LAST MINUTE GUEST POSTER on the day to Remember

The following post came requested by the author himself...a touching point of life,
Good for you my friend Tex, Good for you!!!:


Veteran’s Day
Some that know me know I have an obsession with history and war….
My wife and I are involved in an inter-denominational marriage, with her being Baptist and I am Catholic. I don’t go every weekend with my wife, this weekend I did and the result was a powerful experience.
As we sat in church, the Pastor says, “Before we have a word a prayer we’d like to have a short presentation.”
…..And the film began.
I didn’t know the song, but the message was clear. The opening shot shows a woman writing to someone, presumably her husband with the final words of the letter saying, “Be safe.” The next shot cuts to the recipient, a soldier, sitting in a forest with the letter, staring and smiling to the sky. As the short video progresses, he writes a letter back, intertwining with shots of his wife holding his letter and smiling……As the next letter is shown with the same “Be Safe” line at the bottom, they show her husband involved in a battle. With explosions everywhere, he lunges out and grabs a wounded comrade and pulls him back…as he checks out the wounded soldier, he tells him to write to his wife and inform her he’s ok as he jumps out of the foxhole and runs towards the combat zone…..the next shot shows his wife holding the wounded comrades letter, sobbing. The following scene shows her continuously writing to her man, who’s now MIA. The letters contain the same familiar line, “Be safe.” Cut to the next scene, which shows our girl putting up clothes on the wash line in her backyard….
A black car pulls up. Now all of us who’ve seen war movies know this isn’t the ending we want to see. The woman looks at the car as two doors open, falls to her knees; sobbing, knowing this is it…her husband is dead. We see a comforting arm reach around her, attempting to console….or is it? The woman looks up to see the smiling face of her husband, still holding the letters she wrote with the lines, “Be Safe” ever present.
Now, I’m not a very emotional guy at all…actually Crusty and I have talked of it over beers at times. It’s just something I never felt right about, showing emotion in front of others. In 12 years that my wife and I have been together, she’s seen me cry once. And that was when I put my dog of 14 years to sleep.
This was a completely different situation as I sat there struggling to hold myself together.
Why you ask? This is the way my wife’s uncle served in the Vietnam War, with the exception of one thing….he came home in a casket. I looked over at my wife, who had tears in her eyes, and then my mother-in-law, whose brother is the one I’m speaking of. She too was extremely emotional.
Private First Class Raymond George Witzig was sent to Vietnam on February 8, 1968. He made it almost 3 months, until the fateful day of May 6, 1968 when his platoon was moving towards Long An, South Vietnam . His platoon stumbled upon an NVA ambush and exchanged fire with them off and on for an extended period of time. When the silence came over the battlefield, Raymond was directed to scout ahead with a small force….and he was the first to spot the enemy. He yelled out a warning and proceeded to lay down fire so his men could take cover. He continued until a VC sniper targeted him…and he fell.

I’ve been obsessed with war since I was a kid. I knew a ton about WWII since I was in third grade…an obsession that has grown as I’ve gotten older. But I never knew the personal cost a family must face when a loved one is killed in action. My father and two uncles were vets. My Uncle was a merchant marine and served in the Atlantic Ocean during WWII. My father’s brother (who sadly passed away last December) was in the Air Force and was a tail gunner in a B-29 who was just about to be sent to partake in the invasion of Japan . Luckily he did not go, thanks to Truman dropping the A-bomb. My father was in the 87th Signal Battalion in West Germany during the mid-1950’s. Something he is proud of to this day. He never saw combat, but serving near the Czech border meant one thing. If the Communists ever invaded Western Europe , he would’ve been one of the first to face such an invasion.
But to watch this video and the emotional reaction it triggered in me….
My jaw started to jitter and my eyes welled up, finding myself mourning a man that I neither ever knew nor was related to, a man who was only 20 years old and died 5,000 miles away from home 5 years before I was born. I tilted my head back and tried to remain composed thinking of the fact that the video showed an emotional reunion my mother-in-law was never able to experience. Her family never recovered from their loss. Even today, when his name is mentioned, there is a quiet second before the sentence is continued.
My wife’s grandmother died earlier this year and I talked with her once of him…..
The conversation is a bit murky to remember, but the one thing that stood out that day and continues to stand out in my mother-in-law’s eyes as well is the pain and loss….nothing I will never be able to understand and hopefully will never experience.
I try and pray for my mother-in-law everyday when it comes to her pain. Today, I was able to feel a small fraction of it.
I will leave you with this. Composed by my wife the day she went to the Wall in Washington DC .

