The American Apologist

I’m not surprised by everyone wanting to tar and feather former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for his decision to commute Maurice Clemmons’ sentence back in 1999. His action did set the ball rolling on a 10 year path of suspected mental illness, accused child rape, and the apparent murder of 4 law enforcement officers in the State of Washington. That being said, I too would have considered the clemency request when you hear of an 18 year old sentenced to 95+ years for robbery and theft convictions. Afterall, I read (not too long ago) that the average time served for murder in the US is between 10-11years¹. I would give Huckabee the benefit of the doubt (something his political enemies won’t do) because it’s clear the several other entities played a significant (probably more significant) role in this tragedy than the former governor.

Take, for example, the judge who reportedly over-turned a “no-bail” ruling by another judge and granted Clemmons bail just a week or so before his (reported) rampage against the police. The man was up on child rape charges, was wanted on a felony warrant from Arkansas, had supposedly told people he was the Messiah and the Barack Obama would soon acknowledge that fact –  and this judge changed another judge’s decision and let Maurice Clemmons out on bail?? And people want to blame this blood-bath on Huckabee?? REALLY??

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not a Huckabee fan or supporter. But I am a fan of this guy:

Harold B. Estes, Master Chief Bos’n Mate, USN (Ret.)

He dictated a letter to President Obama that is worth reading. Here is the original at Snopes.com²

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 & 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?

1. Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British?
2. Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War?
3. 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.
4. 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

Thanks be to God for the brave men and women, like Harold, who served to protect our nation from harm. God help us from the liberal, socialists, appeasers current in vogue…

Joe

¹ Reference on crime statistics: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/html/cjusew96/ts.htm

² URL on Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp

I don’t think so. Take a look at this quote from our 16th President and see how well it fits with today’s political climate and the agenda of the current administration in the Oval Office –

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”

– Abraham Lincoln

I think they need to reinforce the concrete in Lincoln’s Tomb. I’m sure Abe is spinning in his grave, and all of that vibration can’t be good on the structural integrity of the monument.

Joe

David Spade… sometimes I think he’s one of the funniest comedic actors I’ve seen and in the next minute I think — “Geez, this guy is lame and he doesn’t even know it!” Maybe that’s the sign of a good actor. I don’t know, but I do appreciate Mr. Spade putting his money where his mouth is. Yesterday, David Spade donated $100,000 to the Phoenix Police Department to help buy 50 AR-15 rifles for their squad cars. He decided to donate the money after hearing that police were having to buy their own rifles. According to the AP story:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Phoenix Police Department has gotten some high-powered goodies courtesy of actor David Spade.

The one-time Phoenix resident donated $100,000 so that the department can buy approximately 50 AR-15 rifles.

Spade said he wanted to make the donation after seeing a TV news report about Phoenix officers having to buy their own rifles. Spade grew up in the Phoenix area and graduated from Arizona State University.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Alan Hill says the rifles will be given to patrol officers and that the agency was grateful for the gifts.

“These guys need to be able to do their jobs and I am just happy I could help,” Spade said in a statement released by his publicist.

You will also note that when a Hollywood star is buying the weapons, the AP does NOT refer to them as “high powered, automatic assault rifles”…

# # # # #

Secondly, I missed a momentous occasion recently involving another great actor and a truly great American.  Gary Sinise was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.  Sinise was awarded the Medal for his work supporting American troops through the USO and for providing school supplies to Iraqi children.

Joe

H/T: Robert Avrech’s post and to Dirty Harry for his original post.

I don’t usually forward “chain letters” that I receive in my email — I don’t have the time (I get anywhere from 200-400 emails a day after the spam filter has done it’s work). When I got this email, however, I decided it was worth passing on. Furthermore, I thought the idea merited a short post here:

When doing your Christmas cards this year (if you still send cards), take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful, special people (who have sacrificed so much) would get.

Please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve, please pass it on.

