In Remembrance of Michael P. Lunden, who died on 9/11

In the early hours of September 11, 2001, Michael Lunden stepped into the World Trade Center. As the Vice President of an energy trading company who's offices were located at the WTC, husband to his wife Michelle, and as a father to their 10 month old son, Michael had many responsibilities both at the office and at home. He lost his life at the young age of 37 during the terrorist attacks that destroyed the Twin Towers.

Please take a moment to pray for his family, especially his wife and son.

And let us make sure, as Americans, that what happened on 9/11 will NEVER happen again.

You can sign his guestbook here .

The following is the article that was posted in the NYT in his honor, and after that what some of his family, friends, and fellow Americans wrote about him

Michael P. Lunden's friends always said he was worth waiting for, an assertion he tested frequently. "They called him the Human Rain Delay," said Michelle Lunden, who married him even though he was 20 minutes late to their first date.

People would wait for Mr. Lunden, 37, because, basically, no event could start without him. He was the constant center of an ever-widening social circle, a member of 26 wedding parties, a hyperfriendly guy in a loud Brooks Brothers shirt who introduced himself to each and every waiter, bartender and vineyard keeper he came into contact with.

When Mr. Lunden was not cocooning (loudly) with Michelle and their 10-month- old son at their Manhattan home or their weekend place on the North Fork of Long Island, or playing Friend's Best Man for the umpteenth time, or touting a new merlot, he was an energy trader at Cantor Fitzgerald.

The night before Mr. Lunden's memorial service, a few of his pals — about 85 of them, actually — got together at his favorite steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky. "Somebody said that only Michael would have a rehearsal dinner for his funeral," Ms. Lunden said. Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani happened to be eating there. He went over to see what all the noise was about and ended up donning a baseball cap that said "Lundo!!" and giving a speech about the indomitable spirit of the city.

The following is some of the things that were said about him by his friends and family:

To Michael and his family --

As with no doubt many others, Mike touch my life in a sort of indirect way. My brother and I, Pat, played ice hockey with Mike in the 80-81 Loyola Academy school year. No offense, but Mike was a terrible hockey player. I was not much better, but his spirit, good nature, and constant comedic presence made the season bearable and every practice something to look forward to. I look back at the picture of the team, Neil H, MIke P, Ziggy, etc. And there is Mike, the one guy I knew who perished on that terrible day. May his spirit, craziness, good-heartedness, and all of the rest live on. Go Ramblers, Go Holy Spirit, and Go Mike. Peace to all.

~Matt Seburg

As I say my prayer today for the 365th day I promise a prayer every day going forward for Michael, Michelle, Matthew, Jerry, Rosemary, Mark and Tracy and for all those who knew and loved Michael.

Please watch over us.

Love,
Aunt Susan
September 11, 2002

~Susan Beyersdorf

It sounds like Michael and all those around him enjoyed and celebrated life every single minute. May Michael's warmth, humor, positive attitude, life and love live on through everyone who was touched by his life. We are so very sorry for your loss of Michael. Our hearts cry with you.
America Cries
We see your sorrow-
and our hearts cry....
We can not erase your pain
but you do not have to face the anguish alone-for we-
-the American people-
are beside you.
We so desperately want to have the touch that brings you comfort,
the strength that gives you courage,
and the words to lighten your spirits.
And when we are left speechless
may the silence of our nation weave love into your hearts
to ease your sorrow.
May you find healing through our nation's strength as we-
-the American people-
face this difficult time together. Our hearts are with you.

Teresa Jahn


Never forget...

Trees Cause Global Warming...........#facepalm

Yes my friends, its official. According to some so-called "scientists", trees are now a cause of global warming. The researchers claimed that the vast forests of Canada actually contribute to global warming. So much for the "Plant a tree, save the planet" idea. Seriously though, if trees cause global warming, then humanity is doomed. After all, according to evolutionists, trees have been around for millions of years, and all this time they've been warming the Earth..according these *cough* "scientists. For us enlightened folk who know better, this is something to laugh at, but what about the tree huggers???