The Wall:
As my fingers turned the pages, I began to feel a little anxious about finding his name. Reaching the page that contained the information I needed, I stopped and began to stare. Following his name across the page, I discovered its exact location.
As I turned to look at the Wall, the impact of it hit me hard. When I was able, I started to walk towards it. As I passed by each panel, I couldn’t believe all the names that were listed. Name after name, panel after panel, I kept on walking. Finally seeing 56E, I stopped abruptly, almost afraid to look for his name. Slowly, my eyes read down the list of names. Towards the bottom, the last name in the row, there it was written: Raymond G Witzig.
My uncle, my mother’s only brother, and a man I was never able to know. With my eyes fixed on his name, I couldn’t help but cry. Here was a young man, who gave his life for his country. Suddenly, I realized that I have lived a longer life now, than he did. HE was never given a chance to live his own life. I wondered why God would take such a young man away from his family and friends.
Even though I never personally met my uncle, I felt like I knew him when I saw his name on the Wall. I felt sad, happy, respect, anger, loss, & honor all at the same time as I stood before his name.
After a short time, I decided it was time to leave this memorial. Walking away, I paused and turned back to look one more time. I mouthed, “Good-bye Uncle Raymond”, as one last tear dropped from my cheek.

Thank a vet on this holiday and say a prayer or have a good thought for those vets or families that experienced loss in one way or another.




Welcome To Crustybeef!
Thank you to all the Veterans! Thank You to All!!

GUEST POSTER LUNCHTIME SURPRISE

This was written by a good friend of mine down in Florida. She has a right to her opinion as do you. Remember to respect her views, as you want yours respected. Be opinionated without being rude, disrespectful, or just plain hurtful.

Now, enjoy her post:

Hi there friends- I just wanted to share a lesson learned—it’s a multifaceted realization that I wanted to share w/ my friends – so perhaps you’ll take something from it as well…Or perhaps not… perhaps you disagree…

In a conversation over politics w/ a family member (cousin) a debate ensued. I was sharing my disgust for our G. Bush & she was sharing her love for him. She was saying she felt safe w/ him in power & she was worried that the dissent among the public was going to make the majority vote for a democrat.

I delve deeper into her feelings- by safe she didn’t mean the war…she meant financially. She stated that she has grown much more conservative over the years (she’s our age) and now she has much more money than she had when she was 20 or so. She feels safe because she’s free to funnel that money into whatever she needs to – and one day she will be rich (her words). I was so disgusted by the conversation. This is my underlying reason for not liking our current presidential administration in the first place--- big business is protected, big money is protected, and the American people are being pushed aside- not even taken into consideration.

So, I didn’t say much to her after that… I’ve just been pondering the whole thing for over a week now. To me, she represents so many people of our country. Her family income is about the same as mine. But- she doesn’t work…her husband makes all the money.

Let’s compare household mentality:
In my household both Chad and I work very hard. Also, we are concerned about leaving financial security for our kids & for our retirement. So, we went into a major saving strategy- saved for our home & got it, we save for our retirement, we have college funds for the kids- etc. And we live comfortably but not over board… we take perhaps 1 vacation a year but then throughout the year we go visit family here & there, take mini trips- maybe a weekend at the beach, a camping trip, a canoe trip…things like that… and we plan on living in this house for some time. It’s fine…it’s a nice house on a nice piece of property, we’re adding our special touches to it…but we got a steal on it & have a nice low mortgage payment and want to keep it that way…we also have 1 car-

Now- her on the other hand… doesn’t save much- but spends a lot…they take 4-5 big vacations per year(this year they did skiing in vale, trip to Bahamas, trip to Mexico, few others cant recall), have 2 nice/new cars, have moved 4 times in the last 5 years (started w/ a condo, then had a house built then flipped it 6 months later, then moved into another house – lived there 1 year & sold it, now are in the mini mc mansion – paying almost $500K for the house in the gated community on the golf course)…so their kid gets into the best public schools…no big deal right- it’s their life & they are making choices that work for them and their family. That’s the beauty of America … make money, spend money…

However this is where it gets disconcerting….this is how most people in America live. So many people out there worry only about themselves- having the nice cars, having the bigger house every few years, chasing after whatever it is they are chasing… biggie sizing their lives… and no concern is being paid to the issues facing our society. The make money spend money philosophy doesn’t just affect that individual family—these are voters who go out and vote for whomever is going to protect their pockets…so it does affect all of us. Do we go on living our life & electing officials who protect our interests only- or do us try to plan a society w/ dignity, values, and morals. We have so many social issues at hand in our country that have been ignored the past 8 years because big interest & deep pockets have paid hefty prices & lobbied hard to keep the issues buried.

