by samiam60

Decorated Veteran, 90, Fights to Raise Flag in His Yard



A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy — his neighbors.

Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners’ association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face “legal action.”

SLIDESHOW: Medal of Honor Winner Col. Van Barfoot

The homoeowners’ association at Sussex Square community told Barfoot that the freestanding, 21-foot flagpole that he put up in September violates the neighborhood’s aesthetic guidelines.

Barfoot had sought permission to install the pole shortly after he moved into the community — a complex of townhouses where the grounds are community property — last June. The board denied his request in July.

But Barfoot and his family say there is no provision in Sussex Square’s rules that forbids erecting flagpoles. And for Barfoot, that’s a cause worth fighting for.

“There’s never been a day in my life or a place I’ve lived in my life that you couldn’t fly the American flag,” Barfoot said in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In a statement released last night, the association sought to defend its position against a growing chorus of outrage.

“This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole,” reads the statement from the association, which insists that Barfoot directly violated its board’s July ruling.

“Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply.”

The statement reminded the public that many American flags hang from homes in the Sussex Square community, and that the board members object only to Barfoot’s freestanding flagpole.

But Barfoot says he has always flown the flag from a height: “Where I’ve been, fighting wars … military installations, parades, everything else, the flag is vertical. And I’ve done it that way since I was in the Army,” Barfoot told the paper.

Barfoot is one of the country’s last living World War II veterans who received the Medal of Honor. He also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and earned a Purple Heart. In WWII, Barfoot showed his mettle in Carano, Italy, where he single-handedly destroyed a set of German machine gun nests, killed eight enemy soldiers, took 17 prisoners and stared down a tank before destroying it and killing its crew — all in a single day. Exhausted by his herculean efforts, he still managed to move two of his wounded men 1,700 yards to safety.

“Sgt. Barfoot’s extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers,” reads the official citation for his Medal of Honor.

Barfoot’s resolve is now once again being tested.

“I’ve flown the flag at my home as long as I can remember,” said Barfoot, who lived in rural Amelia County before moving to suburban Richmond. “This is the first time in the last 36 years that I’ve been unable to put my flag up on the same pole, the same staff and take it down when it’s time to come down.

“I don’t have any qualms with [the board's] authority, but the thing about it is that I cannot get enough conversation out of them where we can try to work out a solution,” Barfoot said.

Neighbors largely have expressed their support, but he realizes that ultimately it’s up to the nine-member association board whether to grant an exception to the rules.

“Emotional torture is what they’ve done to my father,” said his daughter, Margaret Nicholls. “He has lost sleep, he worries about it constantly. He just doesn’t understand. He thinks that if it’s on his property they can’t tell him what to do.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579147,00.html

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GoodTimePolitics:Merry Christmas, Vacation Time For Goodtimepolitics
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M2′s FreeViews:“Our Whole World Will Be a Burning Ball of Fire! Listen to my Cloward-Piven strategy of 1960’s repackaged Communism, or you will DIE!”
Diary of a Mad Conservative:Ben Stein and Christmas
Moonbat Patrol:Just In Time For Christmas An Afghan Policy, Or Not?
OhioBelle’s Blog:A LETTER TO OUR MUSLIM PRESIDENT
SamHenry’s Blog:CHANGE – is everywhere
WarrantOneGirl:American’s Safety VS. Obama Arrogance and Ignorance
VotingFemale Speaks!:Obama Bitch-Slapped by Hondras Parliment
Jason’s Western Experience:What does Afghanistan 3.0 mean?
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“Till there was Obama”

from: Samiam60 // November 29, 2009 at 7:35

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Obama’s Worshiping Flock…

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• tellitlikeitis // November 3, 2009 at 11:21 am

• GOP congresswoman says health care bill scarier than terrorism

  WASHINGTON (CNN) – A Republican congresswoman said Monday on the House floor that she believes Americans have more to fear from the Democrats’ health care bill “than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.”

  Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina said people in her home district tell her they are frightened of the health care bill expected to be debated by the House as soon as this week.

