Pirates

I loved the recent news stories of our brave Captain Richard Phillips and his crew of the Maersk Alabama. It is a story almost out of the pages of Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'. With all the recent talk of pirates and the trouble the U.S. seems to be having with them I thought it fitting to do some history articles about our U.S. Navy and the political correctness of the past (or not).

The Maersk Alabama was the first American-operated ship to be seized in a series of hijackings in the waters off Somalia. The pirates gained access to the Alabama by climbing aboard using hooks and ropes. They fired shots into the air. Captain Phillips told his crew to lock themselves down while he surrendered himself to the pirates to safeguard his crew. He was then taken to a lifeboat were he was held for 5 days. I was delighted to read Captain Richard Phillips words about his brave rescuers and his crew.

He said, "There were acts of heroism on the part of the crew. They got one of the pirates into some darkened space, stabbed him in the hand and overpowered him. Chief mate Shane Murphy was integral to them never getting control of the ship."On April 12, Navy Seal sharpshooters from the U.S. Navy destroyer killed three pirates holding Captain Richard Phillips. He said of those Navy Seals, "These Seals and the navy did an impossible job. They're unbelievable people. We really owe it to the military for what they do day in and day out that we never even hear about." Thank you Captain Phillips.Also our President, Barack Obama said in a statement, "I share the country's admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans." (I'm just hoping it has been a model for President Obama)

An Advertisement in the Boston newspaper

recruiting crew for privateer Deane

An Invitation to all brave Seamen and Marines,

who have an inclination to serve their Country

and make their Fortunes.

The grand Privateer ship DEANE,

commanded by ELISHA HINMAN, Esq; and prov'd to be

a very capitol Sailor, will Sail on a Cruise against the

Enemies of the United States of America, by the 20th

instant. The DEANE mounts thirty Carriage Guns, and

is excellently well calculated for Attacks, Defense, and

Pursuit -- This therefore is to invite all those Jolly Fellows,

who love their country, and want to make their fortunes

at one Stroke, to repair immediately to the Rendezvous

at the Head of His Excellency Governor Hancock's Wharf,

where they will be received with a hearty Welcome by a

Number of Brave Fellows there assembled, and treated

with that excellent Liquor call'd GROG which is allow'd

by all true Seamen, to be the LIQUOR OF LIFE.

Doesn't that just cause your insides to yearn for the sea? I'm just not sure that I am Jolly enough but in the end I believe it is the GROG that will entice me the most.

A great read to go along with this subject is : The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Jeremiah O'Brien--Who????

Boys are fascinated by pirates but what they love more is a real hero. Jeremiah O'Brien is just that, a real American Hero. Jeremiah was born in Kittary, Maine in 1744. His family later moved to Machias, Maine were they ran a sawmill business.

Morris O'Brien (his father) was a strong patriot who took special care to instill his principles into the minds of his six boys; Jeremiah, Gideon, John, William, Dennis and Joseph. They were taught to read and write, "to handle the plow, the pitchfork, and the rifle, to raft lumber, and sail a boat." (I'm lucky if my children can wash some dishes and do a little vacuuming.)

Jeremiah was 31 when the Revolutionary War began. When news came from Boston of hostilities between the Americans and British the bold spirits of Machias were aflame. Soon came the Proclamation of Provincial Congress of Massachusetts "authorizing and requiring preparations and efforts incident to a state of hostility." Immediately Jeremiah and his brothers, Gideon and John erected a 'liberty pole'.

On June 2nd,1775, at the mouth of the Machias River coming from Boston arrived two sloops the Unity and Polly. On the Unity were provisions for the people of Machias that were to be traded for lumber. The people had decided they would not help the British by giving them the lumber. This was difficult since there were much needed supplies on the Unity. Now the Margaretta was positioned in the bay, it had escorted the Unity and Polly to Machias as protection against possible uprisings. The Margaretta had a crew of 40 men and four 6-pounder guns. It was commanded by Midshipman James Moore.

Captain James Moore had spotted the 'liberty pole' on shore and declared that it must be taken down or he would fire upon the town. The people voted to keep the 'liberty pole' in position "until it rotted down."

"There she is! Board her, men!" Were the echoes heard in the little seaport of Machias, Maine. Thirty-five brave men descended upon the Unity seizing her and heading out to bay to capture the Margaretta. The one sided battle of cannons vs guns last for over half an hour. The Americans riddled the British gunners at their gun ports and dropped the young Captain Moore on his quarterdeck. Captain Jeremiah O'Brien and his crew swarmed over the sides suprising the British with only their guns, swords, axes and pitchforks, seizing the Margaretta.

Captain Jeremiah O'Brien had the honor of hauling down the first British flag in the war of the American Revolution. He replaced it with a new flag fitting for those valiant lumberjacks. A pine tree or liberty tree with an 'Appeal to Heaven'.
The battle ended in a victory for the Americans. The first navel battle but not the last of the American Revolution.

