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"the importance of honesty, integrity, transparency, and reliability are still requirements for the job. Dad, I thank you for modeling those traits."

This "rap" music video captures the enthusiasm and energy of young children performing in honor of Constitution Day in Norway - 200th anniversary was May 17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iXoOqaeRXc8 Sorry - I don't have a translation... There was a sizable celebration in the Ballard district of Seattle where many Norwegians settled long ago. Maybe there are celebrations like this in the US... for the 4th of July? I wish. What I found fascinating - on Facebook pages of my many relatives in Norway were dozens and dozens of greetings from friends, often saying "Congratulations on the Day" or "Celebrate the Day"

The last line of our Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag speaks of "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all." We, or at least my generation, learned the pledge early in our lives and repeated it in our schools, scout meetings and just about anywhere else there was anything resembling an official gathering.

When President Vladimir Putin of Russia talks about what is happening in Ukraine these days, it is as if he’s looking into a mirror. He says fascists and nationalists are running amok in Kiev, even as Crimea is annexed in the name of Great Russia; he says Russians are threatened in eastern Ukraine, even as Russia directs secessionists there to seize administrative buildings and arms; he calls on President Obama to use his influence to prevent the use of force in Ukraine, even as he puts a major military force on the Ukrainian border. This ploy was a fixture of...

21:14 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready for combat. "As of today, Ukraine's armed forces are prepared to fulfill the tasks defined by decision of the National Security and Defense," A statement made by Acting Minister for Defense Mykhailo Koval on First National TV Channel. He went on to say that the armed forces can take action without a declaration of martial law under the anti-terrorist operation. - Channel5

From Kim Kardashian’s butt to Miley Cyris’ obscene gyrations, clearly our American culture has popped, exploded, gone to hell in a hand basket, and is just plain offensive and out-of-control. Once again, the NATIONAL ENQUIRER tells it the way it is by featuring the re-release of the iconic art book WHITE TRASH UNCUT by outstanding photographer Christopher Makos. (1). His first edition is available for a whopping $500 a copy, but this second release is selling at $50 each and includes 40 new pix of the decline and fall of Western Civilization in full disgust. Makos is “the first photographer...

Seen close up on the 3D screen, actor Chris Evans’s ruddy lips, bright complexion, and sparkling eyes look like a Pop Art personification of red, white, and blue patriotism in Marvel Studios’ Captain American: The Winter Soldier. Referred to as “The greatest soldier of all time” by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), his paramilitary boss at S.H.I.E.L.D., Evans’s Steve Rogers, who was scientifically re-engineered into the ever-youthful, muscle-bound World War II veteran of the title, represents a timeless idea of American strength and virtue: “I’m 95, I’m not dead,” he tells flirtatious superhero colleague Natasha (Scarlett Johanssen). Evans’s cartoon...

90-year-old hutsul Anastasios Kozak laid out on the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains State symbol Ukraine-Trident, which is visible from space. Stone Mountain Kozak wore their usual business bag, which is placed 10-12 kilograms najbìlìšogo of Marl. From the quarry to the slope, where it was to be the Trident, to overcome nearly a kilometer. Over the summer, the former upìvec′ issued to mount more trucks of stone. According to the author, so he paid homage to the memory of their fallen fellow of Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Glory To Heroes!

Below is one of the most lucid and insightful analyses of patriotism I've come across, dissecting the various stages through which this sentiment can go and clarifying at which of them it can or does become toxic. "All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison and a remedy.", said the Swiss Paracelsus, one of the early chemists, founder of the discipline of toxicology. Even the best life-giving medicine, capable of restoring health if used in the appropriate way, may cause serious harm if misused and administered in the wrong...

“It’s about time that someone on our side, someone truly on our side who shares our convictions, presented us with a viable plan that has a real chance of making a difference in changing America’s political class for the better. Steve Deace has done just that, with this provocative, smart, bold, innovative, and powerful book.”David Limbaugh To put it bluntly, for too long we have lacked a plan. Venting on social media isn’t a plan. Calling a talk radio show like mine isn’t a plan. Marches are not a plan. Blogging isn’t a plan. To be certain, all of those...

We love this video. At a time when we have appeals court judges who have contempt for our flag, we discover this terrific young man, whose gratitude could teach us all a lesson… WATCH:

It's a normal part of the school day for many students and teachers, but what happened Friday during the pledge and moment of silence that follows at Cy-Fair High School is creating quite a buzz, thanks to a teacher who captured the moment on camera. 

This is simply a gem of a movie based on Howard Fast's excellent 1962 novel,( which I still have), of the first day of hostilities between colonists and Britain. There may have been bigger blockbusters made about the American Revolution (The Patriot, Revolution etc) but to me this under- rated 1988 film is a true classic, capturing the quintessential decency of American colonial village life in Lexington and the developing tensions and conflict on that fateful day of 19th April 1775. I agree with the 2 previous reviewers that this film is a great teaching tool. It shows many things:...

Last week a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed the U.S. District Court’s granting of summary judgment in favor of Morgan Hill Unified School District, a civil rights suit brought by high school students who were asked to remove clothing bearing images of the American flag after school officials learned of threats of race-related violence during a school-sanctioned celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

During my time on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, I was all too familiar with the occasional sight of certain less than honorable personnel hustling to get to their cars at 1700 hours, just as The Star Spangled Banner started playing over the base public address system, and the flag-lowering ceremony of “Retreat” got underway. You see, during Retreat, all activity is supposed to stop. All personnel who are outdoors are supposed to halt in their tracks, stand at attention, and turn and face the flag (or simply face the direction of the source of music if they...

Is nationalism a good thing or a bad thing? Some people say that nationalism is bad, whereas patriotism is good. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "patriotism" is defined as love for one's country or devotion for it, even to the point of sacrifice. It seems that there is no excess of patriotism in this sense, as it's always positive. The Merriam-Webster gives this example of use of the term: "You may not agree with him politically, but no one can question his patriotism." The two examples offered by the same source for "nationalism", on the other hand, are: "The war...

Apocalypticism has exploded in popularity and, while nuclear war and pandemics have always been a starting point, the concept of the Zombie Apocalypse trumps them all. The appeal and wild popularity of shows like The Walking Dead, movies like World War Z, and the slew of apocalyptic, gloom and doom series and specials on cable television continues to grow by leaps and bounds. But the reasons behind such interest are often subconscious at times and not fully understood. The Leftist activist and agitator Noam Chomsky was recently asked “why there’s this preoccupation with the apocalypse and with zombies right now...

Molson Coors wants to give its fellow Canadians competing at the Olympics a special edge. A beer fridge has reportedly been installed in Team Canada Olympic House in Sochi, fully stocked with free beer. All the Olympians need to do is have their passports.

I'll bet if this photo was taken today this little boy would've been snatched up by Child Protective Service for being taught to discriminate on the basis of color.Then they might notice the other stuff...