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Name:
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LifeTime Laker
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Subject:
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I just got this....
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Date:
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7/14/2004 11:07:42 AM
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... and wanted to share it. I dont know if any of you got it or not, if you did ignore it this time, if not, read it!! Very enlightening and disheartening at the same time. And sorry about the blank post below...
The email:
From California State Assemblyman John Campbell
*/Capitol Communication /*
*/Wednesday, June 30th, 2004/**/ /*
*4th of July:* In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the
state Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor.
These "celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the
House and often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years
have seen substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the
Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla ), St. Patrick's
Day (for the patron Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year's Day, among
others. But never once have we celebrated/ //America//'s/ Independence
Day, the 4th of July.
So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged
for Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be
a part of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a
Navy pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a
Vietnamese prison. In 1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North
Vietnamese television in Hanoi after torture to get him to "respond
properly." During this interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to
spell out the word "torture." He was asked about his support for the
war in Vietnam to which he replied "I don't know what is happening now
in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are Vietnamese. But
whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support
it, and I will support it as long as I live." Four of his 8 years in
prison were spent in solitary confinement. He later wrote the book
"When Hell was in Session" chronicling his experience in Vietnam.
When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973,
he said "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country
in difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our
Commander-in-Chief for this day. God bless America." He was later
elected to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Alabama, becoming the
first retired Admiral ever elected to that body. I could go on and on
about his accomplishments.
Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero.
The Democratic leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor and
there will be no 4th of July celebration. A memo from the Democratic
speaker's office said "problems have arisen both with regards to the
spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to
the ceremony." Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the
"separation of church and state" and they didn't like the policies he
supported as a United States Senator and therefore they would not allow
him to be on the Assembly floor or to speak.
Upon hearing about this, Governor Schwarzenegger offered his meeting
room last Monday for a ceremony with Admiral Denton. The room was
overflowing with people. Only one elected Democrat was in attendance. A
number of veterans of the last 4 wars were present. Admiral Denton gave
a very moving speech about the 4th of July and about the undeniable
commitment of our founding fathers' to their faith in God. He talked
about how the war on terrorism may be the most difficult war we have yet
fought. And he went on to say that he fears that partisan attacks on
our mission and our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan sound too familiar to
what he experienced in Vietnam. Following his speech, The Governor came
out to personally spend time with him.
Then this American hero, whose debt from us all can never be repaid,
flew home to Alabama.
The Assembly did meet on that day. And we did have a ceremony that
lasted nearly 20 minutes. That ceremony was to celebrate the career of
a reporter from the LA Times on the occasion of his retirement.
Democrats universally praised him as being "balanced." He was allowed to
speak for about 10 minutes. Admiral Denton was no longer in the building.
Four years of Cinco De Mayo and not one recognition of the 4th of July.
An LA Times reporter praised, and the very person whose sacrifice allows
him to express his opinion is banned. It is perverse. It is wrong.
And it is disrespectful to all the men and women in uniform who have
stared death in the face and to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice
for the American people.
Admiral Jeremiah Denton is a hero not because he was politician, but
like all the other men and women of the Armed Forces, because he
defended the ideals set forth with America's independence.
Democrats are always railing about intolerance and discrimination. But
yet in practice, it is they who engage in regular state-sanctioned
discrimination and who are intolerant of the presentation of other
views. Maybe they are worried that people will listen.
I do not send you this to bash Democrats. I send you this to
demonstrate the huge chasm that exists between registered, voting
Democrats, and elected Democrat leadership. I hope those of you who are
not Democrats, will send this to your friends who are. If you are a
Democrat, don't be ashamed. Be angry. Change your party and your
leadership, or leave it.
Fortunately, we do not need the approval of the Speaker of the Assembly
to celebrate our nation's independence this Sunday. Nor do we need his
permission to thank those who fought to give us and to maintain our
freedoms. On this 4th of July, as the burgers cook and the fireworks
fly, let us remember......and give thanks.
As a final offering, I give you a poem that Admiral Denton read to us
this week, through eyes clouded with tears:
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Amen. God bless America.
Until next week, I remain,
Assemblyman John Campbell
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