November 11, 1919 was proclaimed the first commemoration of Armistice Day. After World War II the name was changed to Veterans Day.
Originally the day was to be observed with parades and public meetings, along with a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.
These days we don’t see many parades or public meetings… and nobody suspends business… ever. Today, businesses offer veterans discounts and freebies!
The idea is to show appreciation to a veteran – not just today… but everyday! It’s amazing what a simple THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE does for someone who has made a sacrifice for this country. Those who fought for our freedoms deserve our respect.
On June 22, 1942, Congress passed a joint resolution, later amended on December 22, 1942, that encompassed what has come to be known as the U.S. Flag Code.
They call Chicago the windy city, but we have our share of high wind in Wichita. Awhile back, I was sitting in the truck waiting for my husband at a McDonald’s. You know how it is, you don’t have much to look at and you notice things that you probably would not pay attention to if you were not bored and waiting. I took a good look at the American flag and the McDonald’s flag.
But as I said… it’s probably not something that anyone else (including the employees) would even take notice of.
I went beyond mumbling under my breath about it. I decided to go back to the McDonald’s and speak with the manager. Amazingly, I was greeted with a great deal of respect. I’m sure he thought I was there to complain about the last happy meal I ordered – but no, this complaint is of a more serious nature.
He remained engaged and interested even after learning of my concern. He appreciated me pointing out the condition of both flags and agreed that the employees get so busy they rarely look up at them. I told him I totally understand that everyone gets busy and focused on the task at hand. We forget to look up, don’t we?
Customs surrounding Memorial Day have changed so much since it began back during the Civil War. For starters, it was first known as Decoration Day and was not always observed on the last Monday of May. We should try to keep some decorum though, I believe. Our society has become so casual – and we need to know the “do’s and don’ts” about Memorial Day.
• It is customary on Memorial Day to fly the flag at half-staff until noon, and then raise it to the top of the staff until sunset.
• Taps, the 24-note bugle call, is played at all military funerals and memorial services. It originated in 1862 when Union Gen. Dan Butterfield “grew tired of the ‘lights out’ call sounded at the end of each day,” according to The Washington Post. Together with the brigade bugler, Butterfield made some changes to the tune.
I’m old enough to remember when the words socialism and communism were regarded as evil in the United states. The freedoms and capitalism our country was founded on were to be guarded and protected above everything else.
Since I don’t have children, I’m not up to speed on what is being taught in the school system, but it’s my suspicion that history lessons are not at the top of the list… am I right? A couple of encounters with the youth of Wichita, Kansas has shown me that they are not well-rounded in their knowledge of history. People, if we don’t know where we came from and learn from past mistakes – we are surely bound to repeat them!
The socialist candidate makes it all sound so appealing, doesn’t he? He’s going to GIVE some folks everything at no cost – well, isn’t that special??? Guess what… A college education will still cost somebody – do they care about that? Somebody’s taxes will go sky-high through the roof to GIVE others everything for free. Does that matter? Raising taxes by as much as 98% which is just crazy… to GIVE a college education to another.
There is something in the capitalist world that accomplishes the same thing – they’re called SCHOLARSHIPS. There are scholarships by the truckload that yes, have to be EARNED, but if you want a healthy chunk of your college education paid for – that’s possible in a capitalist nation! No, nobody is going to give you a free lunch – because as my mother always told me – there’s no such thing as a FREE lunch. Somebody is going to pay for the lunch – please remember that.
I love America, I love my freedom AND I want to uphold our precious CONSTITUTION. Never in the history of this country has there been a socialist running for president. I don’t want to feel the Bern… our country would soon feel the burn from the Bern. The insane part is that he’s not even a registered democrat… huh??? How does that happen???
Look, I’m just asking that you have all the facts about Socialism before you vote. As always, it’s my prayer that we are less red, less blue – and blend into a united purple as we kneel in prayer before our GOD to seek His face and turn from our wicked ways – only then will our sin-sick nation be supernaturally healed.
This Veteran’s Day I’m thinking about the raw deal many of our veteran’s have gotten and how ashamed I am of our government. I won’t rehash the bad news as I’m sure you have read about it too.