  “I share that fear, and I believe they should be fearful,” Foxx said, “And I believe the greatest fear that we all should have to our freedom comes from this room – this very room – and what may happen later this week in terms of a tax increase bill masquerading as a health care bill.

  “I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.”

  The Democratic National Committee immediately criticized Foxx, calling her comments “outrageous” and comparing them to Sarah Palin’s previous warning about death panels in regard to a Democratic proposal for voluntary counseling on living wills and other end-of-life decisions.

  “Sadly, these inexplicable comments represent what is now the mainstream of a Republican Party that has been hijacked by an extremist far right-wing faction that craves ideological purity, will purge dissent, and offer nothing but reactionary opposition to progress,” DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said in a statement.

  Aaron Groen, a spokesman for Foxx, said she was speaking “off the cuff” in her comments in the House chamber.

  At a later news conference, House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio responded to a question about Foxx’s remarks by saying that “members are entitled to their opinions.”

  When pressed, Boehner shrugged, then turned to House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, R-Indiana, and said: “This is when they get the Boehner shrug.”

  Pence later told CNN he had no comment on Foxx’s “particular turn of phrase, but I will say, around Indiana, out around this country, people are very, very concerned about an effort to launch a new government run insurance plan.”

  “I think that people in Washington sometimes don’t always get how concerned the American people are about borrowing and spending and the deficits,” Pence said. “It is generating strong emotions. Members of Congress are not immune from those strong emotions, but I have to say that the people’s House ought to resonate with what’s happening in the hearts and minds of the American people.”

  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/02/gop-congresswoman-says-health-care-bill-scarier-than-terrorism/

• tellitlikeitis // October 27, 2009 at 1:58 pm

  Poor Stinky Harry gets no respect.

  Lieberman says he’ll filibuster Reid plan

  Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill.

  Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid’s has said the Senate bill will.

  “We’re trying to do too much at once,” Lieberman said. “To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don’t think we need it now.”

  Lieberman added that he’d vote against a public option plan “even with an opt-out because it still creates a whole new government entitlement program for which taxpayers will be on the line.”

  His comments confirmed that Reid is short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill out of the Senate, even after Reid included the opt-out provision. Several other moderate Democrats expressed skepticism at the proposal as well, but most of the wavering Democratic senators did not go as far as Lieberman Tuesday, saying they were waiting to see the details.

  Lieberman did say he’s “strongly inclined” to vote to proceed to the debate, but that he’ll ultimately vote to block a floor vote on the bill if it isn’t changed first.

  “I’ve told Sen. Reid that if the bill stays as it is now I will vote against cloture,” he said.

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• tellitlikeitis // October 26, 2009 at 11:18 am

  Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological GroupCompared with 2008, more Americans “conservative” in general, and on issues

  PRINCETON, NJ — Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

  “Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year: the 35% of independents describing their views as conservative in 2009 is up from 29% in 2008.”The 2009 data are based on 16 separate Gallup surveys conducted from January through September, encompassing more than 5,000 national adults per quarter. Conservatives have been the dominant ideological group each quarter, with between 39% and 41% of Americans identifying themselves as either “very conservative” or “conservative.” Between 35% and 37% of Americans call themselves “moderate,” while the percentage calling themselves “very liberal” or “liberal” has consistently registered between 20% and 21% — making liberals the smallest of the three groups.

  Independents Inch to the Right

  Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year: the 35% of independents describing their views as conservative in 2009 is up from 29% in 2008. By contrast, among Republicans and Democrats, the percentage who are “conservative” has increased by one point each.

  As is typical in recent years, Republicans are far more unified in their political outlook than are either independents or Democrats. While 72% of Republicans in 2009 call their views conservative, independents are closely split between the moderate and conservative labels (43% and 35%, respectively). Democrats are about evenly divided between moderates (39%) and liberals (37%).

  http://www.gallup.com/poll/123854/Conservatives-Maintain-Edge-Top-Ideological-Group.aspx

Foxwood // October 19, 2009 at 12:37 pm

From:
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=32251&catid=3

Obama Poised To Cede US Sovereignty
Published on October 19, 2009

by OfficialWire NewsDesk

ST. PAUL, MN

On October 14, Lord Christopher Monckton, a noted climate change skeptic, gave a presentation in St. Paul, MN.

