Michael Monsoor: American hero honored

You probably don't know the name of Michael Monsoor.

Let's change that.

Here is a video tribute played during the Republican National Convention about Michael, a Medal of Honor recipient. Why don't you know him? Because our country's mainstream media, AMERICAN media, would rather spout statistics and rantings about the war, instead of praise the men and women in it.
So in St. Paul, Minnesota, inside the Xcel Center at the RNC, thousands sat and learned his name, while outside, protesters have attacked Republican delegates with poison, attacked their buses (while in route) with cement bags tossed over bridge overpasses, and broken windows in "peace" marches.

And act under the guise and abuse of their freedom, a freedom handed to them by Michael Monsoor.

Here's Michael.

Writing or something like it

I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it.
- William Faulkner

Find out what you think. I'll help.

Tara Lynn

***UPDATE***

Class info:
10-weeks
$12/class

Location: LaFortune Community Center/Kaiser Library

Tuesday nights: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
(beginning Sept. 9)

Wednesday mornings: 9-10 a.m.
(beginning Sept. 10)

Also: Special 5-week class especially for home-school children, age 12 and up.
Tuesday afternoons: 3-4 p.m.
(beginning Sept. 9)

To register, send email to tara@taralynnthompson.com

The pen is mightier

They were mortal men, though made of metal not of this earth. The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were nothing more sensational or remarkable than anyone of us. Except one thing. They believed.
This wasn't about expressing a political view and being disliked, joked about on Jay Leno, gossiped about on the McLaughlin group, or broadcast on YouTube. Their act wasn't a media stunt, a sound bite, or a stumping speech. Their motivation wasn't from a Gallup poll or a Hollywood blockbuster.
They signed with their life.
This wasn't even a final act of redemption for a group of old men. Most were young, well-accomplished, highly educated, and seriously successful.

Out of the 56:
- 18 were under 40
- 3 were in their 20s
- 24 were judges and lawyers
- 11 were merchants
- 9 were landowners and farmers
- 12 were doctors, ministers and politicians

All were men with wealth and families, except two. They were men with their lives ahead of them and everything to lose. Yet, they signed. They committed treason, an act punished by hanging, an act performed though a British fleet anchored in New York Harbor.

This wasn't a boy's club, a place to sit and jaw and fan themselves while debating philosophy and economics. They would have no bodyguards to surround them, no armored car to whisk them away. They would sign. And their lives would cease to remain the same, if they lived at all.
And they knew it.
As Stephen Hopkins signed, his pen shaking, he said, "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."

This is what they gave up.

Out of the 56:
- 9 died of wounds or hardships during war
- 5 were captured and imprisoned, each brutally treated
- several lost wives, sons or entire families
- 1 lost 13 children
- 2 wives were brutally beaten
- all were hunted down and driven from their homes
- 12 had their homes completed burned
- 17 lost everything they owned
- 0 defected

And because they deserve it, because we should know their names by heart, a little post signing biography. This is just a sampling of who they were and what they suffered:

- Francis Lewis, New York delegate saw his home plundered -- and his estates in what is now Harlem -- completely destroyed by British Soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

- John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

- Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a Tory sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton's parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the Revolution. His family was forced to live off charity.

- George Clymer, Pennsylvania signer, escaped with his family from their home, but their property was completely destroyed by the British in the Germantown and Brandywine campaigns.

- John Martin, a Tory in his views previous to the debate, lived in a strongly loyalist area of Pennsylvania. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: "Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country."

- William Ellery, Rhode Island delegate, saw his property and home burned to the ground.

- Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson's palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, "Why do you spare my home?" They replied, "Sir, out of respect to you." Nelson cried, "Give me the cannon!" and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson's sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson's property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.

Special thanks to Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr who wrote such an inspiring speech about the men who gave away their freedom for our future. Thanks for offering more than just a history lesson. It's a glimpse into unabashed patriotism. And why we should expect no less from ourselves.
Read Mr. Limbaugh's speech here. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Read it.

