Please pray for this young man ... Marino David Gaggini

He's serving in the Army in Afghanistan and

his Mom attends church with my Mom.

“JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH”

A few years ago, I was in my car listening to a radio call-in-talk show and the topic of conversation was that of whether it was proper for people to bum the American flag in protest or if it was a protected individual freedom. During the talk show, someone called in and said they didn't understand what all the controversy was about over "just a piece of cloth." The image struck me immediately of the Marines on Iwo Jima with their faces down in volcanic ash and looking up at Mount Suribachi to see the flag being raised. Surely, they didn't consider it to be just a piece of cloth.

When I arrived home that evening, I put the following thoughts down on paper and I believe that this expresses my beliefs and my feelings of who I am and the love that I have for this country, entitled it:

"JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH"

I was with Colonel Parker and the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord to hear "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" that began the American Revolution. I was with General Washington when he crossed the Delaware and suffered with his men in the harsh winter at Valley Forge.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I was with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys at Ticonderoga and with Washington, Hancock, and the Marquis de Lafayette to accept surrender terms at Yorktown with the British playing that old European tune "The World Turned Upside Down"
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I was with Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans in 1812. 1 was with Bowie, Crockett, and Travis at the Alamo.
Did they fight and die for -just a piece of cloth?

I was with Lee and Longstreet and all the Boys in Gray at Gettysburg and I was with all the Boys in Blue with General Mead and Colonel Chamberlain on Little Round Top. I was with Grant in the Wilderness and at Vicksburg. I was with both the Blue and the Gray when our country was healed at Appomattox.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I was with Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders on San Juan Hill and with Admiral Dewey and the Great White Fleet in Manila Bay. I was with the Doughboys in World War I, the "War To End All Wars" and now lie buried in Flanders Field.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I was with Admiral Isaac Kidd aboard the ARIZONA that fateful Sunday morning in 1941. I was with the infantry that landed on beaches so far away named Omaha, Juno, Utah, Sword and Gold.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I was with General Wainwright on Correigador. I was with Admiral Fletcher in the Battle of the Coral Sea. I was aboard ENTERPRISE, HORNET and YORKTOWN at Midway.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

I fought at Kwajalein, The Battle of Leyte Gulf, at bloody Tarawa, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima and served on destroyers on picket duty off Okinawa.
Did they fight and die for -just a piece of cloth?

I flew Saber Jets in MIG Alley in North Korea and I was with the Marines at Chosin Reservoir. I was with the Navy at Inchon Harbor and fought on hills and ridges called Bloody, Heartbreak, Old Baldy, and Porkchop.
Did they fight and die for -just a piece of cloth?

I flew bombing missions over Hanoi and was on Rat patrol in the Mekong Delta. I was with the Navy on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf. I flew night missions over Bagdad and was with the battalions in Desert Storm.
Did they fight and die for just a piece of cloth?

Freedom is not free. It has a price and it has been paid many times by many people. I am a product of my past. I am an American and I am free.

The above was written and presented to Tin Can Sailors Association Banquet at the annual conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 6, 1996 by:
H. Maury Drummond
Executive Director, Louisiana War Memorial (Includes USS KIDD) President, Historic Naval Ships Association

Please pray for Jenifer, 38 years old. Is looking for work and is without health insurance. Her claim for unemployment has been denied and she recently had an episode of blacking out. Doctor's bills are coming in and she's very stressed and concerned.

Also pray for Beth, 40 years old. She's a nanny and also doesn't have health insurance; she learned yesterday, Tues., June 30, that she has rectal cancer.

Today at 1:37pm

Dear Friends,
I very seldom ask you to call your representatives in Washington, D.C. but today, we need your help. Care Net was just made aware on Friday, June 26th, that a House Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee has approved a bill containing President Obama’s proposal to gut the longstanding ban on taxpayer funding for abortion in the District of Columbia (D.C.). If the bill is passed and signed into law, free abortions will be available in our nation’s capital, which already has the nation’s highest abortion rate! In fact, there is nearly one abortion for every live birth. If this bill is passed, abortions in Washington, D.C. will skyrocket. Providing free abortions will only result in more abortions. And this from a President who claims to want to reduce abortion? Not only that, it will set a dangerous precedent for direct taxpayer funding of abortion. If it’s allowed in DC, what state or area is next?

But the good news is that Care Net has plans in the works for expanding pregnancy center support and life-affirming services in Washington, D.C.! Care Net is working with African American pastors and leaders in the area to plant a new pregnancy center in the heart of Washington, D.C. Currently, abortion providers in DC outnumber pregnancy centers at least six to one! But with more pregnancy centers, more women facing unplanned pregnancies will find the help and hope they need to choose life for their babies.

