Memorial Day 2009

By Crystal Laramore

Memorial Day - a time for reflection and gratitude for many of us. I spent the day having a lot of fun with my fiancée & friends and all our combined children. We spent the day on the lake tubing and sun bathing and telling stories. You know, enjoying our freedom-while it lasts-wondering if the children splashing in the water were going to enjoy the same America I’ve enjoyed…hoping that everyone is paying attention to the rapid decline of freedoms and the rapid increase of direct government involvement in our lives. Find a tea party. Enjoy some tea.

Then, as always, I thought about our boys overseas. I always say MY Marines whenever I’m telling one of my Baghdad stories. Those guys over there-they are our guys. So if you are ever wondering who’s over there, now you’ll know…our boys and our girls. They are over there carting around 80 plus pounds of battle gear in 120 degrees, sleeping on the dirt, losing buddies, losing limbs, dying. For all for us, so we can have the freedom to be here today, enjoying the lake and our families & friends.

It’s holidays like this that cause me to pause for just a moment in time and realize how damn lucky I am to be living in the United States of America; the country that has the Bald Eagle as its national symbol; the three heads symbolizing the three branches of government, and the right wing representing conservation and the left wing representing the liberal side of life-doing stuff for those who cannot (or will not) do it for themselves. Our bird is becoming out of balance with a tiny right wing and a very large left wing. As Glen Beck pointed out, we can’t fly like this.
And its holiday’s like this that give me reason to remember who we are as a nation:

We are the country that remembers what we did for France. No, not what we did for France, what we sacrificed for France. The Dixie Chicks may be too young to remember or too self-centered to care, but you can bet most of us are not, uh Toby? And I’m the person who served the French Ambassador Woodbridge wine. Take that! Listen, it’s the best I could do under the circumstances. My Marines and I thought of several other things but all plans led to prison.

We are a rich country; gracious, forgiving and we should also be demanding. I want Reagan back. Sorry, I’m chasing butterflies again. We’re the country who shows up in a big way in every natural disaster area around the world. We’re the guys with C-130’s filled with relief supplies in Burma who cannot get in. We want to help China more than China wants to help China. That’s who we are! And we do NOT need the government to mandate our compassion.

We are the country who forgives. We forgive a lot. We may never forgive the Dixie Chicks but we’ll forgive a nations’ debt so they can feed their hungry. We forgive where it counts. And we do not need the government to mandate our forgiveness.
We are a proud country. We’re proud of ourselves, our children, our nation and most of all, our forefathers. Just ask the Dixie Chicks. We can love you one minute and turn on you the next. We have the power to make you rich (see: Toby Keith) or wish you’d kept your mouth shut (see: Dixie Chicks). We can put a company in business or take one out. We have the power b/c our government gave us that power. And we do not need the government to do it for us. It’s a free market. We understand. Those of us buying and selling. We ALL understand.

We are flag fliers and banner wavers - with wild abandon! We wear our bumper stickers and our yellow ribbons and we speak out against dictatorships and tyranny and open our arms for refugees and immigrants from those countries who do not. We not only take care of our own but we take care of others; sometimes to our own detriment. And no, we don’t always do the best, but I believe we do the best we can. And we don’t need the government doing it for us.

We are a brave country. We have brave men signing up every day to go to war. We don’t have to make them - they volunteer. They don’t run away to other countries by the hundreds (a few-but that’s another article) to escape serving their country, they run to the recruiter’s office and say “I want to serve. Sign me up; Sir”! So no, we don’t need the government interfering here either.

Just watch the right news programs and you’ll see our young men with their chests out and their eyes squinted; their weapons slung over their shoulders and a cigarette between their gritty teeth; sweat dripping down their foreheads into their eyes, thoughts of survival on their minds. Some of us have seen all of this up close and personal; and for those of you who haven’t, be grateful, be very grateful and think before you speak about what you know nothing of.

One of my Marines came back from Fallujah and told me how he had to handle an insurgent up close and personal. Kill or be killed. Only brave men sign up for that. They are a band of brothers. They train together, live together, sleep together, dream together, fight together and sometimes die together.
And in those rare moments when all seems safe, they have fun together. On my big Four-Oh, I was in Baghdad, with my Marines. As I drove from the U.S. Embassy to my hooch I had to go through several check points. My marines were there, singing happy birthday to me as I drove through. I was on the phone with my dad. He was a little weepy and I was…brave.

