need regular medical help over years. That isn't available."

His prognosis? The doctor shrugs. The little heart pounds in its chest, the stubborn breath stretches the ribs. Only when it's hopeless, when death waits impatient in the corner for the final count, do you truly comprehend how tenaciously fierce, how brave the imperative mechanics and the vital spark of life are.

In the cot next to the dying child is a bright little boy wedged between cushions. He has huge eyes and beams up at me, holding out his arms. "He likes to be hugged," says a Belgian logistician. "He trusts everybody. He was left in a rubbish bin." A Haitian rubbish bin, a post-apocalyptic cess-skip. He was missing a finger. "Probably eaten by rats", which is not as nightmarishly rare as you might think. Rats come in the night and eat toes, fingers, sometimes noses. He is about nine months old.

This isn't a newly unwanted child — not a guilty secret or a family sin. Someone looked after this little lad for as long as they possibly could, and then in the midst of horror, of death and the earth-moving despair, they made him rubbish. He chuckles and stretches his hands out to me, and I know that if I pick him up it will be impossible to ever put him down again. What have you called him, I ask. "Herod." Say that again? "Herod." You named this child after the man who ordered the murder of the innocents? There is no tragedy so utter that a Belgian, with the best will in the world, can't make worse.

This earthquake was a women's tragedy. It was of course a nation's tragedy, but it leant particularly heavily on women. There are no figures, but it seems that more women died than men. It was the time of day, the late afternoon, women were at home cooking, making the children's tea, when the sky fell. In the amputees' wards my rough count finds twice as many women as men, and the hospitals are beginning to see an increase in the number of rape victims. There is a lot of muttered gossip about the vulnerability of girls, their families smashed, orphaned, foisted on neighbours and distant relatives in overcrowded camps, themselves mostly built and maintained by women, who still do all the washing, cleaning and cooking and protect the young.

On the benches, women wait to see the doctor. Quiet and serene, they hold each others' hands and mantle wan children with their arms, hard, capable fingers resting in laps, their faces ironed by grief, set with a brutal resolve. There's something else I've seen before that's difficult to explain; there is a terrible, calm beauty in calamity.

I was last in Haiti for its despairing bicentennial in 2004. It was the most frightening place I'd ever been to. I was gassed, shot at, threatened with voodoo zombies; there were bodies in the streets. I watched the army beat up students, and a lad was shot and killed in a gang fight in front of me. The streets were run by trucks of thugs and murderers known as the Chimères. It's said they were paid by President Aristide, a one-time Catholic priest who was rumoured to pound live babies in a mortar and pestle to make the voodoo that kept him in power. The place seethed with fury and lashings of violence. It wasn't anarchy. Anarchy implies a philosophy, a rough purpose.

It was a howling chaos. The one belief that united most Haitians was the conviction that the country was, and always had been, cursed. As I left, I thanked God I'd never have to come back to this black and benighted place. Be careful what you're grateful for — you may get seconds.

The new airport is a surly chaos of duffel bags and boxes. Most of the people milling helplessly appear to be groups of American fundamentalist Christians. There are a lot of kids on God-sanctioned adventures dressed in African safari gear and T-shirts proclaiming their goodness. They are excited and crass. The other half are Haitians returning home to find family, to pick through rubble, bringing money and blankets and CD players. We were held up on the runway in Miami for three hours; a group of excited Baptists passed huge bags of beef jerky over the heads of the people they were coming to offer holy succour to.

The fenced-off airfield is a vast dump of stuff: military tents, warehouses, helicopters and equipment. There are hundreds of charities here, NGOs, international bodies, thousands of workers, volunteers, professionals, some more useful than others. They all need beds, food, water, western sanitation. The first concern of all these organisations is the health and safety of their members — an enormous amount of the logistics is used to support the purveyors of logistics and the mongers of prayer.

The American army and the UN police and peacekeepers sit behind their barbed wire, maintaining themselves with a bored, grumpy, fat indolence, occasionally motoring up the road in armoured personnel carriers and mirrored Ray-Bans. They don't go to the plastic-and-tarpaulin cities if they can help it. And they can help it most of the time.

At first sight, Port-au-Prince looks remarkably as I remember it — even before the disaster it was the crumbliest, most backward and pitiful capital in the western hemisphere. As we get into town, I start to notice the collapsed buildings. Tectonic plates are capricious in their choices. Random houses fall in on themselves; their neighbours remain upright. Buildings pushed onto their sides split open to reveal the eerily empty dollhouse rooms of domestic probity. Rubble spews into the street in great, emetic mounds. Electric cables swag the traffic, supermarkets, offices, hotels, the presidential palace, cathedrals, all rent and laid low by Haiti's geology.

On hillsides, the poorest breeze-block-and-concrete homes have collapsed into forlorn heaps, throwing up pathetically mutilated furniture, ragged, bright clothes, crockery, shoes, shattered ornaments, kitchen utensils, shredded books and fluttering photographs of the dead, all like a bitter harvest of chattels. It looks so insignificant. So undramatic. So bereft of gravitas and dignity — just annoying rubble. The air is hot and heavy with moisture, stiff with the stench of rot and dung, and sometimes you stumble into the sickly-sweet stink that is unforgettably a corpse. The smell of departed souls, the gagging odour of sanctity. Bodies still lie entombed under slabs. Nobody knows how many.

Just to get this straight, lest we forget, this is the greatest, most cataclysmic disaster of the modern era. The worst natural organic event since the demise of Christ. The official death toll is somewhere around 230,000. Local people think it's much higher. If you're into top-10 lists of misery, you might argue that the Asian tsunami was worse, but that was spread over two continents. This happened in the space between London and Brighton in a nation of barely 10m.

The survivors do their living in the streets. On every piece of flat land, there are lean-tos and shacks. The bivouacs of the displaced choke petrol-station forecourts and lay-bys. The parks are like human beehives. Laundry is strung from trees, charcoal fires smoke, pigs and chickens pick through the syrupy rubbish. Ranks of throat-searing portable loos cling to the outskirts in a vain attempt to stop the shit infecting everything.

As there is no regular or clean water, it has to be brought to the city every day by tanker. Urchins sell small plastic bags of water that tastes of chlorine. This doesn't feel like it's a short flight from Florida, or one half of an island that is a golf-strewn, five-star holiday getaway. Haiti has always seemed more African than Caribbean. It's like Accra or Freetown. Haiti has held onto its slave roots, the dark pride of being the very first black republic. The first black army to defeat a white one since Hannibal. The only non-European army to lay Napoleon low. The French extracted a terrible price for this humiliation. They took Haiti's entire hardwood forest as reparation, which led to the worst soil erosion of any country in the world. Now the main industry is aid, drug- and gun-running, and stitching cheap T-shirts.

The first wave of disaster relief has departed, and with it the news crews. I can find only a desk man for AFP diligently trying to rustle up a story a day, and a camera crew from Al Jazeera. Contrarily, and without apparent irony, the preferred story in a natural catastrophe is a good-news one: miraculous rescues and escapes, acts of heroism and bravery, selfless rescue workers from Rotherham, sniffer dogs from Barking, saintly surgeons from Surbiton. As the hope of more wide-eyed victims being plucked from the grave diminishes, as the disaster medics wrap up their kit and go, so too do the 24-hour rolling-news teams. This is very expensive stuff, and nobody has the budget or the audience for the grim, dull depression of resurrection.

The emergency hospitals are no longer dealing with trauma. They have to see to the grind of exacerbated poverty, the infantile diarrhoea, the constant respiratory problems, the infections and sores. In the makeshift hospital run by the Swiss, the most common complaint they're treating is Mups — Multiple, Unexplained Physical Symptoms. Aka grief. Or the need for a bed. Or the yearning for some attention, or the hope of a pill that might make it all right.

A young doctor, eyes bright with messianic ire, tells me about the initial response to the crisis: "We are finding people in the shanty slums with the metal armatures, the rods, the broken legs still in place. People holding their medical notes who were treated and dumped. There is a woman we found living in a plastic-bag tent. She had fourth-stage breast cancer. In the West it would be considered too far gone to operate, but someone flew her to the Dominican Republic, gave her a mastectomy, stitched her with metal staples and somehow brought her back and left her in Port-au-Prince. She has a CD with her medical records. A CD. Her wound is infected — we don't have the equipment to remove the staples. She is still dying. Who could do that? And the people the Americans took away — the ones with crush injuries, the respiratory trauma, who needed breathing tubes. They went to the aircraft carrier. Where is it? Gone. Where are the patients?"

There was so much haphazard, arbitrary emergency medicine, so many children flown around the globe towing film crews. Surgeons and doctors from rich, first-world hospitals took pride in giving first-world treatment, began long courses of drugs and procedures that nobody can afford, from pharmacies that don't exist. There was an assumption that someone else would arrive in their wake and turn this into a real, functioning country.

There are hundreds and hundreds of amputees. The most common injury among survivors is the guillotining of an arm or a leg, severed by a wall or a ceiling. There are many children without feet or hands. The amputations were done quickly; victims had often been lying for hours or days, crushed. Now that they have to be given prosthetics, the long process of rehabilitation, of exercising atrophied muscles, must start. A lot of stumps were left raw and weak. The victims have to have their legs re-amputated. A woman wails beside a bed, waving her hands, imploring God. Her husband and sons are dead. She is with her daughter, who lost a leg and now must have it cut again. Is there no end to the pain, to the disappointment? She cries hopelessly.

But medicine is no longer the most pressing concern. There is a boiling, unreported problem with logistics. It's getting practical aid to the millions who live under plastic. This is the second wave of the disaster. If they drive a truck full of tents, or buckets, or beans — just about anything — into a refugee camp, there is a riot. The charity workers are bullied and beaten, the goods are fought over, destroyed, stolen, to reappear again on the black market. There is no infrastructure, no order, no way to distribute aid. The government has no power. The NGOs are young volunteers who can't police themselves; the UN and the Americans have no mandate or desire to get physical; and the victims, struggling every day without practical help, grow angrier.

They know that huge amounts of money have been given for their relief, they know that third-rate pop stars and reality-show contestants are covering saccharine power ballads for their benefit, that stand-up comedians and over-the-hill soap-opera actors are running marathons on their behalf, but they're not seeing it. What they see are streets jammed with 4x4s in the branded logos of charity, driven by white kids.

This is a country that has only ever existed as a kleptocracy — a masterclass in corruption. Everyone knows that the money, the goods must have been stolen by businessmen, by charities, by American Christians, and they're being sold. So people are beginning to take desperate measures — they have started kidnapping white aid workers as a lever to get back what should be theirs. This is also kept unreported.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), whom I travelled with, have just had two nurses kidnapped. They were freed after a few days, unharmed. MSF say no ransom was paid — they never pay. The police say someone paid. There are rumours about other NGOs; nobody wants to make this public, but executed bodies have appeared, and it changes the whole shape of the problem — makes everything much, much more fraught, much harder, more cautious, and slower.

The two or three expensive hotels left in the old colonial part of the city are packed. Not with charity workers but born-again baby-nappers and businessmen, here to make an opportunity out of a disaster. There is a good deal of potential here — a lot of money to be spent. Sharp-eyed buccaneers sell phone masts and digging equipment. Experts hawk their expertise. T-shirt moguls are in the market for T-shirts.

A half-trashed, ferrety little expat Englishman buttonholes me at a bar. He's selling protection: "I cover all of Latin America." He's doing a brisk trade in bodyguards, drivers, kidnap insurance, all the belt-and-braces kit of paranoia. It's expensive but, he says, charities pay to protect their staff, or rather the people who pay charities pay. It all comes out of the aid budget.

He nods at a large and threatening Haitian standing in a corner. "There's my security. Of course he carries a gun — probably won't need it, but I wouldn't go out after dark without him." I gave the bloke a long look. I wouldn't go out after dark with him. "You should think about it," he says. "You're high-profile, work for a rich international company." Thanks, but I think I'll stick with my tried-and-tested strategy. "Oh yeah, what's that?" Hysterical begging and soiling myself.

We drive to the outskirts of the Cité Soleil to deliver tents to a small community. On the way, we pass ghost camps: smart local entrepreneurs put up fake rag towns, like venus flytraps, to catch unwary charities. There are signs on the road saying simply "Help". The distribution has taken days to arrange. The community appointed a leader, a dignified and stalwart woman. There is a list of which families will get tents. The team of MSF workers hold a masterclass in putting them up. The community has spent a couple of days clearing the land; they've organised their own security. It's friendly and jolly, but it's an awful lot of work for a very small distribution.

Getting here, we drove up the wrong road and came across a gang from the slum, their faces obscured with scarves and balaclavas. They cut the attitude of hard men the third world over, and turned us back. They're guarding the city's landfill, a broad plain of smoking detritus, the stuff that has been thrown away a dozen times before it gets here. This is their fiefdom, the last scavengers at the end of a long train of disposable, replaceable western civilisation, the violent vigilantes of filth. And underneath the smoking, stinking field that is their harvest, are bulldozed 100,000 mangled corpses.

Another winning top-10 fact: this is a disaster that uniquely cost more than the country is worth. Haiti is technically an insurance write-off. In New York there is a donor conference where they're asking governments, philanthropies and charities to stump up $17 billion. That is 120% of Haiti's value. Bill Clinton said that if the international community put Haiti back to the way it was the day before the earthquake, it would have failed. This is a once-only opportunity to build a whole new country from scratch, perhaps to offer something of the good wishes the new nation should have been given 200 years ago.

The big, blue-sky idea is to build a brand-new city. This port is silted up and unusable. For this sort of money they could just abandon Port-au-Prince to the dead, leave its cursed slums to the zombies. But right now, the aid distribution of the tents, the food, the plastic legs, is a race against time and the patience of the survivors. The rains are coming. There is the serious threat of mudslides. Nobody knows how the newly fractured geology of the city will behave.

We go to another shanty town built up a precipitous hillside. They call it, with a marvellous irony, Tapis Rouge — the red carpet. In the ruins at the top of the slum, two boys hold a wailing, ecstatic service of mourning in a collapsed house. From up here you can see right across the city to the sea. The main street slaloms away with rills of red, foaming water, like pale blood. The first thunderstorm of the year has just passed. Everything gleams, the streets are full of people, vivid and energetic. Children shout and jump ropes, kick balls and fly tiny tissue kites. Neighbours sit on boxes, chat and listen to radios. "Hey, Blanc," the girls shout, "bonjour, Blanc."

The girls flirt, with hot, teasing energy. They look directly and quizzically deep into your eyes, with a hooded mischief. They flash their teeth and poke the tips of their pink tongues out. The girls, hands on their hips, sashay and shimmy. They do it not for money, nor from desperation, nor really in the expectation of any consummation, but for the quick, intense pleasure of being able to, for the exercise of their power. To feel attractive, not to waste the terrific force of their youth, and for that fleeting thrill that is lifted out of this grief like a little tissue kite. Flirting is sowing a seed of human contact, blowing a kiss to another world, a moment's light optimism, and it's heartbreakingly touching, and funny, and unnerving.

We slip down the hill in an a cappella clucking of sucked teeth, clicked fingers, skipping songs and laughter. At the side of the muddy track, wet children sell mudcakes — smooth, round biscuits made of water and soil and a little fat, baked in the sun. They are eaten by the starving: fill your mouth with earth, your stomach with the grave.

I have never seen these anywhere else in the world. Mudcakes are a Haitian speciality. We're here to see the slum's head man, to organise the giving of survival packs — a basic starter box of life: a tarpaulin, a bucket, soap, water-purifying pills, sanitary towels, nappies and some food. We find him in a lean-to, sitting behind a desk, flanked by silent muscle and lots of children. There are mobile phones, a telly, a DVD player, a satellite decoder.

He is instantly recognisable — it's the black Tony Soprano surrounded by the trappings of his power. He's amused and friendly, with an edge of smiling psycho-menace. With an air of a man who's rarely been told "no", he tries to make these negotiations for aid sound as if they were organised by him on behalf of his people. The MSF negotiators are firm and poker-faced. He does what bullies do: he pats children and makes light of the things he can't get. His lieutenants look stony. The children weave between their legs like cats. They're all aware that disasters like this only happen once in a millennium. This is an opportunity — they're strung and tense, waiting to catch the wave.

We leave and I ask why they're doing business with the gangs, these malevolent bloodsuckers who've blighted Haiti since the Tonton Macoutes, who make the poor poorer and a lot of them dead. "At the moment, these are the only people who can guarantee the security of a distribution." But they'll give it to their cronies, sell it, use it as leverage. "We hope not. We will do what we can, but it's more important to get this stuff into the community until we can deliver so much it loses its value." These are the hard truths of charity.

The late afternoon light is soft and warm. The distant sea shimmers like lamé. The slum could almost be homely, lounging in the silky red earth. On the crowded street a teenage girl bathes from a bucket; naked to the waist, she's skinny as a whip, glossy with bubbles, and gasps with a flashing white smile, her hands held in a simple, supplicant blessing as her mother pours water over her back. It is a small baptism — washing away the cruel earth, the dust of death and grief, the loss, washing away the past, leaving a laughing girl bathed in the shining, golden light.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 428

Commentary #428
24 April 2010

An Age of Untruth - Five Lies We Live With

This is a very uncomfortable essay to read. Perhaps it is too political to be entertaining, but does it remind us how elusive the truth is these days? If so it is worth recognizing it for what is is. If not, you might be caught in the jungle of apathy.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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An Age of Untruth

Posted By Victor Davis Hanson
Five Lies We Live With

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Make no mistake about it, this is a dishonest age. That our daily lives are purportedly advanced in the cause of the common good, nevertheless do not make them any less lies.

Beware of sudden and apparently reasonable "calls for civility." That pathetic mantra is usually voiced by a liberal administration and its supporters when criticism mounts that they are taking the country too far to the Left — like the Clinton implosion in 1993 or Obama today. I fear "civility" does not mean one should not write novels or produce movies contemplating murdering George Bush — that's sort of an understandable agitprop art. "Civility" does not mean the New York Times should not give discounts to run ads in wartime like "General Betray Us." That's needed dissidence. Civility does not suggest that a Sen. Durbin, or Sen. Kerry, or Sen. Kennedy not use inflammatory language that compares our own troops or personnel to terrorists, Nazis, Pol Pot, Stalinists, or Saddam Hussein's torturers; that most certainly in not uncivil. And it was certainly not impolite for Rep. Stark to call President Bush a "liar."

"Civility" does not mean that we should not spew hate at anti-war protests; that's grass-roots popular protest. It doesn't mean that we should not employ Nazi and fascistic labels to tar the President of the United States like John Glenn or Al Gore or Robert Byrd did. "Civility" does not mean that a shrill Hillary Clinton should not scream that the Bush administration is trying to silence critics, or suggest that the commanding general of an entire theater was lying to Congress in ways that require a "suspension of disbelief." That's needed pushback.

O Ye of Little Memory! Do we recall any American shock when the Guardian published Charles Brooker's lament — "John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr. — where are you now that we need you?" And I don't recall anyone felt that language was getting too heated when Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, fumed, "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for." And was it not The New Republic that highlighted Jonathan Chait's infamous "Why I Hate George W. Bush" article? Of course, there was that thoroughly civil New York play, "I'm Gonna Kill the President."

So, please, spare us the sanctimonious rot about being shocked by conservative metaphors like "lock and load" or "targeting" vulnerable Democratic districts. Like it or not, "civility" has nothing to do with real civility that is bipartisan in fashion and necessary for tolerance in a politically diverse culture. It simply means that conservatives must be stopped in their Neanderthal opposition to an enlightened agenda by any means necessary — by being uncivil to them when conservatives are in power, and demanding they not do the same when liberals run things. All political parties wish it both ways; but in the present age, the media and a cultural elite really have convinced themselves that speaking out against Barack Obama is a sort of heresy while smearing the Bush "regime" was de rigueur.

Diversity? Not.

Beware of the ubiquitous "diversity." Diversity does not mean needed difference, as in a community of religiously diverse people — for example, a Harvard with plentiful booths in the free speech area promoting Mormonism, or ROTC, or support for Israel, or anti-abortion. "Diversity" does not mean 51-49 % votes in the faculty Senate over condemning or supporting the Iraq War of 2003.

"Diversity" does not equate to a faculty department equally divided among Marxists, liberals, conservatives, and libertarians. No, sadly "diversity" is a second-generation word that was by needs reinvented to supplant the Orwellian "affirmative action."

In the 1980s, American elite culture grasped that the old superstructure of racial preference was both too cumbersome and too narrow all at once: Too cumbersome in the sense that too many were asking uncomfortable questions like, "Why are we giving preference in hiring or admission to a Spanish aristocrat named José Lopes, as if he were a supposedly underprivileged Mexican-American who suffers from a legacy of racism?," or "Why is someone in the upper-middle class who is half African-American given preference, and not a poor darker Mohinder Singh from the Punjab who in theory would encounter as much or more discrimination?," or "Why are all these cynical white-looking kids claiming their grandmothers were one-eighth Cherokee?"

And yet affirmatives action was also all too narrow in the sense that should not upper-class women, and wealthy gays or hyper-achieving, wealthy Asians, likewise, be entitled to help?

In answer to both the contradictions of racial preferences and its narrowness, "diversity" came onto the scene. To the degree that anyone could establish that they were not completely white, male, Christian and heterosexual, they were "diverse" members of the community and could perhaps find some advantage or boost in the fierce competition for jobs and influence and money. No one could define diversity, but miraculously all seem to recognize it when they saw it.

The real diversity — that of differences in thinking and independence of opinion — was hardly welcome, and any sort of call for such genuine diversity of thought was seen as hostile and sometimes had to be dubbed "reactionary," "racist," "homophobic," "sexist," etc.

So we ended up with "diversity" meaning "university" — a synonym for monolithic intolerance, for everyone worshiping "diversity" without exception. If that seems harsh, it is also the way things are.

Wind and Solar and Millions of Green Jobs!

"Green Power" and "wind and solar" oddly do not mean that we are going to power our homes and cars with entirely new fuels, at least in our lifetimes.

Instead that entire green lexicon assures us that we can feel good about ourselves by symbolic gestures, like subsidizing a noble wind farm or putting up an impressive solar panel through government subsidies that mask the current non-competitiveness of such alternate power. The truth is that 21st-century internal combustion engines are revolutionary compared with their fossilized predecessors just three decades ago. Like it or not, such engines — preferably in the near future burning natural gas that is becoming more, not less retrievable, and in combination with batteries or biofuel blends — will continue to power our cars. Semi-trucks, earth-moving equipment, and tractors are not going to become electrically powered any time soon.

Nuclear power, when all the acrimony dies down, will be reluctantly seen as the real green power. Again, for now all the Gore-related vocabulary will serve two main purposes: to make those who master and manipulate it quite rich, and the rest of us feel very good about ourselves — all the while as some sort of carbon-based fuel helps to power our cars, or a nuclear fuel powers our homes and charges car batteries, allowing us energy independence and a reduction in pollution. As we see with the current unprecedented shut-down of all air travel in Europe, nature in a second, not mankind in years, determines what we puny humans will and will not do.

Stimulus Everywhere

Recoil from the word "stimulus" — whether used by a Republican or Democratic administration. There is no such thing as an easy, fuzzy notion of instant money creating economic growth. Instead it is a euphemism not for borrowing, but for massive borrowing and unsustainable debt. Indeed, note that we do not even use words like "borrowing" or "debt," but instead prefer "deficit" (e.g., It's only a year-to-year thing) and "stimulus" (e.g., spending what we don't have somehow makes us richer in the future).

"Stimulus" is thus a lie as it is used, or at best a half-truth.

The truth — even if right now we were to go ahead with a return to the Clinton tax tables, raise the caps on income subject to Social Security taxes, have the states keep increasing their sales and income taxes, and apply new Obama surcharges on health care — is that we are still going broke.

Do the math: $12 trillion is a lot of debt ($40,000 for each of us, $200,000 for a family of five starting out in the world — like a second home mortgage in other words). Twenty trillion dollars in just eight more years is doom (like two family vacation homes to pay for without the vacation homes to vacation to).

We are lied to about this almost every day: the government is going to have to cut federal spending in massive amounts, unless we choose to impose a nightmarish VAT tax, and watch thousands of new unionized federal employees spend trillions of hours deciding which item is politically incorrect enough to be VATed.

So when I hear "stimulus," or "jobs bill," I conclude that when the interest rates return to normal soon, we are going to take on Medicare, Social Security, defense, and almost everything else in the federal budget. Euphemism will perhaps again help some. Maybe we can invent new words like "furlough," as in California where it really means, "Since we can't touch your union contracted salary, you simply won't work a day a month and we won't pay you either."

Cuts to Medicare can be "adjustments." Reductions in Social Security can be "refinements." "Downsizing" means getting rid of three carrier groups. "Forward looking" will be ending NASA as we knew it. As solace, at least our politicians will feel that the lying will be of the Platonic noble sort, inasmuch as we will be creating falsity to lower rather than raise spending, albeit brought on by the law of physics rather than our wise intentions.

Illegal What?

Almost everything said in association with "illegal immigration" is false. No, the now stalled fence is not a futile symbol of apartheid; in places where it is finished, it has discouraged illegal entry and reminded us that all counties have rights of autonomy.

Do not believe that "illegal alien" is necessarily a hurtful or inexact term. Everyone who crosses the border without proper authorization is both doing something "illegal" (not a mere "infraction"), and is an alien (not a U.S. citizen; "alien" = "not of this place".) When I lived in Greece in the 1970s, I was an alien; had I overstayed my visa, or accepted work without proper documentation, I would have been an illegal alien.

"Anti-immigrant" is also a lie peddled in service to open borders — a lie by virtue that it deliberately blends "immigrant" with "illegal immigrant" to suggest opposition to all legal immigration. (In fact, Americans quite clearly support legal immigration.) It's a lie by virtue that it personalizes opposition to particular "immigrants" rather than the concept of "illegal immigration." And it's a lie by its emphasis on "anti," since opponents of open borders are not "anti" anything; they are pro-law and pro-enforcement of existing statutes. Those who break the law or advocate undermining existing legislation are clearly "anti" a lot.

Avoid blanket generalizations that all illegal aliens are either criminals or all hard-working wonderful people, just trying to get ahead. Instead, simply imagine what you would do if you lived in dire poverty under a corrupt, racist system and survival was a mere 6 hours a way to the north — and factor in all the psychological, emotional, and intellectual rationalizations that you would embrace to justify your illegal entry and efforts to feed you or your family, either through minimum wage steady employment, off the books cash for ad hoc labor, or government entitlement, or all three.

To the degree we are getting audacious bold people willing to take risks to come to America, we are also perhaps getting people who have little problem breaking the law with the acknowledgment that they will have to keep breaking law for years after arrival. I'll let you decide which plus does or does not make up for which minus in that illegal immigration equation.

To the degree illegal aliens are poor in comparison, not with their comrades back home, but with communities in their new country, is to the degree anyone would be so, who does not know the language, does not have legal sanction and does not have a high school diploma. Racism plays little, if any, role. To remedy all three as quickly and painlessly as possible, one would of course support making speaking English optional, making being legal superfluous, and making diplomas mere certificates rather than proof of rigorous years of education.

To the degree one is poor, is to the degree all unskilled laborers are in a terrible recession, and to the degree any immigrants would be, who, on limited wages, in aggregate send back a collective $25 billion home in remittances.

So what is illegal immigration? For most, it is a desperate attempt by the poor of Latin America to find a better life in America, made all the more attractive because postmodern America has no confidence in its institutions and thus asks little of its immigrants in accepting our own culture.

And for us, the hosts?

For the corporation it is a way to profit, masked in libertarian apologetics, of letting the market adjudicate labor costs without government interference.

For the racial tribalist it is payback for the Mexican War of two centuries prior.

For the liberal machine, it is an instant way through serial amnesty to hook a block constituency and redraw the electoral map of the American Southwest.

For the postmodernist, it is a way to accelerate the end of the old melting pot and to substitute a salad bowl of constantly competing ethnic and tribal interests that can be united under elite liberal guidance to thwart the entrenched interests of supposedly corporate and nativist-run America.

The problem I think right now for the liberal cause is not just the Tea Parties. Rather, tens of millions of Americans have tuned out the sermons, and no longer believe much of what they are told. They clearly do not care for the moral lectures that they are subjected to. Instead, they suspect that their self-appointed moral censors are either self-interested or disingenuous — or worse still.

So how odd: we live in an age of untruth in which millions privately shrug and nod at the daily lies of our elites.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 427

Commentary #427
22 April 2010

Top Ten Iconic Business Movies of All Time

This may be a fun exercise for you; it was for me.....

Business is often portrayed as greedy and self-serving for just a few......and it can be that. I have had the experience of starting some businesses from scratch; some turned out good, and some bad. All were high risk requiring some close surveillance with personal money at stake,...... along with other investors. It is the American way, i.e. high risk....and the possibility (not probability) of high reward (hopefully).

In many cases the money at risk was based almost entirely upon trust for the person leading the enterprise (me in some cases). I find that to be a very sobering responsibility, which any leader must take very seriously.

In the fragile economy we see worldwide today, it is vital that we maintain, and continue to cultivate, the spirit of entrepreneurship, because without it, we will lapse into a government-controlled economy, which is destined to failure (look at the deficits created by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, FNMA, Freddie Mac, and now Obamacare. Just remember, most jobs in our economy are created by small businesses.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Top Ten Iconic Business Movies of All Time
by Katie Loovis

We asked the BCLC Business & Society Relations Working Group to vote on the top ten iconic business movies. There have been many popular business movies over the last century, so we had to stick to some strict criteria. Each nominee was expected to be popular enough that the average person would recognize the movie, have a business theme run throughout, and be any genre with the exception of documentaries (that could be an entire list in and of itself!). We didn't care if the movies portrayed business in a positive or negative light, we just wanted to know what corporate citizens think are the movies that have had the biggest influence in shaping the way people think about business.

The results may surprise you:

10) Working Girl (1988) - Melanie Griffith shows the Horatio Alger story still resonates powerfully in the American psyche.

9) Trading Places (1983) - you will never look at orange juice or pork bellies the same way again.

8) Jerry Maguire (1996) - Show Me the Money!

7) Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - ABC - "Always Be Closing."

6) A Christmas Carol (all movie adaptations) - probably has done more to prejudice little kids against bankers than any other story ever.

5) Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - "You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period." (Christopher Gardner)

4) Avatar (2009) - crippled marine falls in love with alien and thwarts mining company's pursuit of profit while making $2.7 billion in worldwide box office; 3 Oscars to boot. And who says the contradictions of capitalism aren't alive and well?

3) Wall Street (1987) - if we thought "Greed is Good" back in the 80s, what do we think about Wall Street now? The sequel comes out later this year.

2) It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - this paean to small business and American values is a timeless classic.

1) Citizen Kane (1941) - considered by many to be the greatest movie of all time, it defines the idea that being a media tycoon isn't all it is cracked up to be.

These movies certainly convey strong perspectives on business - for better or worse. Some of the movies portray business as a destructive force in society, often led by selfish, greedy individuals (Avatar, Wall Street); while other movies feature individuals who lift themselves to a higher quality of life and accomplishing their dreams through business (Working Girl, Pursuit of Happyness). We see that honorable people can do well and do good (Jerry Maguire). More often than not, the movies portray a juxtaposition - we see business at its worst and best all in one film. Look no further than Mr. Potter vs. George Bailey or Ebeneezer Scrooge vs. Bob Cratchit (It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas Carol).

