America's Finest

   In a typical case of  computer ignorance, I managed to eradicate a number of the comments from a few of my previous posts. My apologies to the folks who took the time to write. I mistakenly had hit the not spam button when I was trying to delete some spam, and anyway, in trying to fix it, I took out the spam and comments that mattered. Regardless of the saying that ignorance is bliss, there are times when it's real pain in the butt to be stupid about certain matters. Oh well. Now on to the primary reason for this post. Needless to say, I'm incredibly proud of my two sons. In an age where so many Americans are only too happy to deliver a mediocre performance on the job, as long as they receive a paycheck, these men have excelled in their chosen fields. It's not because of the pay either. The military is not one of the professions you step in to expecting to make the big bucks. They both have a chest full of medals and honors for excellence. Hell, when I was in the navy I was just hoping to make it through  my four years and getting on with my life. I don't think either of these fellows are planning to make the military a career, which makes the dedication and hard work all the more admirable to me. I find it incredible that in an age when America has more enemies than at any other time since it's founding as a country, we have an administration that fails to see the need for a strong military. Instead, they are cutting back the military to pre-world war two numbers. They have apparently subscribed to the idea that you can reason with terrorists and madmen. Ask the folks on the flight that was shot down over Ukraine how that worked, or perhaps you could reason with ISIS, or the Taliban or Hamas. I have friends who, when they ask about the boys and I mention their military service, kind of disapprove. How nice for them that they can continue on  with their comfortable lives without having to worry about having the bloody hell bombed out of them. It's because of men like those above, who have taken up the mantle of excellence in their willingness to defend this country that we Americans can sleep in safety at night. The men and women of my father's generation went to war, not because they wanted to, but to protect the freedoms that we as Americans hold so dearly. I have a license plate on the front of my truck that states what should be obvious to everyone. It states simply, Freedom isn't Free. It's bought by the blood and sacrifices made by those in our military and their families. It sure as hell isn't paid for by politicians who want to talk their way to peace. I hope that if you meet up with a member of our military, you'll shake their hand and say thanks. It's the least we can do for those who are fighting for our  country.