A lady opened the door of my restaurant Monday and wondered why everything in town was closed. I told her it was a national holiday. She said that she had driven for an hour to pay her taxes. I reminded her that it was a NATIONAL holiday. “Well, I guess it’s important to some people”.

Seriously? I told her that in fact it was important to some people and I was one of “those people”. Then I showed her my cousins’ picture from WWII receiving a Silver Star medal and told her he also received a Purple Heart. I told her his name was Don Cook, just in case she repeats this story. I said the holiday was important to him too. I showed her the autographed covers (hats) and uniforms hanging on my wall, one with my last name on it belonging to my UB, and told her the holiday was important to them too.

I asked her if she was actually from the United States of America. She said yes. I just looked at her and then asked her to leave, you know, since I was closed and all. But what I thought was “too bad”. Too bad so many people have become so apathetic. My pastor says apathy is worse than being vehemently opposed or for something; at least those emotions show that you care-one way or the other. And then I thought it was people like her that caused someone to invent duct tape.

And, we are FREE! So the next time you hear someone complaining about our country, your country, remind them they are free-to leave. It’s a real show-stopper. I hear France is nice.

The War on Terror

4 June 2007

Random Thoughts on Paper


Many of you reading this commentary have traveled outside the United States of America, as have I. Let me take you back to the moment of departure…you were probably excited to be on your way; anticipating the adventure in store; looking forward to the relaxation or the job at hand.

Now, let me take you back to the moment you were standing in line to be received back into the United States of America. Remember waiting in line to get your passport stamped? Remember the federal agent saying, “Welcome back to the United States”? Essentially saying “Welcome home”!

We’re home! We’ve always said “There’s no place like home”. Most of us mean the house in which we reside. But for anyone traveling abroad, home is the United States of America first and foremost.

Now, think of our military. They are not on vacation. They are not on a short term business trip lapping in the luxuries of hotel living and maid service.

They are on a mission; a purpose-driven mission. They are carrying around about 50 pounds of battle gear in 110 degree heat (at least) living in tents (if that), driving in un-air-conditioned vehicles where the heat is about 10 degrees hotter. They don’t have goose down pillows or scented bath gels or shaving cream with aloe.

What they do have is a purpose-driven mission to complete. They have hope of coming home. They have hope of making that home just as safe for their children as it has been for them and for us for decades.

When you think of home you think of people who love, respect, admire and accept you.

But what do our military men and women think of home, their home, first and foremost, the United States of America.

How would you feel if you were told the media had to travel with you and then that very entity sent you to prison for doing your job to the best of your ability? How would you feel if your home had bad news to report about the way you’re doing you job 24/7? How would you feel if they were telling the world and the very people you are fighting of your plans; your failures; reporting how many people are against your mission; how you are fighting a lost cause; and so on…

Our military is able at different times during their mission to watch television.
They can see we are a country divided.

Terrorists (Let me be clear here: NOT our military but the people killing our military and anyone fighting for democracy in Iraq, either by car bombs, suicide bombs, mortars, be-headings or other more inhumane ways) watch our news. They can see we are a country divided.

Does anyone understand the fundamental, basic concept here? Unless we are united as one, we will fall. The terrorists are united. Our military is united. Why are we not united? We were certainly united on September 12th, 2001.

Unless we get that sense of “United we stand, divided we fall” back into the fabric of our lives we are going to have another attack. We cannot be liberal on this issue. You defeat the terrorists with whatever means necessary. You don’t play nice and negotiate.

Here is a sickening story for you, maybe it will shake you to your very soul, and I sure hope it does. I hope after reading this that you get an understanding of what evil is and know this; we are dealing with evil over there.

While in Iraq I met a truck driver and for the purpose of this story we’ll call him Richard. Richard loved doing his job. He delivered goods to the military, KBR and Dept. of State. He ran (drove) what is known as the Sunni Triangle. I commented on how dangerous a route that was and he told me of lots of “near misses”, but he was committed and would stay until the war was over or he died serving his country and the country of Iraq. Then one day about a year or so later I saw him in the line of folks who were demobilizing, or going home. I was headed out on R&R and feeling pretty good, then I saw him and knew something had to wrong for him to be leaving so soon after our intense conversation. I pulled him out of line and asked him what was going on. Here’s his story in his (and my) words:

