USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Marine Vets need help in DC on Sat. 1/18/03 ~ December 27 2002

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! A CALL TO ARMS!

Saturday, January 18, 2003 Washington DC, 0900 at the Brothers of Nam statue near The Wall

Uncle Sam Wants YOU is something most of us remember. Many of us answered the call. There are literally millions upon millions of living war veterans who selflessly defended freedom and America and our families and fellow countrymen.
Over thirty years ago, the defenders of a free world fought a new kind of war. It was a war without a front, a war without a demonstrable support for its heroic fighters, but with a ferocious enemy back home capturing the media, college campuses, the entertainment industry, many of our own elected representatives, and the attention of the leaders of a militarily soundly defeated North Vietnamese Army and its communist allies, to whom said enemy back home, the radical left, gave aid and abetment.
All of the veterans of that conflict remember the vitriolic welcome home, and the discrimination against them, and the name calling and vile shunning from much of the very people they fought so bravely for.
NEVER AGAIN!
United States Marine Corps combat veterans of the Vietnam War have initiated an offensive; a war, if you will, against the stance and arrogance of the leftist radical movement. These vile traitors, sympathetic to the enemies of this nation have again, after thirty years, risen their ugly heads, Phoenix-like, to aid and abet our enemies. As before, they are demonstrating, trying to present, with the help of the liberal media, a false impression to the citizens and politicians of America, and the world, of a popular opposition to the United States defending itself and waging war upon those bent upon its destruction.
This is YOUR finest hour. Uncle Sam NEEDS you. Your arms are your willingness to help show the world the radical left is not going to be given the sole position of presenting the only voice of the will and wishes of our people; a false and noisy minority is all they are and ever have been.
Your call is to plan to join up with these Marines, and other patriotic Americans, and proceed to Washington, DC to be a needed member of our Righteous Demonstration against that of the leftist anti-war protestors. Noted media representative of the right have been notified we will be there to present and voice what we believe is still the position of the vast majority of Americans.
Time is very short. You may have to make a sacrifice of your time, travel expense, and the comfort of your home in front of the television on which you will be seeing the left once again doing their thing. Please, PLEASE, do not allow them to do it unopposed. YOU are needed!
The leftist demonstration will begin with a gathering on the west side of the White House, and will proceed to the U.S. Navy Yards about four miles to the southeast. You should simply request information, or any questions you may have about anything back to the source of this letter having been e-mailed or sent to you.
pointmanherc@ameritech.net
This letter ... this PLEA for 'militia' members in a fight against those bent upon the destruction of our country and way of life ... is being sent to many, many places. The total distribution will be unknown to anyone.
Because of that, none of us could know the magnitude of participation.
It IS known, however, that the United States Marine Vietnam combat veteran who wrote this letter, will, if necessary, stand for his nation, our loved ones, our way of life, and THE TRUTH, along with a small band of his brothers, ALONE AGAIN, if need be,
in Washington DC, at 0900 at the Brothers of Nam statue near The Wall, January 18, 2003.

Semper Fidelis, Joel Charles Kernodle - pointmanherc@ameritech.net

And the members of MOVE-OUT! (Marines & Other Veterans Engaging Outrageous Un-American Traitors!)

There are many times when we begin a certain task that God lays on our
hearts and because we think our efforts are minimal and not making a
difference, we quit the job that God told us to pursue. The enemy loves
to plant seeds of doubt and lure us into thinking that we are not capable
of making a difference in this world, but with God's help we can overcome
and fulfill the destiny that God has for every believer. (Jeremiah 29:11)

If you are going through a situation of doubting your task unto the Lord,
then I hope this story will bless and encourage you to never quit what God
has laid on your heart because you may never know of the lives that you
are touching.

UNANSWERED LETTERS

I read of a man who was involved in a tragic accident. He lost both legs
and his left arm and only a finger and thumb remained on the right hand.
But he still possessed a brilliant mind, enriched with a good education
and broadened with world travel. At first he thought there was nothing he
could do but remain a helpless sufferer.

A thought came to him. It was always nice to receive letters, but why not
write them--he could still use his right hand with some difficulty. But
to whom could be right?

Was there anyone shut-in and incapacitated like he was who could be
encouraged by his letters? He thought of men in prison--they did have some
hope of release, whereas he had none--but it was worth a try.

He wrote to a Christian organization concerned with prison ministry. He
was told that his letters could not be answered because it was against
prison rules, but he still decided to commence this one-sided correspondence.

He wrote twice a week, and it taxed his strength to the limit. But into
the letters he put his whole soul, all his experience, all his faith, all
his wit, and all his Christian optimism. Frequently he felt discouraged
and was tempted to give it all up. But it was his one remaining activity,
and he resolved to continue as long as he could.

At last he got a letter. It was very short, written on prison stationery
by the officer whose duty it was to censor the mail. All it said was:
"Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed
from cell to cell till they literally fall to pieces."

Author Unknown

No matter what your situation may be like, you still have the ability to
encourage someone who is discouraged and lift up someone who is feeling
low. Take this story as an encouragement to give your all for someone else
and do not worry about the results. No good work will go unseen and only
God knows of the impact that your life can have on someone else.