During World War II the U.S. built 2,751 'Liberty Ships'. The SS Jeremiah O'Brien was built in 57 days at the New England Shipping Corporation in South Portland Maine. The SS O'Brien was launched on June 19th, 1943. The SS O'Brien was a rare survivor of the 6,939 ship armada that stormed Normandy on D-Day, 1944.

Coupon Clipping

Coupon clipping is an American pastime. I can remember my mother clipping coupons and best of all I remember S & H Green Stamps also called Green Shield Stamps. My brothers and I were so excited whenever our parents purchased gas or groceries and we'd receive a sheet of those stamps to put into our booklets. There was a catalog you looked through to see how many stamps you would need to trade for different items. Once your books were full you would take them down to the S & H Green Stamps Store to trade them for your desired item. I also remember the Blue Chips Stamps program as well. Good times!

I believe coupon clipping is an art or a curse that is passed done from mother to daughter. I am a coupon clipper but not the hard core clipper. I have just been recently reminded though of how to save an extra dollar or two by more vigilantly watching the Sunday newspaper ads along with Tuesday's ads. A friend instructed me on laying out all the ads with your coupons. Matching your coupons to the items that are on sale. Looking at the stores that will double and triple your coupons ( the slang for this is double whammy & triple whammy). Deciding which stores will have the best price for your money.

I have been searching around on different sites researching this topic. There is a lot to say about coupon clipping with many different styles of shopping. For me and my busy life I need things to be very simple and concise. When my friend talked to me about what she was doing to save about $100.00 or more per month I thought - I can do that! I have become lax with my grocery budget. I could do more to be saving the all mighty dollar.

So this is a friendly reminder to us all that if we planned a little better for our shopping excursions, by clipping a few coupons here and there, planned out our meals ahead of time making those dreaded lists we could save ourselves some money.

Some good sites for you fellow clippers are: http://www.momadvice.com/ , http://www.coolsavings.com/ , http://www.smartsource.com/ , and http://www.valupage.com/ .

I will have a part two to this article in about a month to let you know what great savings I have incurred with my coupon clipping.

With the uncertainty that is increasing in our world it is good to look at different areas in our lives where we can improve to save money. Let us network together with people you might work with, people within your churches, sports teams and communities to teach each other simple tricks to saving money. Happy shopping!

Spring!

I love to see, smell and feel the warmth of spring. It is such a renewing time of year that fills you with hope and joy. The poem 'April' by Sara Teasdale is perfect for this time of year.

The roofs are shining from the rain,

The sparrows twitter as they fly,

And with a windy April grace

The little clouds go by.

Yet the back yards are bare and brown

With only one unchanging tree--

I could not be so sure of Spring

Save that it sings in me.

"Save that it sings in me," is exactly how I feel about spring. I love gardens and everything about them. There is nothing better than getting dirt under those fingernails and your finger-tips scratchy from the soil. I have planted gardens from the East Coast to the West Coast and down into the warm south. I do not profess to be an expert by any means. I have had beautiful gardens and not so beautiful. Yet, every year I love to get my garden tools out and plant hopeful vegetable gardens. I am very excited about this new way of gardening or not so new to others. I have learned about raised vegetable/flower gardens or square foot gardening.

I discovered some great sites for tips on raised gardens. I first saw The Pioneer Woman with her handy step by step pictures & instructions for building a raised veggie garden -- http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ then I stumbled upon Square Foot Gardening, http://www.squarefootgardening.com/. Please take a look at these since they are full of great ideas. After viewing these I thought, "I can do that!" and so I did.

First I took my big strong son with me to Home Depot to buy the materials. I also had him unload the material into the back yard.

Now my dimensions were different because my space is more rectangular.

With the help of my children we set to work building our first raised veggie garden right on top of our lawn. I also love to build things (as long as they turn out right).

As you can see we finished building the box and felt pretty good about our work. It was a pretty easy project.

The next thing was to add the dirt (a mixture of garden soil & mulch) then we planted the wonderful seeds & starter plants. The children loved this part of the project the best. Especially using the watering can to water the plants.

We think it turned out great and as you can see the beans & peas have already sprouted within 1 week. My daughter loves to go out and check the growth of the plants every morning when she gets up.

I had some pots lying around the yard so I decided to use those for herbs. It's pretty exciting to use fresh herbs from your garden in your cooking. They can be pretty expensive at the grocery store yet they are so easy to grow.

If you are at all interested in a garden but just think you don’t have the space I would encourage you to try a raised vegetable garden placed in an area that receives sunlight throughout most of the day, or by placing some plants or seeds in pots around your yard. You will really love the benefits come harvest time. Especially with the high prices of Organic products in our stores these days. Learning to garden is a fun project for the whole family. Being able to provide for our own families by producing gardens I believe is essential at this time. Going back to the basics of learning simple things to better our homes and work together as families is key. This will not only help with the grocery bill but provides and teaches self-reliance within our families, neighborhoods & communities. Happy gardening everyone!