Thanks,
Joe

I like one premise in the movie “Starship Troopers” (you remember, the one with the bug invaders from outer space) — to be a voting citizen you had to have served in the military.

If we switched to that sort of model, it would take us back to the founding of this great nation. Back when the decision makers were not only TALKING about revolution, but they were actually LAYING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE to choose what direction this country would take. Yeah, I like the idea of that — let the veterans vote and the rest whine about it — they will anyway!

I’m not serious, of course, but I’ve been thinking about this fact: In my adult life, I’ve seen 2 honorable, worthy, dedicated men — both bona fide war heroes (Senators John McCain and Bob Dole) — lose elections to slick, commercially-packaged, liberal elitists… people who ride a sound bite (like “I feel your pain” or “Change we can believe in”) to the White House.

I fear this nation has lost its moral compass. We are no longer serving the ideals of democracy and individual freedom. We’ve become a union state. Just look at where we’re headed:

• We are essentially told how much we can earn — that is, the Government takes more and more through taxation, thereby reducing your effective salary. VP-elect Joe Biden even went so far as to say paying taxes was your patriotic duty — his idea of patriotism and mine differ… considerably!
• They want to provide, (sorry) dictate your level of health care coverage and insurance, and the price you pay for it.
• They are now buying into entire industries (financial institutions, the auto makers, and you *know* the airlines won’t be far behind) which makes me suspect we’re headed toward some nationalization issues.
• We are “given” a pension in the form of Social Security (actually, it’s our money that we lost to the Government) — and just like the unions & big business, the system is not properly funded and it probably won’t be there when we retire because those in power have usurped the funds for one “crisis” or another.

We’ve become risk intolerant. I’ve heard talk-radio callers (liberals mostly) telling me that it’s not fair that tycoons like Henry Ford made millions of dollars while the workers at Ford continually face layoffs and work for a pittance of the profits. The fact of the matter is that Henry took the chance and reaped the rewards. The workers (unions) want health insurance and a retirement package. They don’t care that they don’t earn their wage based upon their skills and effort — they are willing for the best welder to be paid (virtually) the same as the most inept welder because they want the safety and security of a “union job”. The fact is that Henry Ford went bankrupt before he made his millions. He “rolled the dice” and the first time he lost and the second time he won — big. When was the last time you won a billion dollars by playing the nickel slots? You don’t! You win big by playing the BIG GAME. So stop whining and roll the dice already!

Are you willing to stand up to make this country better? Are you willing to fight to preserve our individual freedoms — the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to live as an individual without Government interference? If so, then you have probably already served in the military… so again I say, THANK YOU for your service, but the fight is not over. We still need you to defend our rights. Get involved in the direction this country is heading. Serve us once more… do it for the children.

Joe

They say a picture is worth a thousand words…

THANK YOU… and God Bless each and every one of you!

AverageJoe

P.S. — I believe these photos are all in the public domain. If not, please drop me a note and I will remove any copyrighted material.

With a blog name like The American Apologist, I normally tend to stick to domestic issues, but in this case, I will make an exception.

An acquaintance of mine, who shall remain anonymous, lives in the Cayman Islands. He is related to a woman named Estella Scott-Roberts who was brutally murdered last weekend. Her body was found in her burning SUV on a deserted road not long after she was last seen leaving a restaurant. She was a professional woman, but she was also an outspoken advocate for abused women.  One wonders if an abusive  husband or boyfriend…

Update: just to clarify (because I think I unintentionally offended Kara) — When I said “an abusive husband or boyfriend”, I meant the abusive husband or boyfriend on one of the victims Estella helped — she was a strong advocate for abused women — I was NOT implying that her husband had anything to do with this crime. It turns out that 2 men have been arrested for this crime. Robbery and rape appear to have been the motive… I’m still disgusted.

This woman was a hero. She may be gone from this Earth, but she is not forgotten!

Joe