But who really cares about how business is portrayed in movies? Well... corporate citizens for starters. Just ask anyone at Wal-Mart, Nike, or Toyota if the public's perception of business matters. The public is demanding more corporate transparency and authenticity. Corporate social responsibility, done well, can influence everything from supply chain to strategy, and in the end, and the results can help earn public trust. Strong corporate citizens can be seen as a good investment by all stakeholders, including investors, employees, customers, community members, and regulators. So it's no surprise that more than 3,000 companies have a formal corporate citizenship function. And these CSR executives are working to break stereotypes, earn trust, build goodwill that their business is making a positive difference in society.

So what do you think? Who else would you include in this list?

The U.S. Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) launched the "ten" campaign to help educate the public on the history, milestones, and trends in corporate social responsibility. Commenced in March 2010 in conjunction with BCLC's ten-year anniversary, "ten" is a ten-month multimedia campaign that includes a series of ten top-ten lists, forums, and an interactive portal for the public to talk-back and engage in this national discussion. The next list "Misperceptions" will be released in May.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce | 1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC 20062-2000
www.uschamber.com | www.chamberpost.com

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 426

Commentary #426
22 April 2010

Maxine

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Maxine on Minorities:

Maxine Sez

We need to show more sympathy for these people.

* They travel miles in the heat.

* They risk their lives crossing a border.

* They don't get paid enough wages.

* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.

* They live in crowded conditions among a people who speak a different language.

* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day ~ every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Mexicans...

I'm talking about our troops!



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LeRoy Collins Commentary 425

Commentary #425
17 April 2010

U.S. Submarine Service 110th Anniversary

This past week was the 110th Anniversary of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Service, in which I served for almost 10 years on Active Duty .....and another 20 years as a Reserve Officer (1957-87). I celebrated by attending a memorial service for submariners lost at sea covering those 110 years, i.e. almost 3500 sailors.....in 52 submarines during World War II, plus 16 submarines lost during peacetime.....some of whom were close friends of mine:

Less than a 6 months after I graduated from Submarine School in late 1957, my housemate, Dick, was serving aboard a diesel submarine homeported in Pearl Harbor HI. During a tactical exercise at sea, his emergency-surfaced submarine was struck amidships by a U.S. destroyer. The destroyer kept its bow in the submarine hull to slow the flooding, which enabled all submariners on board to escape before their submarine USS STICKLEBACK sunk from massive flooding.

My next friend was not so fortunate.....

In 1963, USS THRESHER, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine was on a test dive, at maximum test depth just east of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. THRESHER was just out of a shipyard overhaul, so in addition to the crew aboard, there was a load of test engineers from the yard.....120 total. A silbraze fitting in the Auxiliary Machinery Room exposed to full test submergence sea pressure parted and shorted out some major electrical circuitry, which caused the nuclear reactor to shut down. We know from surveillance ships on the scene that THRESHER attempted to blow its ballast tanks with stored compressed air. But at that depth, the sea water was coming in faster than the ballast water could be blown out. THRESHER sunk in water more than a mile deep with All Hands trapped on board.

The President of my Naval Academy class, Merrill, was a new member of the THRESHER crew; he had cut short his leave to report aboard early and take part in the post-overhaul sea trials. That was almost 50 years ago. His widow (since remarried) and some of their children still attend our Naval Academy class reunions.

In 1968, USS SCORPION, another fast attack nuclear submarine, was enroute home from an extended deployment to the Mediterranean Sea when an explosion occurred forward and SCORPION promptly sunk south of Bermuda in water too deep for rescue or salvage. The horrifying part is that no one knew of the loss until the day arrived for the submarine to steam into Naval Base Norkolk VA; the happy families and official Navy welcoming party were waiting pierside....and waiting .......for several hours. SCORPION never arrived. A backtrack of the intended route ultimately confirmed the exploded submarine hulk on the ocean floor; the official cause..... a torpedo on board went awry while performing routine internal checks (I remember the precautions taken to prevent such malfunctions).

The Executive Officer of SCORPION was my Classmate at the Naval Academy; Dave was in my Battalion and he ranked #3 in class standing at Graduation. His widow married another dear friend (another submariner), and they live in Annapolis today. One Saturday when her husband and son went to Baltimore for a Navy/Notre Dame football game, she and I took a walking tour of the Yard at the Academy; one of our stops was the USS SCORPION Memorial monument in the Naval Academy Cemetery. That is when she told me of that fateful day when the SCORPION families gathered pierside in eager anticipation of the return of their spouses, fathers, and sweethearts.....which ended in lifetime tragedies for all involved.

So today had a special meaning to me....

The traditional Submarine Memorial Service involves the reading of all U.S. submarines lost at sea, the dates, and how many lives were lost in the defense of freedom, i.e. the "Tolling of the Boats". A local choir was there to sing patriotic songs, several prayers were offered, a bugler played Taps, and a bagpiper piped a melancholy dirge of Amazing Grace. The setting was the Submarine Memorial monument set between two torpedos in the middle of Veterans Memorial Park....just off US 301 in Tampa.

As the senior ranking U.S. Naval Officer present and Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, I was given the courtesy of making a few remarks. I decided to make it very brief because the main speaker had alread spoken eloquently of attendees present who had made major contributions to the Submarine Force spanning the past 65 years....and who were chronicled in the book he is publishing in the next few weeks. I reminded all present of their noble heritage and service, and that if they had any Veteran issues, I might be able to help.

It was a wonderful experience to be with submariners again. They were gracious to me and my wife and asked me to join their local chapter of Submarine Veterans. I shall probably do that. Submariners are wonderful shipmates, ......highly trained, ......devoted to each other, .....and DEPENDENT upon each other for survival in the hazardous environs under the oceans of Planet Earth.

My commentary above inspired one reader to recite the Navy Hymn lyrics.....

Eternal Father strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidst the mighty ocean deep,
Its own appointed limits keep,
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

And another sent this:

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psalms 107:23,248

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Rear Admiral US NAVY-RET

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THE ONLY FLAG THAT DOESN'T FLY

Between the fields where the flag is planted, there are 9+ miles of flower fields that go all the way to the ocean. The flowers are grown by seed companies. It's a beautiful place, close to Vandenberg AFB. Check out the dimensions of the flag. The Floral Flag is 740 feet long and 390 feet wide and maintains the proper Flag dimensions, as described in Executive Order #10834. This Flag is 6.65 acres and is the first Floral Flag to be planted with 5 pointed Stars, comprised of White Larkspur. Each Star is 24 feet in diameter; each Stripe is 30 feet wide. This Flag is estimated to contain more than 400,000 Larkspur plants, with 4-5 flower stems each, for a total of more than 2 million flowers.

Flag of Flowers

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 424

Commentary #424
15 April 2010

WWII trivia

I think some of these will be of interest to students of WWII.....

They are from Col. D. G. Swinford, USMC (Retired) and history buff. You would really have to dig deep to get this kind of ringside seat to history:

1. The first German serviceman killed in WW II was killed by the Japanese (China, 1937), the first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians (Finland 1940); highest ranking American killed wass Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps. So much for allies.

2. The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. His benefits were later restored by act of Congress.

3. At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced 'sink us'), the shoulder patch of the US Army's 45th Infantry division was the Swastika, and Hitler's private train was named 'Amerika.' All three were soon changed for PR purposes.

4. More US servicemen died in the Air Corps than the Marine Corps. While completing the required 30 missions, your chance of being killed was 71%.

5. Generally speaking, there was no such thing as an average fighter pilot. You were either an ace or a target. For instance, Japanese Ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa shot down over 80 planes. He died while a passenger on a cargo plane.

6. It was a common practice on fighter planes to load every 5th round with a tracer round to aid in aiming. This was a mistake. Tracers had different ballistics so (at long range) if your tracers were hitting the target 80% of your rounds were missing. Worse yet tracers instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which direction. Worst of all was the practice of loading a string of tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were out of ammo. This was definitely not something you wanted to tell the enemy. Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly double and their loss rate go down.

YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE THIS ONE........

7. When allied armies reached the Rhine, the first thing men did was pee in it. This was pretty universal from the lowest private to Winston Churchill (who made a big show of it) and Gen. Patton (who had himself photographed in the act).

8. German Me-264 bombers were capable of bombing New York City, but they decided it wasn't worth the effort.

9. German submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet.

10. Among the first 'Germans' captured at Normandy were several Koreans. They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army until they were captured by the Russians and forced to fight for the Russian Army until they were captured by the Germans and forced to fight for the German Army until they were captured by the US Army.

AND - THE BEST FOR LAST....

11. Following a massive naval bombardment, 35,000 United States and Canadian troops stormed ashore at Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands. 21 troops were killed in the assault on the island. It could have been worse if there had been any Japanese on the island.

P.S. Being a former submariner, I can understand #9. I never came close, but I thought about it everytime the occasion required.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
Rear Admiral US NAVY-RET

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 423

Commentary #423
10 April 2010

Old and new Veterans the same day

Yesterday began with a breakfast downtown honoring the Honorable Fred Karl, and celebrating his new book, The 57 Club. I know Fred Karl from the days when he was a young State Representative from Daytona Beach. He soon identified with my father's efforts as Governor at a volatile time in the State's history, and the two became friends for life.

I cannot recall any public servant in Florida who had such a varied career of public service, e.g. war hero with Patton's Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII (awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart), elected State Representative (1957), elected State Senator, unsuccesful candidate for Florida Governor, appointed Justice of the State Supreme Court, City Attorney (Daytona Beach and Tampa), County Manager (Hillsborough), and CEO of Tampa General Hospital,.....serving in all positions with great skill, sensitivity, and steadfast devotion to the public interest.

Judge Karl and two of his children were present. the Mistress of Ceremonies was a former Chairman of the County Commission during Fred's tenure. Introducing him with obvious love, appreciation and eloquence was the incumbent Mayor of Tampa. Fred spoke from the podium with quiet clarity, yet with some obvious difficulty caused by his Parkinson's affliction,.... now at age 85.

Afterwards he signed my copy of his book. One of his former staffers, a retired Air Force General, told me he had studied leadership from many angles (i.e. political, military, business, etc.) including the great leaders in our Nation's past. He placed Fred Karl in the top 5. What a treat it is for me to know such examples. Late last night I took Fred's book and did a quick lookup of what he said about my Dad. All was laudatory and true to the best of my knowledge.

So, Fred Karl was my communication with Veterns from our past......

Later the same day I became intimately involved with a ceremony in my home to honor a Veteran in our future,....i.e. my eldest (19) grandson, Phillip, was inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve by his Recruiter ......in Dress Blues,....in the presence of Phillip's mother, father, grandparents, uncle, half-brother, half-sister and cousins.

Conducting the ceremony was his Marine Recruiter, a Veteran of combat in Iraq, an African-American who clearly and authoritatively spoke those splendid patriotic words of duty, honor, courage, commitment, and devotion to the United States Marine Corps. Phillip is about to finish his Freshman Year at the University of South Florida, but the next 6 months will be devoted to learning the U.S. Marine Corps.

Everyone came in time for dinner. After dinner we had the ceremony in the Living Room and the Recruiter remained as long as anyone had any questions. He did a wonderful job of orienting us in what Phillip was about to do.....starting on 1 JUNE with a hot and humid 13 weeks of Basic Training at U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island SC. All those present vowed to be present when Phillip graduates from Basic in September.

Phillip is our Veteran for the Future. SEMPER FIDELIS.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
RADM USNR-RET
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 422

Commentary #422
6 April 2010

Ex-POW Recognition

I have known several Ex-Prisoners of War over the years. Two were Classmates of mine from the Naval Academy. Both were Naval Aviators shot down on combat sorties over Viet Nam. Both are still alive in their middle 70s and are among the most humble and thankful people I have ever known.

Over the years I have met many more former POWs. While one might presume they would be reluctant to talk about their experiences as a POW because of the deep emotional scars, I have found the opposite to be the case. The ones I know have been readily willing to relate their POW experience as a demanding lifetime lesson learned. Most felt excruciating physical and mental torture and severe deprivations, but they also had time in extended solitary confinement to think about life, and realize what is truly important.

Many Vietnam POWs returned home in 1973 to find their wives remarried...because for many, the wives were never informed whether their husbands had survived the intervening years. One such example was Bill Lawrence, USNA Class of 1951, where he was the top-ranking Midshipman of his Class, and the Brigade Commander.

Lieutenant Commander Bill Lawrence and I first met on board my submarine, USS JAMES MADISON (SSBN-627), in mid-1964 at Cape Canaveral where we were operating at sea daily to conduct the final tests of our ballistic missile system before deployment. I was the Weapons Officer, so the Captain asked me to provide an orientation on board for an Army 4-star General, Paul Adams, the incumbent Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Strike Command headquartered @ MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. At that time, Bill Lawrence was the Aide to General Adams, so the two of them were together for my "guided tour".

Just before we started, the Captain instructed me to "show them everything", which was significant because otherwise, we were not permitted to take visitors in the engineering spaces (auxiliary and propulsion machinery, nuclear reactor, electrical distribution, etc). Bill Lawrence added fuel to the Captain's instructions by alerting me General Adams wanted to see EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ON BOARD...which we did. It took 2 hours; I was dressed in my customary blue working coveralls, but Bill and General Adams arrived aboard in Tropical Khaki with gleaming spit-shined shoes. But they were serious, so we did it all….their dressy uniforms notwithstanding.

They both were eager, energetic and quick studies for our 425 ft, 8500 tons, 4-level submarine which was about to become part of the Nation's forward-deployed underwater ballistic missile strategic deterrent. My tour was informative for them and enjoyable for me. Within the next year, Bill Lawrence was re-assigned to a jet attack squadron operating off aircraft carriers bombing North Vietnam...and shot down. For most of those pilots and crewmen, North Vietnam refused to release their names and fate, so the families lived in limbo for those painful years. Sometime in the late 1960s, General Paul Adams retired and stayed in Tampa.

I left Active Duty after 10 years and joined the Naval Reserve, and moved my wife and three small children to Tampa, my wife's birthplace. On one such occasion in the late 60s, General Adams and I crossed paths at a local restaurant. After exchanging pleasantries and recalling our tour of my submarine, the mention of Bill Lawrence brought tears to the eyes of this battle-hardened veteran. In 1973 when approx 550 American POWs were repatriated, we learned about Bill and the other surviving POWs. They were gaunt, but happy to survive.

The next time Bill and I met, and talked, was when we were both students at the National War College in WASHDC in 1977. That is when he told me the most remarkable story of dealing with solitary confinement spanning several YEARS. He did it by dividing the day into segments, measured by the angle of the sun’s shadows. Each segment was devoted to a subject, e.g. flying, family, poetry, engineering, mathematics, teachers, friends, politics, etc. Then he said…."when you are undisturbed by the daily bombardment of messages on radio, TV, e-mail, text, advertising, telephone, billboards, etc., it is remarkable what you can recall from your own memory" It is all still there in your mind. What a wonderful discovery from a friend who had spent some of his life in HELL.

Back home, Bill Lawrence continued his meteoric rise in the Navy's leadership. He was selected for Flag rank, served as the Superintendent of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, then became the Navy’s Chief of Naval Personnel as a 3-star Vice Admiral. He was expected to go all the way, but some of the demons of his past got in the way, so he retired in Annapolis.

A few years ago, Bill Lawrence died, and Ross Perot funded a 2X life size bronze statue of Bill Lawrence in flight suit erected in the Yard at the Naval Academy to inspire subsequent generations, as he inspired me. During a recent walk through the Naval Academy Cemetery, I came across the marble monument marking his grave, which carries this inscription: "Grieve not for my departure, but be joyous for the time I had with you"...an optimist and leader even in death.

LeRoy Collins, Jr.
RADM USNR(Ret)
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs.

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April 9 – National Ex-POW Recognition Day

From Gerald Burrus, POW coordinator, Indianapolis VAMC

Some historians may see this date and recall the end of the Civil War in 1865, but April 9th, holds a special recognition for many veterans. On April 9, 1942, U.S. Major General Edward King surrendered to the Japanese 14th Army on the northern island of Luzon in the Philippine Islands. What followed became known as the Bataan Death March. From 1942 until 1979, April 9 remained the day on which all U.S. Prisoners of War (POW) were remembered. The following article is reprinted from a speech given in Washington, D.C, in 1945 by a former POW.

"I know that you wonder what caused the capture of your loved ones. The prisoners of war worry about that. They are afraid their relatives and friends will not understand why they were captured. Those men are captives because of being wounded and left on the battlefield; or having held positions while their comrades withdrew for defense positions, and those of the air corps who have been shot down. Those soldiers are entitled to, and; of course, do have the sympathy and understanding of all of their fellow countrymen. We try to put that over to the newly captured man. It is a terrible depression that strikes him. He thinks he is a failure. He not only did not fail, he carried out his mission."

Prisoners of War Bulletin, American Red Cross, Vol. 3, No.2, February 1945.

There are fewer than 30,000 former Prisoners of War living today. We remember these courageous veterans on April 9th.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 421

Commentary #421
4 April 2010

Consider This....a commentary

Yup. This one pretty much sez it all...

Sez it all

BAIL'EM OUT!!???? Hell, back in 1990, the Government seized the legal Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion, and as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed. Now, we are trusting the economy of our country, our banking system, our auto industry and possibly our health plans to the same nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whorehouse and selling whiskey?!

What the Hell are we thinking??

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 420

Commentary #420
31 March 2010

Vietnam War history

A lesson learned 40 years ago? Not really...and 58,000 Americans died there...including some friends of mine.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Gen. Giap was a very famous and knowledgeable General in the North Vietnamese Army

. General Giap
General Vo Nguyen Giap

General Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader of the North Vietnam military. The following quote is from his memoirs currently found in the Vietnam war memorial in Hanoi:

"What we still don't understand is why you Americans stopped the bombing of Hanoi. You had us on the ropes. If you had pressed us a little harder, just for another day or two, we were ready to surrender! It was the same at the battles of TET. You defeated us! We knew it, and we thought you knew it. But we were elated to notice your media was definitely helping us. They were causing more disruption in America than we could in the battlefields. We were ready to surrender. You had won!"

General Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed what most Americans knew. The Vietnam war was not lost in Vietnam -- it was lost at home. The exact same slippery slope, sponsored by the US media, is currently well underway. It exposes the enormous power of a biased media to cut out the heart and will of the American public.

A truism worthy of note: Do not fear the enemy, for they can take only your life. Fear the media far more, for they will destroy your honor.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 419

Commentary #419
30 March 2010

a U.S. Military legacy

My friends, there are not many photos that grip me like this one does.

This young lad’s father was recently killed in armed conflict with an enemy of America. When he matures he may be a U.S. Marine, like his father was...and my oldest grandson plans to be.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 418

Commentary #418
29 March 2010

Normandy Invasion D-Day 1944...further commentary

Ted, what a moving postscript you provided to my commentary earlier today re D-Day 1944.

I had a cousin who was a young infantry platoon commander during the march to Berlin. John lived next door to me in Tallahassee in the 1930-40s. When he came home after VE Day, I was just 11 years old, so I thought it was sporting for me to ask him "how many Germans did you kill, John?" I remember noticing how much the question disturbed him. Sixty years later I asked "John, have you ever returned to the areas you occupied to see how they have changed?" That question, albeit much kinder, was disturbing to him, as well. His answer was a muted form of "No, and I shall not return there." The scar of war on this young infantry Lieutenant was with him for a lifetime.

At a Blinded Veterans meeting in Daytona Beach two years ago, one of them came to me and asked, as a Tallahassee native, did I know John? When I responnded he was my cousin (who died just the year before), the blinded Veteran explained John had been his platoon commander during the latter stages of WWII in Europe. During the advance following the Normandy invasion, their Company Commander was killed, so another more senior platoon commander got command of the Company. A week or so later, that Company Commander was killed so John got the battlefield promotion to command...at age 23.

John led them the rest of the war in Europe, but came away with the fright of his young life. No wonder he did NOT want to go back and live those horrible memories.

Thanks for reminding me of the fabled Greatest Generation, who restored freedom to Europe in 1945.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Roy:

Thank you for copying me in on this. The photos are magnificent in revealing the magnitude of the operation. It is interesting to hear about the Florida site used in training for the invasion. I never knew that, though I was living here at the time.

There are two things I am prompted to share with you in this vein:

The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed Don Chavous and Jack Chavous, two brothers from Cross City, Florida and sons of the Dixie County Sheriff, went to Camp Blanding to enlist. Don into the Marines and Jack into the Army.

Don served in the Pacific in combat and came home at war’s end unscathed.

Jack became a paratrooper Sergeant and was sent to Benning to train new parachutists.

As word of the planned invasion permeated the ranks, Jack went to his CO and asked to be allowed to participate in the invasion. He was told he had to take a reduction to Cpl to do so, which he accepted.

On D-Day he parachuted into Normandy and was never heard from again. His mother and siblings always wondered ‘what happened to Jack?”. His mother and two brothers passed on without knowledge of what happened leaving only his sister remaining. Sarah’s mother.

In November of 2008 Sarah’s mother, Roma, got a call from a researcher who said he thought he knew what had happened to Jack. Sarah and I got involved, to include my checking the legitimacy of the guy with DoA in DC. The man said he thought Jack had been captured by the Germans, along with a few hundred others, held for several days as they dug a big pit and were then shot and dumped in the grave they had been forced to dig with their own hands.

After the war, the mass grave was discovered, unearthed and remains reburied in the new Normandy cemetery. Those who could be identified were buried with their names on their cross or star David. Those unidentified were noted as to size, etc on the burial records and buried in graves marked ‘Known only to God’. The names of the missing were noted on the curved wall Memorial at one end of the cemetery. Jack Chavous’ name is there.

The researcher had determined through military and burial records that, due to his short stature and small feet, that matching remains were in grave X91.

Upon hearing this, I contacted the American Battle Monuments Commission (which runs Normandy and the other cemeteries’ around the world where our honored war veterans rest in peace). The looked up records and said they could not verify the researcher because there were two graves registrations numbered X91.

Waiting until the 65th anniversary ceremonies had well passed, Sarah and I took he mother, Roma Chavous Beville, along with her sister and brother, named Jack after his missing uncle he never knew, on a trip to Normandy last August. She is now 89 years old and walking with difficulty.

As part of a larger tour we reached the cemetery with a light mist falling and limited time. I sent the family off to look for the grave while I went into the ABMC office. After explaining my plight, they went into the archives of the original graves registration forms and retrieved both X91 files. The director returned with a smile and said, ‘I may be able to solve the mystery’. He went on to add ‘This X91 was an infantryman, while this one was a paratrooper’.

They immediately summoned a six place golf cart with side curtains and went out to gather the family and proceed to a grave marked ‘Know only to God’ but now we knew it was really Jack Chavous. They placed flags and we took pictures. From there we went to the memorial wall so they could touch his name inscribed thereto. A 65 year old mystery was solved at last.

As Paul Harvey used to say; ‘now the rest of the story’.

When we returned to the tour bus we were 15 minutes late and 44 strangers were seething about not being at the lunch place yet. As we boarded, I asked for the microphone and in a few words told them why were tardy and how an 89 year old now knew where her hero brother was buried. Before I made it to my seat they were applauding and some were crying as the patted my mother-in-laws arm and shoulders.

As a second item: I am attaching a power point slide show of some remarkable photographs. The first shows a street scene after the invasion. The second photo, on the same page, shows the same spot 65 years later.

Hope you enjoy. See you on the 8th.

Ted

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 417

Commentary #417
29 March 2010

Viet Nam War casualties, a virtual wall of the KIA

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS....!

First click on a state. When it opens, scroll down to the city and the names will appear. Then click on their names. It should show you a picture of the person, or at least their biography and medals.

This really is an amazing web site. Someone spent a lot of time and effort to create it. I hope everyone who receives this appreciates what those who served in Vietnam sacrificed for our country.

The link below is a virtual wall of all those lost during the Vietnam war with the names, biograhies and other information on our lost heroes. Those who remember that time, or perhaps lost friends or family, can look for them on this site.

Click for Virtual Wall.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 416

Commentary #416
29 March 2010

Normandy Invasion D-Day 1944

John, I thought you might like to see this, not only because of the trove of photographs on the link, but also the comments of Vivian from the viewpoint of a child watching the buildup for the invasion with a Carrabelle FL perspective in 1944. Having seen the D-Day museum in Carrabelle, the "practice landing beaches" on Dog Island just south of Carrabelle, and the Normandy beaches (including the cemetery, and Pont Du Hoc), I can certify the price was high, the objective of freeing Europe from tyranny was achieved, and the resolve of America made it happen.

While I have some doubts about modern day America's leadership on the world stage, I have no doubt about the modern American fighter who simply wants to be assured our leaders are "watching the store"...and making thoughtful and informed decisions.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Thank you so much for sending this to me.....This was particularly dear to me since I spent last weekend down at Carrabelle for the Camp Gordon Johnston reunion . Each year there are less vets from WW2 returning but many were there....wearing pieces of their old uniforms. I spent five years there as a child and lived on the beach where the maneuvers for the invasion of Normandy were an everyday...and night occurrence. We didn't know at the time that particular invasion was in the works but we knew the training was intense. Each night when we left the base and crossed the bridge to the beach we had to follow a jeep with a little red light since no lights were allowed on the beach. Landing crafts, barrage balloons, and soldiers crawling around our cabin with rifles became a normal event. School buses were not allowed on the base so the MP's drove me to and from school in Carrabelle...sometimes in an amphibious jeep or duck. We ate all our meals in the headquarters mess and the German prisoners were our cooks. At one of the reunions I met Herman Blumgard, a German POW that baked my birthday cake when I was 11. This year at the reunion I sat at breakfast with a German fellow that was looking for some reminders from his dad when he was a prisoner. The museum at Carrabelle is quite remarkable with so many of the things that they have found from those days. I gave them things we had saved in the memory of my mom and dad. Carrabelle goes all out and the parade is bigger every year. I never thought any of those guys would ever want to return to Camp Gordon Johnston....it was a really tough training base but our pen pals wrote us that they thanked the training they got....especially those in the jungles of the Philippines. I will forward these photos on to the museum down there and know they will be so happy to have them. If you have a chance, drive down and take a sentimental journey and tour the museum. I talked to Kitty and she said that she and Bud want to go with me to the reunion next year....maybe you and Patsy would like to join us. Thanks again for sending this to me....Love to Patsy.....Vivian

The invasion of Normandy......

Absolutely incredible. I had no idea such an array of pictures existed.

Click for photo essay at the Denver Post.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 415

Commentary #415
28 March 2010

Month of March

This month has been a sad one for me...10 MAR would have been Dad's 101st birthday, but the following day a large moving van came to our old family home, The Grove, and moved out most of the furniture, other salable personal property, and took it to an auction house in New Orleans. So in that one day, those memories were spread in the wind forever.

By prior agreement with the State of Florida 25 years ago, our family home was sold to the State by my parents, and my mother was allowed to remain in residence as long as she wished,... and payed the annual rent. She died on 29 NOV 2009 and the same agreement provided for the heirs to vacate the property within 90 days so the State could take the action necessary to convert the property to a family museum.

In that same 90-day interim a team of heritage experts from the Secretary of State's office surveyed The Grove and decided they wanted the Living Room and my Father's personal office in the basement left intact. All other furniture and furnishings could be removed. That process has been an onerous process, so much so that the State gave us an additional month (this month) to get it done.

I made a point of staying in The Grove whenever I came to Tallahassee in the last few years, but this last week I found myself sleeping in a sleeping bag on the last bed in the empty house, This four poster belonged to builder of the house in the 1820s, my Great Great Grandfather General Richard Keith Call, two-term Territorial Governor of Florida prior to Florida becoming a State in 1845.

With the house so empty, it was like a catharsis with the past; while the furnishings were gone, the memories of living there since 1942 remained as vivid as my youth exploring the vastness of the 11 acre overgrown jungle surrounded by a growing modern Capital City. Mother had transformed it in that 68-yr interim from a vine-entangled vacant lot of almost four city blocks adjacent to Florida's Governor's Mansion to an elegant grande dame additional mansion next door with vast lawns and majestic oaks on one of the highest promontories among the seven hills in Tallahassee. It would have been chaos to split this site into four equal parts among my three sisters and me; we had this discussion with Mother and Dad 25 years ago, but it was still sad to see much of that evaporate in the last four months.

When I left last Wednesday with my car and mind packed with memorabilia, my sister was in the backyard supervising a final picnic with her daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren; they invited me to participate, but I had an appointment in the Capitol. On my way out the long curved driveway, I stopped, got out...and looked around the yard for the last time; what a rare privilege it was to grow up in this very special place.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 414

Commentary #414
22 March 2010

GOD OF SIGHT

...talk about MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MANKIND!!!!

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Nepalese doc is "God of Sight" to nation's poor

Physicians worldwide adopting surgeon’s novel way of removing cataracts

Click to read AP story

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 413

Commentary #413
6 March 2010

Down Memory Lane

If you were born after World War II, this may not make any sense to you.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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How's This For Nostalgia?

All the girls had ugly gym uniforms.





It took three minutes for the TV to warm up.





Nobody owned a purebred dog.





When a quarter was a decent allowance..





You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.





Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces.





You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all for free, every time? And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot?





Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box.





It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.





They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed. . and they did it!





When a 57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady?





No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked.





Lying on your back in the grass with your friends? and saying things like, 'That cloud looks like a...'?





Playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game?





Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger.





And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of today?





When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home?





Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.

. .as well as summers filled with bike rides, Hula Hoops, and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.

Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, 'Yeah, I remember that'?





I am sharing this with you today because it ended with a Double Dog Dare to pass it on. To remember what a Double Dog Dare is, read on. And remember that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care.

Send this on to someone who can still remember Howdy Doody and The Peanut Gallery, the Lone Ranger, The Shadow knows, Nellie Bell , Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk.





How Many Of These Do You Remember?

Candy cigarettes



Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside.



Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.



Coffee shops with Table Side Jukeboxes.



Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum.



Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers.



Newsreels before the movie.
Telephone numbers with a word prefix...( Yukon2-601). Party lines.



Peashooters.
Howdy Doody.
Hi-Fi's & 45 RPM records.



78 RPM records!



Green Stamps.



Mimeograph paper.
The FortApachePlay Set.

Do You Remember a Time When..
Decisions were made by going 'eeny-meeny-miney-moe'?
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, 'Do Over!'?
'Race issue' meant arguing about who ran the fastest?



Catching The Fireflies Could Happily Occupy An Entire Evening?



It wasn't odd to have two or three 'Best Friends'?



Having a Weapon in School meant being caught with a Slingshot?



Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action figures?



'Oly-oly-oxen-free' made perfect sense?
Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles?
The Worst Embarrassment was being picked last for a team?
War was a card game?



Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?
Taking drugs meant orange - flavored chewable aspirin?



Water balloons were the ultimate weapon?



If you can remember most or all of these, Then You Have Lived!!!!!!!

Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their 'Grown-Up' Life...
I Double-Dog-Dare-Ya!

