Lift spirits for one American soldier
Recently we sent a Christmas card to: A Recovering American Soldier, c/o Walter Reed using the correct address. This was an attempt on our part to lift the spirits of at least (one) Brave American Soldier that had been wounded or has taken ill while protecting myself, my extended family, my friends and neighbors and The United States of America.
Today this card was returned to us marked: NOT DELIVERABLE AS ADDRESSED.
I think that this was terrible. Surely to goodness there was at least one Soldier in the hospital and if so, we hope that this Soldier is doing well.
We think that this is news worthy. We do not desire any fanfare for being the couple that sent the card, but whoever the Soldier is, he/she, and all of AMERICA needs to know that someone in the government thought that this Soldier didn't deserve their Christmas card.
Sincerely,
Sam C. and Azillee H. Hughes
Forest City, North Carolina
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Correction
Tell your KFYI-AM550 news desk that the stolen AR-15 belonging to the Tempe officer is NOT an assault rifle: it is a self-loading rifle, or semi-auto, which requires a separate press on the trigger to fire each round. There are too many enemies of gun ownership in the Lamestream Media propagating this disinformation. Please keep your news-readers on the straight and narrow path.
J-P. A. Maldonado
Gunnery Instructor
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Our loss
Like many Arizonans, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Bill Heywood and his wife Susan. I first met the Heywoods a few years ago when they ran the Scratch and Sniff Foundation, a nonprofit organization that did much good to help homeless animals. One of the very good things Susan and Scratch and Sniff did was to approve my application to give a grant to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Posse (MPCA Posse). That grant allowed the MPCA Posse to organize and become a 501c3 charity. The 501c3 allowed MPCA to put on the Sheriff’s annual “Pink Collar Comedy,” a big fundraiser for the Sheriff’s Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safe Haven (MASH). The money from the fundraiser (every dime of it) allows the Sheriff to pay for the care of all of the animals taken by his Animal Cruelty Investigators from cruelty cases and placed at MASH for their recovery and to find a new forever loving home for each and every one of them I remember the day I met with Susan Heywood about the application. She was so kind and positive, a real force to help our animal friends. Susan also was smart and shrewd and knew how best to award money to help the most animals in the best ways. She will be much missed along with her husband Bill.
Patricia Haight, Ph.D.,
The Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program
Phoenix
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Christmas and family
Hi Don,
Thank you for the candor of your wonderful article! I too have stories of a frugal mother who raised ten children on one fifteenth of my income and I have only two children.
Raul Aguilar
E-mail
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Ongoing battle between unions and the Phoenix taxpayers!
Thank you Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio (District 6) for your continued fight in bringing to light the obvious collusion between Arizona Public Sector Unions and the Democratic Political machine in their never ending quest in helping the taxpayer to part with their hard earned monies! As a recovering Municipal Employee myself, I understand the mind-set of Union workers who act as hosts to their ever greedy Union bosses who suck the lifeblood out of their membership by way of Union dues. There is a pervading sense of entitlement in the Public Sector Union mentality. In justifying the lavish paychecks and benefit packages bestowed upon them, Public Employees many times cite that their jobs require great sacrifice above and beyond those occupations as found in the Private Sector! However, they always fail to bring to light that they eagerly sought out those positions and that none of these jobs were forced upon them! I have no sympathy for the 35 year Police Commander who in justifying a $145,000 payout at retirement for unused sick leave cited the "many nights, weekends and Holidays" that he had worked during his career. Others have cited working in extremely frigid or exceedingly hot temperatures! Yeah right.....it's only municipal employees who work nights, weekends, holidays and in uncomfortable weather! Are you kidding me?!! It's about time that we stop pandering to this Union generated "hero" mentality and have our Politicians do their jobs by protecting their real employers..............the Arizona taxpayer!
Vince Ansel, www.RidersUSA.net
Scottsdale
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Progress and abortion
Leftist thinking captures many ideas, but a common denominator of them all is progressivism.
That is to say, leftist ideas are progressive, leading to progress, helping “advance.” A progressive society is a society which advances, its members get more and more rights every time, they are increasingly better protected against contingencies: housing, illness, unemployment, ageing. On the other hand, a non-progressive society is conservative and does not “advance,” there are more and more unequal rights among its members, and there are many members who are excluded for different reasons and are forced to live on the margins of that society – the unemployed, low classes, gays, etc.
This classification is given by leftism to its own ideology and is indisputable, as long as there is no evidence to the contrary – there hardly ever is. The thinking we might define as not leftist has a lower starting value because it is not “progressive.” These clichés are widely accepted today by the entire political class we might call leftist (of course), and by a large part of the rightist political class something which is outrageous.
Having thus admitted that leftist thinking is “progressive,” I find it very difficult to understand this eagerness for imposing the abortion law awaiting us. Is it progressive to kill? Can an advancing society keep on advancing with 100,000 abortions each year? And what about aborting mothers? How can one oppose the death penalty for convicts (I do myself) while defending the death penalty for someone who has not been born yet because he or she is an embryo, or a less than 14 weeks old fetus, or has an alleged malformation and is still less than 22 weeks old? Where is progress here? Where are we advancing to, other than to an abyss? Is not the case rather as follows? First we offer Heaven to our youths through an insane sexual conduct (the earlier you start your sexual life and the more promiscuous you are, the better for you); if this results in unwanted pregnancies, don’t worry because you can have an abortion and nothing has happened here; and when after so much craziness there are consequences in the form of psychological damage for the woman (the main victim in this entire tragedy, along with the unborn child), we will have a new subject who will joyfully accept any new instruction she is given.