The very trees that they fight for so desperately are the very ones that are destroying the climate!
They'll never be able to take a "nature walk" the same way ever again! They'll feel too betrayed by the towering oaks that they once thought were their friends.
In the words of our President, Barrack Obama, they'd be..."all wee weed up".






In case you still are shaking your heads in disbelief, here's a link

There Was No One Left To Speak Out for Me

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
Then they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
I did not protest;I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

Thanks to Patriot 7 at Ihatethemedia.com for bringing this to my attention.

NY Times Cites Hitler's stimulus as support for Obama's.

The New York Times isn't known for posting many tasteful articles, but they've taken their knack for bad journalism to a new low. Back in April, David Leonhart, who writes for the New York Times business column, had this to say about Hitler and Nazism:

In the summer of 1933, just as they will do on Thursday, heads of government and their finance ministers met in London to talk about a global economic crisis. They accomplished little and went home to battle the crisis in their own ways.

More than any other country, Germany--Nazi Germany--then set out on a serious stimulus program. The government built up the military, expanded the autobahn, put up stadiums for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and built monuments to the Nazi Party across Munich and Berlin.

The economic benefits of this vast works program never flowed to most workers, because fascism doesn't look kindly on collective bargaining. But Germany did escape the Great Depression faster than other countries. Corporate profits boomed, and unemployment sank (and not because of slave labor, which didn't become widespread until later). Harold James, an economic historian, says that the young liberal economists studying under John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s began to debate whether Hitler had solved unemployment.

He then went on make this brilliant statement:

"Here in the United States, many people are understandably wondering whether the $800 billion stimulus program will make much of a difference. They want to know: Does stimulus work? Fortunately, this is one economic question that’s been answered pretty clearly in the last century. Yes, stimulus works. "

In essence, the NYT essentially cited the so-called success of Hitler's stimulus plan as support for that of Obama's . What's ironic is that its the liberals who have falsely accused those on the right of racism, anti-semitism, (Ann Coulter ring a bell?) and now we find them turning to the Third Reich for support of their plans.

Nice double-standard Mr. Leonhart. What will you think of next?

Sources

http://tinyurl.com/kr7k8h

http://tinyurl.com/oy82ez

Who Am I? Stunning

Stunning...
Subject: Has the World Really Progressed??


READ TO THE END BEFORE YOU SEE THE ANSWER AND THEN THINK ABOUT THIS


WHO AM I?


* I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born
in another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children
with numerous women.


* I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest
in me. My mother died at an early age from cancer.


* Later in life, questions arose over my real name.


* My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a
legitimate, reliable birth certificate.


* I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as
it was widely accepted in my country, but I practiced non-traditional
beliefs and didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under
scrutiny.


* I work ed and lived among lower-class people as a young adult,
disguising myself as someone who really cared about them.


* That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my
life and I embarked on a new career.


* I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to
those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father
abandoned me as a child.


* I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help
behind the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for
national office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk
anyone into anything. That reinforced my conceit.


* I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and
no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful
speaker and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they
were small roofing tacks.


* I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This
bolstered my ego.


* At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign
policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every
opportunity to bash my country.


* But what launched my rise to na tional prominence were my views on
the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we
could do better and every poor person would be fed and housed for free.


* I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess.
It was the free market, banks and corporations. I decided to start making
citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan
was clinched tight.


* I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all
people.


* I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the
traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular
support.


* I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope', together we
could change our country and the world.


* So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf
of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like
the Jews. My true views were not widely known and I needed to keep them
unknown, until after I became my nation's leader.


* I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily
found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and
examined those people I associated with.


* I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the
world. And the world learned the truth.


*Who am I?*





ADOLF HITLER

WHO WERE YOU THINKING OF?
Scary isn't it?

Tweetdeck, Seeismic, DestroyTwitter, and Mixero compared.

