I guess it's time I create my own essay for my own blog, now that I seem to be able to navigate this process somewhat. So what topic do I choose out of a myriad of world issues? How about the NCAA? OK,,

I graduated from a school district, in a town, on Long Island, New York called Wantagh, (pronounced 'wan-taw). The name, like most village names on L.I. are taken from Indian names from Tribes that used to inhabit L.I. Ex: Copiague, Massapequa, Quogue. Wantagh took its name from the Indian sachem(Chief) who led two Algonquian groups, the Delawares and the Mohegans. My high school teams were called "The Wantagh Warriors" and the name was always held with deep respect. This was long before the now famous "tomahawk Chop". The many Indian names on L.I. were always considered normal and a tribute to those who inhabited the island(and still do) way before us.
Well, back to the NCAA. I can understand their reservations(no pun) about team names such as "savages, redskins, etc. But most team names are names of respect, such as warrior. More than 50+ years ago I considered myself a "warrior" for my country and would not take offense if anyone referred to me in that way then. Doubt if anyone looking at me now would even think of the term warrior but that's an age issue.
If the NCAA is successful, where does it end after that? How about going after Chrysler for their Jeep "Cherokee"? Let's be required to change the names of major cities,"Indianapolis, Cincinnati,Saginaw. The idea as presented by the NCAA is totally ridiculous. Intelligent adults can figure out what is offensive and what honors.


How about now I address our most lovely Cindy Sheehan?

As most writers/speakers start their piece, I respect her sacrifice, however, more than that I respect the sacrifice of her son. He's the one who gave his life, put it in danger, willingly, for a cause greater than his own life. His mother goes on, grieving, but living, able to enjoy freedom bought by the blood of warriors like her son, many years ago. I also believe it is most revealing who she is aligned with and how they are manipulating her and her grief. totally revolting!! I came across a "letter" to Mrs. Sheehan in another blog that had only the name "Omar" signed to it. I don't know of it's true origin, but I do feel it is an accurate portrayal of a majority of Iraqi's that the main stream media doesn't tell us about.

To Mrs. Sheehan:

But today I was looking at your picture and I saw in your eyes a persistence, a great pain and a torturing question; why?
I know how you feel Cindy, I lived among the same pains for 35 years but worse than that was the fear from losing our loved ones at any moment. Even while I’m writing these words to you there are feelings of fear, stress, and sadness that interrupt our lives all the time but in spite of all that I’m sticking hard to hope which if I didn’t have I would have died years ago.
Ma’am, we asked for your nation’s help and we asked you to stand with us in our war and your nation’s act was (and still is) an act of ultimate courage and unmatched sense of humanity.
Our request is justified, death was our daily bread and a million Iraqi mothers were expecting death to knock on their doors at any second to claim someone from their families.
Your face doesn’t look strange to me at all; I see it everyday on endless numbers of Iraqi women who were struck by losses like yours.
Our fellow country men and women were buried alive, cut to pieces and thrown in acid pools and some were fed to the wild dogs while those who were lucky enough ran away to live like strangers and the Iraqi mother was left to grieve one son buried in an unfound grave and another one living far away who she might not get to see again.
We did nothing to deserve all that suffering, well except for a dream we had; a dream of living like normal people do.
I recall seeing a woman on TV two years ago, she was digging through the dirt with her hands. There was no definite grave in there as the whole place was one large grave but she seemed willing to dig the whole place looking for her two brothers who disappeared from earth 24 years ago when they were dragged from their colleges to a chamber of hell.
Her tears mixed with the dirt of the grave and there were journalists asking her about what her brothers did wrong and she was screaming "I don’t know, I don’t know. They were only college students. They didn’t murder anyone, they didn’t steal, and they didn’t hurt anyone in their lives. All I want to know is the place of their grave".
Why was this woman chosen to lose her dear ones? Why you? Why did a million women have to go through the same pain?
We did not choose war for the sake of war itself and we didn’t sacrifice a million lives for fun! We could’ve accepted our jailor and kept living in our chains for the rest of our lives but it’s freedom ma’am.
Freedom is not an American thing and it’s not an Iraqi thing, it’s what unites us as human beings. We refuse all kinds of restrictions and that’s why we fought and still fighting everyday in spite of the swords in the hands of the cavemen who want us dead or slaves for their evil masters.
You are free to go and leave us alone but what am I going to tell your million sisters in Iraq? Should I ask them to leave Iraq too? Should I leave too? And what about the eight millions who walked through bombs to practice their freedom and vote? Should they leave this land too?
Is it a cursed land that no one should live in? Why is it that we were chosen to live in all this pain, why me, why my people, why you?
But I am not leaving this land because the bad guys are not going to leave us or you to live in peace. They are the same ones who flew the planes to kill your people in New York.
I ask you in the name of God or whatever you believe in; do not waste your son’s blood.
We here have decided to avenge humanity, you and all the women who lost their loved ones.
Take a look at our enemy Cindy, look closely at the hooded man holding the sword and if you think he’s right then I will back off and support your call.
We live in pain and grief everyday, every hour, every minute; all the horrors of the powers of darkness have been directed at us and I don’t know exactly when am I going to feel safe again, maybe in a year, maybe two or even ten; I frankly don’t know but I don’t want to lose hope and faith.
We are in need for every hand that can offer some help. Please pray for us, I know that God listens to mothers’ prayers and I call all the women on earth to pray with you for peace in this world.
Your son sacrificed his life for a very noble cause…No, he sacrificed himself for the most precious value in this existence; that is freedom.
His blood didn’t go in vain; your son and our brethren are drawing a great example of selflessness.
God bless his free soul and God bless the souls of his comrades who are fighting evil.
God bless the souls of Iraqis who suffered and died for the sake of freedom.
God bless all the freedom lovers on earth.
End.

Is it our (America's) responsibility to bring freedom to people all over the globe? I don't know. But I do know that Saddam Hussein did have intentions to conquer and rule over most of the mid-east and thereby control the flow of oil from the region. It cannot be argued that this would not have a negative effect on our economy and security. Becoming the premier leader of the mid-east would also have enabled Hussein to create huge havens for terrorist networks/training and that would have put the US in more danger of more 9/11 style attacks with even larger devastation. I think the Bush administrations mistake is in naming the confrontations "The war in Afghanistan", "the war in Iraq". In reality they are the "Battle of Afghanistan", the "Battle of Iraq" in the War on Terror. Example: in WWII, there was not "War" on Iwo Jima, no "War" in Sicily, No "War" on Omaha Beach. these were "Battles" in the War againt the Axis powers. These "Battles" we MUST win. Another mistake Bush made was not going before congress with a formal declaration of war. Not against a nation-state, but against a movement we know as terrorism or Islamofascism. thereby putting the country on a war footing and fully engaging the full citizenry behind the effort.
I suggest reading the following books: Fighting Terrorism by Benjamin Netanyahu, The Sword of the Prophet by Trifkovic and Onward Muslim Soldiers by Robert Spencer. You will learn of the enemy we really face, and they are coming for us.
I guess I got a little ahead of the Sheehan issue but that's where my typing fingers went. Still trying to figure out how to place my graphics,,,