It is paradoxical to learn that the two most harmful regimes known to humankind, i.e. Nazism and Stalinist Communism, used to encourage the most irresponsible sexuality ever, open only to instinct, and the easiness for having abortions was even greater than what this law seeks. The bigwigs in these regimes were well aware of this: the more dehumanized the individual became, the easier his/her control by the powerful state apparatus over which they ruled.
Basically, all inhuman laws and this abortion law is – ultimately seek to turn people into subjects under a powerful state. Be careful.
Alejandro Perez
E-mail
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Regarding Rick Santorum's near victory in Iowa
U.S. Republican presidential nominee Rick Santorum's near victory in Iowa signals a huge victory for America. It indicates that she is on the road to moral recovery.
The U.S. is experiencing a serious crisis of morality. It lacks strong political and moral leadership. The only candidate seriously capable of altering this sad state of affairs and re-establishing America as a nation in touch with its democratic roots and moral foundation is Rick Santorum. He is militantly pro-life, morally consistent and politically courageous.
Santorum once stated: "America is first and foremost a moral enterprise that will not remain free without a good strong moral compass." When morality disappears, when men begin treating each other as mere commodities through the practice of contraception, abortion, genetic manipulation, and homosexual marriage, then everything else, including the economy, falters.
President Obama promised Americans great things. He challenged the people to have "The Audacity of hope" and put their faith in his anti-life, anti-family policies. In return he brought economic and moral despair to the people.
Americans are now bursting at the seams to have a leader in whom they can believe and who, in turn, believes in them and the country.
That man is Rick Santorum.
With respectful and cordial best wishes I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Paul Kokoski
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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What does Gov. Brewer think about Judge Michael Malihi’s pro birther ruling?
Being that Associated Press ignores court rulings about the unconstitutionality of Obamacare, it should be of no surprise that the media won’t tell you that Judge Michael Malihi of Georgia denied Pres. Obama’s request to dismiss three ballot challenges. Gov. Brewer sabotaged a bill which would have addressed whether or not Mr. Obama should be on your ballot. You have to ask yourselves why?!
Could it be that the Feds let Jan off the hook regarding her son’s ill-gained Social Security benefits? Maybe by vetoing that bill, the Feds agreed not prosecute Gov. Brewer. Why would Obama’s thugs give a Republican Gov. a free ride? You tell me!
Sincerely,
Joseph DuPont
Wachtung, Pennsylvania
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Your vote vs. their money
Career politicians in the U.S. Congress are quick to reach out to voters around election time. This is natural since it is the voters who will determine who gets elected. However, these politicians are continuously reaching out to special interests who supply the large amounts of money needed to run a successful campaign. So, the voters supply the votes and the special interests supply the money.
The problem here is that the voters and the special interests are different groups with different expectations. Voters expect politicians to represent the country and their local district. Special interests expect favors for themselves and their companies. Voters never have enough money to get the attention of members of Congress after the election.
If you would like to support candidates who will refuse to accept special interest money, are independent of a political party, and will serve a limited term, go to www.goooh.com to learn more.
Billy D. Clifford
Austin, Texas
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Independent study finds Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion to stimulate more than $20 billion in new spending for U.S. economy
CALGARY, Alberta – An independent economic study finds that construction of the Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion Pipeline project should provide significant, positive contributions to the U.S. economy valued at over $20 billion. The Perryman Group study also states that the proposed pipeline project should improve U.S. energy security with the ongoing benefit to the U.S. economy of a more stable source of consistent energy supply over an extended period of time. The study estimates that during construction, the $7 billion pipeline project is expected to stimulate:
More than $20 billion in new spending for the U.S. economy
More than 118,000 person-years of employment
An increase of $6.5 billion in the personal income of Americans
Increased gross output (product) of $9.6 billion
More than $585 million in state and local taxes in the states along the pipeline route
The study further concluded that once the pipeline is operational, the states along the pipeline route are expected to receive an additional $5.2 billion in property taxes during the operating life of the pipeline.
The study also highlights the significant ongoing benefit to the U.S. economy of a more stable, consistent and reliable supply of oil. When completed, the Keystone Pipeline System is expected to provide five per cent of current U.S. petroleum-consumption needs and represent nine per cent of U.S. petroleum imports. Once permitted and completed, the Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion project will supply roughly half the amount of oil that the U.S. currently imports from the Middle East or Venezuela.
The Perryman study conservatively estimated the permanent increase in stable oil supplies the Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion pipeline creates will add more than 250,000 permanent jobs for U.S. workers and add more than $100 billion in annual total expenditures to the U.S. economy. These figures assume that oil prices remain stable at the "2007 average price per barrel of $66.52." On the other hand, "If high oil prices prevail, the effect of the increase in stable oil supplies" is even more pronounced, adding as many as 553,000 permanent jobs and an annual increase in total expenditures of $221 billion to the U.S. economy. (Note: for the high oil price scenario, The Perryman Group "used prices equal to the peak cost per barrel reached during the summer of 2008 of approximately $147.)
For Full Report please visit: http://www.transcanada.com/docs/Key_Projects/keystone_washington_DC_advisory.pdf
Go USA let's start producing! Jobs nothing to it! But to do it! There are no problems only solutions! We must write our leaders in congress to approve this project. Canada will try to sell more of its energy products to Asia after Washington delayed a decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline project. If Obama and the Democrats get their way Canada will lose its patience and send this oil to Communist China and this will only accelerate China's prominence in the world ahead of the U.S. The President needs to get out the way on this one and let us have the jobs and energy. Let China have the Solyndra's (failed solar-panel companies) and we will take the real energy jobs. We need more jobs west not east.
Roman Stockton
Katy, Texas
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