The Median Sib

I took this photograph this afternoon of a forsythia branch. It was of a bush in RT’s backyard. I had to lie on the ground to aim the camera skyward to get the clouds for the background. I really liked the contrast of the yellow blossoms against the blue and white of the sky. There’s nothing more graceful than long, flowing branches of forsythia in bloom.

Welcome to the fifth edition of The Carnival of Blue Stars. First of all, thanks to Beth at Blue Star Chronicles for asking me to host the carnival this week. It’s my first time hosting a carnival, and trust me, it’s a LOT more work than it seems! It has been fun, though, to scout the web for great articles about our soldiers and their families.

All of us who are part of The Carnival of Blue Stars are proud of and thankful for the military men and women who are serving our country in the most dangerous parts of the world. It is because of our soldiers, both present and past, that we are able to enjoy this land of freedom and plenty. This fifth edition highlights some of the personal stories of our soldiers and their families.

The history of the Blue Star Banner can be found here. And remember that you can still join the Blue Star Blogroll.

Links and trackbacks are welcome, appreciated and reciprocated.

Now on with The Carnival of Blue Stars:

Let’s start off with a report from Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive that shows us clearly who is the most trusted group in America. We’ve known it all along, and now the polls back us up.

Then check out Army Wife’s Life, where there’s a wonderful post about what NOT to say to a friend with a deployed spouse. Good advice! She also asks for some responses. Have any of you had people say less-than-sensitive things about your deployed loved one? Leave her a comment to tell her about it.

Prairie View has a message that will be helpful for everyone who is dealing with stress and priorities - not just those connected to the military.

Beth at Blue Star Chronicles asks “On Whose Side Were You When It Mattered?”

I know the American people are courageous, generous, patriotic and honorable as a general rule. But most are not even aware of the danger that is insidiously creeping towards us. . . .
Either we open our eyes now, or we will see the danger later when it will be a much larger and more powerful force to deal with. If we wait until we can’t ignore it anymore, we will pay a much higher cost in our defense.

Thank goodness we have such a wonderful military that’s dealing with that danger. And while you’re at Blue Star Chronicles, take a look at this post. Beth has reason to be proud, doesn’t she?

Laura at The Wide Awake Cafe received scary news this week. Go give her some support.

A Rose By Any Other Name has a post by Anna that honors not only our military but all the people who work to protect us.

These are our heros. They are police, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and soldiers. If you ask them why they do it, most will say that it’s their job, it’s what they do, because they can, because they are needed. None would call themselves heros, but they are because they do the jobs that the rest of us are unable, unwilling or too afraid to do. Despite what some would say, they are keeping us safe and free.

Stuck on Stupid tells about the fight of one soldier’s wife to keep the promise she made to her husband before he shipped off to Iraq.

Red Hot Cuppa Politics gives us an update on Joshua Sparling along with information about the weekly Friday protests outside of Walter Reed hospital where Joshua is recuperating.

Thirdee at Code Red 4 Troops has a story about another soldier.

Giving up the fame of the football field at 29 years old, one B Company recruit
looked for a glory that was more permanent than any trophy.

Our armed forces are filled with these men and women who love their country and are ready to put action to their words. Head over there and read the entire article.

One Marine’s View tells us of his homecoming after serving in Fallujah. It brought tears to my eyes to read of this courageous soldier’s return home. The photo accompanying the post is wonderful - an award winner.

America, this place is awesome and now I see fist hand what we have been fighting for.. . . The airplane landed on the east coast as the pilot stated “Welcome back to the United States Marines” and the plane erupted in cheers.

We join the others in saying, “WELCOME HOME! We love you and are proud of you.”

How about a little controversy? Eric at Classical Values writes about gays in the military. Go read his post and let’s him know what you think?

Over at Seaspook’s Rants, Seaspook talks about a topic we don’t hear much about at all. Seaspook is a retired Navy Chief.

Aubrey at AubreyJ.org has President Bush’s Saturday address about the 3-year anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqui Freedom. Information is provided about Iraqui and U.S. successes that we don’t hear about through the MSM. 4 The Little Guy also has a report about the difference between what we hear about Iraq from our soldiers versus what we hear from the MSM.

. . . all I can say is that the Iraq War vets I’m spoken with paint a much different picture of the situation than what I see in the MSM

This next recommended reading is a tad on the commercial side, but I enjoyed reading it anyway, and I’m oh so tempted to buy that book! Go read about it at Soldiers’ Angel - Holly Aho.
Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy gives an example of how our soldiers are resourceful and determined not only in battle but in play, too. And Echo9er has some wonderful photos from Iraq. The sunset picture is awesome! Hooah Wife and Friends tells us of the Wednesday Hero.