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 412

Commentary #412
28 February 2010

Old wisdom for new challenges

Here are some quotes from one of the most important statesmen in the history of the American Republic. We got them a century-and-a-half ago,...and they apply TODAY. Read and heed.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

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

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 411

Commentary #411
17 February 2010

Space Shuttle Launch Photo

This was not just another launch from the Cape. It was the last night launch of the Shuttle; there are four more scheduled for daytime. After that any future U.S. manned space exploration will be privately contracted... or using Russian resources(?). Seems strange after 50 years of Space leadership……..all that technical talent to be diffused among other real estate salespeople, government workers, golfing devotees, fishermen, adventure authors, etc.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Marvelous photo taken of the space shuttle from the 210 bridge in Ponte Vedra.

Enjoy! Terry

This picture was taken by James Vernacotola and sent to me by a friend. It was taken in Ponte Vedra from the top of the 210 bridge crossing the intracoastal looking south towards St, Augustine and Cape Canaveral.

He got up very early and took this picture of the last nighttime space shuttle launch and was kind enough to share with his co-workers and whomever else would appreciate the beauty of the space launch.

He took the picture using a tri-pod and the elapsed time for the picture was several minutes in order to get the full fire-trail (this is why the stars are little lines instead of dots).

Monday, February 8, 2010 @ 4:14 am
Top of the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge in Ponte Vedra, FL
115 Miles from the launch
34 Degrees outside!

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 410

Commentary #410
14 February 2010

Gerald Ensley: Two pieces of Tallahassee history preserved

Steve, thank you for the story from the Tallahassee Democrat re "thanks for the property". There was a major inaccuracy near the end, i.e. Mother did not inherit The Grove; it had passed outside the family years before. Mother and Dad bought it in 1942 when they were in their low thirties, thanks to local banker Mr. George Lewis, CEO of Florida's oldest bank, The Lewis State Bank.

Mr. Lewis was a major benefactor of St. John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, and he knew Mother from there. Dad was in the Florida Legislature and a young attorney practicing law upstairs from the Bank on South Monroe Street. Mr. Lewis tried to talk Mom and Dad out of taking on such a debt (approx $25K) at such a young age, especially for such a run-down large property across the street from the Governor's Mansion. But I suppose he recognized the fervor of their interest in restoring the property, so he sold them the loan. Over the next few years, the home provided a foundation for more debt as its value improved.

Seeing it now, it is hard to realize when we moved there in 1942 the house was chopped up into smaller rooms used as apartments, and even a hotel. The now-palatial lawn back then was a combination of grapevine jungles, bamboo thickets, a chicken yard, victory garden, 3 tenement houses, and even a sweet potato field,.....not a blade of grass anywhere,.....the back yard was swept clean of topsoil.

With Mother gone, being there now takes on a hollow feeling. She was the classical micro-manager of The Grove. Going through all the personal property is a trip through almost two centuries. When Dad gave me a copy of the proposed purchase agreement by the State, I was surprised to see there was no provision for him to remain there if she predeceased him. When I discussed it with him, he smiled sadly and said.....if she was no longer there, he did not want to be there.

As it turned out, she was there another 25 years, and she welcomed us there with characteristic enthusiam each time we came up from Tampa. In the next few weeks, the State will take posession, and our "glory days at The Grove" will be done, .....but forever etched in our memory. It would have been an insult to Florida history if we had tried to split The Grove into four equal parts.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Gerald Ensley: Two pieces of Tallahassee history preserved

By Gerald Ensley
Tallahassee Democrat senior writer
February 14, 2010

We said goodbye to Mary Call Collins in December. Her husband, former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins, died in 1991.

But we continue to owe both a thank you.

Because the Tallahassee-native couple left a physical legacy: San Luis Mission Park and The Grove.

One is the westside park the Collinses sold to the city in 1981. The other is the historic home in which they lived, which will soon become a museum. Both will serve for generations as a way to appreciate Tallahassee landscape and history.

I've appreciated San Luis Park for the nearly 25 years I've lived in the adjoining neighborhood. Almost daily, I run or walk my dog in the park – and enjoy every visit.

The park is 69 acres of hilly woods laced with pedestrian/bike paths surrounding Lake Esther. A hike into the woods insulates you from the din of the city. Foxes, hawks and owls rustle around at twilight. Turtles, geese, egrets, herons and the occasional alligator work the lake, to the delight of families walking the lake's boardwalk. College kids and their dogs romp in the dog park. Though many use it, the park is always peaceful.

Such peace and nature could have been lost.

Gov. Collins and former Tallahassee mayor and banker John Humphress bought the land many years before as an investment. It was part of a still mostly rural west Tallahassee. Historic Mission San Luis, on the park's southeast shoulder, was still a private preserve. Fishermen snuck into the future park to fish bass-filled Lake Esther (which, sadly, was ruined for anglers when the lake was incorporated into the city's stormwater drainage system).

Collins and Humphress could have sold the land to developers – apartment complexes now flank two sides. Instead, they sold it to the city for $765,000, which was 15 percent below its appraised price. When it opened to the public in 1985-86, it was the city's largest passive park (a designation since eclipsed by Klapp-Phipps and A.J. Henry parks).

"It was definitely needed; it was the only park in the northwest (part of the city), which was growing," said David Chapman, a retired city parks and rec director. "It was a great acquisition and a beautiful piece of property."

Equally beautiful is The Grove.

The stately old home sits next door to the Florida Governor's Mansion. It was built in 1825-1831 by Richard Keith Call, an early territorial governor and ancestor of Mary Call Collins. The centerpiece of a 640-acre plantation, it passed through various branches of her family – and ever-declining levels of upkeep — until she inherited it and its remaining 10 acres in 1942.

The Collins family lived at The Grove for most of the next 67 years. They moved next door when he was governor (1955-1961). They spent several years in Washington D.C., when Gov. Collins worked for President Lyndon Johnson.

But it was where their four children largely grew up. It was where their daughters and granddaughters were married. It is where Call, Gov. Collins and his wife and other family members are buried. It is a piece of Florida history Mary Call and Gov. Collins lovingly restored. They rescued historic furniture that had been sold. They rehabbed long-neglected interior spaces. They landscaped the grounds.

"It was a wonderful mission in Mother's life," said daughter Mary Call Proctor. "She really loved bringing back the place to the way it is now."

Soon, it will become a museum. The Collins sold the house to the state for that purpose in 1985, with the stipulation they be allowed to continue living there until they died. The state paid $2.2 million and the Collinses paid rent for the next 24 years.

State officials are mapping out ideas and logistics and working with the Collins family to determine which artifacts and furniture to retain in the museum. No date has been set for the opening to the public, but it should be relatively soon.

Jane Aurrell, another Collins daughter, said the state indicated the house museum will tell the story of Florida from territorial days to the present.

"(The Grove) goes beyond our family; it's a vehicle to interpret what went on in the state," Aurrell said. "It is a little sad (the house will no longer be in the family). But we know the house will be taken care of. And that is so important."

To all of us. Which is why we say thanks.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 409

Commentary #409
11 February 2010

Vision for the future

From: Collins, LeRoy
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 12:00 PM
To: Senior Management Team
Subject: Vision for the future.....

Day before yesterday I sat thru a long session of the Florida Senate's Health and Human Services Committee, near the end of which our own Director of Administration did her masterful presentation of the proposed budget FY 2011 for FDVA. Earlier in the public hearing I heard a line of questioning originated by a Committee Member, which I thought to be relevant re the future, i.e.

Testifying at the time was a senior official of the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), who has responsibility for Medicaid funds management. At one point a Senator interrupted and said words to the effect....you keep telling us how you need more money to meet the anticipated need, yet you do not give us any ideas on how you can improve the efficiency of services rendered with the same money. For 30 years we have talked about preventive medicine providing some answers, but we see very little of that put into practice. Please do some study on how we can improve service efficiencies by doing something different than in the past.

The next speaker before the committee was representing a private venture, which through enlightened use of smart cards, suggested the venture can save Florida $500 million per year in Medicaid costs. While the speaker had no examples of where the venture had been successful with such concepts, his suggestion of a "better way to do business in the future" was welcomed by the Committee as new enlightenment.

The point here is that it is becoming obvious the answer to healthcare in the future is not just more of the same from the past. We must work smarter, not necessarily harder. I anticipate similar questioning in FDVA's future, e.g. what are you doing to extend healthcare to Veterans if we cannot build more SVNHs?

That is why I see a possible future for FDVA in home care, day care, .....and/or Telehealth. Something has to change, and it may as well start here. We need to get out front to clear the minefields.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 408

Commentary #408
3 February 2010

Please read and do something

...MORE EXAMPLES OF ANGER IN MAINLAND AMERICA....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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According to the Trustees for the Social Security Administration, "THERE WILL NOT BE A COST OF LIVING INCREASE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS IN SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS.

They, the Congress (BOTH "REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATS TOGETHER") say no increase is warranted because of the losses in gross national product and other cute things..

NOW SPORTS FANS THIS IS THE ONE THAT WILL FLIP YOU OUT!!

THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION IS FUNDING TWENTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS-- LET ME REPEAT THAT AMOUNT... SO YOU UNDERSTAND IT $24,000,000.00 DOLLARS FOR NEW ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS PROCESSING FOR OUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS!!

THEY ARE OBTAINING THESE FUNDS..And I QUOTE DIRECTLY FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY WEBSITE...

"THIS MONEY WILL BE COMING FROM THE SAVINGS TO BE GENERATED FROM WITHHOLDING "COST OF LIVING INCREASES FOR 2010 & 2011 In SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FOR THE ELDERLY AND A $2.00 INCREASE ON ALL MEDICARE RX BENEFIT CO-PAY"

Please pass this to ALL your friends and have them "PROTEST TO THE IDIOTS WE ELECTED TO CONGRESS" Who by the way, have just voted themselves ANOTHER 3% SALARY INCREASE!!!

We must put a stop to this outright thievery! It is THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, BOTH REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATS, WE CAN'T FIRE THEM, BUT WE SURE CAN NOT RE-ELECT THEM, And WE CAN IMPEACH THEM Or DEMAND RECALL ELECTIONS!!! HOW ABOUT WE ALL GET TOGETHER AND DUMP THESE CLOWNS.

All I ask is that you consider the suggestion here.

The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. And I mean both Houses and I mean both major parties. I realize that a few Members of each House are trustworthy, But, As a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch To ever disgrace our Nation.

In November of 2010 The entire House of Representatives will stand for re-election; All 435 of them. One third of the Senate, A total of 33 of them, will also stand for re-election. Vote every incumbent out. And I mean every one of them. No matter their Party affiliation.

Let's start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people Who have absolutely no experience in running that body, With no political favors owed to anyone but their own constituents. Let's make them understand that they work for us... They are answerable to us And they simply have to run that body with some common sense. Two years later, in 2012, Vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out. We can do the same thing in 2014 and, By that time we will have put all new people in that body as well..

We, the People, Have got to take this Country back and we HAVE to do it peacefully. That's what the Framers of our Constitution envisioned.

I am also suggesting term limits on the NEW BUNCH - 8 YEARS FOR REPRESENTATIVES AND 12 YEARS OF SENATORS. NO EXCEPTIONS. THE LONGER THEY STAY IN OFFICE THE MORE POWER THEY GET AND THEY LOVE IT AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO GET RE-ELECTED.

WE HAVE TERM LIMITED THE PRESIDENT - NOW LET'S TERM LIMIT THE LEGISLATORS.

Please, If you love this Country, Send this (as I have done) to absolutely everyone Whose email address appears in your address book.. This thing can permeate this Country in no time. Let's make it happen.**

VOTE THE POWER ABUSERS OUT... LET'S TAKE AMERICA BACK!!!

IF YOU LIKE THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING IN OUR COUNTRY, THEN DO NOTHING...

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 407

Commentary #407
2 February 2010

Letter from someone in Naples, Florida

...AND WE WONDER WHY THE ELECTORATE IS ANGRY? READ THIS! IF THIS IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO YOU, YOU MAY BE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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This is SAD....makes me MAD! I feel BAD!

Having spent three weeks in a hospital in Naples, Florida with my wife I couldnït help noticing what was going on in the hospital and I had a lot of time to talk to the doctors and nurses about what I had observed. Below is a commentary from an ER Doctor. Do you think this might be a big reason our health care system and our social security system are so screwed up? Do you think this might be a big reason our taxes keep going up? Who do you think these people are going to vote for?

From a Florida ER doctor:

"I live and work in a state overrun with illegals. They make more money having kids than we earn working full-time. Today I had a 25-year old with 8 kids - that is right 8; all illegal anchor babies and she had the nicest nails, cell phone, hand bag, clothing, etc. She makes about $1,500 monthly for each; you do the math. I used to say, We are the dumbest nation on earth. Now I must say and sadly admit: WE are the dumbest people on earth (that includes ME) for we elected the idiot idealogues who have passed the bills that allow this. Sorry, but we need a revolution. Vote them all out in 2010."

--- REMEMBER ---

IN NOVEMBER 2010, WE HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO CLEAN OUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE AND ONE-THIRD OF THE SENATE! This is an insult and a kick in the butt to all of us...

Get mad and pass it on - I don't know how, but maybe some good will come of this travesty. If the immigrant is over 65, they can apply for SSI and Medicaid and get more than a woman on Social Security, who worked from 1944 until 2004. She is only getting $791 per month because she was born in 1924 and there's a 'catch 22.'

It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890. Each can also obtain an additional $580 in social assistance, for a total of $2,470 a month.

This compares to a single pensioner, who after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees! Consider sending this to all your American friends, so we can all be ticked off and maybe get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and the pensioners up to $2,470. Then we can enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 or 60 years. And not to receive a increase for 2010 Vote them all out of office.

Please forward this to every American to expose what our elected politicians have been doing for the past 11 years to over-taxed Americans.

SEND THIS TO EVERY AMERICAN TAXPAYER YOU KNOW.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 406

Commentary #406
30 January 2010

John Glenn on the Senate Floor

This story has been in the mainstream media for many years and I regret I do not know who wrote it. But I do know that when I see it again, I reread it and feel a renewal of purpose. It reminds me why my time spent in the U.S. Navy was so fulfilling. It was an opportunity to exercise what I had been taught at home, in school, in Scouts, and on-the-job. Yes it was a job, but moreover, it was a mission, the purpose of which was to protect our Nation from its enemies. There were many then, and even more now.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Subject: John Glenn on the Senate Floor

Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange Between Senators John Glenn and Sen. Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the Armed Services do what they do for a living. This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the Military.

Senator Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a "real job?"

Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps.I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by antiaircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the Space Program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my Life on the line. It was not a nine to five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank.

I ask you to go with me ... as I went the other day... to a Veterans Hospital and look those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job!

You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee...and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DADS didn't hold a job.

You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags. You stand there, and you think about this Nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job?

I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN - who held REAL jobs. And they required a dedication to a purpose - and a love of country and a dedication to duty - that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible.

I HAVE held a job, Howard! ---What about you?"

For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA. Now he is a U.S. Senator!

If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If you are reading it in English, thank a Veteran.......

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN….written in the 1970s)

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 405

Commentary #405
24 January 2010

The Armed Forces Military Museum

I do not know who wrote it, but I know he knew what he was talking about. These heroes surround us daily, but they are serene in their presence. If you come across any, thank them with all the sincerity you can muster. They deserve it.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
v But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Roy has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Roys and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Pass On The Patriotism!
YOU can make a difference

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 404

Commentary #404
18 January 2010

The Navy

Funny how when you have been part of the U.S. Navy for 38 years, you do not ask such questions, because the sailor lore of centuries has become part of your everyday lexicon. Sometimes it helps when someone from outside the clan steps up and says how all this tradition seems to them.

Superflous jargon and culture? Naw, it just IS that way. It turns out to be a good way to quickly discern whether the pretender REALLY understands the "ways of the sea".

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Fm: Joe Tranchini
Wonderful and amusing assessment of the USN.

The Navy

This is a copy of the speech that our Honored Guest made on 19 January 2002 to the members of the St. Louis Council of the Navy League of the United States at our Annual Dinner Meeting.

Mr. Levins has consistently offered to our local citizens interesting and supportive articles concerning our military services. This speech was remarkable in its recognition of the role our Navy and Marine Corps is playing in the war against terrorism.

A brief bio of Mr. Levin's career follows -- in his own words: "Harry Levins is senior writer of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, specializing in military coverage. He is a Vermont native whose journalism career spans 39 years and three newspapers -- the Rutland (Vt.) Daily Herald, Long Island's Newsday, and the Post Dispatch. From 1963-65, he served as an Army infantry lieutenant, mostly in West Germany."

I am sending this message to all of my friends, military and otherwise, because I believe it to be important in these troubled times. It is a long read but very informative, with a touch of the wry humor that was a trademark of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens).

John Kane, USNA '44

________________________

My thanks to Capt. Kane for inviting me here tonight. You ought to know how honored I am. After all, I'm an old soldier. To me, the Navy is a mysterious institution. It's an institution in which the NCOs dress like the officers, and the officers almost never get their hands dirty. It's an institution whose people call a rope a line, and a stairwell a ladder, even though it's as plain as the nose on your face that you're looking at a rope or a stairwell. It's an institution that never warns you about wearing a hat into the wardroom - and then glares at you when you wear a hat into the wardroom.

It's an institution in which people take frightfully brief showers. I've gotten damper in the predawn dew. And it's an institution that sometimes speaks and behaves as if we're all Englishmen living in, oh, 1880 or so, and Queen Victoria is now and forever on the throne. I guess I'm saying that to me - and to millions of my countrymen - the Navy is the least American of the services. Now, nobody would ever say that about the Air Force. Hell, Americans invented air power. The airplane, too. The Air Force is high-tech, high-speed, zoom-and-boom. It's as American as hot rods and forward passes.

I'm aware that the Marines are a part of your Navy. And yes, they have their own odd vocabulary. They call a hat a cover. But maybe they're even more American than the Air Force. Who's the all-time No. 1 Marine? No, it's not Chesty Puller, and it's not Smedley Butler, and it's not even Ted Williams. It's John Wayne - and you just can't get more all-American than John Wayne.

And then there's the Army, my Army. One author wrote a book about the cultural differences among the services. This author - he was once a sailor, by the way - said that the Air Force's first loyalty is to technology, to its airplanes. He said the Navy's first loyalty is to the Navy itself. And he said the Army's first loyalty was to the Republic, of which the Army views itself as the loyal servant. By the way, he added, this is why the Army so often gets screwed. But the Army is America, from Audie Murphy to Beetle Bailey. That leaves us with the Navy, and the question of why it seems to be outside the rest of society.

For one thing, physically speaking, the Navy is outside the rest of society. No carrier task force ever made a port call in St. Louis, or Des Moines, or Evansville. By definition, the Navy does its work out of sight, somewhere out there beyond the hazy horizon. Even along the coasts, few Americans pay attention. The United States is a maritime nation. We depend on seaborne commerce. But how many Americans ever pause to consider that fact? We like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient -- as alabaster cities and amber waves of grain. We're wrong, of course. But even in major ports like New York, residents ignore what the oceans mean to America.

A few years back, I asked a friend in the Bay Area to take me by the Oakland docks. My friend had some trouble finding his way in. He'd lived on the East Bay for almost his entire life, and he'd never toured the docks. What we saw was as fresh to him as it was to me - mile after mile of cranes and containerized cargo, Subaru’s and Sony’s and who knows what. And all of it got here by sea. But most of us think the stuff just shows up in showrooms and stores in St. Louis. When we think about it at all.. And if our maritime-nation status is way off in the back of our minds, so is the Navy that protects that status.

Oh, sure, America has its Navy towns - but not nearly so many as it once did. And a lot of those Navy towns are stuck off in some coastal corner. Bangor, Washington. Kings Bay, Georgia. Those places aren't exactly Brooklyn, or Philadelphia, or Boston, or San Francisco.

The only sailors most Americans ever see is the chief at the recruiting station. Think about it. Here in St. Louis, we see a lot of the Army, thanks to the kids in ill-fitting uniforms who come and go from Fort Leonard Wood through Lambert Field. And although we see less of the Air Force, we're aware that it's just across the river, at Scott Air Force Base. But the sea services? The Marine Corps is small, and far away. The Navy is big, but it, too, is far away -- on the coasts, in places like Norfolk and San Diego, places we rarely visit. And then, as I said, when we do make contact with the Navy, we're up against an institution that draws most of its vocabulary and traditions from the Royal Navy of a century and half ago - from Victorian England. To people like me, sometimes, it seems quaint - people saying Aye Aye, sir; instead of Yes, sir, and talking about port and starboard, instead of left and right. But sometimes, it seems downright alien. On a sunny day in December 1991, I was chatting with some lookouts on the battleship Missouri, bound for Pearl Harbor for the 50th anniversary observance. We were on the flying bridge, or whatever it is that you people call the open bridge on top of the enclosed bridge. Like most young military people dealing with reporters, they asked whether I had prior military experience. Yes, I told them, I had once been an infantry platoon leader in the Army in Germany. They asked me what I thought of the Navy. I said, Good chow. They nodded. And I said, but I can't get over the class system. They asked what I meant.. I said, Well, in the Army, I wore the same fatigue uniform as the enlisted men. When they got muddy, I got muddy. When they got cold, I got cold. And when the chow truck came out to the field, the other officers and I stood at the end of the line. If the chow ran out, we went without. The sailors' eyebrows rose. I continued, if I'd ever had an enlisted man wait on me the way they do in the wardroom, I'd have been court-martialed. And don't the officers ever talk to you guys? Does everything go through the chiefs?

Just then, the lookout with headphones barked, XO on the bridge! Away flew the cigarettes. Up shot the binoculars. I don't know if those kids could have spotted a Soviet submarine ambush. But the XO never had a chance.

Later, back on the fantail with a cigar, I ruminated about the officer-enlisted relationship. I concluded that on a crowded ship - even on a ship as big as the battleship Missouri -- it probably has to be that distant and aloof. Still, I felt odd every time I saw those signs that said Officers' Country -- Official Business Only. Think about it - all the great Army novels are enlisted-man novels, and all the great Navy novels are wardroom novels. And most Americans are enlisted men at heart.

Ah, well. I won't change the Navy. If Franklin D. Roosevelt couldn't, I can't. Roosevelt once said that trying to change the State Department was all but impossible - but that trying to change the Navy was even worse, like punching a feather pillow. No matter what you do to the feather pillow, he said, it always returns to its original shape. But - and here's the serious part of this speech - this era seems to be the perfect time for America and its Navy to get to know each other. If you kept up with Washington rumors before Sept. 11, you know about the talk in the Pentagon of cutting back on carriers. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's people were talking up something called transformation -- and for the Navy, that meant mothballing a couple of carriers, maybe more. After all, the thinking went, in an age of cheap and accurate missiles, the carriers are big fat targets. And in an age of precision weapons, the carriers' air power can be replaced by cruise missiles and long -range Air Force bombers with smart bombs. Well, after Afghanistan, that kind of talk sure went away, didn't it? I think Afghanistan showed that in a messy age with no clear-cut big enemy, expeditionary forces are utterly and absolutely priceless. And by definition, a Navy and a Marine Corps are expeditionary forces. You folks seem to own the franchise on the future. You'll get an argument from the airpower people on that one. In fact, you are getting an argument from the air power people. The Air Force Association pumps it out daily. But the Air Force is also putting all of its money into short-range fighters. They're nifty, but only when you have runways in the neighborhood. Otherwise -- as we have learned in Afghanistan, only the carriers will do. They're expensive-- no, they're frightfully expensive -- but it's beginning to look as if they're indispensable. Same thing with the Marines. A Marine Expeditionary Unit is a frightfully expensive way to put a reinforced battalion of infantry on the scene. The Army is cheaper, but without staging bases, the Army is irrelevant. Now, the Association of the United States Army makes less noise than the Air Force Association. The Army people tend to sigh, and then to hope that when they're needed, the nation will remember them. And someday, they will be needed. Remember: Afghanistan is almost the last war - and you know what they say about getting ready to refight the last war.

Still, I think you folks are wonderfully positioned. If we have to do Somalia, or Sudan, or the Philippines, or Indonesia, we'll turn first to the sea services. In the Cold War, you folks took a back seat to the Air Force and Army. Now, it's your turn to shine - and in Afghanistan, you shone.

Don't be shy about it. Let your fellow Americans know that a big Navy has its uses, after all. Capt. Kane told me that I should speak briefly, and I'm pushing the brevity envelope, so I'll sit down and shut up. But not without one last question: Why do you call it a brow instead of a gangplank?

Thank you very much.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 403

Commentary #403
17 January 2010

The Armed Forces Military Museum

Nancy, here is a draft I would like you to put on FDVA letterhead for me to sign in Tallahassee later this week.

//// START OF DRAFT ////

Mr. John J. Piazza, Sr. Founder & President
The Armed Forces Military Museum, Inc.
2050 34th Way North
Largo, FL 33778(?)

Dear John,

Just a brief note here to tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed being with you Saturday Noon to dedicate the Vietnam Diorama in the Museum. The space was packed with several hundred people so someone did a good job of publicity for the event.

I hope you considered my remarks re .....the statistics on Vietnam Vets in Florida, recent Veteran-centric State legislation, and the Governor's proclamation designating 30 March 2010 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.....as appropriate for the occasion.

Jane and I were profoundly impressed with the quality and quantity of the exhibits ranging from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, even through the current wars in the Middle East. What spectacular displays you have ....including uniforms, battle tanks, torpedoes, and other large caliber weaponry;....and their portrayals rival anything I have seen in modern war museums elsewhere in the world......even a combat aircraft simulator for thrill rides under combat conditions.

By copy of this letter I shall encourage my fellow staff members in our offices (located just 3 miles to the west at the nothwest intersection of Ulmerton and 113th Street in Largo), .....and their families, to visit your impressive military "fire base" just three blocks north of Ulmerton Road in Largo. The Largo community is fortunate to have your historic attraction within its City limits. I look forward to having my grandchildren in tow for my next visit.

Thanks again for your hospitality on Saturday. I thought the best quote for the occasion came from your Museum Historian, Frank Correa, who said to the Vietnam Veterans in the audience....."through this museum we want the U.S. to love you as much as you love the U.S.". What an appropriate pledge of purpose for the future.

Respectfully,

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
RADM USNR-RET
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs

//// END OF DRAFT ////

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 402

Commentary #402
17 January 2010

THE OLD MAN, USMC, & MOH

I know a few of these recipients of the MOH (there are only approx 100 of them still with us….) and all are VERY SPECIAL AMERICANS. Be thankful for them; they are among the reasons you enjoy your freedom today.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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THE OLD MAN

As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day, pushing my cart of groceries towards my car, I saw an old man with the hood of his car up and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door open.

The old man was looking at the engine. I put my groceries away in my car and continued to watch the old gentleman from about twenty five feet away.

I saw a young man in his early twenties with a grocery bag in his arm, walking towards the old man. The old gentleman saw him coming too and took a few steps towards him.

I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood and say something. The young man put his grocery bag into what looked like a brand new Cadillac Escalade and then turn back to the old man, and I heard him yell at the old gentleman saying, 'You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at your age.' And then with a wave of his hand, he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot.

I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief and mop his brow as he went back to his car and again looked at the engine.

He then went to his wife and spoke with her and appeared to tell her it would be okay. I had seen enough and I approached the old man. He saw me coming and stood straight and as I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having a problem.'

He smiled sheepishly and quietly nodded his head. I looked under the hood myself and knew that whatever the problem was, it was beyond me. Looking around I saw a gas station up the road and told the old man that I would be right back... I drove to the station and went inside and saw three attendants working on cars.

I approached one of them and related the problem the old man had with his car and offered to pay them if they could follow me back down and help him.

The old man had pushed the heavy car under the shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting his wife. When he saw us he straightened up and thanked me for my help. As the mechanics diagnosed the problem (overheated engine) I spoke with the old gentleman.

When I shook hands with him earlier, he had noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question, 'What outfit did you serve with?'

He had mentioned that he served with the first Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.

He had hit all the big ones and retired from the Corps after the war was over. As we talked we heard the car engine come on and saw the mechanics lower the hood. They came over to us as the old man reached for his wallet, but was stopped by me and I told him I would just put the bill on my AAA card.

He still reached for the wallet and handed me a card that I assumed had his name and address on it, and I stuck it in my pocket. We all shook hands all around again and I said my goodbye's to his wife.

I then told the two mechanics that I would follow them back up to the station. Once at the station I told them that they had interrupted their own jobs to come along with me and help the old man. I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they refused to charge me.

One of them pulled out a card from his pocket looking exactly like the card the old man had given to me. Both of the men told me then,that they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again we shook hands all around and as I was leaving, one of them told me I should look at the card the old man had given to me. I said I would and drove off.

For some reason I had gone about two blocks when I pulled over and took the card out of my pocket and looked at it for a long, long time. The name of the old gentleman was on the card in golden leaf and under his name -- 'Congressional Medal of Honor Society.'

I sat there motionless looking at the card and reading it over and over. I looked up from the card and smiled to no one but myself and marveled that on this day, four Marines had all come together, because one of us needed help. He was an old man all right, but it felt good to have stood next to greatness and courage and an honor to have been in his presence. Remember, OLD men like him gave you FREEDOM for America.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 401

Commentary #401
15 January 2010

Collins Admiral-AMVIC response

.....of some interest.

I am on the board of the SS American Victory moored in the Port of Tampa. It is the only such functioning afloat museum along the U.S. Gulf Coast. It is doubly unique because it can get underway and be useful to carry seagoing cargo.

Currently it is being used as a not-for-profit platform for hosting cruises in Tampa Bay,.......... a laboratory to teach local children about life at sea, and ........it is open daily for tours alongside by the general public. We were hopeful State of Florida officials might see the ship as an asset for use in helping victims of natural disasters.especially in Florida But the attached response explains "why not".

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr., RADM USNR-RET

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 400

Commentary #400
11 January 2010

The Jihad Candidate?

Is this worthy of our concern? Read it first, then you decide....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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The Jihad Candidate
by Rich Carroll

Conspiracy theories make for interesting novels when the storyline is not so absurd that it can grasp our attention. 'The Manchurian Candidate' and 'Seven Days in May' are examples of plausible chains of events that captures the reader's imagination at best-seller level. 'What if' has always been the solid grist of fiction. Get yourself something cool to drink, find a relaxing position, but before you continue, visualize the television photos of two jet airliners smashing into the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan and remind yourself this cowardly act of Muslim terror was planned for eight years.

How long did it take Islam and their oil money to find a candidate for President of the United States? As long as it took them to place a Senator from Illinois and Minnesota? The same amount of time to create a large Muslim enclave in Detroit? The time it took them to build over 2,000 mosques in America? The same amount of time required to place radical wahabbist clerics in our military and prisons as 'chaplains'? Find a candidate who can get away with lying about their father being a 'freedom fighter' when he was actually part of the most corrupt and violent government in Kenya's history. Find a candidate with close ties to The Nation of Islam and the violent Muslim overthrow in Africa, a candidate who is educated am ong white infidel Americans but hides his bitterness and anger behind a superficial toothy smile. Find a candidate who changes his American name of Barry to the Muslim name of Barak Hussein Obama, and dares anyone to question his true ties under the banner of 'racism'. Nurture this candidate in an atmosphere of anti-white American teaching and surround him with Islamic teachers. Provide him with a bitter, racist, anti-white, anti-American wife, and supply him with Muslim middle east connections and Islamic monies. Allow him to be clever enough to get away with his anti-white rhetoric and proclaim he will give $834 billion taxpayer dollars to the Muslim controlled United Nations for use in Africa.