Let us not do our good works so that we may be praised, but let us do good
works so that others may be lifted up and God be Praised because of our
intervention. The only thing that we can take with us into eternity is
what we have done for the Lord. There are no bank accounts in heaven to
show how much your net worth was on the earth, but there will be accounts
in heaven of what you did to show your life as an example in leading
others to Him. (Colossians 3:17) (Revelation 20:12) (Matthew 12:36-37)

Due to the budget constraints, the following policies are announced
regarding employees traveling on official business. These policies are
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

LODGING:
All employees are encouraged to stay with relatives and friends while on
business. If weather permits, public areas such as parks should be used
as temporary lodging sites. Bus terminals, train stations and office
lobbies may also provide shelter in periods of inclement weather.

TRANSPORTATION:
Hitch-hiking is the preferred mode of travel, in lieu of commercial
transport. Luminescent safety vests will be issued to all employees
prior to their departure on such travel.
Airline tickets will only be authorized in extreme circumstances and the
lowest fares will be used. For example, if a meeting is scheduled in
Seattle, but a lower fare can be obtained by traveling to Detroit, the
travel to Detroit will be substituted for travel to Seattle.

MEALS:
Expenditures for meals will be limited to an absolute minimum. It
should be noted that certain grocery and specialty chains, such as
Hickory Farms, General Nutrition Centers, and Costco Club stores often
provide free samples of promotional items. Entire meals can be obtained
in this manner. Travelers should also become familiar with indigenous
roots, berries, and other protein sources available at their
destination. If restaurants must be utilized, travelers should utilize
all you can eat salad bars. This is especially effective for employees
traveling together - as one plate can be used to feed the entire group.
Employees are also encouraged to bring their own food on official
travel. Cans of tuna, Spam and Beefaroni can be consumed at your
leisure without the unnecessary bother of heating or costly preparation.

MISCELLANEOUS:
All employees are encouraged to devise innovative techniques in an
effort to save our budget dollars. One enterprising individual has
already suggested that money could be raised during airport layover
period, which could be used to defray expenses. In support of this
idea, red caps will be issued to all employees prior to their departure,
so that they may earn tips by helping other travelers with their
luggage. Ball point pens will also be made available to employees so
that sales may be made, as time permits.

FEEDBACK:
As always senior management is interested in your feedback on these
proposals. Please e-mail them to head office and they will be carefully
reviewed after we return from the senior management motivational retreat
in Italy.

Chocolate, the 5th food group:

Chocolate is a vegetable: Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans.
Beans = vegetable.

Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants,
which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a
vegetable.

To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is
dairy. So candy bars are a health food.

Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all
count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too
slowly.

The problem: how to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot
car. The solution: eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off
your appetite, and you'll eat less.

If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a
balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That
way, at least you'll get one thing done.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in
one place. Now, isn't that handy?

If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An
entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can
you?

Experts Question 'Alien' Scientists' Human Cloning Success

(CNSNews.com) -- The scientific arm of a religious cult claims to have cloned a human baby girl from the DNA of its 31-year-old American mother. Brigitte Boisselier, the leader of Clonaid, a company that bills itself "the first human cloning company," said the 7-pound newborn was born late Thursday morning by Caesarean section in a secret location. If the cloning is not a hoax, it would make baby "Eve" the first successfully cloned human being. But some medical experts question the credibility and ethics of Clonaid. Founded in 1997 by Claude Vorilhon, a former French journalist and leader of a group called the Raelians, Clonaid does not shy away from its belief that aliens created all life on Earth through genetic engineering. C. Ben Mitchell, a senior fellow with the Chicago-based Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, said the announcement should signal an increased urgency to ban the controversial procedure worldwide. "Regardless of the accuracy of the claim, the fact that renegade scientists are apparently continuing to work to clone human beings, despite the proven dangers of mammalian cloning, shows that the United States and the rest of the world need to pass a complete ban on this dangerous and unethical procedure as soon as possible," Mitchell said. Currently, the only verified and documented cloning successes achieved by scientists have involved sheep, mice, cows, pigs, goats and cats. Scientists in Massachusetts produced cloned human embryos last year to harvest stem cells, but failed in their attempt when the embryos never grew bigger than six cells.

Rural America Seen As Growing GOP Stronghold

(CNSNews.com) -- Analysis of the recent mid-term elections shows a marked shift in support for Republican values, says one Democratic pollster. For the third-straight election, Republican candidates have carried rural America by at least 59 percent and the trend seems to be increasing. "Just like cities look like base areas for Democrats, rural areas look like base areas for Republicans," pollster Anna Greenberg told the Des Moines Register. In 1996, GOP candidates were favored by a relatively small margin, 52 percent to 48 percent, compared to Democratic a victory margin of 56 percent in 1998. A joint analysis of recent elections conducted by Greenberg's firm, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Republican polling service Public Opinion Strategies, also found that Republican support outside cities and suburbs has been increasing for conservative social issues such as abortion and Second Amendment rights. Greenberg said Democrats have to find local and national issues on which to appeal to rural voters. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) told his homestate's newspaper that rural America is "more geared towards fundamental values. They see over the last 30 years a deterioration of those values."

