Thanksgiving 2003: President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq

Back in 2003, President Bush showed up in Iraq for Thanksgiving.   It was a great story and must have been quite a treat for the soldiers enjoying some turkey.

For security reasons, the President's trip was such a secret that even First Lady Laura Bush, and his parents, were not told about it.    The announced plan was a trip to Crawford, Texas, but Air Force One turned east to Iraq.

A few years later, President Bush wrote about Iraq in a great book.   

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2003: Columbia exploded

We woke up to a terrible report about Columbia.     

On this day in 2003, television crews captured Columbia‘s tragic disintegration upon reentering the earth’s atmosphere. All aboard were killed. 

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We remember Robert Stack (1919-2003)

We remember Robert Stack who was born in Los Angeles on this day in 1919.    

Many of us remember Stack for the role of  Eliot Ness on the wildly popular television series, "The Untouchables "(1959).   

He died in 2003.

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9-11 is about heroes!

We are a bit surprised to read this:

"The Obama administration and its progressive allies have launched a secret initiative to "rebrand" the events of 9/11, conservatives warn, turning it into a more Democratic-friendly day of national service and discarding the "Patriot Day" memorials promoted by the Bush administration." (David A. Patten)

What genius came up with "re-branding 9-11"? Could it be the same one who hired Van Jones?

Let's be very clear:

We remember our fallen heroes.

We remember the widows and orphans.

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Our # 2 son remembers 9-11 and 7th grade

CLICK TO LISTEN:

Our # 2 son remembers 9-11 and 7th grade 09/10 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics Conservative Podcasts:

We mark another anniversary of 9/11, the most significant day of our generation.

My biggest “9/11 morning memory” was thinking about my wife, three sons in school and everybody else in the family.

I remember watching the second plane hit the tower around 8 A.M. central time.  It was absolutely stunning to watch two passenger planes hit the World Trade Center.  By the way, I had been in those building for business calls several times.  I recall the stunning views from an office in one of the upper floors.

A few minutes later, my wife walked in from taking the boys to school.

I told my wife that something bad was happening and that we should be prepared for picking up the kids in school at a moment’s  notice.

Like most fathers, I was concerned that there were other attacks pending and specially in a major city like Dallas.  We have lots of tall buildings and a nuclear plant in the area.

It was a very scary day and one that brought a lot of families together.  It certainly made us appreciate each other and the value of human life.

My worst memory of that day was watching people jump to their deaths.  It was heartbreaking to watch human beings choose between jumping from the 90th floor or burning to death.  

9/11…. it seems like it was just yesterday!

Last but not least, we were very lucky that day that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were at the helm.  I believe that their reaction and commitment to defending the homeland were superb.

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Another Father’s Day and so many kids without fathers around

As we celebrate Father’s Day, I thank God that I had a mentor in my life, the kind of man who understood what it means to be a father.  Not everyone is so lucky.  So let’s chat about the “father crisis” in many communities in the U.S.

Ten years ago, I cut out this article from the Wall Street Journal paper edition.  I saved it and look at it from time.  It was written by Juan Williams, author and Fox News contributor.  It is “The Tragedy of America’s Disappearing Fathers“:

The extent of the problem is clear.

The nation’s out-of-wedlock birth rate is 38%.

Among white children, 28% are now born to a single mother; among Hispanic children it is 50% and reaches a chilling, disorienting peak of 71% for black children.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly a quarter of America’s white children (22%) do not have any male in their homes; nearly a third (31%) of Hispanic children and over half of black children (56%) are fatherless.
This represents a dramatic shift in American life.

In the early 1960’s, only 2.3% of white children and 24% of black children were born to a single mom.

Having a dad, in short, is now a privilege, a ticket to middle-class status on par with getting into a good college.

Kids suffer without a father, no matter their color or last name.

Father’s Day is here.  Let’s remember a simple truth: we need men to be responsible fathers.

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Another February to remember President Lincoln

As every school boy or girl can tell you, this is Pres Lincoln’s birthday. He was born in 1809.

He lived an incredible 19th century life:  born in the frontier, faced all of the adversity of the time, became a very successful attorney and eventually ran for president.

He also raised a family with Mrs Lincoln. They had 4 sons but only Robert, Willie & Tad survived. 

Historians regard George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as our two greatest presidents.

It’s hard to argue against Washington. He was the first president and the man who kept the nation together at the very beginning. Washington did the incredible of walking away from power after two terms as president.

Lincoln had a different path. He fought to preserve the union and paid a tremendous price for it.

We remember Pres Lincoln today and hope that school children always remember him every February.

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We remember Bob Forsch (1950-2011)

We remember Bob Forsch, who was born in Sacramento on this day in 1950.  

Bob broke with St. Louis in 1974 and turned into a very steady pitcher in the National League.    He won 168 games with a 3.76 ERA over 19 seasons and pitched in the 1982, 1985 and 1987 World Series.     Forsch threw a no-hitter in 1978 against the Phillies and in 1983 against Expos. 

Bob died in 2011.   His brother, Ken, was also a major league pitcher.

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Babalu: The missiles in Cuba: “Se fueron los cohetes pero se quedo Castro”!

(My new Babalu post)

We sat around my father's Phillips radio, or the one with a short wave band.   By the way, this radio was a lifeline to international news.

My father purchased it because it was one of the first FM models to be available in Cuba.  However, it was the short wave band that became the radio's primary feature.

Our place was very close to "El Malecon", the legendary Havana ocean drive avenue.  We had a feeling that something was going on because it was full of "milicianos" with anti-aircraft weapons.  

We heard Persident Kennedy (translated to Spanish) say that there were missiles in Cuba:   

"In a dramatic televised address to the American public, President John F. Kennedyannounces that the Soviet Union has placed nuclear weapons in Cuba and, in response, the United States will establish a blockade around the island to prevent any other offensive weapons from entering Castro's state. Kennedy also warned the Soviets that any nuclear attack from Cuba would be construed as an act of war, and that the United States would retaliate in kind."

Looking back, I have a couple of questions.

First, why didn't President Kennedy tell the Soviets to take Castro out with the missiles?  My guess is that the Soviets would have asked:  Do we take him out dead or alive?  The Soviets were overextended in October 1962.  We held all of the cards and should have demanded Castro's exit.

Second, why don't we ever talk about the impact on the people Cuba?  The Missile Crisis was followed by more and more repression, brutality against the guerillas in Escambray and the consolidation ofthe Castro dictatorship.

As someone said:  "Se fueron los cohetes pero se quedo Castro"!

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Listen to "The October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis" on Spreaker.

We remember Paul Weyrich (1942-2008)

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We remember Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, founder of the Free Congress Foundation and other organizations.  

Paul was born on this day in 1942.  He passed away in 2008.

Weyrich was an important voice back in the late 1970's. He was a critical player in the Republican comeback of 1980.

We also remember Paul for starting The Heritage Foundation.  

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