Install your candidate in an atmosphere of deception because questioning him on any issue involving Africa or Islam would be seen as 'bigoted racism'; two words too powerful to allow the citizenry to be informed of facts. Allo w your candidate to employ several black racist Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan followers as members of his Illinois Senatorial and campaign staffs.

Where is the bloodhound American 'free press' who doggedly overturned every stone in the Watergate case? Where are our nation's reporters that have placed every Presidential candidate under the microscope of detailed scrutiny; the same press who pursue Bush's 'Skull and Bones' club or ran other candidates off with persistent detective and research work? Why haven't 'newsmen' pursued the 65 blatant lies told by this candidate during the Presidential primaries? Where are the stories about this candidate's cousin and the Muslim butchery in Africa? Since when did our national press corps become weak, timid, and silent? Why haven't they regaled us with the long list of socialists and communists who have surrounded this 'out of nowhere' Democrat candidate or that his church re-p rinted the Hamas Manifesto in their bulletin, and that his 'close pastor friend and mentor' met with Middle East terrorist Moammar Gaddafi, (Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)? Why isn't the American press telling us this candidate is supported by every Muslim organization in the world?

As an ultimate slap in the face, be blatant in the fact your candidate has ZERO interest in traditional American values and has the most liberal voting record in U.S. Senate history. Why has the American main stream media clammed-up on any negative reporting on Barak Hussein Obama? Why will they print Hillary Rodham Clinton's name but never write his middle name? Is it not his name? Why, suddenly, is ANY information about this candidate not coming from main stream media, but from the blogosphere by citizens seeking facts and the truth? Why isn't our media connecting the dot s with Islam? Why do they focus on 'those bad American soldiers' while Islam slaughters non Muslims daily in 44 countries around the globe? Why does our media refer to Darfur as 'ethnic cleansing' instead of what it really is; Muslims killing non Muslims! There is enough strange, anti-American activity surrounding Barak Hussein Obama to peek the curiosity of any reporter. WHERE IS OUR INVESTIGATIVE MEDIA!?

A formal plan for targeting America was devised three years after the Iranian revolution in 1982. The plan was summarized in a 1991 memorandum by Mohamed Akram, an operative of the global Muslim Brotherhood. 'The process of settlement' of Muslims in America, Akram explained, 'is a civilization jihad process.' This means that members of the Brotherhood must understand that their work in 'America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable hou se by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions.'

There is terrorism we can see, smell and fear, but there is a new kind of terror invading The United States in the form of Sharia law and finance. Condoning it is civilization suicide. Middle East Muslims are coming to America in record numbers and building hate infidel mosques, buying our corporations, suing us for our traditions, but they and the whole subject of Islam is white noise leaving uninformed Americans about who and what is really peaceful. Where is our investigative press? Any criticism of Islam or their intentions, even though Islamic leaders state their intentions daily around the globe, brings-forth a volley of 'racist' from the left-wing Democrat crowd. Lies and deception behind a master plan - the ingredients for 'The Manchurian Candidate' or the placement of an anti-A merican President in our nation's White House? Is it mere coincidence that an anti-capitalist run for President at the same time Islamic sharia finance and law is trying to make advancing strides into the United States? Is it mere coincidence this same candidate wants to dis-arm our nuclear capability at a time when terrorist Muslim nations are expanding their nuclear weapons capability? Is it mere coincidence this candidate wants to reduce our military at a time of global jihad from Muslim nations?

Change for America?

What change?

To become another 'nation of Islam'?

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 399

Commentary #399
10 January 2010

Australian Prime Minister speaks again!!

More and more, our political leaders are disinclined to day something they fear will offend anyone. Since that is almost impossible to do, I submit here is a speech designed to offend those who need to be offended. Mr. Rudd's predecessor did something similar just in the last year or so, which I liked also. You do not want to miss this rare example of clarity in leadership and expression....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks..

Separately, Rudd angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.

This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society. Learn the language!

Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, 'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'

If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, WE will find the courage to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 398

Commentary #398
10 January 2010

Heard at a cocktail party

This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan , Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, the Taliban authorities intend to cut off America's supply of Convenience Store Managers and possibly Motel 6 Managers.

And if this action does not yield sufficient results, Cab Drivers will be next, followed by DELL, Norton, and AOL Customer Service Reps.

Finally, if all else fails, they have threatened not to send us any more candidates for President of the United States!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 397

Commentary #397
11 January 2010

American survival

The total count of America's "Greatest Generation" buried overseas from WWII combat is 104,366 Brave Americans.

We are again involved in a struggle for freedom. Unlike conflicts in the past, we are facing unseen enemies - radical Islamists who are intent on bringing the entire world into a state of submission to the religion of Muhammad. It's already happening in Europe.

Islam is recognized as one of the most important geopolitical forces in the last 14 centuries. The violent spread of Islam has touched billions of lives. Jihad has always been a part of Islam. Islam has attempted global domination before. In past centuries it conquered not only Arabia, Persia, Syria and Egypt, but major parts of Africa, Asia and Europe, until it was ultimately defeated and lost its will to conquer – for a time, anyway. During medieval times, militant Islam savagely attacked neighboring cultures, either butchering "infidels" (non-Muslims) outright or converting them at the point of the sword.

For Americans, largely ignorant of world history, Islamic radicalism mysteriously reappeared on September 11, 2001 – on everyone’s television screens. Since then, it has dominated our national security concerns. Those, who are familiar with the major forces shaping world events, recognize that Terrorism is Intimidation.

The ultimate goal of terrorism is to capture our hearts and minds – to convert us to Islam. Militant Muslims "convert" individuals to Islam by threat of death. They are using the same tactic on entire societies. The terrorists' end-game is to so frighten us that we not only cower in fear, but are converted – that is, our fear actually causes a change in our attitudes and beliefs regarding the terrorists and their cause. This global jihad can succeed only if we lose the battle for hearts and minds – our own.

Let's learn a lesson from America's "Greatest Generation."

One of the most controversial actions in U.S. military history was dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to break the will of the maniacal Japanese war effort. There were persuasive arguments both for and against America using the atomic bomb in this way.

Whether or not you agree, the bombings accomplished the end the war with Japan. And, it confronted the "evil spirit" that had possessed the Japanese nation – with its crazed kamikaze suicide pilots and its emperor who was regarded as a god – and who violently exercized his power. Having neutralized the evil that had captivated Japan, America became that nation's friend and helped massively reconstruct it, ultimately turning Japan into the civilized, successful, First World economic power it is today.

When the Allies annihilated Hitler's war machine and along with it the German will and capacity to attack its neighbors, the U.S. also helped a newly sober Germany to become a great Western power. Our enemies, Japan and Germany, became our friends.

Remember, winning any war is not just about who has the greater number of soldiers and more advanced weapons. If it were, how could we explain America losing a war to North Vietnam? Although we won virtually every battle, we lost that war at home - thanks to the enormous power of a biased left-leaning US News Media that virtually cut out the heart and will of the American public.

Terrorism works simply by causing us so much pain, suffering and dread of future terror that we eventually weaken and give in to the terrorists' demands. The ultimate goal of terrorism is to capture our hearts and minds – to convert us. Hopefully, the left wing elements of the media have learned the lessons of the Vietnam War and will support our nation’s fight against radical Islamic terrorists.

There is an old saying:

"Those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat their failures."

In Vietnam and in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, we did not understand the culture, religion and political climate and backed the wrong side or wrong people. We thought that we could solve a political and religious problem with military force. That did not work. This time, we, hopefully have learned the lessons of history because this is one battle we cannot afford to lose.

As of January 5, 2010, the count is 5,325 Brave Americans who have lost their lives in the War on Terrorism during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 396

Commentary #396
4 January 2010

End of an era...a blog commentary

The end of an era in my family came a month ago with the death of my mother.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Mary Call Darby Collins remembered as a 'great Floridian'
By Gerald Ensley and Angeline J. Taylor

Mary Call Darby Collins, descendant of one Florida governor and widow of another, died Sunday after a long illness.

Collins, 98, is remembered for her great sense of humor, caring ways and love of Florida.

"She defined the word 'lady,'" said former Sen. Bob Graham. "She was a great Floridian."

Collins was the great granddaughter of Richard Keith Call, an officer in Andrew Jackson's army who served two terms as a Florida territorial governor. She was married for 59 years to Gov. LeRoy Collins — who served from 1955-1961. He died in 1991.

"She was as pleasant as she could be," former Gov. Reubin Askew said. "She was very supportive (to Gov. Collins) but offered her own opinion."

Mary Call Collins was renowned for her charm and graciousness as a Florida First Lady. She was active in historic preservation causes, including saving the Union Bank and her ancestral home, The Grove.

Gov. Charlie Crist called the former first lady a "beloved leader" who "stood by the side of principled leader LeRoy Collins."

"She offered both support and advice during some of the most turbulent times in our state's history," Crist said.

Collins lived in The Grove up until her death. The home was built by Richard Keith Call in the 1820s and is adjacent to the Florida Governor's Mansion. It passed through several generations of the family before then-state Sen. LeRoy Collins and Mary Call Collins moved into it in 1942.

The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Several years ago, Mary Call Collins deeded the home and its 10 acres to the state, with the provision she could live there until her death. The state eventually hopes to turn the home into a museum.

Born in New York on Sept. 11, 1911, Mary Call Darby moved to Tallahassee as a young child. She graduated from Leon High and Florida State College for Women.

In 1932, she married fellow Leon High classmate LeRoy Collins, embarking on a long career as a politician's wife. Collins served in the Florida House and Senate before being elected governor. He became famous for opposing racial segregation as Florida's governor and was tapped as the first Director of the Community Relations Service after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Daughter Mary Call Proctor said the family was together through the Thanksgiving weekend leading up to her mother's death.

"She had just a wonderful sense of life," Proctor said. "She was proud of Florida. She felt we should all do our part."

Daughter Jane Aurrell echoed her sister's sentiments.

"She had a long and full life," Aurrell said. "Mother had (nearly) 20 more years than daddy. She had a chance to meet and know all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We're just all so grateful for her part in our lives."

Collins is survived by her four children: LeRoy Collins Jr.; Jane Aurrell; Mary Call Proctor and Darby Collins; 12 grandchildren and her 23 great-grandchildren.

There will be a private burial service at the family cemetery. Today, between 4 p.m.-6 p.m. friends will be welcomed at The Grove. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library or Big Bend Hospice.

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She was very old (98), and very wise...until she had a fall 2 years ago and started her gradual decline, which became increasingly painful to watch up close.

We had her longer than most families have their mothers, but it was still difficult to see her decay before our eyes.

Before the fall, she asked me during one visit..."Son, you have traveled the world, seen many things, and met many people. What has made the greatest impression on you?" My immediate response was, "You, Mom!" I had been in the Oval Office of the White House to meet the President, traveled the oceans of the world in Navy ships and aircraft, flown supersonic, held the nuclear trigger of a Fleet Ballistic Missile nuclear submarine on underwater patrols, started a successful financial services business, been married to the same dear lady for 50 years, with four children and 8 grandchildren close by,...but the bedrock foundation under it all was Mom.

She graduated from the local high school just months before the start of the Great Depression in 1929; she helped her mother wrap bandages for the civilian effort in support of World War I, she was a Navy wife holding ration books for 3 children during World War II, and she had a son (me) in the Navy spanning the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, through the start of the Persian Gulf campaigns in 1990.

She had a trait for finding beauty in people, places, literature, and things; at her graveside ceremony on 1 DEC, I read her favorite poem to illustrate. Albeit the First Lady of Florida during 1955-61, she was always suspicious of the whimsy in many politicians. Since Dad was one of them, she would let him know her impressions of issues whether he wanted to hear them or not. She had the most remarkable ability to engage in rigorous debate, and even heated arguments, without being disagreeable or raising her voice. When she was displeased, the object of her ire knew it, but she did so with finely-controlled dignity and grace.

The day before she died, my sisters, spouses and I each said goodbye to her alone. None of us noticed any response from her frail yet peaceful face. I had suggested to my sisters that in deference to her many grandchildren with various job commitments, we should delay services to the following Saturday. But when Mom died the next day, they decided to do it all within 48 hours. One grandson came from California; a granddaughter and her family of five drove from Tennessee,...others from Miami and Tampa. All 45 were there, their other personal commitments notwithstanding.

The 2pm graveside service on Tuesday started with a procession of her surviving family from The Grove homestead, through the backyard of moss-draped live oaks and pecan trees for perhaps 250 yards to the north, into a forest of tall trees overhanging a 170-yr-old family cemetery where my father and great-great grandfather (and his family) are resting...a few there for almost two centuries!

It was a dramatic moment...starting with four tolls of the "comeback bell" hanging from a stately oak limb, then a prayer by the Episcopal priest before starting across the yard silently...led by the crucifer in a white robe (a 12 yr-old great-grandson), followed by the priest (himself a family friend for over 60 years) in white vestments...next the 8 pallbearers (7 grandsons and one great grandson) in dark suits...next, Mom's four children with spouses,followed by all the grandchildren and great grandchildren...less the infants.

All these lineal descendants came from Mom, who was an only child. I wish I had a photo of the cortege moving across a freshly mowed yard of perhaps 4-5 acres, under centuries-old oaks and leafless pecan trees, an overcast sky, with not a sound from anyone. As much as I wished for a photograph, a photographer anywhere would have been a rude intruder to this reverent classical scene.

At the gravesite there were perhaps 6-8 additional mourners, all invited, and very close to Mom, including dear Caroline, who had been with Mom at The Grove for 40 years, and Aaron, who helped Mom outside in her exquisite yard of 11 acres.

The service was simple, traditional and short. Two granddaughters read selected Scriptures, I made a few choked comments as the new "patriarch," then read "Ode to the Water Lilly" (Mom's favorite poem, which she recited verbatim when asked on special family occasions). We sang one verse of "Jesus Loves Me" and "Amazing Grace." She was then lowered to her final resting place, next to Dad, in the most prominent site inside the cemetery gate. Throughout the 175 years of The Grove's existence as a home, no one lived there longer than she did. We then re-assumed our order of march and moved tearfully as a crucifer-led silent platoon back to the big house before anyone said another word.

The only other commemorative event we had was a 4-6pm Open House reception in the grand hall of The Grove's main floor. Despite public notice of her death only 24 hours before, over 500 people came through the receiving line my wife and I started at the front door...some from as far away as Miami, Bradenton, Tampa and Jacksonville. The Governor walked over from Florida's Executive Mansion next door (a residence Mom helped design and build in 1955-57; she was the Mansion's first occupant as First Lady during Dad's term as Governor during 1955-61). After he came through the line, he walked out back, went to the gravesite, returned to the backyard to join the great grandsons tossing the football around the yard in celebration of their great grandmother.

Approaching the Winter Solstice, the backyard started to darken approximately 5:30pm. In anticipation, Aaron had placed a dozen tiki lanterns to mark the path from the yard into the woods surrounding the cemetery. Their small but dependable flames were visible and even inviting from the back porch. They were still lighted following the start of a soft rain at 8 pm after all visitors had departed. With family still lingering and chatting in the big house, I quietly grabbed an umbrella and slipped out the back door….lured by the tiki lanterns still on duty...to visit Mom...alone.

It was a scene I had visualized many times, captured in the last chapter of my Father's only book, Forerunners Courageous. It describes the burial in the same cemetery of the first Mary Call, i.e. the wife of General Richard Keith Call. She died in the early 1830s, herself barely 30 years old. Dad's vivid account describes her burial by torchlight. I wanted to do that with Mom, but wiser heads prevailed. But now I was there...the night of 1 December 2009, burying my mother by torchlight, in the rain. After a full surveillance of the scene and capturing my final thoughts, I extinguished the friendly flames lining the pathway..

Good night, Mom...and goodbye.  Roy

P.S. Part of the settlement of Mom's estate involves the transfer of The Grove to the State of Florida for a historical museum 90 days after her death. This arrangement was made 25 years ago while my father was still alive. While we hate to see The Grove leave the family, we acknowledged it could not be split feasibly among the family survivors yet still maintain its historic integrity. This way the proceeds gave our parents a comfortable old age, yet maintained the property as a cohesive historical landmark for the inspiration of future generations. LC

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 395

Commentary #395
4 January 2010

Bigger is Not Always Better

Not everyone will identify with this article re the Navy vs. Missouri football game New Years Eve 2009 in Houston TX. But as a Naval Academy Alumnus, it meant lots to me, and hopefully my friends. I saw the game on TV and it was fun to see Navy prevail...all the imbalances notwithstanding.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Bigger is Not Always Better

Years from now, the record books will show Navy defeating Missouri in the Texas Bowl. But what they won't show is the David and Goliath nature of the contest both on and off the field. You had to be there to appreciate the game, fan support, marching bands and press conference.

At the game ending press conference, Coach Pinkel, the Missouri coach was still in shock when he paid Navy a "compliment"...they (Navy) had a "nice little scheme" and did "nice little job". And we know a "nice little" back handed compliment when we hear one!

Missouri was favored by the pundits for many reasons, not the least of which was their Big Twelve schedule, fourth ranking rushing defense (96 yds/pg), and NFL pro style offense and talent (Danario Alexander, No.81). Coupled with this is the undeniable fact that Missouri was much bigger than Navy. Missouri players outweighed Navy by at least 40 pounds a man. As a fan, you don't really appreciate the Missouri size advantage until you see them on the field next to the Midshipmen. Missouri dressed 21 players over 285 pounds, with 13 tipping the scales over 300 pounds. Navy on the other hand, had just 3 such behemoths (2 @ 285 and one @ 301 pounds). There's an old adage in football –"you can't coach size" – you either have it or you don't. And evidenced by the humiliating loss of a much bigger Big Twelve team to a "little scheming" Independent, they can't coach size...very well at Missouri.

Size isn't the only thing they can't coach at Missouri. On the second play of the game, No. 81, the 6'5, 215 pound future NFL draft pick scored on a 58 yard pass reception and while en route to the end zone, he turns his head and sticks his tongue out at the Navy secondary. No doubt thinking, "Hey, this is easy - fool!" This man-child's tongue extension was captured for NFL scouts by a photo journalist and published in the Houston Chronicle. It probably won't cost No. 81 any singing bonus money because in contrast, the NFL will draft any felon if he can play football. However, the game is played for 60 minutes and Navy controlled the ball 41 of those. While rushing 385 yards Navy clearly outgained, out scored and outclassed a modern day Goliath.

If you can't win the game at least the bigger school could win the battle of the fans, right? This season, Missouri averaged 64,000 fans per home game while "little" Navy could only mustered an average of 32,000 - advantage Missouri. Each school was allotted 11,000 tickets (@ $65). Missouri finished a distant second to "little" Navy in ticket sales (4,200 v. 18,000 of the paid attendance - 69,441). This loss cost the Big Twelve and Missouri dearly because instead of receiving half of the $1.25 million dollar guarantee, they must "buy" the unsold tickets (approximately $400,000). Navy's ticket sales also included over 800 tickets purchased by the alumni and given to the Midshipman who attended the game. In addition, Navy sold over 5,000 tailgate tickets (@$25) for the pre game meal in a tent that covered half a football field. The rout continues for the "little" Independent on the Severn.

If you can't win the game or tailgate at least Missouri could win the battle of the bands, right? The safe bet was on the "Golden" Missouri Marching Band dominating the Naval Academy's Drum and Bugle Corps. After all, the Golden Band fielded 10 times more "brass" than Navy. Compared to Navy's silver bugles and drums, Missouri was imposing with their larger golden euphoniums, tubas and sousaphones. Outweighing Navy's thin blue line by at least forty pounds per "player," Missouri's Golden Band was intimidating. It was easy to see that Navy's D&B was in for a long afternoon.

Together, when both school bands took to the field at half time and played a rousing rendition of Deep in the Heart of Texas (which can only be appreciated by Texans), the "little" Navy "players" were lost in the sea of a really big, Big Twelve Band. However what the TV viewing audience could not appreciate happened after the last whistle blew. As is tradition at the Naval Academy, when the game is over, the Navy football team assembles by the Drum and Bugle Corps and their fellow Midshipmen in the stands for the singing of Navy Blue and Gold, the school alma mater. Also remaining in the stands and stretching the length of the field were most of the 18,000 Navy faithful and alumni, staying to sing the alma mater and celebrate the trophy presentation. Only a small portion of the fans were able to sing along because, the "not so" Golden Band, in an unsporting display of their huge sound advantage, drowned out Navy's "little" D&B. After the cheer "Beat Army" went up by those closest to the D&B, the remaining 16,000 Navy alumni treated the "not so" Golden Band from Missouri to a crescendo of boos.

Now this "not so golden" one-upmanship might seem trivial to those who never attended the Naval Academy but for those that have, it was an insult equal to playing your school fight song to drown out "God Bless America." The Naval Academy is not your typical college nor is Navy Blue and Gold the typical college fight song, the kind you hear at Notre Dame, Ohio State or Missouri. Its somber, hymn-like quality speaks not only to the tradition and purpose of the Naval Academy but to the bravery and colors of the United States Navy.

• Now, colleges from sea to sea
• May sing of colors true;
• But who has better right than we
• To hoist a symbol hue?
• For sailors brave in battle fair,
• Since fighting days of old,
• Have proved the sailor's right to wear
• The Navy Blue and Gold

Years ago Coach Holtz brought a Notre Dame team to play in the Academy's Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (emphasize Memorial), and after reading the 42 names emblazoned on the façade of the second deck, - names like Guadalcanal, Inchon, Iwo Jima, and Midway, - he remarked, "Now that's one heck of a schedule." Indeed it is. It's a schedule Navy never bargained for, but was prepared to win...because loosing wasn't an option.

This year, Notre Dame lost to the smaller Navy team in South Bend and out of respect, Notre Dame's Coach Weiss had his team stand behind the Navy during the dulcet tones of Navy Blue and Gold. Likewise, Ohio State's Coach Tressel invited the smaller Navy football team to take the field along side his Big Ten team to avoid the traditional jeering and booing of a visiting team by the 80,000 Ohio State fans. Coach Tressel received an award for this rare display of sportsmanship. Let it be said there are some football programs that know how to coach size.

Besides class there is something that can't be coached, and that intangible is "heart"...you either have it or you don't.

Go Navy! Beat Army!

Doug Bateman, USNA '70
former Navy Seal
former FBI Special Agent

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 394

Commentary #394
3 January 2010

When the Music Stopped in Iraq

For those who are unaware: At all military base theaters, the National Anthem is played before the movie begins. This is written by a Chaplain in Iraq:

I recently attended a showing of 'Superman 3' here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom at all military bases, we stood to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going well until three-quarters of the way through The National Anthem, the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments, and everyone would sit down and yell for the movie to begin. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.

Here in Iraq , 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again and the Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. But again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect 1,000 Soldiers standing at attention to do?? Frankly, I expected some laughter, and everyone would eventually sit down and wait for the movie to start.

But No!!... You could have heard a pin drop, while every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly, there was a lone voice from the front of the auditorium, then a dozen voices, and soon the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off: "And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there... Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."

It was the most inspiring moment I have had in Iraq and I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you. Remember them as they fight for us!

Pass this along as a reminder to others to be ever in prayer for all our soldiers serving us here at home and abroad. Many have already paid the ultimate price.

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Rear Admiral USNR-ret

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 393

Commentary #393
3 January 2010

Ltr to Washington Post re gays in military

Attached is a letter by a friend of mine….. to the Editor of the Washington Post.

My friend is not a bigot; he is a loving husband, father, loyal friend, former U.S. Navy submarine officer, and an intensely loyal American. He introduced me to the U.S. Submarine Force in Key West FL in June 1956, just a week after I graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Here he is commenting on the issue of liberalizing the Department of Defense policy on gays serving in the U.S. Military.

This matter stirs strong emotions among many, but I suggest that if a participant in this discussion has not served in combat units, whose survival depends upon unit cohesion, they are not qualified to pass judgment.

Please read this letter very carefully, if interested. It does not say we must not have gays serving in the U.S. military. It DOES attempt to say (to me…) that if that is the case, we know from experience that those others closeby do not want to know, because if they do, that unit cohesion may be jeopardized. At best, it is likely to become a distraction, and military combat is no place for distractions.

The current policy of “don’t ask; don”t tell” my sound draconian, but it works fairly well.

Click here to read the letter.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Rear Admiral USNR-ret

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 392

Commentary #392
2 January 2910

Collins Center justified

Rod, Recent Collins Center for Public Policy (CCPP) efforts for timely hurricane insurance settlements and foreclosure mediation are glowingly praised in the Editor's Page of the NOV 2009 issue of Florida Trend, pg. 76. These are examples of CCPP seizing the initiative where the public process has been either mute and/or stalled for various reasons. Both issues involve a noble effort to salvage the largest monetary investments most families will make in their lifetime, i.e. their home, so CCPP is going to the heart of the issue to save such families from financial catastrophe.

With such spectacular CCPP successes in the past decade, I have in mind a similar venture for CCPP of even GREATER importance...affecting not just those caught in the path of hurricanes,……or those who over-extended themselves for a home loan,….or those who lost a job thereby foreclosing their ability to retire their debt. I am referring to the loss of Constitutional freedoms at the foundations of our American Republic (see the attached commentary by Michael Connelly).

Whether or not you agree with Mr. Connelly's assessment, I would like to propose an action by CCPP, which attempts to floodlight the upcoming Congressional elections following several years of revelation that the underpinnings of the American (…and even the World's) economy have been severely shaken, …..and only time will tell whether the VERY EXPENSIVE remedial actions taken thus far by the Congress will restore some fiscal order.

Clearly, the oversight systems in place for Wall Street, the Nation's banking systems, the Congress, the Government, and Private Enterprise have proven flawed, so we have an electorate whose trust in American institutions has been severely shaken. The institution which thus far has remained untouched…..is the Congress itself. Many of our citizens now see the Congress as the most flawed of all American institutions, and I think CCPP has a place in fixing it, e.g...

During the last electoral cycle in 2008, in order to better familiarize the electorate with the Congressional slate in Hillsborough County, I proposed to a Tampa Chamber's senior executive, that it propose a Congressional jamboree on public TV, which would invite all candidates competing for three Congressional seats,... for an hour of Q & A with the local media in the Tampa Performing Arts Center. When the Chamber's leader presented it to the Board, they demurred because they thought...THE MEDIA'S QUESTIONS MIGHT EMBARRASS THE INCUMBENTS!!!!

I have thought about that peculiar answer many times since, and decided the way to meet such a concern would be to have a list of 100 questions prepared by the political science departments of nearby colleges, and submit those same questions to all participants beforehand. In this economy, with the Nation at war for the past 8 years, our Congress must show the people it is well-informed, because they have the power to make some colossal (and expensive!) mistakes,...which they do with regularity. CCPP could propose such an occasion in each of Florida's principal population centers, and I think it would prove to be of high interest to the public. They could even charge a fee for admission if the public is invited. The principal funding for such an occasion should come from a combination of Chambers, private companies, foundations, and public service announcement resources.

I hope this hits a sensitive chord with you.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Blue band divider with stars

The Truth About the Health Care Bills
by Michael Connelly
Retired Constitutional Attorney



Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media are saying. The law does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.

The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business, and put everyone into a government run system. All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats, and most of them will not be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled by the government.

However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface. In fact, I have concluded that this legislation really has no intention of providing affordable health care choices. Instead it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the United States will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. Government. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives of the American people, and the businesses they own.

The irony is that the Congress doesn't have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with! I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress to regulate health care.

This legislation also provides for access, by the appointees of the Obama administration, of all of your personal healthcare information, your personal financial information, and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital. All of this is a direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. You can also forget about the right to privacy. That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance, or if you have private insurance that is not deemed acceptable to the Health Choices Administrator appointed by Obama, there will be a tax imposed on you. It is called a tax instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment. However, that doesn't work because since there is nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of property without the due process of law.

So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much, out the original ten in the Bill of Rights, that are effectively nullified by this law It doesn't stop there though.

The 9th Amendment that provides: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;

The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Under the provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both houses of Congress to "be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution." If I was a member of Congress I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it, without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway, I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat, I suggest they consult the source, the US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 391

Commentary #391
27 December 2009

USNI re Gays in the Navy

The attached letter written by a friend of mine ventures where many of us fear to tread today, because we are so anxious to be politically correct, but his message needs to be read by all concerned. Any action on this subject should be limited to those who have served in combat units, where group cohesion is vital for mission effectiveness...and survival.

We should remember that the U.S. Armed Forces are the best in the World, and need to remain that way. It is not because they are models of democracy; indeed, they are highly dictatorial. They fight effectively because they are protecting EACH OTHER, whom they respect...not love.

Click here to read the letter.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Rear Admiral USNR-ret

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 390

Commentary #390
26 December 2009

WHY offer for elective office??

Steve, no reply from the RNC of RPOF following your multiple inquiries is inexcusable because it is rude. But they are rarely involved with candidates until after the primaries, unless they know a “sure thing” candidate who is likely to win based upon polls, AND they have a record of success with the voters, OR they enjoy some fame as a sports or entertainment celebrity;...sad, but true.

You are neither of those, so you must come from behind. If you want a sure thing, it is not there. You have to win prominence from presenting a cogent argument to the media, who will, hopefully, present it to the electorate. If they will not do that, you have to do it yourself. A tall order, especially on a limited budget. But you will never know unless you try.

From my personal experience, I am disappointed with my results in pursuing the U.S. Senate in 2006, but not regretful for trying,…..and blowing lots of mine and others’ money,... and 4 months of my time. Bottom line: YOU OFFER NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE ELECTED, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE DEDICATED TO GIVE IT YOUR BEST TO SERVE THE PEOPLE…..AND THE NATION. It is that simple.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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Commentary #389
26 December 2009

A CHRISTMAS STORY FOR ALL AGES

Christmas Day 2009 was yesterday and we had all 16 children, grandchildren, spouses and boyfriends in our house for dinner. The confusion of years past was slightly muted because the youngest grandchildren are older and less boisterous. They provided most of the dialogue so I was surprisingly quiet. This was an eventful year with both Jane and me turning 75…..and Mother died @ 98. A major era of my life has passed and we are thankful we are still here...and healthy.

I do not know who wrote the essay I have attached, but I know it contains perhaps the most important message of Christmas….and life, i.e. the joy of Christmas,...and life,...comes from doing for and giving to others less fortunate. I posted this essay as Commentary #19 about three years ago...again I recommend it from many years of experience. Love to all...

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Blue band divider with stars

I think I need to read this every year at Christmas.

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what...

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.

Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Don't be too busy today. Share this inspiring message. GOD bless you.

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 388

Commentary #388
21 December 2009

CHRISTMAS ON A DIESEL SUBMARINE

Bud, thanks for sending this. It brings back some wonderful memories of our past. I like it so much I am putting it on my blog. /s/ Roy

Click on the link for Christmas on a Diesel (poem)

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 387

Commentary #387
20 December 2009

A history lesson most have forgotten

A modern day lesson for those who might have forgotten!
by Hudson B. Drake:

Think very carefully as you read this. It is not about any one party, but a collective of buffoons. You are watching a five spiral car wreck in slow motion and the unwinding of America. Turn off the TV long enough to see the parallels....