Will you join me in taking two action steps to promote and protect the unborn in our nation’s capital? 1. The House Financial Services Appropriations bill was approved (without the ban on DC abortion funding) by a voice vote in subcommittee on June 25th and is scheduled to be considered by the Full Appropriations Committee on July 7th at 7:00 pm EDT. • Please contact your Member of Congress today (contact information below). • Inform them you are calling in reference to the “House Financial Services Appropriations Bill.” • Urge them “to REINSTATE the ban on taxpayer funding of abortions in Washington, DC. and to OPPOSE final passage of the bill if the ban is not fully reinstated.”

EMAIL: To send an email to your Member of Congress, visit https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and enter your state and zip code. You will then be directed to an email form. Enter the message above.

PHONE: Find out who your Member of Congress is by going to www.house.gov and entering your zip code in the upper left-hand side of the page. You will then see the name of your Member of Congress. Dial the Capitol Switchboard (1-202-224-3121) and ask for that Member’s office. Tell them the message above.

2. Please join Care Net in praying for new pregnancy centers to be planted in undeserved areas and specifically for the development of a new center in Washington, D.C. There are many who would seek to block our efforts but we are trusting God to accomplish great things! We’ll keep you updated as this project develops. Again, thank you for your ongoing friendship to Care Net. It’s such an encouragement to know you are standing with us. Together for Life, Melinda Delahoyde,President P.S. Check out the video of Congresswomen praising the work of pregnancy centers and opposing the DC abortion funding proposal!

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJGByaDsqEU) Praise God for their pro-life leadership!

A LETTER FROM A GRANDDAD

John is 63 years old and owns his own business. He is a life-long Republican and sees his dream of retiring next year is now all but gone. With the stock market crashing and all the new taxes coming his way, John knows he will be working for a good number more years.

John has a Granddaughter. Ashley is a recent college grad. She drives a late model car, wears all the latest fashions, and also likes going out and eating out a lot. Ashley campaigned hard for Obama, and after he won the election she made sure her Grandfather (and all other Republican family members) received more than an earful on how the world is going to be a much better place now that Obama won the election.

Ashley recently found herself short of cash and cannot pay her bills, again. As she has done many other times in the past, she e-mailed her Grandfather asking for some financial help. Here is his reply:

Dear Ashley,

I am replying to your request for more money. Ashley, you know I love you dearly and am sympathetic to your financial plight. Unfortunately, times have changed. With the election of President Obama, your Grandmother and I have had to set forth a bold new economic plan of our own....the 'Ashley Economic Plan'. Let me explain. Your grandmother and I are highly productive, wage-earning tax payers. As you know, we have lived a comfortable life and in return have forgone many things like fancy vacations, luxury cars, etc. We have worked hard and were looking forward to retiring soon. But this plan has changed. Your president is significantly raising our personal and business taxes. He says it is so he can give our hard earned money to other people.. Do you know what this means, Ashley? It means less income for us. Less income means we must cut back on many business and personal expenditures. One example is, we were forced to let go of our receptionist today. You know her. She always gave you candy when you visited my office. Did you know she worked for us for the past 18 years? I can't afford her anymore.

That is a taste of the business side. Some personal economic affects of Obama's new taxation policies include none other than you. You know very well that over the years your grandmother and I have given you thousands of dollars in cash, tuition assistance, food, housing, clothing, gifts, etc., etc. By your vote, you have chosen another family over ours for help.

Judging from your Email requesting more money, I recommend you call 202-456-1111. That is the direct telephone number for the White House. You yourself repeatedly told me I was foolish to vote Republican. You said Mr. Obama is going to be the people's president and is going to help every American live a better life. Based upon everything you have told me and things we heard from him as he campaigned, I am sure Mr. Obama will be happy to send a check or transfer money into your checking account. Have him call me for the transaction and account numbers, which by now I know by heart.

Perhaps you now can understand what I have been saying for all my life: those who vote for the president should consider what the impact of an election will be on the nation as a whole, and not just be concerned with what they can get for themselves (welfare, etc.). What Obama voters don't seem to realize is all of the "government's" money he is 'redistributing' to illegal aliens and non-taxpaying Americans (deemed "less fortunate") comes from tax money collected from income t ax-paying families.. Remember how you told me, "Only the richest of the rich will be affected"? Guess what, honey? Because of our business, your Grandmother and I are now considered to be the richest of the rich. On paper, it might look that way. But in the real world, we are far from it. But, as you said while campaigning for Obama, some people will have to carry more of the burden so all of America can prosper. You understand what that means, right? It means that raising taxes on productive people results in them having less money. Less money for everything, including granddaughters.

Congratulations on your choice for "change". For future reference, I encourage you to attempt to add up the total value of the gifts and money you've received from us over the years, and compare it to what you expect to get over the next four years from Mr. Obama.

Remember, we love you dearly... But from now on you'll need to call the number referenced above when you need help.

Good luck, sweetheart.

Love, Grandpa

Please pray

This request comes from Amrita:

"Please pray for a Hindu convert named Kishen. He has a young family. Kishen is suffering from throat cancer. He's had chemo and now is under going radiation therapy. There are ulcers in his throat , he cannot swallow. Pray his faith may be strong, his family 's too."

A few more ....