To Those Who Serve

To those who serve in our nation's armed forces - to those who serve now and to those who have served in the past - and to the families who support them...

Thank you. 

We are free because of your strengths and your sacrifices. We set aside Memorial Day to remember, but every day we are grateful.

Still Proud.

Sigh...anyone who has spent five minutes reading this blog knows that many of tonight's results are not what I wanted, and some of them are not just disappointing, but shocking.

If this story doesn't make you proud to be an American, nothing will

Here's a great story I spotted at Babalú Blog yesterday:

"We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor"

Two hundred and thirty six years ago, a brave group of patriots signed their names to a document that would change the course of human history. 

These fifty-six men publicly declared their commitment to the "self-evident truths" that formed the foundation of our nation and which have continued to serve as a beacon of hope for all people around the world who have ever yearned to be free.

May your Thanksgiving be full of Sunshine

In preparation for this post, I spent some time this week looking up past Thanksgiving presidential proclamations and quotes, collected statements from some politicians (at least those who were smart enough to not ask for campaign donations in their Thanksgiving messages. You know who you are. Tsk tsk!), and some other fun stuff. Enjoy:

Never Forget

It has been ten years since September 11, 2001, but it often seems like it just happened yesterday.

It is a sad reality that every modern American generation has been united by its own horrific tragedy. For our grandparents, it was Pearl Harbor. For our parents, JFK's assassination in Dallas. And September 11th will forever define my generation. These are the "I will always remember where I was when I heard" moments that draw a brutal demarcation across our history: the Before and the After. We can rebuild, we can find our own ways to cope and heal, but life is never, ever the same.

In 2001, I was in law school at the University of Florida, engaged in the mundane task of getting ready for class, when my roommate called out that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. How could this be? What had happened to the pilot that the plane couldn't avoid such a tall building? What a terrible accident...

Then the second plane hit.

Dedication

From the official Army Twitter account, a photo of a soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Hurricane Irene:

The above photo comes from the Facebook page for "The Old Guard," which is the nickname for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. One of their solemn duties is to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, which they have done every minute of every day since April 6, 1948. Here is another photo they released:

What a moving example of the loyalty and dedication of those who serve in our military. God Bless Our Troops.

[Hat tip: Amanda Carpenter]

[Cross-posted at RedState]

We Got Him

What a great day in American history.

We got him. Osama bin Laden is dead, after a raid on his secret compound where he was hiding in Pakistan.

Crowds spontaneously gathered to celebrate in front of the White House, in New York City at Times Square and Ground Zero, and at our military academies.

This picture, from the New York Times, is destined to become iconic:

Photo: Michael Appleton, New York Times

The New York Post and New York Daily News seem to have the best headlines this morning:

[Hat tips to Patrick Ruffini, Nathan Wurtzel, and Brian Stelter]

I am so proud of the excellent work by our intelligence agents and military in bringing this evil man to justice. His death does not erase the loss and pain of those lost on September 11th, 2001, but it does show that America fulfilled its commitment to the victims to see that justice be done.

I find it very telling that bin Laden preached to his followers about the decadence and sins of the West, while living a luxurious - especially by Pakistani standards - lifestyle, in a private mansion. The same man who bragged about killing innocent Americans died a coward's death, reportedly attempting to use a woman as a human shield. Bin Laden was a hypocritical coward, but now he's a dead hypocritical coward.

Another interesting aspect of this story is how it played out online.

The White House had announced that the President would have a press conference at 10:30 pm last night regarding a "national security issue," but did not release the topic. Speculation and rumors began flying immediately. What seems to be the first real "leak" of the story was posted on Twitter by Keith Urbahn, who had served as Donald Rumsfeld's chief of staff.

Once the news of bin Laden's death was on Twitter, it set off a flood of "anonymous sources" at the White House, Pentagon, and Congressional offices who confirmed the story.

Once Obama finally spoke an hour later at 11:30 pm, the entire nation was already celebrating.

The Wall Street Journal has a story about how an IT consultant named Sohaib Athar inadvertently live-tweeted the raid on bin Laden yesterday.

Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.Mon May 02 04:41:46 via TweetDeckSohaib Athar
ReallyVirtual

Some of the internet's merry pranksters had a little fun with Google reviews, adding a location for "Osama bin Laden's Compound" to the map for Abbottabad, Pakistan...and giving the place a four-star review. [Hat tip: Matt Bramanti]

Here's some more of my favorite tweets from the night:

Hey, it looks like there is a military solution to terrorism after all. Go figure.Mon May 02 02:47:46 via TweetDeckNoah Pollak
NoahPollak

Ya know whats awesome about all this? It'll never be "too soon" for Osama jokes.Mon May 02 04:53:17 via TweetDeckBrandon Morse
CnservativePunk

PLEASE tell me "Handling #Osama 's body according to Muslim tradition" is a euphemism for "Bacon-stuffed piñata" #tcotMon May 02 04:57:52 via webExurbanKevin
Hawthorne

In the morning, I'll wake up needing coffee. Osama? Not so much.Mon May 02 05:03:13 via TweetDeckRick Wilson
TheRickWilson

I think they should shlep Osama's body around the country like the Stanley Cup.Mon May 02 05:38:54 via webAndrewBreitbart
AndrewBreitbart

Osama Bin Laden was a coward. He hid from us for 10 years, the last 10 seconds of which behind some poor woman.Mon May 02 05:57:59 via web'Jim' 'Treacher'
jtLOL

Hey Taliban: while you've been camping in caves, your leader was living in a mansion. Think he lied about anything else? #novirginsforyouMon May 02 05:32:39 via ÜberSocialSarah Rumpf
rumpfshaker

And my favorite:

We're unlikely to ever know the name of the individual who pulled the trigger. Unnamed, you are still our hero.Mon May 02 03:41:21 via TweetDeckBen Domenech
bdomenech

Update: here's a transcript of both President Obama remarks, and the statement released by President George W. Bush last night.

Happy Birthday to the Marines!

Today marks the 235th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Please take a moment and say a special prayer of thanks for these brave men and women, and their families, for all the sacrifices they have made, and continue to make every day, to protect our country.

YouTube | 2010 United States Marine Corps Birthday Message

God Bless the Marines and God Bless America.

A moment of silence, please

Please consider taking a moment today to say a prayer for all those who lost their lives nine years ago today, and their families and friends.

God Bless America.