Best Twitter Applications

In this article, I will look over what are in my opinion the 4 best Twitter applications on the market . I’ll focus specifically on the applications that allow you to update your status, and to perform the bread and butter of Twitter. There are literally thousands of Twitter “apps” but these focus mostly on stream-lining how you see your followers and their tweets. I'd like to thank my fellow tweeters for the input that they provided. I’ve included links to each of these applications, so by all means check them out for yourself!Note: Screenshots were taken from Mashable.com and toddjordan.com

Tweetdeck-simple and effective

This app caused quite a stir when it was released, and I think it has lived up to the hype about it. I use this application often, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their Twitter experience. One of its features allows you to group certain Twitter users into different columns. That way, you'll have a better chance of catching the tweets of your favorite people, and its useful in sorting out the flurry of information from Twitter. Tweetdeck also has a feature that allows you to update your Facebook status at the same time you tweet. So far, you can only update your own status and see that of your friends.

Tweetdeck also has a filter option, which I haven't used, but its available should you want it. (If you want to learn more about filters, check out @brooksbayne ‘s article further down the page). Tweetdeck also has plenty of other services, including 12 Seconds(video recording feature), and Twitscoop, which shows you the top trending words on Twitter The designers recently released an I-Phone app for Tweetdeck, so you can synchronize your groups and preferences with your desktop. Best of all, this app is simple and easy to use. Its smooth interface, catchy layout, and superior performance has made it the second most popular Twitter app on the web.

Here's a link to the site: http://tweetdeck.com/beta/

Seeismic Desktop-a little bit of everything

Seesmic is the crossover Twitter application, even more so than Tweetdeck. Mashable reports that the app is “hands down the best Facebook integration we’ve seen”. Its practically loaded with features, and actually, that’s its weakness. Many users have reported that Seesmic is difficult to organize, and its massive array of features take up a considerable amount of CPU space, more so than Tweetdeck. I would recommend Seesmic for more Twitter-savy users who don’t mind the more complicated features and controls, but you won’t lose much, if anything by using Tweetdeck. Here's the link to the site: http://seesmic.com/

Destroy Twitter-Small but efficient

If you’re looking for a pure performance app, than Destroy Twitter is for you. Its basically a stripped down version of Tweetdeck, so it works well for those with lower-end computers who need as much CPU space as they can get. It comes in a smaller startup window than Tweetdeck or Seeismic, but it also allows you to expand the window if necessary. It has no Facebook integration , and most of the added features of Tweetdeck and Seesmic are missing from Destroy Twitter. It does allow groups, which helps it compete with Tweetdeck. So basically, if you’re looking for a pure performance app that takes up little memory, Destroy Twitter is a good app to use. Its not as powerful as Tweetdeck, but it gets the job done.

Link:https://destroytwitter.com/

Mixero

Mixero is a relatively new app that is still in test phase, but it already has attracted a following.

A friend of mine @brooksbayne (on Twitter) recommended the service. Mixero accomplishes the basic services of Tweetdeck and Seeismic, but adds a sophisticated filter system to the mix. Its considerably more advanced than Tweetdeck, but its worth looking into. Should you be interested in trying the app, follow Mixero, and they'll send you an invite via DM.

Check out Brooks Bayne's article on Twitter filters here

http://brooksbayne.com/post/135253077/kill-filters-in-twitter-the-time-has-come

Pictures Copyright of Mashable, and Toddjordan.com

Obama and the Cambridge Police Have Met Before

Some may wonder why Barrack Obama, who by his own admission didn't have "all the facts", decided to say that the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" in their arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. I stumbled across this on Twitter, and simply put...its fascinating. I won't judge the man, but it seems our president has had past dealings with this very same Cambridge police department.

This is from World Net Daily:

President Obama, who targeted the Cambridge, Mass., police department with his comment that one of its officers acted "stupidly" in the arrest of a black man, has a history with the department dating from his college years to as recently as the launch of his presidential campaign.

According to the Somerville Times in 2007, as a Harvard Law School student, Obama got parking tickets during 1989-1991 from the Cambridge Police Department that he left unpaid until just weeks before he announced his bid for the presidency.

"In other words, as a practicing lawyer in Chicago, he allowed these tickets and penalties to remain unpaid; as an Illinois state senator he allowed these tickets and fines to remain unpaid; and as a United States senator he allowed these almost-two-decade-old signs of his disdain for the law to remain unpaid," commented John LeBoutillier on Newsmax.com.