Talk about history repeating itself......

Don't Cry For Me, America. In the early 20th century, Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world. While Great Britain's maritime power and its far-flung empire had propelled it to a dominant position among the world's industrialized nations, only the United States challenged Argentina for the position of the world's second-most powerful economy.

It was blessed with abundant agriculture, vast swaths of rich farmland laced with navigable rivers and an accessible port system. Its level of industrialization was higher than many European countries: railroads, automobiles and telephones were commonplace.

In 1916, a new president was elected. Hipólito Irigoyen had formed a party called The Radicals under the banner of "fundamental change" with an appeal to the middle class.

Among Irigoyen's changes: mandatory pension insurance, mandatory health insurance, and support for low-income housing construction to stimulate the economy. Put simply, the state assumed economic control of a vast swath of the country's operations and began assessing new payroll taxes to fund its efforts.

With an increasing flow of funds into these entitlement programs, the government's payouts soon became overly generous. Before long its outlays surpassed the value of the taxpayers' contributions. Put simply, it quickly became under-funded, much like the United States' Social Security and Medicare programs.

The death knell for the Argentine economy, however, came with the election of Juan Perón. Perón had a fascist and corporatist upbringing; he and his charismatic wife aimed their populist rhetoric at the nation's rich.

This targeted group "swiftly expanded to cover most of the propertied middle classes, who became an enemy to be defeated and humiliated."

Under Perón, the size of government bureaucracies exploded through massive programs of social spending and by encouraging the growth of labor unions.

High taxes and economic mismanagement took their inevitable toll even after Perón had been driven from office. But his populist rhetoric and "contempt for economic realities" lived on. Argentina's federal government continued to spend far beyond its means.

Hyperinflation exploded in 1989, the final stage of a process characterized by "industrial protectionism, redistribution of income based on increased wages, and growing state intervention in the econom..."

The Argentinian government's practice of printing money to pay off its public debts had crushed the economy. Inflation hit 3000%, reminiscent of the Weimar Republic. Food riots were rampant; stores were looted; the country descended into chaos.

And by 1994, Argentina's public pensions — the equivalent of Social Security — had imploded. The payroll tax had increased from 5% to 26%, but it wasn't enough. In addition, Argentina had implemented a value-added tax (VAT), new income taxes, a personal tax on wealth, and additional revenues based upon the sale of public enterprises. These crushed the private sector, further damaging the economy.

A government-controlled "privatization" effort to rescue seniors' pensions was attempted. But, by 2001, those funds had also been raided by the government, the monies replaced by Argentina's defaulted government bonds.

By 2002, "government fiscal irresponsibility induced a national economic crisis as severe as America's Great Depression."

* * *

In 1902 Argentina was one of the world's richest countries. Little more than a hundred years later, it is poverty-stricken, struggling to meet its debt obligations amidst a drought.

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 386

Commentary #386
5 December 2009

Article in Tallahassee Democrat on
Mary Call Collins

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Mary Call Darby Collins remembered as a 'great Floridian'
By Gerald Ensley and Angeline J. Taylor

Mary Call Darby Collins, descendant of one Florida governor and widow of another, died Sunday after a long illness.

Collins, 98, is remembered for her great sense of humor, caring ways and love of Florida.

"She defined the word 'lady,' " said former Sen. Bob Graham. "She was a great Floridian."

Collins was the great granddaughter of Richard Keith Call, an officer in Andrew Jackson's army who served two terms as a Florida territorial governor. She was married for 59 years to Gov. LeRoy Collins — who served from 1955-1961. He died in 1991.

"She was as pleasant as she could be," former Gov. Reubin Askew said. "She was very supportive (to Gov. Collins) but offered her own opinion."

Mary Call Collins was renowned for her charm and graciousness as a Florida First Lady. She was active in historic preservation causes, including saving the Union Bank and her ancestral home, The Grove.

Gov. Charlie Crist called the former first lady a "beloved leader" who "stood by the side of principled leader LeRoy Collins."

"She offered both support and advice during some of the most turbulent times in our state's history," Crist said.

Collins lived in The Grove up until her death. The home was built by Richard Keith Call in the 1820s and is adjacent to the Florida Governor's Mansion. It passed through several generations of the family before then-state Sen. LeRoy Collins and Mary Call Collins moved into it in 1942.

The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Several years ago, Mary Call Collins deeded the home and its 10 acres to the state, with the provision she could live there until her death. The state eventually hopes to turn the home into a museum. Born in New York on Sept. 11, 1911, Mary Call Darby moved to Tallahassee as a young child. She graduated from Leon High and Florida State College for Women.

In 1932, she married fellow Leon High classmate LeRoy Collins, embarking on a long career as a politician's wife. Collins served in the Florida House and Senate before being elected governor. He became famous for opposing racial segregation as Florida's governor and was tapped as the first Director of the Community Relations Service after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Daughter Mary Call Proctor said the family was together through the Thanksgiving weekend leading up to her mother's death.

"She had just a wonderful sense of life," Proctor said. "She was proud of Florida. She felt we should all do our part."

Daughter Jane Aurrell echoed her sister's sentiments.

"She had a long and full life," Aurrell said. "Mother had (nearly) 20 more years than daddy. She had a chance to meet and know all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We're just all so grateful for her part in our lives."

Collins is survived by her four children: LeRoy Collins Jr.; Jane Aurrell; Mary Call Proctor and Darby Collins; 12 grandchildren and her 23 great-grandchildren.

There will be a private burial service at the family cemetery. Today, between 4 p.m.-6 p.m. friends will be welcomed at The Grove. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church, the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library or Big Bend Hospice.

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Rod,...... thanks for your part in advising the P.L. Dodge Foundation to make such a generous donation to Big Bend Hospice in the name of our mother, Mary Call Collins, who died 29 NOV 2009 at the age of 98. We were especially pleased to see you and Lucy at the open house in The Grove,...... following the graveside services for Mom in The Grove's family cemetery on 1 DEC. You came all the way from Miami on very short notice, which was above and beyond the call of duty.

Big Bend Hospice has a sterling reputation for sensitive and professional services, which we have known since they attended my father in 1991 during his final days in The Grove. Anyone they sent, we came to know quite well. One of Mother's dusk-to-dawn watchstanders I met had been a U.S. Army Ranger in the same era with my son, Roy III. This donation will perpetuate the healing comfort for other families facing similar eventualities.

Mother's loss was sad, but thanks to the support of so many of our friends,...who reminded us how fortunate we were to have her so long,....it became a celebration with over 20 great-grandchildren playing with a football in the Grove's expansive backyard.......tossed among them by former high school quarterback Governor Charlie Crist....dressed out in white shirt, coat and tie!

Finally, please provide me the appropriate addresses for my letter of thanks to the Foundation, ....with cc to you, Stephen O'Connell, and Rev Jones. Per your request, I have copied my sister, Mary Call.

Sincerely,

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 385

Commentary #385
5 December 2009

America's survival

If you are concerned about the survival of America under the incumbent leadership in Washington DC, as I am, read these words from Thomas Jefferson, penned in his old age...when he became concerned about the usurpations of the American government during the early 19th Century:

"I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to man. I adhere to the principles of the first age, and consider all subsequent innovations as corruptions of His religion, having no foundation in what came from Him. If the freedom of religion guaranteed to us by law in theory can ever rise in practice under the overbearing inquisition of public opinion, truth will prevail over fanaticism, and the genuine doctrines of Jesus, so long perverted by His pseudo-priests, will again be restored to their original purity." (The Real Thomas Jefferson, p. 366)

We survived it then, and we may survive it again, but it looks very ugly now.

/s/ LeRoy Collins Jr.
www.leroycollins.org

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 384

Commentary #384
25 November 2009

95 Year Old WWII Battleship Sailor Tells OBAMA to "Shape Up or ..

Here is a letter to the President from a 95 yr-old Veteran who resides on the edge of Pearl Harbor. I shall let you decide whether it is disrespectful...or plain good advice. I think it is both; I hope the President has the chance to read it.

/s/ LeRoy Collins Jr.
www.leroycollins.org

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95 yr old Harold Estes
WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out!

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

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 383

Commentary #383
25 November 2009

Evolution of Leadership in Israel

Attached is a great article from Newsweek re the evolution of leadership in Israel, from necessity...because of the constant threat of annihilation by its surrounding neighbors. There are some profound lessons here. My suggestion for a Federal Apprentice Program articulated in my campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2006 took advantage of some of the Israeli concepts, but I never got a single question about the idea.

Here is the Newsweek article.

/s/ LeRoy Collins Jr.
www.leroycollins.org

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 382

Commentary #382
22 November 2009

Dean of Harvard Medical School's opinion on healthcare bill

John, I am proud of your participation in this vexing debate. I share your frustrations with what Obamacare may turn out to be. But your first paragraph may be the most valuable part of this discussion, i.e....

Of all people in the Nation, the Dean of the Harvard Medical School may be in the BEST position to come up with a broad healthcare reform proposal because:

1. he can muster the best and brightest healthcare professionals from his own staff, certainly from his peers in academia.

2. the Harvard endowment is perhaps the highest of all American educational institutions, so he should be able to afford whatever it takes,

3. he could easily bring in the intellectual resources of the JFK School of Government just down the street (and also part of Harvard University),

4. his proximity to the crucible of public healthcare attempted in the State of Massachusetts could be a living exhibit of WHAT NOT TO DO,

5. it would address the FACT that the costs of the status quo in American Healthcare, albeit through private enterprise, are unsustainable already, and

6. the Dean of the Harvard Medical School is in position to be a constructive LEADER, not just a smart commentator (……like you and me!).

Nobody asked me and my suggestions above may reveal why, but at least you got me enthused. Again, I am proud of you, John.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Bob, thank you for that information from the Wall Street Journal.

I am glad the Dean of Harvard Medical School finally came to your conclusions and I, liking the good company, am also in agreement with you and the Dean. I wish the Dean had proposed an alternative instead of just criticizing the currently proposed legislation. There needs to be an alternative to Obamacare in order to change what is going on in Washington. The Republicans have proposed a bill but the press did not cover it throughly because the Dems will not let it see the light of day.

The Dean (using more sophisticated language than mine) is in agreement with me that those proposing Obamacare know that this is just the first step to more and more legislation. This is what you get when a committee of 535 in Washington plus the President attempt to solve anything complicated. The other programs they now administer such as Medicare, Freddie, Fannie, Social Security and virtually everything else are going broke with no end in sight. Congress is incompetent to run anything let alone get involved in the very personal issue of our healthcare. I can't imagine anyone thinking they can do this right. Only an open and fair market with limited government regulations and mandates will be able to solve the health care issues.

The loss of freedoms associated with the House bill apparently bothers me more than it bothers you it would appear. It would be unimaginable just a year ago that even the most liberal of the Dems would openly say that each of us must buy a government approved health insurance plan ... and then treat us like criminals if we do not. The initial penalty is a tax of some percent of our income collected by IRS (they do not call it a tax but IRS collects taxes) and it is unclear if we would go to jail if we do not pay it. They left that to the unelected bureaucrats to figure out later.

The plan most ominously takes away our own responsibility to take care of ourselves and instead gives that responsibility to others. If you do not want to work or choose to live a destructive life, the government will tax those who do work and live responsibly to give you healthcare. There is a disincentive to work hard due to higher taxes and a new imposed tax on "Cadillac" plans now being paid for by middle-class working Americans. I am no expert on which Americans should get basic services at a low cost but there are those who are who could do a better job of writing a bill that served the poor.

States lose the freedom to enact serious tort reform in the House bill which is a payoff to the trial lawyers who helped put the Dems in office. There is also an almost mandatory membership in the SEIU service union that backed the Dems included in some newly created job descriptions in the bill. This is a payback bill as much as it is a healthcare bill. This is the reason why government, Republican or Democrat, should not be involved in our healthcare.This Bob really bothers me and should every fair minded American.

The congresses power to spend other people's money on things that will help guarantee their reelection so they can keep on spending other people's money is so compelling that congress is short-sighted and ignores the future problems created with this bill. The only fix to what is coming down the road is higher taxes (they are already shamelessly discussing a VAT) which will choke off jobs and further damage the economy as it does in Europe. Most of Europe has had higher unemployment than we have had even during the boom times of the past few years due to high taxes and the nanny state mindset. Yet they can boast they have universal heath care and although inferior to our market driven system, makes them feel warm and fuzzy to boast that everyone is covered. I have no doubt that many in Washington are okay with having the same lame system here. That Bob, is what really worries me.

John

Wall Street Journal editorial site:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704431804574539581994054014.html

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 381

Commentary #381
14 November 2009

Where have all the leaders gone

We need to have more Americans speaking out like this. I think today we are seeing the most serious challenge to our existence as a nation since World War II. I have not read this book, but I intend to do so. If this discussion is not disturbing to you, you may be part of the problem...

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Subject: Remember This Guy????

Wonder why we haven't heard more from him lately? Guess I need to find his book And read it...this sounds like it will be interesting.

Lee Iacocca
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone? Lee Iacocca Says:

'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course..'

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore...

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs... While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.

We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.

Obama is running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.

We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.

Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble due to poor leadership in school districts.

Our borders are like sieves.

The middle class is being squeezed every which way.

These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?

We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC news or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.

If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play.

Only a few people in the US know you elected an illegal alien to be President! A Muslim at that! And he jumped right in destroying the US from the inside.. Osama bin Laden is smiling from ear to ear because he is winning the war on terror and you helped by voting his man in as President!

That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.

Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!

If you don't think your involvement is necessary you are wrong! Obama does not have America's best interest in mind, only observe what he has done so far. Enough is Enough!

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 380

Commentary #380
13 November 2009

HAPPY VETERANS' DAY

This was sent to me by a dear friend and former submarine officer, who arranged for my first ride on a submarine in Key West just one week after I graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1956. I remember it well for many reasons, one of which was forgeting my uniform shoes, so I had to wear loafers with my uniform. At the time it seemed so gross to be out of complete uniform. Little did I know that submarine crews are typically allowed to wear any shoes on board so long as they are not open toe (sandals, shower shoes, etc.).

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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I Remember

Here's to us, one and all
Who heard the message and answered the call
To break away from the old mainstream and live our lives on a submarine.
Sub School gave us the chance to pass the test
To declare that we were The Best of the Best.
When we left New London with orders in hand
We all headed out on different courses for distant, faraway lands.
Some went East coast some went West
But no matter where you ended up, your first boat's the best.
You reported on board not knowing what to think
But now you're known to all as a nub and a dink.

You learn about Tradition and learn about Pride,
You learn about Honor and the men who have died,
You learn about the heritage that's been passed on to you
Because now you're considered one of the crew.
You study that boat from bow to stern
From the conning tower to the bilges, it's your duty to learn
Where and what makes that boat go, how it operates and in what direction it flows
How to charge those batteries and keep them alive or how to rig the boat for dive
Draw those systems fore and aft, blow the shitters, Check the draft
These are duties that you must glean when you live your life on a submarine
When you've learned all there is to know about your boat
You show 'em you know it, by your walk through vote
You go before the Qual Board, card in hand
Where they question and grill you to beat the band
And when you think you can take no more
They tell you to wait just outside the door.
For what seems like eons, Time stands still
And when they call you in, you feel quite ill!
But they congratulate you for doing so good
And welcome you into their Brotherhood.
Right of passage declares that you must drink your "fish".
And the tacking on process is not something you wish
But you wear those dolphins on your chest with pride
Because down deep in your heart, you know you're Qualified.

It seems like yesterday, it seems like a dream
That I truly lived on a submarine
Most Boats are gone, a memory of time
I wonder what happened to that crew of mine?
The Old Boats that are left, are all museums
And even if you rode 'em, you have to pay admission to see 'em.
So here's to us, those that remember
Who rode the boats out in all kinds of weather
To those past, present and even the future
To those young, hardy lads who still love adventure
So let's lift our glasses and have a toast
To the memory of those daring young sailors and their undersea boats.

Tom Carr

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 379

Commentary #379
12 November 2009

Request to enlist

I LOVE IT TOO! THANKS. LC

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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This is a great one. I hadn't seen it before either but it really speaks to President Reagan's tremendous wit and wonderful sense of humor. I had not seen or heard this earlier. S/F...Earl

Letter from Reagan

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 378

Commentary #378
11 November 2009

My Veterans Day 2009

My Veterans Day 2009 assignment was not as pre-set as in the past. We tried to remain flexible in the event the Governor wanted me somewhere,....which did not turn out to be the case. He visited our State Veterans' Nursing Home in Broward County, but I stayed closer to home by visiting festivities at the Haley VA Medical Center near Tampa. Here I sat with the dignitaries for a 10am neighborhood parade, including our FL Lieutenant Governor, our junior U.S. Senator, one of our Congressmen, two Tampa City Councilmen, one County Commissioner, the Wing Commander from MacDill AFB, the Deputy Commander USCENTCOM, and others. I was the only Naval Officer present in uniform.

At Haley there were only three speakers (i.e. the LTGOV, Florida's junior U.S. Senator, and the local Congressman......@ 2 min each). Adjacent to the VIP platform were the true objects of our celebration, i.e. the injured Veterans who were well enough to come down from their hospital rooms in wheelchairs. I met most of them; one put me to work with his VA benefits problems. I gave him my card with e-mail address.

I then drove north 12 miles north to our State Veterans Nursing Home in Land o' Lakes. There I found the remnants of a cadre of troops from MacDill AFB, who had been part of an earlier Veterans Day program at the Home. I got there in time to fulfill one of my most thrilling experiences since I took this job in January 2007.....

Several months ago while visiting the same Home, I met a 97 yr-old resident who overtook me in his wheelchair while I was walking down the corridor with the Home's Administrator. He wanted me to know he liked the Home and staff, but they needed more exercise equipment, and moreover he wanted to know if I could help him get a prosthetic leg. He had been turned down by the VA (sounds like rationed care already?), but he wanted to know what I could do to overcome that disappointment. I had been briefed by the VA in the past year, who had assured me and my counterparts in other States that there is no shortage of prosthetic limbs for deserving Veterans.

The Home Administrator seized the initiative, got the leg from another source, and I was coming back today to see my elderly friend's progress with his new prosthesis. When he (....in his wheelchair) was in place between the parallel bars in the therapy room, the Administrator and I were summoned for a demonstration. We were not disappointed.....

With obvious strain and grimmacing determination, he extended both legs from the wheelchair, triggered the lock on the metal leg, arose between the bars, and triumphantly let go briefly to show he could withstand his total weight with BOTH legs. With joyous exclamations and accolades from throughout the room, we took pictures of the event and I awarded my victorious friend with a still-new Navy Flag Officer's baseball cap I had personally gotten aboard the nuclear submarine USS FLORIDA (SSBN-728) when it was first commissioned at Port Canaveral almost a decade ago. That isolated vignet made Veterans Day for anyone within earshot.

V-day-2009

Shortly afterwards, were were treated to a visit by the FL Chief Financial Officer, who as an elected member of the Governor's Cabinet, is one of my four bosses. She had never been to a State Veterans Nursing Home, so this was her inaugural tour. I went on the tour also. She seemed favorably impressed by the Home and staff. All the Home's residents and staff were highly impressed with her.

So, it was not a highly demanding Veterans Day, but it was very fulfilling. God bless our Veterans who are responsible for protecting our life of freedom.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 377

Commentary #377
10 November 2009

Impact of US Health Reform on Florida

Earl, I think FL State Senator Don Gaetz is an excellent example of a legislator who is doing his best to keep his constituents informed on issues of current interest. He is also a good example for his colleagues in the Florida Senate. We are fortunate to have him and Senator Peaden as leaders in the Health and Human Services Committee, .....which has cognizance and oversight of FDVA.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

Blue band divider with stars

Senator Dan Gaetz
Reports to Northwest Florida

November 9, 2009

Health care "reform" will be decided in Washington
but the consequences will be felt in Florida


Dear Neighbor,

Every week I walk door to door in a neighborhood in Northwest Florida. It's the best education in the world for a person in public office. Folks standing on their own doorsteps or sitting across from me at their own kitchen tables tell me exactly what's on their minds – what they think, what they fear, what they hope.

Yes, people continue to be concerned about the size of their tax bills, the quality of their schools, the access to insurance they can afford and plenty of other problems. But, as the debate on health care has taken center stage in Washington over the past few months, health care "reform" is now the number one issue I'm hearing about from Northwest Floridians

. Now that the US House of Representatives has voted narrowly in favor of the Pelosi version of the health care bill, interest is heating up even more. Proponents are pushing for a vote in the US Senate within days.

I'm a state senator so I don't vote in Congress. My button is connected to the vote board on the wall in the Florida Senate in Tallahassee. But that doesn't stop people from sharing their feelings and their fears with me, probably because I'm the guy knocking on their door. And I always promise to pass along to our US Senators and Congressmen what I learn.

But the truth is that this "reform" is not just a federal issue. A major factor missing from the debate is the impact that the federal changes will have on our state. Just one part of this phone-book thick bill proposes to expand coverage to the uninsured through a major expansion of Medicaid. Medicaid is a program funded by $18 billion paid by Florida taxpayers though all the rules are made in Washington.

· As of September 30, there were 2.7 million people enrolled in Medicaid in Florida. That's an increase of 600,000 new recipients in the past two years.

· This past year Floridians spent $6,619 for each Medicaid recipient.

· Florida will see a 54% increase in its Medicaid rolls under the Pelosi plan, according to the Heritage Foundation.

· Florida taxpayers will be on the hook to pay increased taxes to support this Washington-decreed increase in Medicaid eligible recipients.

· Yet, no one is happy with Medicaid – doctors, taxpayers, and Medicaid recipients, themselves, say the system is broken.

· Federal officials admit that Medicaid is rife with fraud and mismanagement, though nothing is done in this "reform" bill to correct those problems.

At a time when state revenues are in steep decline because of the deteriorated economy, more mandated costs and taxes from Washington further dilutes state funds available for our elderly in nursing homes, critically ill children in neonatal intensive care centers, and others in real need.

But it isn't just health care needs that will be stretched past the breaking point by a federally-sponsored explosion in Medicaid costs. Every dollar the State of Florida is obligated by the feds to spend on Medicaid means fewer dollars for our schools, our roads, our environment and keeping violent criminals behind bars.

Clearly, our health insurance system needs change. The bar to coverage of pre-existing conditions should be taken down. Individuals who are self-employed and small businesses should be able to join larger insurance risk pools to provide access and keep premiums down. Reasonable tort reform would reduce unnecessary testing and thereby cut costs. But that's not what the Pelosi bill does.

Today one in ten Floridians is out of work and in every neighborhood someone's home is being foreclosed. There couldn't be a worse time for Congress to create a trillion dollar federal program that will drive up taxes on families and businesses and pass a crushing burden of debt to our children and grandchildren.

Here are a few other features of the Pelosi bill that its advocates have glossed over:

Sec. 224 (p118) provides that in 18 months the US Secretary of Health and Human Services will decide what a "qualified plan" is and how much you'll be legally required to pay for it. The Wall Street Journal reports, "That's like a banker telling you to sign the loan agreement now, then filling in the interest rate and repayment terms 18 months later."

Sec. 303 (p167-168) makes it clear that a "qualified plan" will be of the "one size fits all" kind. You will have to enroll in the same plan, whether the government is paying for it or you and your employer are paying.

Sec. 59b (p 297-299) requires that when you file your tax return you must include proof that you are in a "qualified plan" as dictated by the federal government. If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement.

Sec. 1114 (p. 391-393) replaces physicians with physician assistants in caring for terminally ill patients in hospice programs.

Again, as reported in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, "This bill will slash Medicare funding," thereby putting our elderly and disabled at risk and "it will also direct billions of dollars to numerous inner city social work and diversity programs with vague standards of accountability."

Sec. 399V (p. 1422) directs tax money to community "entities" with no required qualifications except having "documented community activity and experience with community healthcare workers" to "educate, guide, and provide experiential learning opportunities…in the cultural context most appropriate to the individual served by the program."

Sec. 222 (p. 617) reimburses "culturally and linguistically appropriate services" including giving Medicaid enrollees a "right" to have an interpreter at all times paid for by the taxpayers.

Secs. 2521 and 2533 (p 1379 and 1437) establish racial and ethnic preferences in awarding grants for training nurses and creating secondary school health programs.

To read the bill for yourself, go to www.defendyourhealthcare.us

If you're like the people whose doors I've been knocking on recently, you may be troubled by the impact of this bill on our state and on those of us who work here, go to school here, and have retired here. To be sure that the Senate doesn't follow the House and pass these consequences onto Floridians, please contact your US Senator today.

Here's the contact information for our two US Senators:

Senator Bill Nelson
Washington, D.C.
United States Senate
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183
http://billnelson.senate.gov

Senator George LeMieux
United States Senate
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Main: (202) 224-3041
Toll free: (866) 630-7106
Fax: (202) 228-5171
http://lemieux.senate.gov

Meanwhile, please feel free to continue to share your comments with me, as well. Your concerns, your suggestions and your guidance help me be a better senator for you in Tallahassee.
Respectfully,

/s/ Senator Don Gaetz

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 376

Commentary #376
9 November 2009

Medal of Honor

DAY AFTER TOMORROW IS VETERANS DAY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? HERE IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF A TROOP IN VIET NAM SAVED BY A TRULY HEROIC VETERAN, WHO IS NO LONGER WITH US...

/s/ LeRoy Collins

Blue band divider with stars

You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley.

November 11, 1965.
LZ X-ray, Vietnam

Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.

Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.

As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.

Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter. You look up to see an unarmed Huey. But...it doesn't seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you.

He's not Medi-Vac so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.

Even after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!

He took about 30 of you and your buddies out who would never have gotten out.

Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last year at the age of 80, in Boise, Idaho.

May God Rest His Soul.

Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman
Medal of Honor Winner
Ed Freeman

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 375

Commentary #375
9 November 2009

Timely quotes discovered today

I came across this unattributed quote on the side of a building at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville FL, which hosts several long range patrol aircraft squadrons which operate worldwide:

"When the world calls upon America for defense against tyranny, America calls upon us, the U.S. Armed Forces!"

And here is another:

"As an American I am not so shocked that Obama was given the Nobel Peace Prize without any accomplishments to his name, but that America gave him the White House based on the same credentials." - - Newt Gingrich

"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the "new, wonderful good society" which shall now be Rome's, interpreted to mean "more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.: Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) h/t,reader.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 374

Commentary #374
1 November 2009

Ruth Nickerson.....MEMORIAL SVC

This past Wednesday, 28 OCT 2009, I had the honor of giving the eulogy in a memorial service honoring Ruth N., my Executive Secretary during 1969-96. It was held in Faith United Methodist Church in Fort Myers, Florida…..near Ruth's home for the past 5 years. Since it was several hours south of Tampa, very few could make the trip...being in the middle of a working day. But her son, Jerry, asked me to select the time/date convenient to me, so I apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by my choice.

There were 50-60 people present in a sanctuary that could probably seat 1000. But the Pastor and Church Organist were there in full support; we got some videocam scenes we will provide later, if our amateur efforts to record them were successful.

The service included an opening prayer, greeting by the Pastor, several more prayers, two hymns ("How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace"), ...and my eulogy. Here is what I said:

"I am LeRoy Collins, Jr. I was a business associate of Ruth Nickerson in a bank service corporation we started on Florida's West Coast in 1969. I was the founding CEO and first employee; it was a hectic startup assignment, which from the outset required an abundance of personal diligence, customer service, and management of diverse business interests…..with a Board of Directors of 15 senior bank executives, and 10 merchant enterprise leaders who were close to the participating banks. Fortunately I found many good people who wanted to help.

"After just a few months in this fight for corporate survival, in came Ruth to help quiet the troubled waters. I remember that day well,... she came in with my Vice President of Operations who said 'Boss, I think I have found the help you need in the Front Office' and he introduced me to Ruth. She had that sweet smile which said to me, 'I am just a few years older than you, and I, too, have worked in tough environments...'

"On that day began a 27-yr business relationship which included her management of bank customers, extensive correspondence, internal and external politics among competing businesses and banks, constant awareness of our own competitors, and even baby sitting our four children when I needed to take Jane with me on business/social occasions with a short fuse. So Ruth soon became a member of the Collins family also.

"While Ruth joined us in her 40s, I learned some facts about her youth which I found quite illuminating. She and her twin sister, Ruby, were the youngest among 8 children on a family farm in Kansas,...one-room schoolhouse, walked to school in the deep snow, etc. My favorite story of hers was during World War II, when she worked in the Boeing Aircraft plant in Wichita building B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. She was part of the "Rosie the Riveter" legend. Her job was to promptly fetch aluminum rivets from the deep freeze amidst the clatter of the assembly line, and serve them to the riveters within one minute, so the rivets could be seated before they warmed, expanded and became too large to drive into the pre-drilled metal skin of the bomber. Young ladies like Ruth sustained the war effort at home while the men were drafted to fight overseas against the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy). Those left at home managed without new cars; with rationing of fuel, food, clothing, shelter; and even uncertainty whether the USA would survive this EPIC GLOBAL CONFLICT.

"With such a background of personal hardships and threats, she learned to cope with them in her quiet, yet resolute way, which we quickly recognized and admired. I would like to read to you the letter I wrote to her on the occasion of her retirement in 1996 (most of you remember it, which I circulated widely, and she had it framed in her home).

"These serene qualities about her were still apparent when Jane and I visited her for the last time earlier this month, just days before she died, i.e. calm, resolute, at peace, and loving us to the end. Jane brought a quiet smile to her face when Jane said 'we still need you, Ruth; we have not been organized since you retired!'

"In contemplation of her expiring strength and a decreasing opportunity to stay with us much longer, she asked us to use this poem for an occasion such as this (which was printed on the back page of her memorial service program):

If I should ever leave you whom I love,
To go along the Silent way, grieve not
Nor speak of me with tears,
But laugh and talk of me as if I was beside you there.
I’d come____I’d come, could I but find a way!
But would not tears and grief be barriers?
And when you hear a song or see a bird I loved,
Please do not let the thought of me be sad…..
For I am loving you just as I always have,
You were so good to me!
There were so many things I wanted still to do___
so many things to say to you….
Remember that I did not fear….
It was just leaving you that was so hard to face….
We cannot see Beyond, but this I know:
I loved you so____ 'twas heaven
Here with you.

………By Isla Paschal Richardson

"Ruth, we loved you too; you enriched our lives and we will miss you dearly...."