I told you I’ve been thinking about this for days…it really has perplexed me. I just have been trying to figure out why 51% of our population voted for Bush the 2nd time and how we’ve let our country be taken over by this mentality of just living life to make more money and ignoring everything else going on around us. Then, I started just thinking about my cousin and myself… we were raised in the same family—came from similar backgrounds- went to the same college- had many of the same friends- yet had some very fundamental differences in our upbringing… so—here’s where the lessons are learned for me… as a mom- I need to remember this- and be sure to instill these values to my kids. As much as I’ve complained about things my parents did in raising me I realize not all of it is in vain.


I was raised in a relatively poor environment- my dad had me young (raised me alone) and was still attending school (community college) when I was growing up. He even took me to class with him occasionally if he didn’t have a sitter – I was about 4 years old at that time….so he finished school and got a job and I watched as he worked his ass off to raise me. I was 9 years old when he bought his first house. I went from living w/ him and my grandma & getting hand me downs from my aunts & shopping at consignment stores…to living in our own house, having a nice car, getting new clothes…etc. I learned the value of money the hard way…I watched my dad earn it from start to finish. I paid my way thru college, worked my ass off… started off dirt poor after graduating college, had to hustle and find a job, worked hard…saved money- bought my first house… I still understand the value of money. I know what it takes to make money- I know how quickly it can be gone… I know money isn’t everything-

My cousin… her dad worked his ass off to provide her everything. Her mom stayed home. They didn’t have too much money- but they had a house, her mom would overspend… I remember her mom & dad fighting because she spent all their grocery money on toys & clothes for her. Her mom bought her everything she wanted… new clothes, new toys at whatever the cost. Being late on mortgage and spending food money didn’t matter- as long as she had whatever she wanted. She was given a new car at 16. They paid her way thru college- she dropped out of many classes at one point and almost quit school- but she started back again. They paid all of her expenses while she wasn’t attending school as well as when she was in. After graduation her husband’s mom gave them money to put down on their first condo… Her mom secretly paid her car payment because she couldn’t afford to buy the new red Honda that she wanted on her own.

There’s so many other things having to do w/ work ethic & learning the value of money… that I could go on and on…
But I really think that is the fundamental difference and that is how -when kids aren’t taught those lessons- it so easy for them to grow up and just not understand how hard it really is to make money… and that is why its so easy to let big business run things – & ignore our social issues. Because not many people understand the cycle of being a poor working class or middle class citizen in this country. Thankfully I’m not poor. Thankfully I broke that cycle. I can afford groceries, dinners out, 2 cars if we wanted, a bigger house if we wanted, the newest trendiest clothes if I wanted, etc… but the fact that I came from that background and had to earn what I have I realize it’s not that important. And it makes me sympathetic to those parents who have no choice but to put their kids in public school- so I’m concerned about our education system.

I’m sympathetic to the ?% of our population who work hard & yet can barely make ends mends and cant afford health care…and I’m concerned about those sick people who do have insurance but the treatments they need aren’t covered. And I’m concerned that we’re a nation of over fed & undernourished children & adults. I’m concerned that we are raising such an over abundance of cattle that the nitrogen is polluting our rivers and contributing to the ozone depletion, and I’m concerned that although these heavily addictive & under studied & not recommended for under 18 years of age psychotropic drugs are being prescribed to kids as young as 5 years old… and the list could go on and on….and if you look closely at many of these issues- you’ll find big business lobbying behind them.

Ok I’m done…guess I need to write a blog or something. Writing is carthartic for me. I’ve been pondering this for sometime…and had to get it out in an organized format.

One little side note that I heard on Oprah that now has me a little scared… thinking in the back of my mind… Einstein said that if there were no bees- that civilization would only last 4 years after they disappeared…hmmmm. Scary to think – what if he was right??

Sidenote #2…I thought I was among a small minority who feel the American dream is dead and big business has taken over…I just found out I’m not!! There is an author who has a new book out on this topic & I’m waiting impatiently for it to arrive in my mailbox… called “The Shock Doctrine”… I’ll let u know how it is… perhaps you’ll want to read it sometime.


