Did you know that U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Charles Sharp, 20, of Adairsville, Georgia, was killed July 2 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan? How about Army PFCs Justin Casillas, 19, of Dunnigan, California, or Aaron Fairbairn, 20, of Aberdeen, Washington, who lost their lives in combat at Combat Outpost Zerok, Afghanistan? Or Navy Petty Officer Tony Michael Randolph, 22, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, who died July 6 in an improvised explosive device attack on his convoy in northern Afghanistan?
Did you know that Army Specialist Christopher Talbert, 24, of Galesburg, Illinois, and PFC Nicolas Gideon, 20, of Murrieta, California, and Captain Mark Garner, 30, from North Carolina, and 2nd Lieutenant Derwin Williams, 41, of Glenwood, Illinois, and Sergeant Brock Chavers, 25, of Bulloch, Georgia, Specialist Chester Hosford, 35, of Hastings, Minnesota, Specialist Issac Johnson, 24, of Columbus, Georgia, and Marine Sergeant Michael Roy, 25, of North Fort Myers, Florida, and Army Private Lucas Bregg, 19, of Wright City, Missouri, and Army Specialist Gregory Missman, 36, of Batavia, Ohio all died fighting for our country in the last few days?
Isn’t it sad that last week all of these fine young American servicemen lost their lives in freedom’s name, but all the news media could talk about was one wacked out notorious Hollywood freak who died? Doesn’t that make you really proud to be an American?
Okay, I’m back down off my soapbox, for now at least.
I have some very exciting news to share with you about our upcoming Ohio Gypsy Gathering rally September 28 to October 2. Our friends Joe and Vicki Kieva, two of the best known and respected RV authors and speakers in the world, are coming to the rally to put on a seminar or two!
There are a lot of us who scribble an article or two now and then, and some of my peers are very well known in their own right. But when Joe and Vicki take to a stage, it’s like show business meets the RV world. Their columns in the Good Sam Club’s Highways magazine, Woodall’s regional RV magazines, and KOA’s KOA Kompass internet newsletter, along with their featured speaker status at Life on Wheels and major RV shows nationwide have earned Joe and Vicki well deserved celebrity status. Besides which, they are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet anywhere. To say we are thrilled to have them at our little rally is the understatement of the year.
Joe suggested their excellent Alaska, the Ultimate RV Adventure! seminar and having attended it, I know it will be a hit with our crowd. We have not worked out the details yet, but they may well be doing a second seminar, to be announced later. They will also be selling their excellent books and CDs, and visiting with folks about the RV lifestyle.
We’re going to be doing a couple of other new things at the rally, as well. We’re moving our vendors inside to keep them out of the weather, and the vendors will be doing their seminars in the same building they are selling from, which makes it easy for rally attendees to visit their booths and do some shopping after they speak.
It’s also been suggested we have a tailgate sale afternoon, where people can offer their no longer needed items for sale to the rally crowd. It will be a great opportunity to unload some stuff you’ve been carrying around too long, and maybe pick up a bargain or two at the same time.
If you haven’t registered for the rally yet, be sure to click the link below and get your name on the rally list.
Thought For The Day – Funny, I don’t remember being absent minded.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Nick, your paatriotic comments are right on target. Is the media tring to make the news or report the news. It seems to me that there are two problems – the mindless and poorly trained media and the mindless and poorly educated readers (and watchers) of the dribble that the media publishes. Have the values in our country sunk so low that one of the immoral in Hollywood takes priority over those who are sacrificing everything to protect our lives and our country? Do we now have an entire generation or two who have no training or understanding concerning the tremendous values offered by this country – freedom, opportunity, faith, rewards from hard work and the list goes on and on and on. Maybe so; the turn around comes from education. We help the media understand our discust with them by withholding our funds. Keep up the good work.
What are you talking about Nick ? Isn’t the media reporting the “War on Terror” ended on January 20, 2009. Didn’t you hear our enemies like us now ?
My heart aches for the men & women who are sacrificing their lives & limbs for an unappreciative country.
You might want to read something like this:
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/girl-with-no-future.htm
before you get too excited about the sacrifices in Afghanistan. Nothing good will come of that place.
The author is a former Green Beret and not a fan of the mainstream press. He funds his reporting with donations, and is usually worth a read.
Why get off your soap box? I decided long ago that I would just live on my soap box. The news industry and entertainment industry has been in the toilet for so long. I pushed the off button on them in 1997 and have not watched a TV show or news cast since. If I want news I will skim the Google News headlines or pick up a newspaper once in a while. I think it has been a year since I read a news paper. In the year 1880 people did not read newspapers everyday or watch a StupidTube all day long. They are what made this country strong, we need to get back to those values. So much for my soap box speech.
Stay on your soap box. We need more people that will speak their mind rather than trying to appease everyone. Jackson was a pervert, period, end of sentence.
Our troops that are making the supreme sacrifice are to be honored.
I think the so called recession would be over if the news media would shut up about it. The media reports what they think the listeners want to hear, they do not report the news.
Obama should be arrested for treason because he gave aid and comfort to our enemies.
Thanks,
Rex
Nick, may I suggest that you send the first three paragraphs to all the network anchors via e-mail just to see if they are the least bit embarassed enough to respond I doubt you will hear from them. Yes, I am still proud to be an American, inspite of those few stupid and ignorant news persons that seem to dominate our culture. And, there are some very good reporters out there, but they are drowned out by the newsmedia execs who are more impressed by the freaks and the advertising they will sell, than the professional ethics that they pretend to subscribe to.
I had the pleasure of attending some of Joe and Vicki’s presentations at a Life on Wheels event in Moscow, Idaho a few years ago. Both the newbies and the more experienced RV’ers will always learn something from them.
Nick, thanks for posting the names of some of those service members who gave their all in the past week or so. My TV news of choice is the “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on PBS. Quite often they will end the program with a list and pictures of some of the most recent casualties in the Iran and Afganistan conflicts. I always make it a point to stop whatever I’m doing and pay attention as the names and faces scroll by in silence — I figure it’s the least I can do to pay my respects.
I recognize some of the names and incidents – the new governor orders flags flown at half-staff for them if they are either from here, or shipped out from a local fort. It seems there’s an executive order almost every week. I always read them.
As far as coverage of the departed [alleged] pedophile, I haven’t seen that much. That’s because my remote has channel change and “off” buttons.
I agree with Rick, you should email your comment to the network anchors! They never hear the otherside of the story! Thanks so much. I must say you have me on my soapbox now 🙂
Linda