Afterwards, we had a reception in the Church office building next door. Three ladies from the Church fixed some very nice finger sandwiches, cookies, juice, etc. That is where I met so many of Ruth’s Ft. Myers neighbors with help from Ruth’s son, Jerry, for the introductions. Jerry got around to everyone to thank them for attending. When Jane and I left to drive back to Tampa, Jerry was still with the Pastor. I think Ruth would have been pleased with this occasion Jerry arranged so well.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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Commentary #373
1 November 2009

A LITANY OF U.S. GOVERNMENT-MANAGED FAILURES

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE U.S.CONGRESS:

  • The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is BROKE.
  • Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is BROKE.
  • Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is BROKE.
  • War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
  • Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965.. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are BROKE.
  • Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is BROKE.
  • The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion per year and we import more oil than ever before.. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

...AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 372

Commentary #372
28 October 2009

Confessions of a Submarine Officer‏

My views are not axactly the same, but close. I was aboard a similar GUPPY diesel submarine most of 1958-60. We took it from Key West FL northward to the Arctic Circle, south to the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean, and many points in between. What a wonderful experience of self-reliance, ……and group reliance.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

Blue band divider with stars

CONFESSIONS OF A SUBMARINE OFFICER

"I was an officer on a Guppy II in the 1950s. When I reported aboard, the boat was in yard overhaul. Looking at it for the first time, I could not see that it was a submarine. Wires, cables, hoses, tools, compressors, and welding equipment were strewn about the deck and pier so that it more resembled a bowl of spaghetti than a ship.

I was assigned as supply officer as all new submarine officers were and I floundered five months with multiple copies of forms and endless lengths of adding machine tape. As the boat ended its stay in the yard the = umbilicals began to disappear and it took on the appearance of a real submarine.

"My first year was spent bent over the boat's systems and learning the trade of being a submarine officer. I stood watches under instruction = then qualified as OD underway. When the captain said I was competent enough to stand in-port watches as duty officer I was proud. Although not quite, yet qualified in submarines as an officer I knew what I was doing.

"That submarine and I developed a bond. It was personal and I have never talked about it before. Of course, I liked the crew and friendships grew, but I kept quiet about how I felt about that long piece of steel. At sea during the mid-watch I hung my arm over the bridge rim and looked aft at the wake and trace of smoke coming from the exhausts. The sea made a hissing sound as our hull cut through it. The captain was asleep. I was in charge. The boat was mine.

The bow deck stretched forward before me. It was a fine feeling. When I was OD andwas ordered to dive the boat, I sent the lookouts below, pulled the diving alarm and pushed the 1MC button, saying 'Dive, dive!'. Then I lingered for a bit to watch the bow begin to settle.

I was fascinated bythis wonderful home in which I lived. When the seas were rough and green water came over the bridge I fought the elements. But I never, for one second, had anything but complete confidence in my boat. We often rolled to extreme limits, but I knew the old girl would right herself.

"The best times for me were when I had the duty. At night when charging batteries, an electrician would wake me and tell me we had reached the TVG. I'd awaken and walk through the boat. The duty section crew members were asleep. It was quiet except for the single charging engine and the electricians in maneuvering. The ventilation blowers hummed in the battery compartments, but the torpedo rooms were completely quiet. I could hear the water at the pressure hull. It was a good sound, a peaceful sound.

Standing on the fan tail, I looked at the other submarines in the nest.. They were like us, spending a quiet night; resting so that in the morning we could all go out all to sea and do our thing. It was good to spend a few minutes talking to the topside watch. I felt secure. I have never had that feeling as a civilian.

I loved that old boat. To me she seemed alive. I did my best for her and I knew that she wouldn't let me down.

"This all seems pretty stupid to most readers, but there may be some retired old submariners that felt the same way about their boats. It was a point in time. Perhaps, the nuclear sailors of today with the gold and blue crews miss that special relationship I knew. I hear the words, Subs, Smoke-boats, Pig boats. I still refer to them as submarines. They deserve that much."

(The writer of the above letter wishes to remain anonymous.)

________________________________
There are only TWO TYPES of ships...SUBMARINES and targets.
"PRIDE RUNS DEEP"

Blue band divider with stars

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 371

Commentary #371
22 October 2009

America as the Last Man Standing

This speech is worthy of your careful study. The facts are Europe will be Muslim in barely a generation from now. America may be two generations behind. Don't think you need to worry about it? Your grandchildren will and it may be a painful reality. What are YOU going to do about it?

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Blue band divider with stars

Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009

THIS SPEECH CLEARLY SHOWS OUR SITUATION IN THE WORLD...WELL WORTH READING!

Geert Wilders is a Dutch Member of Parliament.
Geert Wilders

America as the last man standing

'In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe?'

Here is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem.

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for inviting me.

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.

First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.

The Europe you know is changing.

You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration.

All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.

There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe. With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.

Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille and Malmo in Sweden. In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities.

In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims.

Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear 'whore, whore'. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin.

In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.

In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan.

Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.

A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.

Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France. One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. And this is how we give them respect. We have Muslim official state holidays.

The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.

Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. I call the perpetrators 'settlers'. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers.

Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.

The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad.

Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.

Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam 'the most retrograde force in the world', and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. The public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel. First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz, second because it is a democracy, and third because Israel is our first line of defense.

This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam's territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia. Israel is simply in the way. The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War.

The war against Israel is not a war against Israel. It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel, Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming.

Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behaviour, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel, they can get everything. So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or 'racists'. In my country, the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat. Yet there is a danger greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.

Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe, American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe's children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.

We have to take the necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from destroying the free world that we know.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 370

Commentary #370
21 October 2009

The Power of Floodwater

Very dramatic video here. See it thru...LC

Click this link to watch video (3'38" long, approximately 3MB, WMV format).

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 369

Commentary #369
15 October 2009

Good For Her

GOOD FOR HER!!!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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This 4th grade teacher has said it all, and she was brave enough to attach her name to it.

April 17, 2009
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Mr. Obama:

I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.

You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans & the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of President of the United States of America. You are responsible to the citizens of the United States..NOT to the peoples of any other country on earth.

I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States, telling Europeans that we are arrogant & do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War & the Second World War were all about if not th e consideration of the peoples of Europe? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?

Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the U.S. does not consider itself a Christian country? Haven't you read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics & the principles governing this country (at least until you came along) come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?

Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia. You didn't show Great Britain, our best & one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia.. How dare you, sir! How dare you!

You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you dont want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey... You offended our dead & every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. Whats the matter with you? I am convinced that you & the members of your administration have the historical & intellectual depth of a mud puddle & should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you..

You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers & the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Sen. Dodd, Rep. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, & the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.

What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You havent said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didnt!

Executives at Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie & Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million - not a bad take. Who authorized that & why havent you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?

I resent that you take me & my fellow citizens as brain-dead & not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing & we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.

I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do & say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.

Sincerely,
Every real American

P.S. I rarely ask that emails be 'passed around' ............. PLEASE SEND THIS TO YOUR EMAIL LIST......it's past time for all Americans to wake up!

Ms Kathleen Lyday
Fourth Grade Teacher
Grandview Elementary School
11470 Hwy C
Hillsboro, MO 63050
(636) 944-3291 Phone
(636) 944-3870 Fax

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 368

Commentary #368
14 October 2009

Military Records Banner Recruiting Year

JOIN THE U.S. MILITARY. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO START YOUR ADULT LIFE.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Military Records Banner Recruiting Year

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2009 - The military services' active and reserve components notched record recruiting numbers and signed up the highest-quality recruits ever in fiscal 2009, senior defense officials said today.

It is the first time that all active services and reserve components met or exceeded their numerical recruiting goals and exceeded their recruit-quality benchmarks since the start of the all-volunteer force in 1973, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, told Pentagon reporters.

While Carr acknowledged that the current economic downturn probably is having a positive effect on recruiting, he also pointed to the sterling efforts of military recruiters for the superb results and noted the military deployed a robust bonus program in which 40 percent of recruits received an average bonus of $14,000.

The recruiting success achieved in fiscal 2009 is even more impressive, Carr said, considering that 70 percent of today's high school graduates – the military's target recruiting pool – go on to college upon graduation. In the 1980s, he noted, only about half of American high school students went on to college.

A rising propensity for young people age 17 to 24 to be obese, Carr said, also complicates the military's recruiting mission.

"If we look back to the 1980s, one in 20 young people were obese," Carr said, as compared to today's ratio of 1 in 4 young people being categorized as obese. "And, that creates a tighter constraint as you seek to find fully qualified recruits," he added.

However, he said, the number of waivers issued to recruits with medical or conduct issues is trending downward.

Here are the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force recruiting results for fiscal 2009:

-- The Army had 70,045 accessions, making 108 percent of its 65,000 goal.

-- The Navy had 35,527 accessions, making 100 percent of its 35,500 goal.

-- The Marine Corps had 31,413 accessions, making 100 percent of its 31,400 goal.

-- The Air Force had 31,983 accessions, making 100 percent of its 31,980 goal.

Reserve-component recruiting results for fiscal 2009:

-- The Army National Guard had 56,071 accessions, making 100 percent of its 56,000 goal.

-- The Army Reserve had 36,189 accessions, making 105 percent of its 34,598 goal.

-- The Navy Reserve had 7,793 accessions, making 101 percent of its 7,743 goal.

-- The Marine Corps Reserve had 8,805 accessions, making 122 percent of its 7,194 goal.

-- The Air National Guard had 10,075 accessions, making 106 percent of its 9,500 goal.

-- The Air Force Reserve had 8,604 accessions, making 109 percent of its 7,863 goal.

Attrition losses in all reserve components are among the best in recent years, officials said. Carr also attributed current recruiting success to the "Millennial" demographic of young people that includes those born between 1978 and 1996. Generational studies show, he said, that these young people – who've lived during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States – are more inclined to perform public service.

Additionally, Carr said, Congress continues to provide the Defense Department with sufficient funding to sustain the all-volunteer force.

Studies also show that young people can make a good living in the military, Carr said, as compared to their civilian peers with equitable workplace experience and education qualifications. Generous pay raises provided to junior officers and mid-level noncommissioned officers in recent years, he noted, have boosted those servicemembers' earning capacity.

"It has been a banner year for recruiting," Curtis L. Gilroy, director of accession policy, told American Forces Press Service and Pentagon Channel reporters during an Oct. 9 interview at the Pentagon.

Gilroy, too, saluted the "outstanding" performance of the services' military recruiters. His directorate is a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Fiscal 2009's crop of recruits also represents the best quality ever, Gilroy said, noting 96 percent of active-duty recruits and 95 percent of reserve-component recruits possessed a high school diploma. The Defense Department benchmark for recruits with high school diplomas is 90 percent. Studies show, he added, that 80 percent of servicemembers with high school diplomas complete their initial term of service.

Gilroy said 73 percent of active recruits and 72 percent of reserve-component recruits scored average or above average on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. The AFQT measures an individual's math and verbal ability, which indicates aptitude for military service. The department sets a benchmark of 60 percent of all recruits scoring at or above the 50th percentile on the AFQT.

"As you can see from these numbers," Gilroy said, "the services have far exceeded those benchmarks" in fiscal 2009 for signing up recruits with high school diplomas and those with average or better AFQT scores. Increased capabilities demonstrated by the majority of the nearly 300,000 active and reserve component recruits signed up in fiscal 2009, he added, will result in higher performance in the field and will enhance readiness.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 367

Commentary #367
12 October 2009

COLLINS CENTER ANNOUNCES 1,000+
FORECLOSURE SETTLEMENTS

What a marvelous informative press release. I serve on the Board of the Collins Center which is named for my father. Under Rod's leadership, the Collins Center has taken on another vexing dilemma in Florida (i.e. the second highest foreclosure rate in the Nation), and has brought some stability and rays of sunshine out of economic gloom and chaos. With such an impressive track record in such short time, I predict the other 17 Florida Circuits will follow suit. I even predict we will soon be hearing requests for help from other States.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tara R. Klimek
October 12, 2009
850-766-1633

COLLINS CENTER ANNOUNCES 1,000+ FORECLOSURE SETTLEMENTS

Non-profit working for Florida Circuit Courts giving many a chance to stay in their homes

TALLAHASSEE—Only a few months into its foreclosure managed mediation program, the Collins Center for Public Policy today announced it has coordinated more than 1,000 successful outcomes. The Collins Center's Mortgage Foreclosure Managed Mediation Program assists homeowners whose properties are pending mortgage foreclosure action at no cost to Florida taxpayers.

By offering Florida homeowners facing foreclosure an opportunity to meet with lending representatives, Florida's Circuit Courts and the Collins Center are reducing the state's foreclosure backlog and giving many Floridians an opportunity to take responsible steps to stay in their homes.

"Today's financial investments are so complex that it can be difficult for the homeowner to identify their lending representative and vice versa," said Ned Pope, Director of Managed Mediation for the Collins Center. "Managed mediation brings both sides together in a confidential environment that can encourage a successful outcome for all involved."

With managed mediation, many homeowners and lenders are able to avoid the expense and time of a foreclosure proceeding. Homeowners choosing to participate have the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with a lending representative authorized to negotiate on behalf of the lender. To help guide the mediation toward settlement, the Collins Center contracts with independent Supreme Court certified mediators who complete additional training in foreclosure law prior to conducting the mediations.

To date, the Collins Center has managed approximately 1,401 scheduled mediations. More than 71 percent, or 817, of 1,146 scheduled mediations were settled successfully during the mediation. An additional 255 were settled before mediation as a result of the Collins Center facilitating communication between the parties, for a total of 1,072 positive settlements. Less than 29 percent of the 1,146 scheduled mediations end at an impasse.

The Collins Center's managed mediation program is currently operating in three Florida Judicial Circuit Courts-- the First, 11th, and 19th Circuits—created earlier this year by administrative orders. In all three circuits, the administrative orders limit the program to owner-occupied residences facing foreclosure. The Collins Center uses trained consumer specialists to inform eligible homeowners about the program, work with lending institutions and attorneys to schedule the mediation, and set up an appointment with a HUD certified credit counselor for the borrowers prior to mediation. While some mediations may last a full day, most only last a few hours.

"Foreclosure case filings continue to explode across Florida. Managing hundreds of thousands of foreclosures in our court system requires communication between the lenders and the borrowers, so that foreclosures can be resolved as early as possible in the legal process," said Circuit Judge Jennifer D. Bailey, 11th Judicial Circuit. "The managed mediation project in the 11th Circuit, piloted with the Collins Center, organizes a safe and secure mediation, allowing essential communication to occur without the frustrations on both sides of missed calls, lost documents, and busy signals; and expediting settlements in those cases that can be settled. This program has assisted in our efforts to move this caseload fairly, efficiently, and with justice. We appreciate the investment, both in effort and dollars, that the Collins Center has made to build this model, and we look forward to increasing success as lawyers and litigants realize the value and cost-effectiveness of this program."

"Managed mediation programs for foreclosure cases will not only help move a large number of cases in the court system to resolution faster, the programs can also be used allow a large number of cases to be settled before a lawsuit is filed," said Circuit Judge Burton Conner, 19th Judicial Circuit. "Pre-suit mediation will result in a huge savings for lenders and keep people in their homes. When the parties can agree on a settlement, it is a win-win for both sides."

The Florida Supreme Court Task Force on Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Cases released its report in August 2009 recommending the adoption of "a uniform, statewide managed mediation program" to be adopted by administrative order in each Circuit Court. The report cited the Collins Center's "substantial experience and background" in mediation and praised the Collins Center's initial success rate as "impressive."

The Collins Center has used its own private funds to build the necessary infrastructure for its foreclosure managed mediation program that includes over 40 employees and regional offices in the participating circuits and is currently the only mandatory foreclosure program in the nation that does not rely on tax dollars to fund the program. Lenders are responsible for the cost of mediation, which is built into final settlement or foreclosure proceeding. Of the $750 fee, Supreme Court Certified independent mediators receive $350, $125 goes to the HUD Certified credit counselor, and the balance is used to reserve mediation rooms, secure translators (if necessary), and fund administrative costs.

"Managed mediation is an integral part of the solution to getting our economy back on track, and without additional cost to Florida's taxpayers," said Pope. "We're honored to serve Florida's courts by helping to resolve many foreclosures without the hassle or expense of a drawn-out court battle."

# # #

The Collins Center for Public Policy is proud to continue Former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins' legacy of uncompromising integrity in government and business. Established in 1988 by distinguished Floridians who envisioned the need for an independent organization to find impartial solutions to controversial problems, the Collins Center is a statewide non-profit that leads numerous and diverse programs throughout the state. A "think tank with muddy boots," the Collins Center goes beyond the traditional role of a think tank by seeking opportunity and taking action on projects that help Florida's citizens.

Tara R. Klimek
Press Secretary
Collins Center for Public Policy

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 366

Commentary #366
10 October 2009

ALFA STRIKE! LIBYA, 1986

The author of the attached combat sea story is a friend of mine; he was a Plebe (Freshman) at the Naval Academy when I was a First Classman (Senior). Ray was also a star running back on the Naval Academy football team in the late 1950s. He had a major role in this strike as the Commanding Officer of the Battle Group's principal logistics supply ship.

At the same time, Spring 1986, I was the Readiness Commander of Naval Reserve Region 8 @ Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Several months after this event, I went to the Mediterranean for two weeks of active duty, which included a few days with Admiral Kelso aboard his Flagship moored in Gaeta, Italy. At night I was a houseguest of Admiral Kelso and his wife, whom I knew well because we are Naval Academy Classmates.

As you can imagine, the security following the strike on Libya was intense in Italy. The dinner conversation was driven by my interest in Frank's perspective in the preliminaries leading up to the actual combat. He was unexpectedly called to meet the Secretary of Defense, Casper Weinberger, for dinner in London. Here the Secretary told him to plan such a strike...and to include the U.S. Air Force among the strike assets (F-lll's stationed in England!). He said to let him (SECDEF) know when everything was ready to go...simple enough.

What Ray's story does not tell you was the complexity of the F-111's flying that far, the number of airborne refuelings along the way, the lack of diplomatic clearance to overfly Spain or France, and the fact we lost two of the F-111's at sea after they struck their targets, and were "feet wet" (over water) on the way home.

Bottom line... it was a proud day for the USA, gave Libya the message YOU CANNOT LAUNCH A TERRORIST ATTACK ON U.S. CITIZENS AND EXPECT TO GET AWAY WITH IT WITHOUT RETRIBUTION. It certainly proved to be effective with Libya.

Here is the story.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 365

Commentary #365
5 October 2009

FARM KID in Marines

...thought you would like the attached story about a tough military transition and regimen.

I recently got stirred with the talk about women serving in submarines. They are certainly smart enough; if they can just handle the physical closeness which goes with the environment on board a submarine. Back in the 1950-60s when I was assigned to submarines, I think women on board would have been delightful...albeit a distraction...but a warship is a bad place for distractions.

In 1964 we had a woman on board my nuclear submarine for a few days when we were doing weapons tests at sea off Cape Canaveral, She had a PHD in engineering and her employer was the contractor for the Mk 113 Torpedo Fire Control system. SHE HAD THE NEED TO KNOW!.....AND, she was approx 35 and very attractive. The Captain solved her logistical (private quarters) problem by temporarily moving out the Executive Officer from his room (next to the Captain), and moved her in. She had meals with the officers in the Wardroom, where most all the conversation centered around her work and ours.

As I was the submarine’s Weapons Officer, she was often looking over my shoulder during some of the most intensive tests. She was entirely professional the whole time; the only thing different was her svelte appearance and gentler voice….both foreign to our customary surroundings. Could I get accustomed to the difference?....why yes, but our wives might be a different story. Bottom line,...this, too, will evolve

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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No doubt you guys have already read this, but for those who haven't.....

FARM KID in Marines
(NOW AT San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING)

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on 'route marches,' which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A 'route march' is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake . I only beat him once.. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6' and 130 pounds and he's 6'8' and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,
Alice

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 364

Commentary #364
3 October 2009

Think About It

Recently received and worth passing along. . . .

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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I have always heard about this democracy countdown.. It is interesting to see it in print. God help us, not that we deserve it.

How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.'

'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.'

' From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.'

'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.'

'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;

2. from spiritual faith to great courage;

3. from courage to liberty;

4. from liberty to abundance;

5. from abundance to complacency;

6. from complacency to apathy;

7. from apathy to dependence;

8. from dependence back into bondage'

Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota points out some interesting facts concerning the 2008 Presidential election:

Number of States won by:

Democrats: 19
Republicans: 29

Square miles of land won by:

Democrats: 580,000
Republicans: 2,427,000

Population of counties won by:

Democrats: 127 million
Republicans: 143 million

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:

Democrats: 13.2
Republicans: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: 'In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare...' Olson believes the United States is somewhere between the 'complacency and apathy' phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the 'governmental dependency' phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal's and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

If you are in favor of this , then by all means, delete this message. If you are not, then pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 363

Commentary #363
27 Septemember 2009

Test of Truth

My father was an enthusiastic reader of the classics. He was always suspicious of rumors, and this may explain why

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Keep this philosophy in mind the next time you hear, or are about to repeat a rumor.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom. One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance, who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students...?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Test of Three."

"Test of Three?"

"That's correct," Socrates continued.

"Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to test what you're going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man replied, "actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued, "You may still pass though because there is a third test - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed and said no more.

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 362

Commentary #362
23 Septemember 2009

Ten Paradoxical Commandments of Government‏

This list came from Governing Magazine (September 2009 edition). From my present vantagepoint as a bureaucrat in Florida State Government, I think these are gems of wisdom.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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The Paradoxical Commandments of Government

1. The reward for doing good work is more work. Do good work anyway.

2. All the money you save being more efficient will get cut from your budget now and forever. Find efficiencies anyway.

3. All the bold reforms you make will be undone by the next administration. Make bold reforms anyway.

4. There is no time to think about improving what we do. Make time anyway.

5. Employees may fight the change every step of the way. Involve them anyway.

6. The future is unpredictable and largely out of your hands. Plan anyway.

7. The press only cares when something goes wrong. Share your success stories anyway.

8. You may believe Legal will never let you do it. Seek Legal's advice anyway.

9. If you develop your people, they will move on to better jobs. Train them anyway.

10. Your ideas will at best make someone else look good, and at worst, get you ostracized by your co-workers. Share your ideas anyway.

Author unknown

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P.S. For any occasion, give it your best; it is the right thing to do, and will make you happier about being involved.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 361

Commentary #361
21 Septemember 2009

A new climate for national security

Interesting article published recently in the St. Petersburg Times -- worth reading. Wake up, America!

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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A new climate for national security

Why the military is paying attention to energy efficiency and global warming.

Climate change will cause drought, flood, extreme weather events, crop failure, acidic oceans, fishery collapse, starvation and disease...

That will cause conflict over scarce resources and mass migration by people in search of security and the essentials of life...

Creating sustained natural and humanitarian disasters on a scale and at a frequency far beyond those we see today...

When populations get desperate, the likelihood of military conflicts goes up, and the more instability, the more likely and greater the pressure to use our military.

By Vice Adm. Dennis V. McGinn, USN (Ret), Special to the St. Petersburg Times
Published Thursday, September 17, 2009


As a young student naval aviator many years ago, I made my first carrier landing off the coast of Pensacola. I remember every detail: a brilliant blue sky accented with billowing white clouds, clear blue, almost iridescent waters of the Gulf of Mexico, pristine white beaches and the deep green of the coast, outlined by its bays, rivers and canals.

As I focused my attention to the business at hand and flew my T-2B Buckeye trainer toward the tiny black dot that was the USS Lexington flight deck, I thought I had never seen such beauty as the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf of Mexico.

This month, after many years, including a 35-year Navy career, I returned to Florida's Gulf Coast on a different mission. Accompanying my former boss, retired Sen. John Warner, who served as secretary of the Navy when I was a junior officer in the early '70s, I came to present the strategic findings by CNA's Military Advisory Board, a panel of retired admirals and generals who produced two reports, "National Security and the Threat of Climate Change" (security andclimate.cna.org) and "Powering America's Defense: Energy and the Risk to National Security" (www.PoweringAmericas Defense.org). The reports, each the result of more than a year-long study, found an inextricable link between U.S. energy use, climate change and national security.

Just as the beauty of the gulf may juxtapose oddly with the tough reality of the military missions we trained for above its waters, so the tie between national security and climate change may seem strange — at first. But as military professionals, we are trained, and learn by hard experience, to carefully plan, make decisions and take action when faced with threatening situations, even when those situations are defined by ambiguous information.

Strategic decisions are, by necessity, based on trends, indicators and warnings because, as a chairman of our panel, retired Army Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, said, "We never have 100 percent certainty. We never have it. If you wait until you have 100 percent certainty, something bad is going to happen on the battlefield."

After carefully considering the threat of climate change and America's current energy consumption to our national security, the CNA Military Advisory Board finds the trends and warnings are clear. Our sobering conclusion is that climate change and the U.S. energy posture constitute a serious and urgent threat to national security — militarily, diplomatically and economically.

Climate change differs from traditional military threats. It is not a well-defined enemy or a specific crisis spot with a fixed timeline for response. Rather, it is a threat multiplier that magnifies instability in the most volatile places in the world and increases a variety of threats across the board.

This will inevitably create a growing need for U.S. military intervention with missions ranging from humanitarian assistance, to peacekeeping, to the need to deal with dangerous conflicts over resources in regions critical to U.S. national security. The conditions created by climate change will vary across the globe and affect different locations, including in our own nation, in a variety of ways: drought, flood, extreme weather events, crop failure, acidic oceans, fishery collapse, starvation and disease.

These conditions will lead to conflict over scarce resources and cause mass migration by people in search of security and the essentials of life, creating sustained natural and humanitarian disasters on a scale and at a frequency far beyond those we see today.

This, in turn, will create great social and political instability where demands for basic human needs exceed the capacity of governments to cope. As fragile states become failed states, desperation, hopelessness and a vacuum of governing power create a dangerous breeding ground for extremists and terrorism.

When populations get more desperate, the likelihood of military conflicts goes up, and the more instability, the more likely and greater the pressure to use our military. Climate-driven crises are already happening. Darfur and Somalia are present-day examples of instability and failing states. In South Asia and in the Middle East, very densely populated regions with long-standing tensions, climate change will create greatly increased competition, and perhaps regional conflict, over traditional supplies of fresh water.

As the Himalayan glaciers recede, nations such as China, India and Pakistan will have to deal with internal and external unrest due to a much less reliable source of water to meet the needs of growing populations. There already exists a rapidly increasing competition for diminishing supplies of water for agriculture and basic human needs in the Middle East.

The danger of oil

At the same time, increasing demand for, and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels will lead to greater instability around the world, including many of the places worst hit by climate change. In our second report, the CNA Military Advisory Board concluded that America's approach to energy has placed the nation in a dangerous and untenable position. The report identifies a series of current risks created by America's energy policies and practices.

Militarily, our inefficient use and overreliance on oil adds significantly to the great risks already assumed by our troops. It reduces combat effectiveness and exacts a huge price tag in dollars and lives. It puts our troops — more directly and more often — in harm's way.

Fuel convoys can stretch over great distances, traversing hotly contested territory and become attractive targets for enemy forces. Ensuring convoy safety and fuel delivery requires a tremendous diversion of combat force. As in-theater energy demand increases, more assets must be diverted to protect fuel convoys rather than to directly engage enemy combatants.

We saw this in Iraq and we are certainly seeing it in Afghanistan where the pace of military operations, the size of the force and its effectiveness is literally paced by our ability to get fuel when and where it's needed. Consider the recent hijacking of fuel trucks by the Taliban in Afghanistan and the ensuing civilian deaths, greatly damaging the political goals that are central to the NATO and coalition mission.

The commandant of the Marine Corps recently deployed an energy audit team to Afghanistan to find ways to increase energy efficiency and to use more sustainable forms of energy in order to lighten the expeditionary load, lower logistics vulnerability and improve fighting effectiveness.

Beyond the military's own fuel needs, our nation consumes more oil than any other single country. Ensuring the flow of that oil stretches our military thin — the men and women already fighting wars on two fronts. We rely on our armed forces to protect sea lanes and maintain a continuous high level of forward presence to ensure we can fill up our cars and trucks. The October 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole, while on a refueling stop in Yemen, was a tragic reminder of the convergence of oil, instability, terrorism and the need for ever vigilant forward presence by Americans in uniform.

And our nation's dependence on oil — not just foreign oil — reduces our leverage internationally and limits our diplomatic options. We simply do not have enough oil resources in this country to ever meet our growing demand or to shield us from the volatile price spikes and shortages in a global market.

Using too much

Even accounting for the recent discovery of deep sea oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, America controls only 3 percent of the world's oil supply while we consume 25 percent of the oil produced every year. Making the assumption that fuel is going to be available and affordable whenever and wherever we need it leads to a fundamentally flawed strategy. It will neither be available nor affordable.

The growing divergence of supply and demand curves for global oil dictates ever-greater scarcity and ever increasing cost. By remaining dependent on oil the United States will continue to be entangled with unfriendly rulers and undemocratic nations — simply because we need their oil. And we cannot produce enough domestic oil to change this dynamic. That is just a short-term solution that simply continues our harmful addiction to oil. We need to recognize that we cannot drill our way to sustained prosperity and security — we have to wean ourselves from our reliance on oil, starting now.

Economically, we are in the midst of a severe financial crisis, and our approach to energy is a key part of the problem. We are heavily dependent on a global petroleum market that is highly volatile. In 2008, we sent $386 billion overseas to pay for oil — a good deal of it going to nations that wish us harm. In the last year alone, the per-barrel price of oil climbed as high as $140 and dropped as low as $40. Just a $10 change in the per-barrel cost of oil translates to a $2 billion increase in the Pentagon's energy costs.

This price volatility is not limited to oil — natural gas and coal prices also saw huge spikes in the last year. While coal and natural gas resources may be plentiful, they are increasingly difficult to access, and have associated impacts that are expensive. As we begin to recover from the current global recession, the price of energy will inexorably go up and with it, the risks to our nation's economic and security future.

Hummer, be gone

There are those who say we cannot afford to deal with our energy issues right now. But if we don't begin to address our long-term energy profile now, future economic crises will dwarf this one. The market for fossil fuels will be shaped by finite supplies and increasing worldwide demand, the volatile cycle of fuel prices will become sharper and shorter, and without immediate action to change our energy profile, the national security risks, economic and military, will worsen.

Every single day that goes by, we are more vulnerable to very real threats to our energy supply: a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, Iran closing down the Strait of Hormuz, terrorist actions against major oil production facilities, or an oil embargo by OPEC.

Using the most reasoned and fact-based military judgment, members of the CNA Military Advisory Board concluded that we must transform the way our country produces and uses energy. Diversifying our energy sources and moving away from fossil fuels is critical to our future energy security. This will inevitably mean moving to more renewable sources of energy, greater efficiency and to a significantly reduced dependence on fossil fuels.

As the largest single user of energy in the country, the Department of Defense can play a leadership role. As one of my colleagues on the Military Advisory Board quipped, "America, we gave you the Hummer when oil was cheap; now we're taking it back!"

Algae-powered jets

By addressing its own energy security needs, the Department of Defense can be an incubator for new energy technologies and help transform U.S. energy use. Initial steps are already under way.

One example is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's recent multimillion dollar investments in the research and development of liquid fuels derived from algae and other non-food crops.

Last month I toured several centers of excellence — promising algae-to-oil start-up companies. These are not pie-in-the-sky ventures. Rather, they are on the verge of a significant production scale-up, using algal oil to be sent to existing refineries, which currently process only crude oil. This is significant. It means that a whole new fuel derived from algae could use the existing oil processing infrastructure.

Military aircraft are already conducting successful flight tests using bio-based fuels. Think what such a change could mean for the energy security of the Air Force, which burns approximately 2.4 billion gallons of jet fuel a year, the single largest user in the world, followed closely by many of the large commercial air carriers.

