Monday, March 24, 2014

Largest Problems Facing America Circa 2007

What is the largest problem facing the United States today, and what is a possible solution?

By Mark Smith
October/December 2007

Over sixty students from Columbia Central High School provided their response to this important question.  For the detail responses, please click here.

Their Responses were:

Obesity
Global Warming
Our National Debt
The War
Unemployment
Rapid population growth
Education
Poverty
Economy
Outsourcing and lack of decent paying jobs
Sexually transmitted diseases and/or teen pregnancy
Gas price
Bystanderism
Teen abstinence and teen drug use
Alternate-Energy sources
Abortion
Illegal Immigrants
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Crime; and
Political Parties.


High School young people in 2007!  
Pretty smart young people.  
Sadly, not one of these is resolved nor any plans to solve them.



Sunday, March 16, 2014

Didn't know this about 9-11



AFTER FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED

A chaplain, who happened to be assigned to the Pentagon, told of an incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon on 9/11. A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children, including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could do. There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle them into carriers and strollers. Just then a young Marine came running into the center and asked what they needed.  After hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our own." About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac. Once they got about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West. Inside this circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off. Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the children and waiting for instructions.
There they remained until the parents could be notified and come get their children. The chaplain then said, "I don't think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It was an incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room. The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.

It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag. If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

Happy Birthday Dad!

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