The United States One Dollar Bill

The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We've all washed it without is falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

Looking on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget (We should probably change the scales to be tipping with our current budget crisis - they are certainly not balanced). In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.

Now looking at the back of the dollar bill are symbols we all should know. You will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This was because our country was just beginning.

We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is un-capped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. "IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking."

The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons:

First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it.

Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England.

Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation.

In the Eagle's beak you will read: "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning, "one nation from many people." Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one.

Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. But think about this:

13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

[On March 25, 2009] US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner shocked global markets by revealing that Washington is “quite open” to Chinese proposals for the gradual development of a global reserve currency run by the International Monetary Fund.
Mr Geithner later qualified his remarks, insisting that the dollar would remain the “world’s dominant reserve currency … for a long period of time” but the seeds of doubt have been sown.

Let us awaken as a people to what others are underhandedly trying to accomplish whilst we remain asleep. Has Geithner merely shocked us mistakenly or has he purposely thrown it out there for us to become familiar with the idea. I don't believe these people to be stupid but I do believe them to be crafty and manipulating.

Teach your families the meaning and symbols of the American dollar. Let us remember our past that we may improve our future and hold closely our liberties and sovereignty.

I Choose Life

The term "born alive," with respect to a member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.

ABORTION; there's that nasty word that many don't like to talk about or acknowledge but I have a thought . . . . . . . . or a story to tell.

"One night, a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down's syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have time to hold him. I could not bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 min. that he lived. He was 21 to 22 weeks old, weighed about 1/2 lb., . . . He was too weak to move very much, expending any energy he had trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn't tell if he was still alive unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall. After he was pronounced dead, we folded his little arms across his chest, wrapped him in a tiny shroud, and carried him to the hospital morgue where all of our dead patients are taken."
(Jill Stanek, nurse)

. . . . . Man, proud man,

Dressed in little brief authority,

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven

As make the angels weep.

(--William Shakespeare)

Testimony from Barack Obama:

"I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian . . . most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful . . . . (hhmmmm, really? Are you not more powerful than the unborn?) accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and values and my ideals. " (I don't remember Jesus being the example of killing the unborn)

Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for 10 years . . . .

From his book 'The Audacity of Hope':

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

(Now Obama's words) . . . . the essential idea behind the Declaration--that we are born (changed the word from created) into this world free, all of us, that each of us arrives with a bundle of rights (what bundle of rights did this poor little boy have?) that can't be taken away by any person or any state without just cause . . . (I guess I misunderstood exactly what is "just cause" for killing an unborn child or one born alive.)

In 2002, Barack Obama sent this response to Jill Stanek regarding her lobby for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act as it came up for a vote again.

"Ms. Stanek, your initial testimony last year showed your dismay at the lack of regard for human life. I agreed with you last year, and we suggested that there be a Comfort Room or something of that nature be done ( something of that nature? How charitable of you Mr. President). The hospital acknowledged that and changes were made and you are still unimpressed. It sounds to me like you are really not interested in how these fetuses (fetuses? I believe it was a human boy) are treated, but rather not providing absolutely any medical care or life to them." (What????)

Let me understand this last phraseology:

I guess Obama feels that it would be "burdensome" for the doctors to have to attempt life saving measures for the infants. He claims that the Born Alive Infant Protection Act would ultimately undermine the abortion rights as doctors may feel the need to resuscitate non-viable fetuses (or unwanted fetuses). ----Why do we have doctors???

On January 23rd, 2009 President Barack Obama signed the executive order rescinding a policy that has barred U.S. financial aid to international family planning groups that "perform or promote" abortion. (That's right now your tax dollars go to funding abortions all over the world, how marvelous) This was a big win for the pro-abortion advocates.

Now, stay with me---I know this has been a long journey. This is the most unbelievable thing yet;

Today Obama will issue a presidential memorandum, an administration official said, that will direct departments to yet again consult with the two agencies (not one -- but 2!!) on decisions that could affect imperiled plants and animals . . . . . .

"Endangered species are breathing a deep sigh of relief today, stated Kieran Suckling executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. "The consultation process is the heart of the Endangered Species Act. By reversing Bush's attempt to deregulate the consultation process, Obama restored over-sight and balance and has given endangered species a good fighting chance of survival."

How wonderful that Obama has restored over-sight and balance, giving them a good fighting chance of survival for plants and animals, never mind that mankind's children are being left to die in broom closets. I'm sorry new and improved Comfort Rooms, how lovely. But remember it is just a thought . . . . .

One last thought by Jill Stanek . . . that I hope we will ponder . . . .

"It's ironic in the extreme that the most determined opponents of preborn life--and even those who are born--embrace the name of the One who caused John the Baptist to leap in his mother's womb."