That’s it for this week’s Carnival of Blue Stars. I am humbled by all the people out there who are blogging in support of our troops. Thanks for your contributions to the carnival and for your words and actions of support of our troops. I hope you enjoyed this week’s Carnival of Blue Stars.

Next week’s carnival will be back home at Blue Star Chronicles. Send your entries for next week’s carnival to [email protected].

You can find the Carnival of Blue Stars at The Truth Laid Bear’s ÜberCarnival.

Weekend Linkfest: Basil’s Blog, TMH Bacon Bits, Stuck on Stupid, Adam’s Blog

Several months ago when terrorists kidnapped a Christian Peacemaker Team, I wrote that they were stupid to go into a war zone. High, lofty ideals mixed in with people who hate them simply because they’re westerners. Tom Fox, the American member of that team, was found dead this past week. His hands and feet were bound, he had been tortured, shot in the head and chest, wrapped in blankets and black pastic bags and left in a garbage dump. This is from The Washington Post:

Fox, 54, was the only American in a group of four Christian Peacemaker Teams members taken hostage last year by a previously unknown group, the Swords of Righteousness Brigade. . . .

Fox worked with families of incarcerated Iraqis, often serving as the only link between them and their families on the outside, said Paul Slattery, a member of his support group from Langley Hill Friends Meeting. Fox also escorted shipments of medicine to clinics and hospitals and worked to form an Islamic Peacemaker Team.

I admire the team’s motivations and ambitions. I am incredibly sorry that he lost his life in such a barbaric and undeserved manner. The news reports tell us that he knew of the dangers he faced. He kept a blog “Waiting in the Light” - the last entry was November 8, 2005. Here is an entry from August 30, 2005 that is indicative of his politics:

We have seen again and again in the last one hundred years the evolution of warfare to the point now when the first two parts of war that have been in play for centuries, that of middle-age men sending out young men to fight and die to keep the middle-age men in power, has added a third component. Still the young fight and die to retain the power of the middle-age men but now most of those who lose their lives in the conflict are women and children.

So the Islamic Taliban leaders sent their young men to run planes into the Twin Towers and Pentagon in order to keep themselves in power? And George Bush responded to that threat to keep himself in power? On August 18, 2005 he wrote:

We must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a drastic change of direction in the course of our country. The only way we will gain respect is by showing it to others, even those we disagree with. The only way we will gain love is by giving it to others, even those we disagree with. Love of country must always be subordinate to love of God. Love of country alone sets us on a course towards the disasters that have befallen other counties over the centuries.

The LA Times reported the Christian Peacemaker Teams’ reaction:

“We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone,” Christian Peacemakers said in a statement posted on its website.

I agree with Fox and the Christian Peacemaker Teams on many of their beliefs. However, God is NOT in everyone. At least not a God of love and peace. And the United States is the bastion of freedom and non-oppression that people from all over the world strive to reach. Despite what you read and hear via the MSM, people die every day trying to get to the United States from other countries.

Love of country also involves protecting ourselves. Because we “ignored the bad behavior” of the Islamic terrorists in the past, they became bolder and more aggressive. There ARE evil people in the world. There ARE evil religions in the world. Put the evil people with the evil religion and you get Islamic terrorists who don’t care whether you want peace or war. They don’t care if you have love in your heart for them. They don’t care if you see God in them. We have seen documented plans for further terrorists attacks in America. Terrorism is becoming an ever stronger force in our world. Their plan is to take over our country and make it a Muslim country. Seeing in real life the Muslim plan of society makes that a completely untenable idea. We MUST defend ourselves and our freedoms.

Yes, Tom Fox’s ideals were admirable, but I believe they were unrealistic and unworkable. Thank God for our military and for President Bush who are making sure that people like the Christian Peacemaker Teams have the freedom to continue in their bubble of delusion; and who are working against tremendous pressure from within our own country to make sure that the Islamists who torture and kill such gentle-hearted people are stopped.

Other information on this topic: The Christian Peacemaker Teams site, Tom Fox is remembered by friends, News story information, CBS News

Others writing on this topic: The Autonomist, Michelle Malkin, Gina Cobb, Media Lies, Rhymes With Right, Mudville Gazette, Dr. Sanity

Linkfest Haven Links: Basil’s Blog, TMH’s Bacon Bits, Stuck On Stupid, Adam’s Blog, Is It Just Me?, The Real Ugly American, The Uncooperative Blogger, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Blue Star Chronicles