There are many other examples where the military is making significant progress in both energy efficiency and using new sources of clean, renewable energy to improve mission effectiveness. In Iraq and Afghanistan, spray foam insulation on tents has cut the need for diesel generator sets used for air conditioning by as much as 60 percent. Portable solar panels are increasingly being used to recharge the multitude of batteries our soldiers and Marines rely on for mission electronics.

The Army is assessing the viability of using highly efficient fuel cells to power the electronics in combat vehicles and forward operating bases, greatly reducing the need to keep gas-guzzling engines and diesel generators idling.

All of the armed services have embraced energy efficiency technology and building materials for military construction at their bases, increased the number of hybrid and electric powered vehicles for logistics, and many installations are developing solar, wind, geothermal and biomass sources of renewable energy to reduce reliance on the electrical grid and save money.

Collectively, these initiatives help to shape a rapidly growing national clean technology market using the Defense Department's buying power, as well as with applicable research and development efforts that can "spin out" commercially viable new energy technology from defense research centers, as well as to "spin in" private sector-developed energy capabilities, including those in operational prototype configurations, that meet emerging military needs.

While this may not answer all of our future energy needs for America or for our military, it is clear evidence that major change is underway. Remember that less than 10 years ago the iPod didn't exist and 20 years ago, few folks had cell phones, satellite radio or GPS devices.

Clean technology — energy efficiency, pollution abatement and renewable energy — is a fast growing multibillion-dollar global industry. Those countries which invest in research, development and deployment of clean technology early, will have a key competitive advantage and be less dependent on others for this technology.

Silver buckshot

Those who delay action will be more dependent on, and therefore more vulnerable to, those who move early. The greater our delay in taking action, the more limited and expensive America's energy options become. While there may not be a "silver bullet" to meet the challenges of energy and climate change facing our nation, there are a lot of "silver buckshot" technologies, which we can use to scale up and create an economically viable portfolio of energy choices.

The Department of Defense can play a key role to achieve the end state — a transformation of the way we generate and use energy. But America needs a truly national effort. We require visionary leadership by our elected officials, at all levels of government, to create long-term policies which encourage free market capital investments to develop and deploy sustainable, low-carbon energy technology. Most importantly, we need the full awareness, commitment and participation by all Americans, as citizens and as consumers, to recognize the need for change and to help make it happen now.

These challenges are certainly daunting, particularly at a time of economic crisis. But we do not need to exchange benefits in one dimension, energy security, for harm in another, climate change. In fact, while carefully considering these interlinked challenges, it is clear that great and transformational opportunities lie ahead for America and that the best approaches to energy, climate change and national security may be one in the same.

As my airliner flew out over Tampa Bay and the gulf after my most recent visit, I once again marveled at how beautiful the coast of Florida still remains. For the sake of America's future national security and prosperity, and for generations to come, I hope they remain that way. The future is ours to make.

Vice Adm. Dennis V. McGinn, USN (retired) is a designated naval aviator, test pilot and national security strategist. He has served as director of the Air Warfare Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; the Commander of the U.S. Third Fleet; and the deputy chief of Naval Operations, Warfare Requirements and Programs in the Pentagon. CNA is a not-for-profit research organization which serves the public interest by providing in-depth analysis and results-oriented solutions to help government leaders choose the best course of action in setting policy and managing operations. CNA's Military Advisory Board (MAB) consists of 12 two-, three- and four-star retired admirals and generals, representing all four services of American armed forces.

Sidebar

Did you know? The Air Force is the single largest user of jet fuel in the world, burning 2.4 billion gallons a year.

A $10 rise in the price of a barrel of oil translates to a $2 billion increase in the Pentagon's energy costs.

In 2008, we sent $386 billion overseas to pay for oil — a good deal of it going to nations that wish us harm.

America controls only 3 percent of the world's oil supply while we consume 25 percent of the oil produced every year.

A whole new fuel derived from algae could be processed at existing refineries.

Spray foam insulation on tents in Iraq and Afghanistan has cut the need for air conditioning by as much as 60 percent.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 360

Commentary #360
19 Septemember 2009

Admiral Grace Hopper Quotes & Biography

Jim, thanks for your input re Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. I never met her albeit serving in and out of the Pentagon during the same era of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. She was well known and respected in research circles (one of the spooky "theys" from my vantagepoint), whereas I was with the operational forces, i.e. applying many of the systems she helped develop.

She was one of only two Naval Officers I knew who served in uniform until age 80. The other was Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the "Father" of the nuclear submarine. Both were known for challenging the status quo. I met Admiral Rickover several times incidental to my consideration for the Navy nuclear power program.

I am told that in the early days of nuclear power, the then Atomic Energy Commission (later the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) wanted to have a "white coat scientist" aboard each Navy ship which was nuclear-powered. Admiral Rickover debunked the idea and prevailed only after he assured the Congress he would be personally responsible for qualifying each U.S. Naval Officer at the Masters level in nuclear engineering to ensure safety of each ship and submarine.

His legacy was assured by a "zero defects" attitude drilled into all officers serving as engineers on each nuclear-powered Navy ship since the first one launched in 1955. He served in the Navy into his 80s. Hopper and Rickover were the only two who did so in my recollection since I joined the Navy in 1952...... both for similar reasons, i.e. they promoted an innovative future, they challenged the status quo, and they maintained an energy level for their respective professions far beyond the age most of their peers wanted to retire and "smell the flowers".

The U.S. progressed farther into the future because they were with us and chose a life of service to others.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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Subject: Admiral Grace Hopper Quotes & Biography

A collection of Admiral Grace Hopper's quotes - - who was Grace Hopper? Look below the quotes - - everyone working in IT should know about this tough lady. Jim

• From then on, when anything went wrong with a computer, we said it had bugs in it.

• If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.

• It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

• The most dangerous phrase in the language is, "We've always done it this way."

• Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, "We've always done it this way." I try to fight that. That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.

• A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things.

• You don't manage people, you manage things. You lead people.

• Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew.

• One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions.

• Some day, on the corporate balance sheet, there will be an entry which reads, "Information"; for in most cases, the information is more valuable than the hardware which processes it.

• We're flooding people with information. We need to feed it through a processor. A human must turn information into intelligence or knowledge. We've tended to forget that no computer will ever ask a new question.

• To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge.

• They told me computers could only do arithmetic.

• In pioneer days they used oxen for heavy pulling, and when one ox couldn't budge a log, they didn't try to grow a larger ox. We shouldn't be trying for bigger computers, but for more systems of computers.

• Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems.

• We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington.

• At any given moment, there is always a line representing what your boss will believe. If you step over it, you will not get your budget. Go as close to that line as you can.

• I seem to do a lot of retiring.

• I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, "What are you?"

Grace Hopper was born Grace Brewster Murray, the oldest of three children. Her father, Walter Murray, was an insurance broker while her mother, Mary Van Horne, had a love of mathematics which she passed on to her daughter. Both Grace's parents believed that she and her sister should have an education of the same quality as her brother.

Grace was educated at two private schools for girls, namely Graham School and Schoonmakers School both in New York City. Intending to enter Vassar College in 1923 she failed a Latin examination and was required to wait another year. She spent the academic year at Hartridge School in Plainfield, New Jersey then entered Vassar College in 1924. She studied mathematics and physics at Vassar College graduating with a BA in 1928. After graduating she undertook research in mathematics at Yale University.

In 1930 Grace Murray married Vincent Foster Hopper, an English teacher from New York University. A Vassar College Fellowship allowed her to study at Yale University and, also in 1930, Yale awarded her an MA. In 1931 she began teaching mathematics at Vassar College as an instructor in the Department of Mathematics and she continued on the staff there until 1943, having been promoted by that time to an associate professorship.

Hopper wanted to join the military as soon as the United States entered World War II. However, at 34 she was too old (and not heavy enough for her height) to enlist and anyway as a mathematics professor her job was considered essential to the war effort. However she was determined to join the Navy and, despite being told that she could serve her country best by remaining in her teaching post at Vassar College, she eventually persuaded the Naval Reserve to accept her in 1943 and she also persuaded Vassar College to grant her leave.

After initial training at Midshipman's School, after which she was commissioned a Lieutenant, Hopper was assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance Computation Project at the Cruft Laboratories at Harvard University. From 1944 she worked with Aiken on the Harvard Mark I computer.

On her arrival at Cruft Laboratory she immediately encountered the Mark I computer. For her it was an attractive gadget, similar to the alarm clocks of her youth; she could hardly wait to disassemble it and figure it out. ... Hopper became the third person to program the Mark I.

Aiken gave her as a first programming task immediately she arrived at Harvard which was to:

Compute the coefficients of the arctan series by next Thursday.

By the end of the war, Hopper was working on the Harvard Mark II computer. It was in this machine that the first actual "computer bug" was found: a moth which shorted one of the 17 000 relays in the machine.

In 1946 Hopper ended her active duty with the Navy but remained a duty reservist. She resigned her post at Vassar College so that she could remain at Harvard where she was appointed a Research Fellow in Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics in the Computation Laboratory. She continued to work on the Mark II, then later on the Mark III computer.

In 1949 Hopper joined the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation as a Senior Mathematician and there she worked with John Eckert and John Mauchly on the UNIVAC computer. She designed an improved compiler while working for the company and was part of the team which developed Flow-Matic, the first English-language data-processing compiler.

In 1952 she had an operational compiler. "Nobody believed that," she said. "I had a running compiler and nobody would touch it. They told me computers could only do arithmetic."

Hopper's reason for designing a compiler was, she wrote later, because she was lazy and hoped that the introduction of compilers would allow the computer programmer to return to being a mathematician. Indeed it may seem obvious to us today that this would be the route forward for computers but it was an extremely far sighted idea from Hopper. In fact thinking about how computers have developed, particularly with systems such as Mathematica and Maple available today, one sees the rather remarkable vision that Hopper had of how computers would become such an important tool for mathematicians.

In 1950 the Remington Rand Corporation had acquired the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and changed its name to the UNIVAC Division of Remington Rand. Hopper became a Systems Engineer and Director of Automatic Programming Development of the UNIVAC Division. She continued her work on compilers, publishing her first paper on that topic in 1952. She then participated in the work to produce specifications for a common business language. Since Flow-Matic was the only existing business language at that time, it was inevitable that it should provide the foundations for the specification of the language COBOL (COmmon Business-Oriented Language) which eventually came out in 1959. She had another important aim relating to compilers, namely that there should be standardisation. Her aim was that there should be international standardisation of computer languages and she strongly advocated validation procedures.

Hopper was never one to hold a single job at any one time. She was involved both with the academic world and with the Navy during the time that she held her positions in the Remington Rand Corporation, then from 1955 in the Sperry Corporation which had merged in that year with Remington Rand. Her connections with the academic world were many, sometimes visiting positions as in 1959 when she was a Visiting Lecturer at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania. She was a consultant and lecturer for the United States Naval Reserve up to her retirement in December 1966, by which time she had reached the rank of Commander.

The Navy and Hopper were not apart for very long for, in August 1967, she was recalled to active duty in the Navy. At this time she took military leave from the Sperry Corporation and did not return to that job, retiring from it in 1971 when she reached 65 years of age. Her return to the Navy was intended to be for only a six months period.

... at the request of Norman Ream, then Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy for Automatic Data Processing. After the six months were up, her orders were changed to say her services would be needed indefinitely. She was promoted to Captain in 1973 by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., Chief of Naval Operations. And in 1977, she was appointed special advisor to Commander, Naval Data Automation Command, where she stayed until she retired.

Active service in the Navy did not prevent Hopper holding academic appointments, and she was a Lecturer in Management Sciences at George Washington University between 1971 and 1978.

When Hopper retired from the Navy in August 1986, at 80 years of age, she was the oldest active duty officer in the United States. She had reached the rank of Rear Admiral, being promoted to the rank of Commodore in a White House ceremony in December 1983, then becoming Rear Admiral Hopper in 1985. At a celebration held in Boston on the USS Constitution to celebrate her retirement, Hopper was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award possible by the Department of Defense.

After a career which involved many jobs in numerous quite different areas, one might have expected her to look forward to a quiet retirement. However, this was not her style and, remarkably, she was appointed a senior consultant to Digital Equipment Corporation after retiring from the Navy, a position she held until 1990. Her job involved representing.

... Digital at computer industry forums, making presentations on advanced computing concepts and the value of information and data, and serving as a corporation liaison with educational institutions.

In her long career Hopper received so many awards that it would be impossible to note more than a few in this article. She was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1962), a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1963), and received Achievement Awards from the Society of Women Engineers (1964) and from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1968).

Hopper was named the first computer science Man of the Year by the Data Processing Management Association in 1969. In 1970 she received the Harry M Goode Memorial Award, a medal and $2,000 awarded by the Computer Society:

For her pioneering work and leadership in the development of computer software, and for her impact and influence on the computing profession and her fellow colleagues, and for her pioneering work and leadership in the development of important concepts for mathematical and business compilers, and for her contributions to the development and acceptance of English-language, problem-oriented programming, and for her outstanding work and continued efforts in the education and training of men and women for careers in computer science and data processing.

She became the first woman to be elected Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society in 1973, being the first American elected to this honour. Also in 1973 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the Legion of Merit. Hopper collected a remarkable number of honorary degrees, receiving at least 37 between 1972 and 1987.

In 1991 President George Bush awarded Hopper the National Medal of Technology. She was

... the first woman to receive America's highest technology award as an individual. The award recognises her as a computer pioneer, who spent a half century helping keep America on the leading edge of high technology.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 359

Commentary #359
9 Septemember 2009

Patriot's Daily Quote - Thomas Jefferson

If you have been following any of the "town meetings" held by a few bold Members of Congress during their August recess, you have seen ample evidence of an aroused public in some of the televised raucous debates re National healthcare......and rightfully so. By definition, if those Members are voting on such a plan before they have read it, we cannot expect an intelligent outcome.

But by now they should have studied the plan, so their continuing avoidance of the discussion is cause for considerable concern about their competency to govern the Republic.

The quote by Thomas Jefferson (below) gives insight to the alternative of an uninformed public.

/s/ LeRoy Collins

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"Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves."

--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 358

Commentary #358
8 Septemember 2009

Patriot's Daily Quote - John Adams

Good advice from the past re parenting......LC

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"It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives."

--John Adams, Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1756

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 357

Commentary #357
3 September 2009

APPOINTMENT OF GEORGE LEMIEUX TO
THE UNITED STATES SENATE

Peggy, thank you for your interest in me as a replacement for U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, who has resigned, effective later this month.

Governor Crist had many qualified aspirants to choose from. I understand his ultimate selection of George Lemieux, his Chief of Staff in the beginning of his term as Governor. George was among the team (along with the Governor-elect and Lt. Governor-elect), which chose me to head the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs. He is a smart and dedicated public servant, so I think the Governor made a good decision.

I shall forever be appreciative of your trust in me for this appointment at a very critical time in the Nation's history. Thanks for your steadfast support of LHS '52.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 356

Commentary #356
30 August 2009

A Heroic Death, Without the Headlines

These days most members of the Press do not seem to "get it", but this one does. Now, if we just can get more of our citizens to READ IT. All of our troops give some of their life;.....some give all.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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A Heroic Death, Without the Headlines
By Scene And Heard
Sunday, August 30, 2009

Marine Capt. Matthew Freeman made his last trip across the U.S. Naval Academy in the company of friends the other day.

Yes, there were admirals and generals, colonels and majors, captains of the Navy and the Marines among the hundreds who joined him. But there are moments when the strictures of rank are loosened by the greater bond of brotherhood. This was one of them.

Four thousand and seventy-four days had passed since Matt arrived here as a kid, had his head shaved and was sworn in as a Navy midshipman. Two thousand six hundred and fifty-one days had gone by since he hurled his hat into the air at graduation and became a Marine. It had been 47 days since he married Theresa, his high school sweetheart, and 34 days since he headed to Afghanistan.

And it was just 19 days after he led his men onto a rooftop that provided the only high ground in a nasty firefight with the Taliban in a hamlet in a rugged, desolate northeastern province.

The morning he came back to the Naval Academy was a Wednesday, but it will stick in your memory as the day you heard that Ted Kennedy had died and the week when you learned that someone might have killed Michael Jackson. The politician and the entertainer of their generations, they were lionized by many and scorned by some. One pleaded guilty, the other was found innocent. But they each died with an indelible asterisk, a footnote to their legacies that time will not erase.

Matt Freeman died clean.

His life and death played out that sunny morning in the chapel at the Academy and as the long cortege made its way on foot across the Yard to what would be his final resting place. The words they found for him were devotion to his Maker, loyalty beyond what most men possess and grim courage in the end. Marine sentries in dress blue snapped into salute as he passed. There was a band. Flags flew.

Nine days earlier, when his body came home to a small town in Georgia, three creeks south of Savannah, people lined the route, waving paper flags. Children drew signs of tribute on cardboard. Mothers cried. You can find it all on the Internet, of course. All that, and a lot more about how he lived and how he died. You will discover, most of all, why people loved him.

It is the business of generals to calibrate the magnitude of a man's courage. They are not to be envied the task, and many of them learned its measure by testing their own guts on the battlefield.

Theresa rose from her pew in the chapel to accept Matt's Bronze Star, the fifth in the hierarchy of combat medals awarded Marines. He died on a mission for which he volunteered, in a province far from home, leading men into battle. Pinned down and receiving a "heavy volume" of enemy fire, the medal citation says, he rose up and led his men into a mud-brick house, cleared it of the enemy, "was the first to reach the rooftop" where he "spotted an enemy rocket-propelled grenade gunman and immediately killed him...and began to engage while under fire."

His best friend told the mourners, "He would want you to know that he went down swinging."

There were a dozen Marine captains in dress blue in the overflowing pews of the chapel. Marines may blink hard a few times, but they don't cry. Their mothers and widows cry for them.

In the week when they laid a young Marine captain to rest, the news was dominated by the death of a politician and the echo from an entertainer's death. The flag-draped coffin on the front page was not his, but if you look carefully in the paper this week you will see a small picture of Matt Freeman among the faces of those who have fallen recently in battle.

He did not live long enough to become an the icon of Kennedy or Jackson, but he died the greater hero.

-- Ashley Halsey III, staff writer

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 355

Commentary #355
24 August 2009

A liberal education

Robert Novak died in the last few days. I never met him, but I always appreciated his commentaries on TV. He credited his insights to his exposure to the great philosophers of centuries past, i.e. Aristotle, Plato, Jefferson, etc. It struck a familiar chord, because I grew up with a father who felt the same way. He became somewhat concerned that at the U.S. Naval Academy during 1952-56, my biggest thrill came not from philosophy, but learning the interplay of complex shipboard machinery and electronics. But amidst it all my love of history saved the day by helping me realize politics tends to cause wars between factions who do not share the same philosophies.

Dad did not have a college education because he matured during the Great Depression. But he was exposed to the Great Books by my grandmother and his participation in high school drama. He got a law degree from a 1-yr cram school in the hills of Tennessee and started his law practice in his hometown of Tallahassee. Many times I would come home from school and find him immersed in a room alone with one of the Great Books. His concentration was so intense that I had to physically move the book to get his attention. He was the wisest person I ever knew; his judgments about people were on target consistently (i.e. PHILOSOPHY!). He always thought everyone's college education at the Bachelor’s level should be in the liberal arts. Then,….. they could branch off into specialties from there.

The world nor I took his advice, but I never forgot the lesson. Given the world unrest today and the fear of the U.S. economic meltdown, Robert Novak and my Dad remind me we might be better custodians of the Planet Earth if we had followed their advice and example with the Great Books.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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A statement from the President of St. Thomas More College (a small liberal arts college):

What Robert Novak said about our students a few years ago at Commencement remains true today:

"They are entering the world as something rare today: educated men and women."

Consider what that means: consider the impact that just one such educated man --- Robert Novak --- had these past decades, the young boy who recalled with joy his own entry into such a school: "It was a golden moment for a 17-year-old boy from Joliet, leading to four years of exploration in the riches of our heritage: how barren would be my life without that background!"

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 354

Commentary #354
24 August 2009

Memorial

Fewer and fewer of the old warriors left from WWII...

This really shows the hypocrisy in our media coverage ....a la Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith etc. We forget what is really important to remember. There aren't many like Darrell "Shifty" Powers left...... THANK YOU "SHIFTY", and rest in peace.....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Shifty

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel , you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them...LC

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I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat.

Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made.

Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945...." at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy... do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.

I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero... and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach.

He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17, 2009 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.
No big event in Staples Center.
No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.
And that's not right.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

Chuck Yeager, Major General, U.S.AIR FORCE [ret.]

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P.S. We have some WWII veterans like Shifty in our 6 Florida State Veterans Homes. Just this past week I met one I shall not forget.

I was touring the home with the Home's Administrator, who makes it her business to know all of the up-to-120 residents. We were overtaken by a 96 yr-old retired Navy Chief Petty Officer with a special appeal...

This is a nice home, but we need more exercise equipment for residents like me who are trying to stay in shape. As for me, I need a prosthetic left leg. I was recently turned down by the VA, but I want to appeal to higher authority [me]. My right leg works well enough to support my whole body weight for up to six minutes [his young physical therapist nodded; try that yourself!]. Can you help me, Admiral?"

Sounds like healthcare is already being rationed; I got the message. We are going to fulfill that elderly CPO’s request somehow.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 353

Commentary #353
18 August 2009

Photo - Agency Head at Work

This photo was taken last Friday, 14 August, when I visited the restoration project underway at the FDVA Veterans Domociliary (our oldest home) in Lake City;.....I just wanted you to know your Executive Director DOES get his hands dirty....occasionally.

This 60 lbs electric jackhammer is used to break up the old tile floor. If we were using the larger 90 lbs pneumatic jackhammer, of course I would have worn white gloves.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

Admiral Collins

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LeRoy Collins Commentary 352

Commentary #352
13 August 2009

Obituaries in today's Tampa Tribune

Larry, I share your appreciation for their service in the Nation’s past.

But we have young Americans serving today with similar valor, selflessness, and resolve. Tomorrow I shall join the Governor in Jacksonville honoring the first American Naval Aviator shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991. His remains were found in the desert just in the last few weeks;……so at last, he is home.

WE ARE THE LAND OF THE FREE....BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.  LC

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Roy,

I don't usually spend a lot of time scanning the obituaries, but this morning I was struck by the number of American flags (indicating veterans) in the Tampa Tribune's obituary page. There were eight men in their 80's (one was 91 actually) - my father's contemporaries, and like him, all of them were WWII veterans. It made me realize how fast the Greatest Generation is leaving us...eight in one day in one town.

I read enough of the notices to get just a little bit of their backgrounds:

"...a decorated World War II veteran of the 82nd Airborne who fought in battles and campaigns in Sicily, Naples, Normandy....and in the Battle of the Bulge. The night before D-Day he flew into France in a glider which crashed in a field. He lay with a broken back next to a dying cow all night......awarded a Purple Heart, also a glider badge with two bronze service stars."

"...the son of Sicilian immigrants, he was a proud U.S. Army veteran of World War II."

"...served in the U.S. Navy during World War II."

"...served in the U.S. Army and retired with the rank of colonel."

"He served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II."

"...served in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a Lieutenant, participating in six invasions."

"...served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War."

What a humbling thing for me to read. . .

LK

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 351

Commentary #351
12 August 2009

Article: State Department of Veterans Affairs has helped vets for two decades

It is always nice to see a reporter get the message right...

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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State Department of Veterans Affairs has helped Villagers and other vets for two decades
By David R. Corder
The Villages Daily Sun
August 3, 2009

THE VILLAGES — Few probably even heard about the proclamation.

But the resolution the Florida Cabinet adopted last week delivered the message of just how important veterans are to the state.

The resolution recognized the 20th anniversary of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, a state agency that voters mandated by law in 1988 through a constitutional initiative.

With this law, Florida veterans gained a powerful ally, noted Fred Harrop, manager of the Sumter County Veterans Service Department and former Florida VA employee.

"Over the past 20 years, (the Florida VA) has provided countless assistance to thousands of veterans across the state in obtaining benefits and also providing high-quality nursing home care," said Harrop, a Village of Belle Aire resident and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel.

The work done on behalf of these veterans is just as important to the state's economy as the individual, retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. LeRoy Collins Jr., the Florida VA's executive director, told the Cabinet gathering of Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

Almost one in 10 Florida residents is a veteran, Collins told the Cabinet. That's about 1.7 million men and women who are veterans.

"Counting their families and dependents, that's a penetration of nearly 25 percent of all Floridians," Collins added. "It's a major impact of the veterans to this state."

This impact has long-lasting effects, too, Collins said.

"About 10 billion federal dollars come into our state annually for our veterans," Collins added. "And billions more because of our active-duty military in the state, who'll someday be veterans and hopefully stay as Floridians."

This agency also provides critical support services to many volunteer veterans services organizations such as Post 347 of the American Legion in Lady Lake.

While it staffs a volunteer veterans service officer, the American Legion post sometimes refers tough cases to either county veterans services officers like Harrop or the Florida VA, Thomas Murphy, the Post 347 commander and Village of Santiago resident, said.

"It's very important," Murphy said of the Florida VA. "It ensures the veterans receive the entitlements for their service to the country. We do rely on them for a lot of services that they're better equipped to do."

An important ally in terms of veterans benefits, Harrop said the Florida VA provides an invaluable service as operator of the state's veterans nursing homes.

"That's a big part, running the nursing homes," Harrop said. "And I can't emphasize enough how important that is to veterans."

# # #

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 350

Commentary #350
10 August 2009

Patriot's Daily Quote - Benjamin Franklin

Have we Americans lost the work ethic, hoping the government will fill in the blanks? Here is what Benjamin Franklin said about that over 250 years ago.....LC

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"Repeal that [welfare] law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. St. Monday and St. Tuesday, will soon cease to be holidays. Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them."

--Benjamin Franklin, letter to Collinson, 1753

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 349

Commentary #349
8 August 2009

Military Officers Climb in Perceived Status

This is well-deserved recognition, especially in wartime. But it must be a very fickle status; look what happenned in Vietnam when ALL members of the U.S. Armed Services were publicly villified and spat upon. Maybe the difference is due to the volunteer status of today's military.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Military Officers Climb in Perceived Status
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2009 - U.S. military officers have "very great prestige," and their status is climbing, according to a poll released this week.

The Harris Poll ranked 23 occupations based on the responses of more than 1,000 adults polled last month.

More than half of those polled gave military officers top marks, saying that the position held very great prestige. Military officers tied with teachers for 51 percent.

Firefighters, scientists, doctors and nurses topped the list, and accountants, stockbrokers and actors were at the bottom of the list.

Military officers garnered a 5 percent increase over last year's poll results. Of those surveyed, 24 percent said military officers held considerable prestige, 17 percent responded with some prestige, and 7 percent said the job held hardly any prestige at all.

The Harris Poll has asked this same question since 1977, but military officers didn't make the list of occupations until 1982. In that year, only 22 percent said the job held very great prestige. Ten years later, that percentage raised 10 points to 32 percent. By 2000, the number had jumped to 42 percent, and in 2002 it was up to 47 percent.

This year's increase follows last year's drop to 46 percent. Polls in 2006 and 2007 reported top spots at 51 and 52 percent, respectively.

More than 200,000 officers serve in the active-duty military forces.

Related Sites: The Harris Poll

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 348

Commentary #348
6 August 2009

Patriot's Daily Quote - James Wilson

You need not be a lawyer to appreciate the significance of this quote attached. But it does help to have a love of our country and its people, their many faults and imperfections notwithstanding. If we do not like what we see, we need to bring it to the fore; others may agree with us,..... whereupon a democratic movement may be born.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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"Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness."

--James Wilson, Of the Study of the Law in the United States, 1790

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 347

Commentary #347
5 August 2009

new Post 9/11 G.I. Bill rollout

This is a big deal.....

Like the G.I. Bill following WWII, this one may be the very best example of "stimulus" in the Nation's recent economic meltdown. It will inspire the current younger generation to get educated, become productive, and create new jobs through their entrepreneurial pursuits..... if the U.S. Congress, the President, and the U.S. Tax Code will let them....

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Obama Touts Rollout Of New GI Bill, Says Vets Will Boost The Economy.

In continuing coverage, the AP (8/4, Pace, Hefling) reports, "President Barack Obama said Monday a new GI Bill for those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan is an investment in both a new generation of veterans and the future of America. The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most comprehensive education benefit offered to veterans since" 1944's original GI Bill, and in the "next decade, $78 billion is expected to be paid out under it. 'We do this not just to meet our moral obligation to those who sacrificed greatly on our behalf, on behalf of the country,' said Obama, speaking at a celebration rally at George Mason University. 'We do it because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century.'"

The Wall Street Journal (8/4, Pulizzi, 2.01M) notes that Obama also "said there is a broader lesson to be learned from the veterans who will benefit from the new GI Bill. 'We've lived through an age when many people and institutions acted irresponsibly, when service often took a backseat to short-term profits, when hard choices were put aside for somebody else, for some other time,' he said. 'While so many were reaching for the quick buck,'" veterans "were heading out on patrol. While our discourse often produced more heat than light, especially here in Washington, they have put their very lives on the line for America."

The Air Force Times (8/4, McMichael) reports, "Obama, who was introduced" at Monday's rally "by Marine Staff Sgt. Jim Miller, an Iraq war veteran who has enrolled in the Post-9/11 GI Bill program, was accompanied on stage" by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, who, according to the Washington Post (8/4, Rucker, 652K), "told the veterans' gathering that the bill signifies the nation's 'respect and appreciation for your service and your sacrifice.'"

The Washington Post's (8/3, Rucker) "44" blog also noted Shinseki's remarks, while CNN's Newsroom (8/3, 1:14 p.m. ET), Fox News Channel's Happening Now (8/3, 11:22 a.m. ET), WJAC-TV Johnstown, PA (8/3, 5:31 p.m. ET), NC8-TV Washington, DC (8/3, 5:06 p.m. ET), WRDW-TV Augusta, GA (8/3, 12:19 p.m. ET), and KGMB-TV Honolulu, HI (8/3, 5:58 a.m. HT) all aired brief reports noting that he appeared at Monday's rally. Meanwhile, stories pointing out that benefit applications under the new GI bill are now being processed by the VA were broadcast by many local TV stations in various parts of the country.

The Washington Times (8/4, Weber, 74K) reports that while speaking before a "crowd of roughly 350 people" attending Monday's rally, Obama said the new GI Bill "was a hero's reward and a call for troops now to lead the country's economic recovery." The Times adds, "The Post-9-11 GI Bill...took effect Aug. 1," and the VA "began distributing tuition payments over the weekend to public universities in the program."

The Los Angeles Times (8/4, Silva, 797K), meanwhile, says that while the new GI Bill has "been widely praised by veterans groups, concerns also have been raised that universities and the VA could be overwhelmed because of the complexity of the benefit." In addition, there "have been complaints that veterans attending private schools in states that offer low public tuition face a huge disparity in what they can collect." The Los Angeles Times (8/3, Neuman, 797K) also took note of the new GI Bill in its "Top Of The Ticket" blog, which focused solely on Obama's remarks at Monday's rally.