I’m praying that our nation will be blessed by God and led by competent and godly individuals – instead of destroyed by the counsel of the wicked. I know we’re all busy people, but we need to be following politics closer in this election cycle than we ever have before.
I know we’re looking for a president who will undertake a lot of issues – a 18 trillion-dollar debt (I can’t even count that high), terror that could quite possibly show its ugly head on U.S. soil – (it may have already done so), and the southern border problem. I also think we should be looking for a president who will make our veterans a priority once again. Obviously, the vets have not been well cared for – many died waiting to be cared for at VA hospitals across the nation. That is a disgrace, America!
There are homeless vets and those who just need a little help. I’m sure you’ve seen the same posts on facebook that I’ve seen – the ones that say you wish we would pay our military better money than we do a football player. I agree with that!
I pray that America’s freedom will remain intact and that we will be a great nation once again. Whether or not you like Donald Trump, you must admit he is right about one thing… we don’t have victories anymore. We are not a leader in the world and it’s the first time in our nation’s history that we have sat back and let other world powers run over us.
Free Speech Week is a yearly even to raise awareness of the importance of free speech in the United States. So far our government has not over-reached to the point where they tell me I can’t talk about God, Jesus, the Bible and Christian faith. I wouldn’t say that’s something I take for granted, because I still read articles about the Ten Commandments being removed from the wall of a courthouse in Oklahoma – or Wichita State University removing all the Christian religious symbols in the chapel to make it more Muslim-friendly. So, I would be mistaken to say my religious freedom and freedom of speech will never be threatened. In my opinion, it has been threatened. I don’t like it – go figure… duh! I’m offended because the core of Christianity is the death of Christ Jesus on the cross, His death, burial and resurrection is what my faith is all about – yeah – removing the crosses and pews in the chapel really chaps my hide!
While all people should be equal no matter what, to infringe on other’s religious rights is not fair – I’m free to say that… and just did.
As freedom of speech is a right all American’s share, this non-partisan, non-ideological event is intended to be a unifying celebration.
I’m not using my freedom of speech to unite – sorry. I’m tired of being pushed around because I am a Christian.
There must be middle ground. Why do Muslims have to be so offended when they see something that does not line up with their beliefs? I mean, I have to drive past a Muslim place of worship practically every day – and yes, they drive past several churches. But to remove the crosses and pews from the chapel at WSU to make Muslim students more comfortable??? Why can’t the Muslim students just deal with it – they are in a country that is predominately Christian. Those crosses and pews will not jump out and hurt them. They need to be just as TOLERANT of my Christian belief as I am of their Muslim faith. I drive by their place of worship – I’m not going to say it offends me and demand that it be torn down. I won’t go inside, but I understand they have a RIGHT to worship as they please – in their own place of worship. Leave my Christian chapel alone.
Why can’t WSU build a separate little place to pray JUST FOR THE MUSLIM STUDENTS instead of taking away all of the things the remind me of the sacrifice that my Jesus made for all the world? If the Muslim outrage is so overwhelming – get the money from the Muslims to build it. If we are offending them so much – give in – but don’t desecrate my Christian chapel to make it more user-friendly for Muslims! I’m not trying to be ugly – I’m just disappointed in WSU because once again my faith is being squashed on campus. Do Christian students not matter to WSU anymore? We used to matter. Maybe it’s about money. I don’t know. I’ll bet if I went to their homeland – they would not make such changes if I felt uncomfortable. What is wrong with us, people??? Do we as Christians not have a backbone? Are we just going to sit back and let this stuff keep happening? I’m thankful that in America there is a week when I can let my opinions be known. I’m so thankful for my FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
No true Christian wants to offend anyone on purpose. Most of us try to walk humbly with our God and just get along with those around us – and we usually bend over backwards to make things better. All we want is for others to let us be – leave the pews in the chapel and put the crosses back up on the walls. If it’s a chapel for Christians – then those things are appropriate in there! I don’t expect everyone to believe just like I do, but Christians – we need to find our voice or we’re gonna get run over! It happened on our university campus – it can happen anywhere – trust me. Don’t we care?