Welcome To Crustybeef~
Thoughts please!

RUN AWAY FAST!! IT'S POLITICAL CRUSTY!!*

*The following email (fiction) was sent to me by my dear DEAR helpful sweet cousin.

anyhoo, See below:


FICTION-*
Who is Barack Obama? Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father Returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim From Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school. Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He Is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school." Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya Soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over His son's education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking Major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background. Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy. Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level.

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(now, here's my thoughts):

POLITICAL (FACT OR FICTION) CRUSTY:
I truly believe that in politics it's something that is based on each of our own beliefs, sometimes due to the point of place we're presently living in-single, Dinks, Sitcoms, Elders, Unemployed, the list goes on and on.
I'm all for research. Anytime I receive an email that has a CAUTION WILL CAUSE HARM so to speak, I pop on over to my favorite urban legends site to verify the information.
If this was an email about Rudy G, Edwards, Brownback, Huckabee, Clinton, McCain, Romney, and the rest of the running candidates regarding their faith and upbringing, I'd research it too.

(Why does it matter where their parents attended worship?)

Because I don't condone what some Catholic Priests have done to little boys, I shouldn't follow the likings of a Catholic Candidate due to that scandal? To "not follow" a presidential candidate because they were brought up Catholic?

Is a Jewish man not permitted to follow the ideals of candidate Romney because he's a Mormon?

Absurd hogwash!

I did a research on the above fictitious email:

Click only on this link if you're interested in more political crapola:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

For me, because I'm in a Coexisting interfaith marriage, I believe that our faith models us, and our heart and conscious and honor shows us. Just because one may have a different faith than the other, doesn't mean they're not deemed worthy.

To be president
To walk into a temple
To walk into a church
To love someone with their whole heart, which ultimately helps our souls

....Diversity....

At one point all of our religions have hurt one another.
We all have different beliefs and that's where the faith comes in.
Do you accept "those of us" even though "we" may not accept you?
Or do you join the bandwagon of hatred?


Regardless of our faith, we all have our God, G-d, Allah, mystical being, to answer to.

The last time I checked, is it justified to be teaching our children that if it's a different way, then in fact it can only be the wrong way?

That's not up to us to decide..

....CoExist.....

Just like you shouldn't judge someone for the size of house they live in, amount of money in their bank account, how they raise their children, nor should you judge someone based on their faith- due to the beliefs that began with their parents...

With that, neither should you judge a president because of their faith. True or not true, it shouldn't be the case.

Welcome To Crustybeef~
I guess I can't vote for Hilary Clinton either, because I don't "believe" a woman should stay with a cheating husband..

*I am in no way trying to prove a right or wrong here today.*

Chirp Chirp Prevention

We buy a new bird feeder every winter.
We always hung it near the garden and filled it with seed.
Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.

But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the fence, roof, bushes ...everywhere.
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me or the dog and try to peck us even though we had fed them out of our own pockets.

Other birds were boisterous and loud.
They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, we didn't want to go near our own garden anymore.

I finally took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone.
I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they'd made in the hedges and trees.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now let's see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education, and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen.Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands.Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small homes are housing 5 families, you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor,and perhaps your kid's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English:

Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box (and so do most things at Home Depot and Menard's), I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and bitching in the streets I paid for, demanding more rights and free liberties.

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

No, last week, the Congress agreed that the uninvited 'birds' and their feeders can stay with almost no punishment for ruining our serenity.

This is another reason I no longer call myself a Republican.

*The following story was sent by My very insightful, bright and witty Uncle. He is very passionate about his beliefs and I welcome every bit of knowledge that he provides me with to help me grasp the current state this country is in. His honesty is overwhelming. If only everyone could put politics as simply as he just did.

Thank you UD for your permission to post this story. I hope that others will take something from this particular post regardless of their political beliefs.

Welcome to crustybeef~
I'm glad that my Monday morning started off with an easier understanding of how this country is headed for complete destruction.

Guess Who Part Deux

Playing the link the letter to the politician game isn't easy, and it's rather a pain in the ass, I know. Just as politics are. They're confusing and distorted and slightly demented with their strong views.

I miss Ronald Reagan. From what I've read about him, from what I've heard from other sources, from what I remember, he appeared to me as forthright.

He was refreshing.

