This Christmas, Remember the Troops and All They Do for You

Two poems landed in my email, almost simultaneously. Both are to the cadence of "The Night Before Christmas" and both bring home what the troops do for us. Keep them and their families in your hearts and prayers, never forget they're ultimately fighting for you and YOUR rights--and they're giving time away from their families they'll never get back, they're blood and in some cases, their lives.

When you see a soldier, shake their hand, thank them sincerely, buy them lunch--anything to show you are grateful for what they do for you.

The first poem comes from Norm:

A Christmas Soldier Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps American, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at "Pearl Harbor,"
Then he sighed, "At Christmas we always remember."

My dad stood his watch in that "Asian Land",
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
Something red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a trench with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

********************

The second comes from Lew:

Santa meets a Soldier

"'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

Lt Col. Bruce Lovely, USAF
Dec. 1993

********************

The way these came it occurred to me perhaps the soldier Santa meets in the second poem is an older version of the soldier in the first poem. Regardless, remember our brave men and women.

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Myth vs Fact-Part 159

Part

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	Muslim Book 020, Number 4652: It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'id Khudri that a man came to the Holy Prophet (may peace he upon him) and said: Who is the best of men? He replied: A man who fights in the way of Allah spending his wealth and staking his life. The man then asked: Who is next to him (in excellence)? He said: Next to him is a believer who lives in a mountain gorge worshipping hid Lord and sparing men from his mischief.
Tafsir

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Can We Hope for Special Circumstances for Jesus Cordova?

So there's a wonderful story making the rounds about an illegal immigrant selflessly giving of himself to a 9 year old boy, a child who had just been traumatized by a wreck in which his mother died--and his father died two months ago.

Many of us on the right feel strongly about the illegal immigration issue and want to see laws currently on the books enforced.

We also recognize there are situations which occasionally warrant finding a loophole and this is one of those situations. The story is garnering such attention simply because of its rarity--and everyone, I don't care who you are, likes to hear something good every once in a while.

The AP Story reads as follows:

Illegal immigrant rescues boy in desert

By TERRY TANG, Associated Press writerSat Nov 24, 1:27 AM ET

A 9-year-old boy looking for help after his mother crashed their van in the southern Arizona desert was rescued by a man entering the U.S. illegally, who stayed with him until help arrived the next day, an official said.

The 45-year-old woman, who eventually died while awaiting help, had been driving on a U.S. Forest Service road in a remote area just north of the Mexican border when she lost control of her van on a curve on Thanksgiving, Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said.

The van vaulted into a canyon and landed 300 feet from the road, he said. The woman, from Rimrock, north of Phoenix, survived the impact but was pinned inside, Estrada said.

Her son, unhurt but disoriented, crawled out to get help and was found about two hours later by Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena de Kino in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Unable to pull the mother out, he comforted the boy while they waited for help.

The woman died a short time later.

"He stayed with him, told him that everything was going to be all right," Estrada said.

As temperatures dropped, he gave him a jacket, built a bonfire and stayed with him until about 8 a.m. Friday, when hunters passed by and called authorities, Estrada said. The boy was flown to University Medical Center in Tucson as a precaution but appeared unhurt.

"We suspect that they communicated somehow, but we don't know if he knows Spanish or if the gentleman knew English," Estrada said of the boy.

"For a 9-year-old it has to be completely traumatic, being out there alone with his mother dead," Estrada said. "Fortunately for the kid, (Cordova) was there. That was his angel."

Cordova was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents, who were the first to respond to the call for help. He had been trying to walk into the U.S. when he came across the boy.

The boy and his mother were in the area camping, Estrada said. The woman's husband, the boy's father, had died only two months ago. The names of the woman and her son were not being released until relatives were notified.

Cordova likely saved the boy, Estrada said, and his actions should remind people not to quickly characterize illegal immigrants as criminals.

"They do get demonized for a lot of reasons, and they do a lot of good. Obviously this is one example of what an individual can do," he said.

Of course, the lefty blogs are full of their normal snarkiness about the motivation of the right in wanting border laws enforced and full of their normal bitching about how the right never sees any good in any immigrant, demonizes all illegals, etc., etc., etc.

As usual, the lefty blogs are full of their rampant hysteria because they haven't bothered to fact check or verify before villifying the right. One would think they get some sort of Pavlovian pleasure out of such villification and must indulge in it at all costs to keep their pleasure centers active.

Here's one such example from Latina Lista:

Kind Act of Illegal Immigrant Towards Lost 9-Year-Old Shatters False Stereotypes

That's just the headline. Never mind for there to be a stereotype, there is generally some truth that makes the stereotype. Never mind crime has risen disproportionately due to the illegals flooding the southern border. Never mind it's been verified terrorists are coming through that same border with the drug smugglers and cartels. Never mind the burden on the health care systems and legal systems by the illegals--the ones bankrupting medical centers in border areas because they don't pay the bills for their care. Never mind the ones driving illegally, the rise in DUI's, often with devastating wrecks to go with them and no way for the victims to recover from those wrecks. Or the sex crimes (rape and child molestation)--you can say I stereotype all you want, but please explain why there is such a record of Mexican sex crimes, often against children? Never mind the increase in gang activities, drug smuggling and spousal abuse/domestic violence.

Let's see what else Marisa Trevino has to say.

