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For those we lost, We will not forget 09/11/2001

“I consistently believe that when it comes to whether it's Native Americans or African-American issues or reparations, the most important thing for the U.S. government to do is not just offer words, but offer deeds.”
— Barack Obama, July 27, 2008 (emphasis added)

“Barack Obama is an arrogant, racist, Marxist ass!”
— Perri Nelson, July 30, 2008

Wednesday Hero - Michael E. McLaughlin

Published Tue, Jan 23 2007 10:59 PM

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Kathi

Lt. Col. Michael E. McLaughlin 44 years old from Mercer, Pennsylvania 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard January 4, 2006

Sitting in the car with Lt. Col. Michael E. McLaughlin's 18-year-old daughter, her father's friend of 21 years had just broken the news of his death.

During years of friendship and service in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Lt. Col. McLauglin and retired Capt. Brad Mifsud had a bond so close that they promised each other if something were ever to happen to either one of them, they would be there for the other's family.

Lt. Col. McLaughlin died when a suicide bomber rushed through a crowd of Iraqi police recruits in Ramadi and detonated a bomb that also killed a Marine and nearly 80 Iraqis. The day before the attack, Lt. Col. McLaughlin said he was fully confident that Ramadi had finally turned a corner in the insurgency. As hundreds of local men streamed into the Ramadi Glass Factory on Wednesday to join the city’s long-defunct police force, a wide grin spread over a pinch of tobacco stuffed into the 44-year-old’s lower lip.

"This may not look like much, but it's history," McLaughlin told a reporter. "We're making history right here."

With a significant wound to the back of his head, Lt. Col. McLaughlin turned to his injured personal security detail officers and inquired about their well-being. Waving off medical attention, he asked them to check on the soldiers under his command.

"In an act of extreme selflessness, he stated that he was OK, but to concentrate on saving the lives of his men," said Col. Grey Berrier, a close friend of Lt. Col. McLaughlin.

Lt. Col. McLaughlin died shortly after giving that instruction, according to the Guard.

A long-time artillery officer in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, McLaughlin was assigned to Task Force 2-222 Field Artillery and was the primary liaison between the 2-28 Brigade Combat Team and local tribal and government leaders in Ramadi. His efforts were instrumental in getting local sheikhs to support the recruitment drive and encourage more than 1,000 area men to volunteer for the force, commanders said.

"Mike is a true hero in every sense of the word, and he died while doing his job the only way he knew how - out front and with great enthusiasm and courage," said Col. John L. Gronski, commander of the 2-28 BCT. "This loss only strengthens our resolve to carry on and complete the mission in order to honor his memory."

A gregarious wisecracker, McLaughlin said his hope was to one day return to a peaceful Iraq, where he planned to walk the streets of Ramadi in a traditional Arab "man dress," or dishdasha, and sip coffee and chai with those sheikhs he had met during the war. McLaughlin said that one particular tribal leader he had developed a close relationship with dubbed him "The Sheikh of Sheikhs" - a nickname that was soon picked up by fellow officers in the brigade.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. It Is Foolish And Wrong To Mourn The Men Who Died. Rather We Should Thank God That Such Men Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by clicking here.

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Hows THAT for customer service

Published Tue, Jan 23 2007 10:33 AM
Technorati Tags: Computers and Internet, Blogging, Cool Stuff

Erik from Snap Preview Anywhere responded to my post about Snap Preview Anywhere. He was friendly, and addressed the problems with the service I noted.

That's pretty awesome customer service from a business that provides a free service. Especially a free service that's growing as fast as theirs is...

12,000+ new website sign-ups worldwide
1MM+ site previews in a single day
13MM+ site previews in the first month

That's according to their intro mail I received last month. With that much activity, I'm surprised they even found my post, let alone read it.

Now if only Technorati would provide customer service like that... :-)

Trackposted to The Random Yak, Adam's Blog, Big Dog's Weblog, basil's blog, Common Folk Using Common Sense, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, stikNstein... has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Pirate's Cove, Planck's Constant, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Tunnel not buried yet

Published Tue, Jan 23 2007 12:11 AM
Technorati Tags: Drag Racing, Transportation, Open Trackbacks

The children on the Seattle City Council and their playmate Greg Nickels may yet get their names on some waterfront parks, and their legacy poured in concrete. From the Seattle Times:

OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire this morning left the door open to replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

Without committing herself to a course of action, the governor said she wants to hear what voters say in a March 13 election in Seattle on the viaduct.
"There is no question that the next big issue is what do the voters say," Gregoire said at a news conference today.
The Seattle City Council voted 6-3 Friday to put two questions on an advisory ballot. One asks voters if they prefer to replace the viaduct with a $2.8 billion elevated highway; the other asks if they want to replace the viaduct with a $3.4 billion tunnel.

The only saving grace for the new tunnel is that they think it will be cheaper than the old one. They haven't done the analysis yet though, so this may still be a pipe dream.

Councilwoman Jan Drago said "This issue is highly emotional. This is absolutely positive news. It's a great opportunity for us."

That's right. It's a great opportunity for the Seattle City Council to cement their legacy with another boondoggle.

At least someone will get to vote on this. Now we'll see how badly King County Elections manages to mishandle the ballots in this all-mail election. They don't have a great track record so far.

Cross posted at NW Bloggers

By the way, this fabulous race car is still for sale...

For more information contact me at perri [at] nofemotorsports [dot] com.

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