Stars And Stripes (8/4, Shane), however, notes that Shinseki also spoke at the rally, urging those using GI Bill "money to 'make it count for your country.'" But veterans "groups at the event...noted that significant work still needs to be done" on the new GI Bill because "tuition payouts are based on the most expensive public school in each veteran's home state. As a result, the actual value of the new GI Bill is different from one veteran to the next, depending on where they live. Members of the Student Veterans of American and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America have already begun lobbying Congress for a simpler approach, but one that still ties payouts to the ever-rising cost of a college education."

Thousands Of Guardsmen Frustrated By Glitch In New GI Bill. The Hill (8/4, Tiron), which also notes that Shinseki "marked the implementation" of the new GI Bill at Monday's rally, says up to 30,000 "National Guardsmen did not share President Barack Obama's enthusiasm Monday" for the bill, "frustrated by a glitch that is keeping them from receiving" the new educational benefits. The Guardsman "were activated under a provision in the law - Title 32 - that is federally funded but classifies them under the control of the state governors whom they usually serve." However, only "those who served on active duty - under Title 10, which is funded and controlled federally - are eligible for the post-9/11 GI Bill." The "administration and Congress will likely fix the problem in the fiscal 2011 budget, sources said. That would add to the bill's $78 billion price tag over the next decade."

Shinseki: New GI Bill Demonstrates America's "Abiding Respect" For Veterans. Meanwhile, after noting that the "Yellow Ribbon Post-9/11 GI Bill, a program to improve financial aid to veterans, went into effect Saturday, with four local institutions and 65 statewide taking part," the Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle (8/4, Smith) reports that in a new release, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said, "The president and I know that the nation's courageous service members and their families have shouldered the heaviest burden for our country's security and safety over the past eight years," and this "new GI Bill is a way for a grateful nation to tangibly demonstrate our heartfelt appreciation and abiding respect for their service." The Springvale (AR) Morning News (8/4), meanwhile, reports, "Thirteen Arkansas colleges and universities will partner" with the VA "to provide scholarships to military veterans under the new GI Bill, the White House announced Monday."

Many Vets Attending "Welcome Home" Event In California Interested In New GI Bill. The website for KPBS-TV San Diego, CA (8/3, St. John) reported, "Combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan showed up at a 'Welcome Home' event" at the VA medical center "in La Jolla over the weekend. Many of them were looking for information on the new" Post-9/11 GI Bill. The "'Welcome Home' event reflects a Federal effort to help new veterans avoid the pitfalls that befell Vietnam vets, who got very little support when they returned home. The busiest booth was the one handing out information about" the new GI Bill, which went into effect August 1."

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 346

Commentary #346
29 July 2009

FDVA Photo from 28 July Cabinet Meeting in the Capitol

Attached is a photo of me receiving a Resolution from the Governor and Florida Cabinet yesterday commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs. To my right are Governor Crist and the Cabinet members. To my left are: Carlos Rainwater (Native American and an earlier Executive Director of the Department), Ms. Nancy Schiellerd (executive secretary for me and the 3 preceeding Executive Directors), Warren "Rocky" McPherson (my predecessor as Executive Director), Jim Holland (State Commander of the Order of the Purple Heart), and Bill Haynes (a member of the Order, and the Vice Chairman of the Florida Veterans Foundation).  LC

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 345

Commentary #345
29 July 2009

Leadership (What a Janitor taught me)

Here is a great story of valor, leadership, and human nature. I do not know if it is true…..does not matter…..the lessons learned and tabulated herein are keepers for life.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Medal of Honor


Private William Crawford

A Janitor's 10 Lessons in Leadership
By Col. James Moschgat, 12th Operations Group Commander, graduate USAFA class of 1977

William "Bill" Crawford certainly was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Mr. Crawford, as most of us referred to him back in the late 1970s, was our squadron janitor.

While we cadets busied ourselves preparing for academic exams, athletic events, Saturday morning parades and room inspections, or never-ending leadership classes, Bill quietly moved about the squadron mopping and buffing floors, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, or just tidying up the mess 100 college-age kids can leave in a dormitory. Sadly, and for many years, few of us gave him much notice, rendering little more than a passing nod or throwing a curt, "G'morning!" in his direction as we hurried off to our daily duties.

Why? Perhaps it was because of the way he did his job-he always kept the squadron area spotlessly clean, even the toilets and showers gleamed. Frankly, he did his job so well, none of us had to notice or get involved. After all, cleaning toilets was his job, not ours.

Maybe it was his physical appearance that made him disappear into the background. Bill didn't move very quickly and, in fact, you could say he even shuffled a bit, as if he suffered from some sort of injury. His gray hair and wrinkled face made him appear ancient to a group of young cadets. And his crooked smile, well, it looked a little funny.

Face it, Bill was an old man working in a young person's world. What did he have to offer us on a personal level? Finally, maybe it was Mr. Crawford's personality that rendered him almost invisible to the young people around him. Bill was shy, almost painfully so. He seldom spoke to a cadet unless they addressed him first, and that didn't happen very often. Our janitor always buried himself in his work, moving about with stooped shoulders, a quiet gait, and an averted gaze. If he noticed the hustle and bustle of cadet life around him, it was hard to tell. So, for whatever reason, Bill blended into the woodwork and became just another fixture around the squadron. The Academy, one of our nation's premier leadership laboratories, kept us busy from dawn till dusk. And Mr. Crawford...well, he was just a janitor.

That changed one fall Saturday afternoon in 1976. I was reading a book about World War II and the tough Allied ground campaign in Italy, when I stumbled across an incredible story. On Sept. 13, 1943, a Private William Crawford from Colorado, assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, had been involved in some bloody fighting on Hill 424 near Altavilla, Italy. The words on the page leapt out at me: "in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire ... with no regard for personal safety ... on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions." It continued, "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, the President of the United States ..."

"Holy cow," I said to my roommate, "you're not going to believe this, but I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor winner." We all knew Mr. Crawford was a WWII Army vet, but that didn't keep my friend from looking at me as if I was some sort of alien being. Nonetheless, we couldn't wait to ask Bill about the story on Monday. We met Mr. Crawford bright and early Monday and showed him the page in question from the book, anticipation and doubt on our faces. He starred at it for a few silent moments and then quietly uttered something like, "Yep, that's me." Mouths agape, my roommate and I looked at one another, then at the book, and quickly back at our janitor. Almost at once we both stuttered, "Why didn't you ever tell us about it?" He slowly replied after some thought, "That was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago."

I guess we were all at a loss for words after that. We had to hurry off to class and Bill, well, he had chores to attend to. However, after that brief exchange, things were never again the same around our squadron. Word spread like wildfire among the cadets that we had a hero in our midst - Mr. Crawford, our janitor, had won the Medal! Cadets who had once passed by Bill with hardly a glance, now greeted him with a smile and a respectful, "Good morning, Mr. Crawford."

Those who had before left a mess for the "janitor" to clean up started taking it upon themselves to put things in order. Most cadets routinely stopped to talk to Bill throughout the day and we even began inviting him to our formal squadron functions. He'd show up dressed in a conservative dark suit and quietly talk to those who approached him, the only sign of his heroics being a simple blue, star-spangled lapel pin.

Almost overnight, Bill went from being a simple fixture in our squadron to one of our teammates. Mr. Crawford changed too, but you had to look closely to notice the difference. After that fall day in 1976, he seemed to move with more purpose, his shoulders didn't seem to be as stooped, he met our greetings with a direct gaze and a stronger "good morning" in return, and he flashed his crooked smile more often. The squadron gleamed as always, but everyone now seemed to notice it more. Bill even got to know most of us by our first names, something that didn't happen often at the Academy. While no one ever formally acknowledged the change, I think we became Bill's cadets and his squadron. As often happens in life, events sweep us away from those in our past.

The last time I saw Bill was on graduation day in June 1977. As I walked out of the squadron for the last time, he shook my hand and simply said, "Good luck, young man." With that, I embarked on a career that has been truly lucky and blessed. Mr. Crawford continued to work at the Academy and eventually retired in his native Colorado where he resides today, one of four Medal of Honor winners living in a small town.

A wise person once said, "It's not life that's important, but those you meet along the way that make the difference." Bill was one who made a difference for me. While I haven't seen Mr. Crawford in over twenty years, he'd probably be surprised to know I think of him often. Bill Crawford, our janitor, taught me many valuable, unforgettable leadership lessons. Here are ten I'd like to share with you.

1. Be Cautious of Labels. Labels you place on people may define your relationship to them and bound their potential. Sadly, and for a long time, we labeled Bill as just a janitor, but he was so much more. Therefore, be cautious of a leader who callously says, "Hey, he's just an Airman." Likewise, don't tolerate the O-1, who says, "I can't do that, I'm just a lieutenant."

2. Everyone Deserves Respect. Because we hung the "janitor" label on Mr. Crawford, we often wrongly treated him with less respect than others around us. He deserved much more, and not just because he was a Medal of Honor winner. Bill deserved respect because he was a janitor, walked among us, and was a part of our team.

3. Courtesy Makes a Difference. Be courteous to all around you, regardless of rank or position. Military customs, as well as common courtesies, help bond a team. When our daily words to Mr. Crawford turned from perfunctory "hellos" to heartfelt greetings, his demeanor and personality outwardly changed. It made a difference for all of us.

4. Take Time to Know Your People. Life in the military is hectic, but that's no excuse for not knowing the people you work for and with. For years a hero walked among us at the Academy and we never knew it. Who are the heroes that walk in your midst?

5. Anyone Can Be a Hero. Mr. Crawford certainly didn't fit anyone's standard definition of a hero. Moreover, he was just a private on the day he won his Medal. Don't sell your people short, for any one of them may be the hero who rises to the occasion when duty calls. On the other hand, it's easy to turn to your proven performers when the chips are down, but don't ignore the rest of the team. Today's rookie could and should be tomorrow's superstar.

6. Leaders Should Be Humble. Most modern day heroes and some leaders are anything but humble, especially if you calibrate your "hero meter" on today's athletic fields. End zone celebrations and self-aggrandizement are what we've come to expect from sports greats. Not Mr. Crawford-he was too busy working to celebrate his past heroics. Leaders would be well-served to do the same.

7. Life Won't Always Hand You What You Think You Deserve. We in the military work hard and, dang it, we deserve recognition, right? However, sometimes you just have to persevere, even when accolades don't come your way. Perhaps you weren't nominated for junior officer or airman of the quarter as you thought you should - don't let that stop you.

8. Don't pursue glory; pursue excellence. Private Bill Crawford didn't pursue glory; he did his duty and then swept floors for a living. No Job is beneath a Leader. If Bill Crawford, a Medal of Honor winner, could clean latrines and smile, is there a job beneath your dignity? Think about it.

9. Pursue Excellence. No matter what task life hands you, do it well. Dr. Martin Luther King said, "If life makes you a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be." Mr. Crawford modeled that philosophy and helped make our dormitory area a home.

10. Life is a Leadership Laboratory. All too often we look to some school or PME class to teach us about leadership when, in fact, life is a leadership laboratory. Those you meet everyday will teach you enduring lessons if you just take time to stop, look and listen.

I spent four years at the Air Force Academy, took dozens of classes, read hundreds of books, and met thousands of great people. I gleaned leadership skills from all of them, but one of the people I remember most is Mr. Bill Crawford and the lessons he unknowingly taught. Don't miss your opportunity to learn. Bill Crawford was a janitor. However, he was also a teacher, friend, role model and one great American hero. Thanks, Mr. Crawford, for some valuable leadership lessons. And now, for the rest of the story......

Pvt. William John Crawford was a platoon scout for 3rd Platoon of Company L 142nd Regiment 36th Division (Texas National Guard) and won the Medal Of Honor for his actions on Hill 424, just 4 days after the invasion at Salerno. You can read his citation at www.army.mil/cmh-pg/mohiia1.htm.

On Hill 424, Pvt. Crawford took out 3 enemy machine guns before darkness fell, halting the platoon's advance. Pvt. Crawford could not be found and was assumed dead. The request for his MOH was quickly approved. MG Terry Allen presented the posthumous MOH to Bill Crawford's father, George, on 11 May 1944 in Camp (now Fort) Carson, near Pueblo.

Nearly two months after that, it was learned that Pvt. Crawford was alive in a POW camp in Germany. During his captivity, a German guard clubbed him with his rifle. Bill overpowered him, took the rifle away, and beat the guard unconscious. A German doctor's testimony saved him from severe punishment, perhaps death.

To stay ahead of the advancing Russian army, the prisoners were marched 500 miles in 52 days in the middle of the German winter, subsisting on one potato a day.

An allied tank column liberated the camp in the spring of 1945, and Pvt. Crawford took his first hot shower in 18 months on VE Day. Pvt. Crawford stayed in the army before retiring as a MSG and becoming a janitor. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan officially presented the MOH to Bill Crawford.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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Commentary #344
26 July 2009

President George H. W. Bush aboard USS Bush

Here is an historic occasion you will enjoy..

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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May 26, 2009, namesake former President George H. W. Bush was airlifted aboard the USS Bush. - Did you read it in papers or see it on TV? No---unfortunately









On May 26, 2009, namesake former President George H. W. Bush was airlifted aboard the USS Bush for a one day visit. It had been his greatest wish to watch flight operations from the flight deck of the navy's newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier and to meet the Sailors. As a decorated former naval aviator in World War II, this has a special significance for him. He was accompanied by his daughter (and the ship's sponsor) "Doro" Bush Koch.

They observed flight ops from the flight deck and the bridge, dined with officers in the Flag Mess and watched night flight ops from the Flag Bridge . The next morning he dined in the Chief's Mess and was escorted around, meeting and greeting Sailors. Finally, we had the crew assembled in hangar bay 2. The CO pointed out that June 12th is his birthday (he'll be 85 years old) and nearly 2,500 Sailors sang happy birthday to him. He then swore in re-enlistees and read the promotion orders to all recently advanced Sailors (and there were a bunch of them). Lastly, he spoke to the crew. It was quite a moment - at the end of his short remarks, he looked up, paused for a second, and said "This ship means the world to me.." and he then broke down for a few seconds. There wasn't a dry eye in the hangar bay. He then continued on and thanked every one of the crew for their service to the country and for making him proud as one of 'his' Sailors'.

This may have been the first time in US Navy history that a ship's namesake (certainly an aircraft carrier) not only was alive at the time of commissioning, but was healthy enough to go aboard when the ship was at sea.

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 343

Commentary #343
26 July 2009

Ben Stein's Final Column

I have never met the author, but in a few short paragraphs he has captured the very essence of life,...and a meaningful essay on what is a true hero. Too bad more of the news media have not yet learned the lessons expressed here. Do not miss it; I promise you will become a better person...

/s/ LeRoy Collins,

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Ben Stein's final column.

For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called 'Monday Night At Morton's.' (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time. Ben Stein's Last Column...

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonline FINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened.. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails..

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him..

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament..the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But, I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human.

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.

By Ben Stein

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 342

Commentary #342
26 July 2009

HR 1388 PASSED

I have not verified all the attached is true, but I do know it came from a reliable source.

If it is true, you and I have much to be concerned about, and we should use our opportunities to communicate with our Members of Congress to let them know what we think. If we do not verbalize our concerns, they must presume whatever they are doing is OK with us. The principal question is...IS IT OK WITH YOU?

/s/ LeRoy Colllns, Jr.

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Whether you are an Obama fan, or not, EVERYONE IN THE U. S. needs to know....

Something happened..... H.R. 1388 was passed yesterday, behind our backs. You may want to read about it. It wasn't mentioned on the news... just went by on the ticker tape at the bottom of the CNN screen.

Obama funds $20M in tax payer dollars to immigrate Hamas Refugees to the USA. This is the news that didn't make the headlines...

By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered the expenditure of $20.3 million in "migration assistance" to the Palestinian refugees and "conflict victims" in Gaza.

The "presidential determination", which allows hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States, was signed on January 27 and appeared in the Federal Register on February 4.

Few on Capitol Hill, or in the media, took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006.

Let's review...itemized list of some of Barack Obama's most recent actions since his inauguration:

- His first call to any head of state, as president, was to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah party in the Palestinian territory.

- His first one-on-one television interview with any news organization was with Al Arabia television.

- His first executive order was to fund/facilitate abortion(s) not just here within the U.S., but within the world, using U.S. taxpayer funds.

- He ordered Guantanamo Bay closed and all military trials of detainees halted.

- He ordered overseas CIA interrogation centers closed.

- He withdrew all charges against the masterminds behind the USS Cole and the "terror attack" on 9/11.

- Now we learn that he is allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refuges to move to, and live in...the US at American taxpayer expense.

These important, and insightful, issues are being "lost" in the blinding bail-outs and "stimulation" packages.

Doubtful? To verify this for yourself: Click on this link.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON... AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW

WE are losing this country faster than you know....

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 341

Commentary #341
25 July 2009

Economic Stimulus Money for AMVIC

John, yours is a great letter you sent to Congresswoman Castor. You had many logical reasons to ask for Federal stimulus money. I think I have another one for you......

The best reason of all, to me, would be AMVIC's potential to provide post-hurricane relief with emergency supplies, transportation, and sanctuary to locales struck anywhere along the Gulf Coast. Bear in mind from hurricane history that these calamities commonly destroy major infrastructures, i.e. highways, bridges (the Florida Keys are highly vulnerable to even ONE bridge outage!), powerplants, airports, hospitals, seaports, etc.....all of which are very expensive and difficult to repair in the short term. The big advantage of AMERICAN VICTORY is that it is DURABLE, can go PROMPTLY, and STAY anywhere....self-sustaining..... wherever there is 25 ft of water to float the hull.

Such a broadened appeal would perhaps enable Congresswoman Castor to enlist the support of her colleagues from other states along the Gulf Coast, and I predict she will need that affinity to make a convincing case for AMVIC.

Whether or not you agree with my logic here, I propose you send your letter to all of the other members of the Florida Congressional Delegation....especially those whose Congressional districts touch Florida's Gulf Coast. Good luck.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr. RADM, USNR-RET
Executive Director
Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs
(AMVIC Board Member)

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American Victory Mariners Memorial
& Museum Ship


Dear Representative Castor:

As an active member of Tampa Bay's maritime community, I was pleased to see that such a significant allocation of the federal economic stimulus program money was designated for our local shipyards. Creating additional high-skilled, blue-collar job opportunities in our communities is a great thing for Tampa's, Florida's and our country's economy. I am writing to thank you for all of your efforts in securing this funding for this area. I am also writing as it occurred to me that there may be an opportunity to expand this stimulus to our local shipyards even further creating even more work while serving to preserve and maintain one of America's historical treasures here in Tampa at the same time and wanted to share this idea with you.

As you well know, Tampa is fortunate to have the S/S AMERICAN VICTORY berthed here in our port. As you also know, on board this 452' Victory Class ship we have educational tours, host events, teach maritime classes, provide training opportunities for regional military and law enforcement units, and conduct Relive History Cruises where we raise steam and get underway under our own power with up to 500 passengers aboard. What you may not be aware of is that of the approximately 5,500 “Ships for Victory” vessels built during WWII, the S/S AMERICAN VICTORY is one of the last four of these that have been restored and are fully operational remaining in the entire world. In light of the seldom recognized yet undisputed significant role these ships played in our successes in not only WWI, but also Korea and Vietnam, it is incumbent upon us to preserve this icon of American might and the stories of the women and men that gave their lives in this effort, which allow us to enjoy the freedoms we do today.

To this end, over the last 10 years, the American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship has raised over $2 million and amassed an astonishing 500,000 volunteer hours in securing, transporting, restoring, reactivating, and maintaining the ship and for building the museum and memorial to these unsung heroes aboard the vessel. Though we are truly a grass-roots effort and have achieved these venerable accomplishments without one penny of public money, the time has come where it we need to do so. Sixty-five years of service and life on the sea has begun to take its toll upon our ship and we need to conduct an extensive drydocking to do maintenance and repairs below the waterline, including replacing some aging steel hull plates to remain in full compliance with USCG requirements so that we may continue to conduct cruises and remain open to the public. Topsides, we need to do blasting and repainting to preserve the superstructure and to get everything shipshape once again. In the museum, we are in desperate need of air conditioning to provide a proper climate to maintain the incredible artifacts with which we have been entrusted. Air conditioning will also make the visitor's experience more enjoyable during the summer months and allow us to utilize the ship in new ways such as sleep-over programs for scouts and school children. We have also been in discussions with representatives of the port and Hillsborough County School District about providing classroom space and serving as a “living laboratory” on board for a maritime magnet school here. This would be an extraordinary opportunity for our community, but we have to have these improvements to be able to provide an appropriate learning environment.

In addition to creating significant jobs in the port, a one-time $2.5 million allocation of stimulus program money to provide for the drydocking, painting, and facility enhancements would ensure our continued existence, allow us to provide the services described above, and become self-sufficient in perpetuity. This expenditure would not only stimulate the economy, create local jobs, help a not-for-profit struggling through this challenging time, but would also be a great investment in our country's heritage preserving it for generations to come. What an incredible way to accomplish so many worthy goals with one expenditure. I would like very much to speak with you in length about this great opportunity for us all.

Sincerely,

Captain John C. Timmel
Founder & Chairman
American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 340

Commentary #340
23 July 2009

Guild Global Market

I am not qualified to appraise the veracity of this entire article, but even if its contents are only partially true, it is highly relevant to the balance of power in this ever-changing world.

Some see China's emergence in this Century as a displacement of the United States as the leading world power.....and even the crucible for an eventual armed confrontation of worldwide impact.

Still others suggest that America's dependency upon China and India to carry America's increasing national debt will ensure our interdepency will preclude eventual armed conflict between us.

I hope those prognosticators are right. But similar global dependencies did not prevent the start of WWII when the U.S. ceased to continue supplying fuel to sustain the rapid growth of the Japanese economy in the late 1930s.

Whatever you think, I believe this brief essay is worthy of our scrutiny.

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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Guild Investment Global Market Commentary
Written: July 23, 2009

RECENT CHINA TRIP SUMMARIZED

An analyst friend and I recently took a trip to China. Although I had been to China many times, I particularly enjoyed the trip because it was my friend's first visit. Seeing it though his eyes I re-experienced some of the wonder of the enormous current and future success that is China. If you wish to understand what China is and how it will impact the world in the years to come, I suggest that you pack your bags and take a trip there yourself.

There is really only one way to describe the China that I saw on this trip: BOOMING. Airplanes are full. Hotels are full. Traffic is busy on the streets. Chinese families are eating expensive meals in high end restaurants, and businesspeople are making deals in the private meeting rooms of exclusive hotels. Chinese consumers are in shops buying goods, in auto dealerships buying new cars, and of course, buying new homes and apartments.

We have written much about the economic growth seen there. However, I did not expect the current boom to be stronger than it was a year ago when I last visited China. I had expected the construction boom to peak when China hosted the Beijing Olympics, but I was wrong, there are more construction cranes in Shanghai and Beijing now than there were a year ago.

AUTOMOBILES

As many of you know China is now the number one auto producing and consuming country on earth. During my time in Shanghai and Beijing I saw many Audis, BMWs, Mercedes and high end Japanese cars. I saw few U.S. cars, although though I did notice a few Hummers. General Motors makes a lot of money in a joint venture selling low priced cars in China. Shanghai General Motors Co. Ltd. saw its June sales jump 71 percent year on year. They produced over 60,000 cars in June and may be one of GM's few highly profitable divisions. Nationwide, over three million cars were sold in China in the first five months of 2009, up 15% from the year earlier period.

TRAVEL Chinese airplanes are full in coach and almost full in business class. There are numerous flights a day from Shanghai to Beijing and they are booked up well in advance. The train stations, airports, waterways and roads are new and beautiful. In my opinion, their infrastructure is much more attractive and well planned than the transportation infrastructure in the U.S. The roads are wide, well maintained, and crowded…especially in Shanghai.

GENERAL ECONOMIC GROWTH

I left for China bullish on the country and its long term outlook, and I returned bullish on its short term outlook as well.

Here are a few economic statistics. China's GDP grew at a 7.9 percent annual rate in the calendar quarter that ended June 30th. This was above our estimates, and way above the estimates of the average economic observer. As mentioned earlier, China is the number one market for automobiles on earth. China also has fastest GDP growth of any major country. China consumes massive amounts of steel, iron ore, coal and other minerals to drive its immense infrastructure projects.

Huge buildings consume a great deal of steel; as do new electric generating plants, railroads, roads, ships, bridges, tunnels, dams and airports. Today, the Fortune 500 (which is made up of the 500 largest companies in the world on a sales basis) contains 37 Chinese companies. Ten years ago it contained only eight. We quote from an article in the July 21, 2009 issue of Investors Business Daily "…The number of U.S. firms fell to 140, the lowest total ever. But as the Chinese economy keeps expanding fast, experts say the shift will intensify. They predict one-fifth to a quarter of the biggest global players might be Chinese in five to ten years…Analysts say some rising Chinese stars in the high-tech, retailing, publishing, food and other sectors are just emerging on the world stage and are to be listed on U.S. exchanges. Others, like energy giant Sinopec, are on the NYSE and are near the top of Fortune's list."

China's premier Wen recently announced that the Chinese foreign exchange reserves totaling over $2 trillion will be used to acquire companies all over the world to build the store of assets to fuel China's remarkable growth. This has been expected, and is something that we have been pointing out for quite a while. China must grow their inventories of raw materials to achieve the remarkable economic transformation that they are undertaking.

EXPORTS FROM CHINA

Exports, which some observers felt would be China's undoing, are a smaller percentage of GDP with each passing quarter. Clearly, in spite of declining exports, China is booming. Most of China's exports go to emerging Asian markets, secondly to Japan, then to Europe and last to North America. Though exports have slowed with the depression in Europe, Japan and the U.S., China continues to grow. This growth is due to increases in internal consumption, increases in home and second home purchases by Chinese, increases in capital spending to add to China's already impressive infrastructure, and capital infusions from foreign investors buying shares and real estate. When world wide demand for exports from China heats up again in the next year or two, we will see even more rapid growth from China.

CHINAS BOOM IS SPILLING OVER HELPING HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, TAIWAN AND OTHER ASIAN DEVELOPING MARKETS

Here is an article from a recent issue of the FINANCIAL TIMES.

Optimism over China proves infectious with its neighbours
By Lindsay Whipp in Tokyo
July 20 2009

China's stock markets have been among the world's best performers this year, with signs that its various stimulus programmes are keeping its economy growing strongly amid the global slump.

Optimism over China has spilled into the neighbouring markets of Taiwan – itself a beneficiary of improving cross-straits relations – and Hong Kong. Both have significantly outperformed the US this year, begging the question: are they dancing to the tune of mainland China rather than the US?

Steven Sun, senior China strategist at HSBC, said: "Certainly you can say this is a greater China bloc, and it makes sense for policies made in mainland China to have more impact in either Hong Kong or Taiwan so, as a result, if the market correlation becomes higher, it would not be surprising."

The Shanghai Composite index has climbed 79 per cent this year, while the S&P 500 has gained just 5 per cent. The Hang Seng has risen 35 per cent – including a 3.7 per cent jump on Monday – and Taiwan's weighted index (Taiex) has rallied 51 per cent after Monday's 1.3 per cent rise. The H shares of mainland Chinese companies traded in Hong Kong have risen 47 per cent.

Jing Ulrich, chairman of China equities at JPMorgan, says: "Naturally there would be some degree of correlation in the recent performance of markets in Hong Kong and mainland China, since common themes are driving investor sentiment in both markets."

Among the world's leading economies, China has emerged as the least affected by the financial crisis, thanks to a swiftly implemented stimulus plan and record bank lending.

The country's economic growth accelerated to 7.9 per cent in the second quarter – at a time when many other big economies remained mired in recession or subject to anaemic growth. That growth has had an impact on the economies of those markets and countries that are geographically closest to China.

In Taiwan, improved cross-strait relations are playing a significant role in buoying market sentiment. That includes events such as China Mobile's proposal to make the first Chinese investment in a listed Taiwanese company by buying 12 per cent in Taiwan's Far EasTone mobile operator.

JPMorgan's Ms Ulrich also points out that Taiwan is expected to accept mainland investments into selected industries and its banks are set to become more active in the provision of financial services in China. The rise in the Taiex not only reflects Taiwan's thawing relations with China. Analysts say that since the Kuomintang won elections last year, Taiwanese have been repatriating their savings and investing them in the stock market and property.

Glenn Maguire, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Société Générale, says: "The Taiwan [market] has been playing a process of catch up." But the closer ties and benefits of the stimulus does not necessarily represent a sharp shift away from correlation with the US markets, to which both Hong Kong's and Taiwan's economies retain strong links.

Indeed, the rebound in the Hang Seng and Taiwan only began in early March at the same time as the US and other leading developed economies. The Shanghai market bottomed in early November and has surged 91 per cent since then.

Hong Kong remains highly dependent on international trade, much of which is ultimately driven by the US. Exports make up 60 per cent of Taiwan's economy. This exposure to global economic trends is not going to change any time soon.

This supports evidence that both the Hang Seng and Taiex remain more correlated to the US markets than to Shanghai for now.

Even last week, when China's better-than-expected GDP figures were announced, Shanghai closed down and the rest of Asia higher.

In any case, Hong Kong and Taiwan are not the only Asian markets that have rallied this year. The Indian market has risen 57 per cent while Indonesia is 55 per cent higher, suggesting the gains are also linked to a broader Asian emerging market rally.

Mark Matthews, Asia-Pacific strategist at Fox-Pitt Kelton, says: "If the US is not doing well but is not in crisis, then that can actually be quite a good scenario for Asian stocks. For example the S&P rose just 10 per cent from the beginning of 1992 to the end of 1994 in the aftermath of the savings and loans crisis. Over the same three-year period, Asian markets almost doubled."

Importantly, the very different investor bases for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Shanghai affects trading patterns. Foreign investors have extremely limited access to Chinese domestic currency mainland shares. As a result, the direction of mainland markets is based as much on momentum and liquidity as fundamentals, analysts say.

Individuals also have very limited investment choices, making the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets extremely attractive when they start rising. Recent gains have been augmented by companies investing retained earnings.

Partly reflecting this difference, Chinese mainland A shares trade at a 47 per cent premium to the H shares, according to JPMorgan figures.

Conversely, only about 30 per cent of the shares on the Hang Seng are held by retail investors, HSBC's Mr Sun says. Fox-Pitt Kelton's Mr Matthews says H shares in particular are heavily dominated by international institutional investors, which means it has a very tight correlation with the S&P 500.

Although Hong Kong and Taiwan's links with the US look set to remain strong, the growing influence of mainland China is clear.

As HSBC's Mr Sun says: "This financial crisis has reinforced the broad trend across Asia that economic and financial power is shifting from west to east."

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 339

Commentary #339
7 July 2009

. . .a commentary

I guess it is a sign of the times...

/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.

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John started the day having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 am. While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE), and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA). After cooking breakfast in his electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he sat in his car (MADE IN GERMANY filled it with GAS (from Saudi Arabia) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN job. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his Computer (made in MALAYSIA), John decided to relax. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL), poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV(MADE IN INDONESIA), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in AMERICA. NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT (MADE IN KENYA)!

/s/ Anonymous

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/s/ LeRoy Collins, Jr.
www.leroycollins.org


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LeRoy Collins Commentary 338