Yet, the comments left at one news site by American readers underscore how deep, for lack of a better word, the hatred runs for anyone who is deemed an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and beyond.


Readers were quick to point out that this one act of kindness doesn't erase the "burglaries, drug dealings and shootings" of other undocumented immigrants. Yet, what these readers fail to acknowledge is that those people who do those things are true criminals.

Just as much as all the white, African American and Asian American people who commit the same type of offenses.

Walking across an imaginary line in the sand, whether fortified by a fence or not, doesn't make a person a criminal, but rather criminalizes a person.

Actually, Marisa dear, crossing that imaginary line DOES make a person a criminal if they are crossing that line illegally.

What part of illegal do these people not understand?

And her final snark:

The only problem is that too many people will choose to not see beyond Jesus' illegal crossing.

Actually, Marisa dear, if you would pull your head out of your ass long enough to do some actual research (oh wait--that would mean fact check and verify, something foreign to you), you would see that quite a few of us would like to see some sort of loophole for Mr. Cordova, so he could remain here legally, particularly after he did something so very selfless, even knowing what the consequences would be for him waiting for rescuers with a 9 year old orphan.

It's not often people go out of their way anymore--to help anyone. And it's precisely because of the loony liberals twisting and screwing around with past, present and (hopefully in their eyes) future laws (define IS...) that even if you help someone you get screwed over.

Yet Mr. Cordova did go out of his way. He helped a child. A child traumatized first by his father's death two months ago and then by his mother's death in this accident. A child alone in the desert, where night time temperatures drop dramatically. He built a fire to keep this child warm and gave this child his jacket. He waited with this child until help came. Completely selfless acts on all counts.

I, for one, think there should be some special consideration given to Mr. Cordova for his selfless act. Had he been one of the stereotypes, this child most likely would be very ill, if not dead himself, simply from exposure. Was Mr. Cordova here illegally? Yes. Did he break the law? Yes. However, by saving this child's life, I think that more than cancels out crossing that border illegally. Just from this one act, it appears Mr. Cordova is the kind of person we want in this country.

Let's hope some sort of special circumstance can be found to help him as he so selflessly helped a child.

Catch the Wave!

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Myth vs Fact-Part 158

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 80: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Verse:--"You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind." means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam.
Tafsir

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Recent Political Follies-Comic Style

Chavez continues to build his communist monster; while in his mind he's the most important person in the world, the King of Spain thinks otherwise--and let the air out of the gas bag's sails by telling him to shut up. Chavez retaliated by stating he would economically cripple Spain; then he tried the same tactics at an OPEC meeting and met with the same results by the Saudi king.

His feelings hurt, he went to cry on his loved one's shoulder--the sawed off asshole from Iran. The partnership from hell with the stated purpose of bringing down the US first and anyone who disagrees with them and their agenda next. But hollyweird loves the two little imps--they're just so full of mischief, aren't they, so warm and cuddly...barf.

Where's Senator Joe McCarthy when you need him? Maybe he would be able to weed out not only the current communist crop, but weed out more of the illegal, islamic immigrants from sensitive government positions as well.

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As stated in an earlier post here, the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon is a lot of good natured fun and games to start the holiday season. However, when it comes to real pardons, there's a lot left to be desired. Most specifically, Lt. Col. Chessani, Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Agents Ramos and Compean all need to be pardoned immediately.

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The continuing struggle to change the design of the Flight 93 Memorial from something extremely offensive to Americans to something that honors the murdered heroes, not the murderers. Only sicko liberals bent on appeasement fail to see the religious iconography of this design and how it appeases the islamic terrorists. Posts here and here have addressed this issue, complete with links to write to register your outrage and demand change.

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The global warming hysteria continues...



Realists vs. those constantly crying wolf...


Dems determined to tank the economy for a lie...



Chairman of the Board indeed...

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Immigration...a sticky issue for both sides...of course, the dems just want to give them all amnesty so they can build their voter base (having spent a generation killing off the future voters through abortion--not to mention the workers we now need to import because those future workers were aborted as well).

Fred Thompson has revealed his proposed immigration plan here and it's a good one...learn from it liberals!


The reality of illegal immigration and it's consequences to this country...

*********************

Contest time! Who IS (the definition of IS is...) the biggest turkey?


Liberals?


Hillary?



Wrong Way reid?


The constant doom-and-gloom, defeatist rhetoric of the dems and anti-Americans?


My vote? It's a resounding tie for all of them--they're all HUGE turkeys!

********************

If only we COULD put them in time-out...WAIT! WE CAN--IT'S CALLED AN ELECTION!! YIPPEE!

********************

Is the writer's strike really such a "tragedy"? Don't think so--People are getting back to basics in reading, connecting and spending time with families, ignoring the warmed over pablum and porn--maybe it would be a good thing for the strike to continue indefinitely.

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As Congress and the dems whine about our standing on the world political stage and how we are loathed, hated, not relevant, everybody hates us, etc., they need to take a reality break--they truly are on the outside looking in.

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And finally...what we take for granted is fought and paid for by our soldier's blood. Be thankful we have the troops we have, dedicated volunteer men and women who are willing to die to ensure our freedoms. Save a special place in your heart for their courage and bravery, honor them when you see them, even if it's only a simple thank you. What you and I take for granted, they fight, bleed and die for. Never, ever forget that. Ever.

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