Average Mortgage Rate Hits Record Low

(December 27) -- The national average commitment rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5.93 percent, with an average 0.6 point, for the week ending December 27, 2002, Freddie Mac says. That is down from 6.03 percent last week. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 7.16 percent. The 30-year FRM has not been this low since 1965.

The average for the 15-year FRM this week is 5.32 percent, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week's average of 5.42 percent. A year ago, the 15-year FRM averaged 6.65 percent. The 15-year FRM meets the lowest level ever recorded in Freddie Mac's weekly survey in November 2002.
One-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 4.01 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, slipping from last week's average of 4.07 percent. At the same time last year, the one-year ARM averaged 5.25 percent. The 1-year ARM this week fell to the lowest level recorded since Freddie Mac started tracking it in 1984.

"2002 was an amazing year for the housing sector. The annual average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate this year was about 6.5 percent, the lowest annual average in more than 31 years," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist. "That was the primary factor that led to an incredible amount of home building, home sales and refinancing, all of which helped keep the economy from another recession.
"The outlook for the future is rosy as we start out the new year with mortgage rates at or below 6 percent across the nation."

Source: Freddie Mac (12/27/02)

2003 Outlook: Housing Down, Economy Up

(December 27) -- Consumer spending, tax cuts, and low short-term finance rates could trigger improved economic growth next year, but the housing and mortgage lending businesses that have propped up the economy thus far will lose some of their shine, says David Berson, Fannie Mae chief economist.

Homebuilding, property sales, and mortgage originations will decline in 2003 as the interest rate on 30-year mortgage financing bumps up from just under 6 percent to just below 6.5 percent by the end of next year, Berson predicts.

Housing starts will also decline from an expected 1.69 million units in 2002 down to 1.64 million units in 2003.

Berson forecasts new-home sales to fall from an expected record 963,000 units this year to 944,000 next year, with resales slipping from 5.54 million--also an expected record--to 5.48 million.

Look for new mortgages to hit $2.04 trillion next year, down from a record $2.52 trillion this year.

Source: New York Newsday (12/27/02)

STARS AND STRIPES FLAG
FOLDING CEREMONY
By Peggy Carter
--wife of a Viet Nam Vet who is Retired Army and the daughter of a WWII Vet--

The Flag Folding Ceremony represents the same religious principles in which our
Country was originally founded.

The portion of the flag denoting honor is the canton of blue
containing the stars representing states our veterans served in uniform.
The canton field of blue dresses from left to right, and only is inverted when
draped as a pall on a casket of a veteran who has served our country honorably in uniform.

In the evening, in the armed forces of the United States, at the ceremony of re-treat after
Taps have been sounded,the flag is lowered and folded in a triangle fold,
and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our nation's honored dead.
The next morning it is brought out, at lie ceremony of Reveille,
and run up aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the bodly.

*The First fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

*The Second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

*The Third fold is made in honor and rememberance of the veteran departing our ranks
whom gave of a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain peace
throughout the world not to have been in vain and shall never be forgotten.

*The Fourth fold represents our weaker nature; for as American citizens trusting in
God, for it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His Divine guidance.

*The Fifth fold is a tribute to our country; for in the words of the immortal Stephen Decatur.
"Our country; in dealing with other countries, may she always be right,
but it is still our country, right or wrong."

*The Sixth fold for this is where our hearts lie - and it is with our hearts that we
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic to which
it stands, one Nation under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

*The Seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces; for it is through these same armed
forces that we protect our country and our flag against all the enemies, whether they
be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

*The Eighth fold is a tribute to the One who entered into the valley of the shadow of
death, that we might see the light of day; and this fold is made to honor -Mother, for
whom it flies on Mother's Day.

*The Ninth fold is a tribute to our womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty,
and devotion that the characters of the men that have made this country great have been molded.

*The Tenth fold is a tribute to Father,
for he too has given of his sons for the' defense of our country, since she was firstborn.

We fold from the stripes toward the stars;
for whereas the stripes represent the thirteen original colonies that founded our republic,
and they are now embodied in the fifty sovereign states represented by the stars,
so that the stars cover the stripes.

*The eleventh fold for in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen,
this represents the lower portion
of the seal of King David and King Solomon,
and glorifies in their eyes the God of Abraham.
The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

*The Twelfth fold for in the eyes of a Christian citizen, this represents an emblem of
eternity and glorifies in their eyes God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost

When the Flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, which reminds us of our national motto,
"IN GOD WE TRUST."

*After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat,
ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington,
and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones;
and they, followed by their comrades and shipmates in the armed forces of The United States,
have preserved for us the rights, privileges, and freedom which we are enjoying today.

THE STORY BEHIND "TAPS"

It all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.

During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moan of a soldier who lay mortally wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment. When the captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.

The captain lit a lantern. Suddenly, he caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, he enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial despite his enemy status.

His request was partially granted. The captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for the son at the funeral. That request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. Out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.

The captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of his dead son's uniform.

This wish was granted. This music was the haunting melody we now know as "Taps" that is used at all military funerals.

CLICK FOR TAPS

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