In this 4-minute excerpt from his speech, he issues a dire warning to all Americans regarding the United Nations Climate Change Treaty, scheduled to be signed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Lord Monckton served as a policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher. He has repeatedly challenged Al Gore to a debate to which Gore has refused. Monckton sued to stop Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” from being shown in British schools due to its inaccuracies. The judge found in-favor of Monckton, ordering 9 serious errors in the film to be corrected. Lord Monckton travels internationally in an attempt to educating the public about the myth of global warming.

There has been considerable debate raised about Monckton’s conclusion that the Copenhagen Treaty would cede US sovereignty. His comments appear to be based upon his interpretation of the The Supremacy Clause in the US Constitution (Article VI, paragraph 2). This clause establishes the Constitution, Federal Statutes, and U.S. TREATIES as the supreme law of the land. Concerns have been raised in the past that a particularly ambitious treaty may supersede the US Constitution. In the 1950s, a constitutional amendment, known as the Bricker Amendment, was proposed in response to such fears, but it failed to pass.

Foxwood // October 19, 2009 at 12:54 pm (edit)

From:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/video-of-monckton%E2%80%99s-speech-on-obama-poised-to-cede-us-sovereignty-in-copenhagen.html

Video of Monckton’s Speech on Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty in Copenhagen

Watts Up With That?
Monday, Oct 19th, 2009

WUWT readers and many others at other websites responded strongly to my post:

Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty in Copenhagen, Claims British Lord Monckton
http://i43.tinypic.com/xm3btj.jpg Lord Monckton giving a presentation – photo by Derek Warnecke

Now the full video of the speech is available of Lord Christopher Monckton speaking on October 14th, 2009 at a climate skeptic event sponsored by the Minnesota Free Market Institute. As an added bonus, we have the Powerpoint presentation used. Unlike Al Gore’s presentations, Monckton’s presentations are not “secret” and are available to the public.

See the video below.

Here is the full video of Lord Monckton’s speech. It is one hour and 35 minutes long.

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VotingFemale // October 19, 2009 at 3:06 pm

The 2012 Conservative Contenders Facebook Poll based on followers:

Palin is a Clear Land Slide Winner

Palin – 82%

Huckabee – 11%

Romney – 7%

Based on tabulation of the three’s combined total of followers: 1,133,000

See:

http://texas4palin.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-does-sarah-palin-prefer-facebook.html

Why does Sarah Palin prefer Facebook?
Monday, October 19, 2009

Chris Cillizza at The Fix notes that since she resigned as governor of Alaska July 26, Sarah Palin has pushed Twitter onto the back burner and now uses Facebook almost exclusively to get her message out:

All told, Palin has written 20 “notes” on Facebook since mid-August on a variety of subjects ranging from a statement on the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), a plug for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck and, of course, the now-infamous post raising concerns about end-of-life care contained within the Obama plan.

At the same time, Palin, who was once a dynamic user of Twitter — she posted 14 tweets on July 23 alone — has gone largely dormant as a presence on that hottest of social networking sites.

Why has the former governor adopted Facebook as her medium of choice? Cillizza asked around:

“Facebook itself is a true testament to American ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit; it will remain one of many great sources through which the governor will communicate directly with Americans,” said Meg Stapleton, a spokeswoman for Palin.

Several operatives who count themselves as friends of the former governor offered their own thoughts on the “why” behind Palin’s attraction to the medium.

Fred Malek, a major Republican donor, suggested that for a politician with very little staff, Facebook’s ease of use may well appeal to Palin. “Facebook has benefit of simplicity,” he added.

John Coale, a Democratic trial attorney and personal friend of the governor’s suggested three reasons for her Facebook focus:
“1. No editors
2. Beats Twitter
3. She has a zillion Facebook friends.”

As of press time, Palin’s Facebook site had nearly 930,000 supporters and each of her posts typically draw thousands of comments on what she has written, comments that are broadly supportive of her.

By way of comparison, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) has 82,000 Facebook supporters while former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) has 121,000.

- JP

Posted by Josh Painter at 8:09 AM

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