The Washington Post said two years ago that the tickets included parking without a proper permit and parking in a bus stop.

The Associated Press reported in 2007 that Obama's "healthy stack" of parking tickets was finally paid, including late fees, "two weeks before he officially launched his presidential campaign."

Said Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for Obama's campaign during his race to the White House, "He didn't owe that much and what he did owe, he paid. … Many people have parking tickets and late fees."

The White House press office did not respond to a request for a comment

WND


Interesting...to say the least.




Source
http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=104935
Thanks also goes out to @patriotroom for tweeting this.

America is a land of freedom- Let's Keep It that Way.

America is the greatest nation on the planet. The freedom that exists here is unparelled to the rest of the world. In other countries, people wake up in the morning concerned for their lives. They live in fear, afraid that some terrorist may kill them, or that they may not be able to find anything to eats. Many Americans on the other hand wake up in the morning with their biggest concern being whether they should order Cafe un Lait or a Cappuccino at Starbucks on their way to work. Sure, we may face challenges and tough situations, but how often do Americans face starvation or bands of genocidal terrorists? Even the poor among us aren't in any danger of starving, and I've noticed that some Americans living in what I would consider abject poverty have tv satillites. That may be part of the reason why they live in poverty...but nevertheless, they'd be considered rich by some countries' standards.

So why is this the case? Why is America so much better off than most of the world? The answer lies in our founding as a nation. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others, envisioned an America where everyone would be able to use their God-given ability and creativity without being constantly interfered with by government. A place where people could be creative and improve themselves without being concerned that it would be taken from them by thieves, in government or otherwise. The government's role in fact was to ensure that this wouldn't take place! American government was supposed to protect our freedom, not infringe upon it! We've come a long ways from that place of liberty, unfortunately.

Over the years, as our nation has grown more prosperous and successful, government has slowly increased its role in our lives. Even worse, a growing segment of the population has come to believe that government, and not the individual, should be responsible for the welfare of the individual. We see this in the demands for universal healthcare, welfare, and housing projects. These are all ways in which people, refusing to take responsibility for their own lives and their own problems, resign them to government. Sadly, they then become little more than slaves to government. They are provided for, but they live lives of terrible mediocrity and misery, and without purpose.

Al Kaltman once said that, "Without meaningful work, life stinks". When people live their lives as simple wards of the government, they have no vision to succeed, no vision to prosper, and no vision to improve themselves. The Bible states even more powerfully that , "Without vision, a people perish". I know of a young boy raised in the slums who my parents tried to help. They asked the little boy about what he wanted to do in life, and do you know what he said? He didn't say he wanted to be a firefighter, or an astronaut, or an athlete. Instead, his whole vision in life was to fake injuries and problems so he could get more money from welfare!
That is the future of the liberal ideas that we see around us. That is the future in surrendering our responsibility, and our lives to the control of government. Things like this don't happen instantly. It takes time, and slowly, our liberties and our freedoms erode away until in the end, we have lost all that we are.
Its a dead-end road my friends, and I pray God that America does not stay on this path.

So don't shirk your responsibility! Don't surrender the God-given ability you have to create wealth and improve your life to the whims of bureaucrats in Washington D. C. They can't do a better job than you at running your life, I guarantee it!


~Jedimaster_OPS

Independence Day...lest we forget.

On July 4, 1776, 56 men placed their signature on the Declaration of Independence, knowing that in doing so their lives would be in jeopardy. They could no longer live the way they used to, for they were now considered traitors to the king of England. John Hancock, in a heroic gesture, signed his name first, in such a way that there could be no mistake who's signature it was.

The boldness and the bravery of both its signers and its authors is one of the greatest examples of patriotism ever. It laid the foundation for the American civilization as we know it.

Now 233 years later, this document has not lost its value.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Still here? Great! It is interesting to note how similar their situation is to ours. They faced tyranny from an oppressive despotic regime, and now we, 233 years later, are dealing with a similar threat. Will we rise to the occasion, and take back our country, or will we remain in our bonds of oppression, lulled into inaction by the forces of evil?

The choice is yours.

Have a happy Independence day!!!