Crystal, you know I was committed to the cause. My truck’s been hit by RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades), I’ve dodged ambushes in the desert, my friends have been killed, but something happened last week that I just can’t shake. I’ve seen evil up close and personal and I recognized it and I never want to see it again. While we were making a run last week I happened to be the lead driver (which is a tremendous responsibility. If you are the lead you DO NOT slow down for anything. It’s foot on the gas through the vast desert and no matter what happens you keep going. If you stop and there is an ambush your entire convoy is at risk-risk of death, be-headings etc.). Ahead of me I saw what appeared to be an ambush getting ready to take place so I grabbed the steering wheel tight, focused and kept my foot on the gas. All of a sudden a man intent on stopping the mission threw a young girl in front of my truck…

Richard kept going and I’m sure you can guess the rest. THIS is what (and I say what not who for a reason) we are dealing with. This is what a terrorist does.

What’s his name, Sadr, has been in Iran for 3 months and now is back in Iraq. Just wait. The war on terror is just getting started. If we do not band together as a nation, as we did on September 12th, we’ll have another September 11th.

I had friends from France email me their sympathies after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, the pentagon and the plane that went down that our own heroes stopped. Where did the unification go? Where did the flags over the overpasses go? Where did our patriotic ideals go?

We are besieged daily with the death toll in Iraq; eight marines killed today, 3 soldiers yesterday, 5 the day before that, the deadliest month to date…

Let us remember the death count that matters; over 3 thousand killed in minutes in the twin towers alone, on September the 11th, 2001.

Like I’ve said in previous articles, this is a war. If we expect anything less than death then we are naïve beyond reason. We should also expect kidnappings, be-headings and inhumane torture. Why? Because we are dealing with terrorists that hate Americans. And when I say hate I do not mean dislike, I mean “I want to see you die a brutal, torturous, slow death and see you in hell” hate. What is our greatest sin against them? We are Americans. We believe in Freedom. We believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in evolution. We believe what we want. We live as we choose. We are free!

“Absurd” you may say. Well, let us take a personal inventory. Are you white? Do you hate people because they are black? Brown? Yellow? Different? Are you black? Do you hate people because they are white? Brown? Yellow? Different? Are you brown? Do you hate…

We are all ready to stand in judgment and say that we cannot understand how they hate us when we hate our own.

Those who hate us have been brought up to hate us. They are brainwashed from birth to hate us, the infidels. They hate us because they do not know us and it is a very natural thing to fear the unknown.

While in Baghdad I spent a lot of time in bunkers or in safe-havens. Whenever there was an attack on my compound I went to the safe-haven; a part of the building deemed “safe” in case of a mortar attack. When walking about we ran to the nearest bunker. Once while at the United States Embassy (where I worked) we were bombarded with mortar attacks. We were in the safe-haven for over an hour. One of the women in the Consulate’s office said “Man, can’t we just give peace a try”? In order for us to have peace abroad, we must first have it at home.

Take the time to make friends with someone of a different ethnic, religious, social or economic background than yours. Try not to judge people based on their skin color, religion or sexual preference. Seriously, can’t we just give peace a try?

Waits and Measures

Crystal Laramore

Special editing by Deborah Martin and Cheryl Laramore

Waits and Measures(Ok, I meant to spell it that way…)

Do you ever get the feeling that finding that special someone is like voting for the right person for President? Is that person really out there?

Is it possible to really get to know someone before you cast that vote? (Hey, this is the only way I could figure out how to tie this article to dating. Sorry. It’s all I got.)

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of press coverage on Obama. Why? Well, I think I can honestly say that I already know what McCain stands for. So, before I cast a vote I also need to know what Obama stands for. How can one make an educated decision unless they know ALL the facts about EVERY candidate?

Sidebar: While I was in the Green Zone working at the U.S. Embassy I was fortunate enough to help run congressional delegations in and out of the Green Zone. One such delegation was the McCain/Clinton Delegation. McCain’s name was first b/c he is a Sr. Senator; having said that, McCain was essentially her peer. Snicker.

We (The Ambassador {John Negroponte}), The Chief of Protocol and myself along with some Iraqi staff members were standing ready to receive our distinguished guests when they arrived in their up-armored vehicles with plenty of pomp and stance. It was always such a thrill for me when dignitaries arrived. It was everything you’ve ever seen on television and then some (it was a war zone you know). Patriotic doesn’t begin to describe…

Anyway, Clinton came through the door first (McCain was a gentleman and let the lady go ahead of him-sexist or chivalrous?) and immediately began shaking hands. Layla was first then me. I begrudgingly un-clenched my hands from behind my back and gave her the politicians handshake. McCain was in an awful hurry and ignored us, all of us, and headed straight to the press room.