Irregular quotes

Tara Lynn Thompson on Honesty in Medicine:

I recently went with a friend to the hospital. After examining her, here is what the doctor said, "I'm prescribing you some medication. After taking it, you will have terrible insomnia and won't sleep. Your strength will vanish. Life will feel like it is leaving you. You won't remember your own name. And because of swelling, you won't recognize your own face. Don't even try to eat, it won't stay down. Your joints will swell and you'll feel like Pinocchio before he became a 'real boy' and had rusty hinges for knees. You'll carry a brick around in your sinuses and your head may feel like exploding. You might want to warn your neighbors or any small children in the area because you'll be covered in a rash and acne. A suicide watch should be held around the clock. And if you stop taking it once you start, you'll pray a bus runs you down in cold blood. But you won't have a sore throat anymore. That should get better in about a week."
Actually, they said something like, "I'll write you a prescription for Prednisone."

For Kristin. May you never fill another prescription.

Endangering the species of men

I was told not long ago
by a female, friend, or foe
about the paradox of men
those hairy specimen

What they've lost and we can't find
A strength of character and mind
Leadership and heart combined
Someone wise and smart and kind

A timeless male of truth and grit
who tackles jobs and doesn't quit
He bares his teeth and stands his ground
and into dust injustice he'll pound

But instead, said she
we have a wannabe
not masculine or tough
but overly tanned and buff

their hair styled right
their teeth stark white
no overbite
their shirt too tight

She had a point, I must admit
the description too easily fit
men concerned with clothes and hair
worried by hangnails and skin too fair

Sipping coffee in their sandaled feet
wearing an ensemble complete
only sweating while in a gym
with the air controlled and the women thin

What to do, I really didn't know
But should on your path a metro show
Comment on their manicured toe
When they look down, go, go, go.

The Independent: Men effeminate due to fashion, says Kazakhstan President's daughter

The great and powerful OZ

(image from Warner Bros.)

The brilliance of the Wizard
(and a few general instructions thrown in)

- If there is a perfectly bricked yellow road, devoid of traffic and chewing gum, walk on it.
- When needing an excuse to do what you want, try "because, because, because, because, because."
- If going for a long hike across country, wear red, glittery high heels.
- Mapquest before traveling over the rainbow.
- Friends made of tin won't enjoy just singing in the rain.
- Never use the expression, "When monkeys fly," because they might.
- Skipping with your friends is a heart-healthy way to bond.
- Before crossing the street, look for motor vehicles and falling houses.
- If you take the shoes off a dead witch, make sure she's the only witch in the neighborhood.
- When pulled over for speeding, simply ask the officer, "Why, oh why, can't I?"
- You should never talk to strangers, unless they are made of straw, tin, or very curly hair.
- Take heart whenever it is offered.
- When trying to find yourself, check where troubles melt like lemondrops. If not there, check way above the chimney tops.
- Even without a brain, you can have good friends and a pretty girl.
- Hide behind a curtain, people never look there.
- If self-conscious about your size, add the word "great" to your name.
- People with green faces can never be trusted.
- Aquafina can be refreshing, as well as deadly. Drink responsibly.
- When crowds of people break into song and dance, there's no place like home.

Living the Dream

Most people, when asked what they'd do with a large sum of money, say something like "take a vacation" or "buy a house" or even "pay off my bills." I'm not really into any of those things. I don't have money and I already take vacations, even if it means a good book, stretchy pants, and ten uninterrupted hours on my couch. I also have a home and, oddly enough, I usually even pay my bills. Well...most of the time.
If I had money, I'd do it differently. First, I'd drive 75 mph to Sam's Club, because fuel efficiency is for poor people. I'd go inside and purchase a Sam's membership, because using a friend's membership is for poor people. And I'd buy a container of blackberries, even though poor people can't afford $5 for 18 ounces of fruit.
Then I'd eat them.

The end.