I get letters in my inbox from the many different politicians vying for a chance at the presidential throne of control. The $400 haircut sends them about once a week. The "she wears the pants in that family," oh maybe once or twice every two weeks. The young fresh one, every other day. The Gem, just about the same. It helps me to get a grasp on the different views by reading the "little things."

As said, the email that I "copied and pasted" from my inbox was sent from the fresh young one-Mr. Barack Obama.

Welcome To crustybeef~
I am still very much under the weather. This post has been written in the am cloud of haze, sweat, and a very nasty fever. I guess I have to be SICK in order to write about politics-I'd much prefer to write about poop and the terrible two's. This stuff isn't my thing. I'll save it for my other bloggers (HEDY!!!) and my readers who relish in it- and actually make sense explaining their views. They actually help make more sense of it to me, (UD,ACS!!!) than the actual candidates do. Go figure.

Who Said It?

Dear Elizabeth,
For too many people, politics is a bad word. It's not surprising since for many people "politics" means talking heads screaming at each other on TV, or special interests stacking the deck in Washington.
We have an opportunity to change that. When politics gets local, when the person talking is your neighbor standing on your front porch, things change.
On June 9th, hundreds of thousands of people will have that experience as we take our campaign to the streets in all 50 states for a nationwide neighborhood walk.
We're calling it Walk for Change, and its success depends on you. I'm asking you for something extraordinary. I'm asking you to lead a group of supporters in your community in a neighborhood walk to let people know about our campaign.

If you agree to organize a walk, we'll mail you the materials you need to start a conversation with your neighbors about being part of this movement for change. But it can only happen if you're willing to take the leap and put together a June 9th Walk for Change event where you live:

**Link By The Person**

It's not common these days to reach out to a neighbor.
We're more likely to nod quickly and smile when unloading the groceries or walking the dog than we are to stop and talk about the things that shape our common destiny.
But the great issues of our day shouldn't just be topics to fill time between commercials on cable news. These challenges -- ending the war in Iraq, solving the health care crisis, tackling climate change -- affect each one of us personally.
And the solutions to each one will require personal investment from all of us.
That's why it's so important to create this dialogue in your community -- to have a serious conversation about what matters most to your neighbors, and to share with them why this movement for change is personal for you.

**Link by The Person**

We shouldn't be afraid. Americans everywhere are hungry for change, and waiting for someone to show them where change will come from.
On June 9th, if you organize a Walk for Change event, that change will come from your community, and the person showing the way will be you.
Thank you.

SIGNED BY THE PERSON

P.S. -- We all know how important the neighboring Iowa caucus is going to be in this campaign. Here in Illinois, we've had an unprecedented amount of support and some Illinois volunteers are even traveling to Iowa to pitch in with canvassing efforts. Click below to find out how you can travel and help out in Iowa:

"Tuesday Toppers"

The lovely title to the many of hundreds of questionnaires I have sent to my dear Uncle via email. He always responds to them. The answers are witty, the RE:SUBJECT even the more intriguing. He's a man, a silent man that demands respect and gives respect. He'll always reply to my newest signature quote in my email, and his quotes, moving each and every time.

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"Mommy, my feet don't like each other." "They're always going in a different direction," Said my smart 4year old niece to her mom. Her mom and dad will never have to worry about her, she'll be just fine in life.


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Interesting twist on the "BARALITON" Democrats. Barack wins! He than goes on to become the Newest President of the United States. (WARNING: WE'RE OFFICIALLY TREADING ON POLITICAL THIN ICE ON THIS BEEFIE BLOG. I WELCOME DEBATE, BUT PLEASE DO SO IN A RESPECTABLE MANNER. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS MAINLY A CONVERSATION I HAD CREATING STORY LINES WITH BIG DOG.)
So, Barack is President. There's a huge conspiracy theory that comes out, and he's actually apart of the JIHAD Movement. He's actually a Muslim Extremist and he manages to aid the extremist parties in successfully calling the demise on the World. The World Ends through MASS DESTRUCTION. Interesting Movie idea, huh? STRICTLY HOLLYWOOD!!

Just a day in the life of BigDog and Crustybeef. That's how we spend our evenings the moment the 8:00 watch hits. ALL 3 sons asleep in their beds. Granted they're all up every morning a quarter of 6. Yet this peaceful time is relaxing in form. We can talk about anything, unwind, and enjoy the hour or two before the sleep takes us into dreamland.

Welcome To Crustybeef
I am politically blundered on Tuesdays Toppers.