Umph. Well, that didn’t sit well with us. We were all staunch republicans standing about the place ready to shake hands with our hero and hopefully the next President of the United States and poof, just like that, the opportunity disappeared. The Chief of Protocol walked over to me later and said “Senator Clinton said she really liked my necklace”! While slapping her out of her Clinton induced semi-coma I was screaming “Snap out of it Dorothy, snap out of it Dorothy”, a thought struck me “Oh no, this is how some Americans make their decision on who to vote for”!

Thankfully, McCain recovered his hero status with us after the press conference when he shook all of our hands and snatched Clinton from her Face the Nation pedestal and yelled “It’s time to go!” She leapt up, grabbed her brief case and followed like a whipped puppy. Ahhh.

Now, back to Obama; if someone IS voting for him, I’d really like to know why. A few weeks ago I was watching Terry Moran from Nightline interview him in one of Sadam’s palaces in the Green Zone. It was like watching an interview take place in my own dining room. There he was where I sat many a time with some of the bravest men I’ve ever met. There he sat waiting and measuring. The man could barely answer a question for all the thought he put into each word. It was painful listening to him. And when he was finally capable of letting words pass through his lips: What? I was so frustrated I sent a friend of mine (former Army Ranger) a text message saying something to the effect of “What ARE the American people thinking? Are they asleep”?

The man has no clear, concise plan. No, he doesn’t. First he said “I do not believe we should use the strategic oil reserves at this time”, Then he says “We should sell 70 million barrels…from our strategic oil reserves…” now he’s saying it’s a shame to drill offshore… I’m telling you people, be astute in your voting. Know both candidates and decide wisely. Voting is a privilege, not a right. Vote responsibly.

And, before you vote for a bleeding heart liberal who has no plan other than to “provide free prescription drugs, free health care, free, free, and free; listen to me.

It is NOT free. I am paying for it. And while you may be poor and maybe even a friend of mine, I do not want to pay your way. It is not my responsibility to pay your way. Whose is it then? Well YOURS of course.

One day on the radio we were having this discussion and a caller called in and said that he needed more than the $900.00 he was getting a month from disability. I told him it was not my responsibility to pay him more. Why should I? Well, he said he was in a wheel chair; again, while I truly am sorry that he is in a wheel chair it is still not my responsibility to take care of him. And if you are in a similar situation is completely unfair for you to think the world owes you because…It is the responsibility of your family, your church, your friends and yourself to provide the necessities of life for you. Nothing is free. If we keep taxing those of us who work into a lose-win situation, we’re all gonna stop working. (See Atlas Shrugged), then where will you be? Uh?

Once upon a time my friend Richard got a divorce from Sophia. She didn’t work. Never did; drank a lot; partied a lot; slept around a lot. Well, they had two children so when he finally divorced her he got to pay child support. (That’s a WHOLE separate article…) Every year she would drag him to court to raise the child support. One day, he visited with his financial advisor and she told him that at the age of 45 he could retire; not in lavish lifestyle, but very comfortable. So he did. Now she barely gets any child support and America has lost a great mind to the technology world.

Whenever someone tells me they are voting for a liberal candidate I wonder if they have a job. I always ask them if they enjoy looking at how much they made then scrolling to how much they are actually taking home. Mostly, they say no. Then why on earth are you going to vote someone into office that is going to take more from you? What are you people thinking??????

Barack cannot spit out a complete thought based on his experience. He stutters, he thinks, he weighs every answer. That scares me. I want a leader that has so much knowledge about his subject (global economics, global peace, etc.) that he doesn’t have to rack his brain to give us an answer he thinks we are gonna like. Didn’t we already have eight years of that with the Clintons?

I am attaching a blurb I was sent that was read on the Walton & Johnson show in Houston, Texas and appeared in the Richmond Dispatch:

“Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30, I celebrate my independence day and on July 4, I celebrate America\'s. This year is special because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950\'s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said \'Praise the Lord\'. And when the young leader said, ‘I will be for change and I'll bring you change’ everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel'!

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was
over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world, most fortunate Cubans. And, now, I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking: What change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

Would we?”

So vote like you’re gonna be married to them for the next 8 years. You might as well be: that person is going to decide how much money you get to put in your pocket!