Bryan Strawser

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Archives for 2008

Someone had to say it…

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I’m glad John McCain included these lines:

I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.

Amen brother. Amen.

I, too, sing America

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I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–

I, too, am America.

– Langston Hughes

Ed “Too-Tall” Freeman

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Jules Crittenden writes

As we speak, mild-looking old men are limping through airports all over the United States. Each wears a black Stetson cavalry hat, and each is making his way to, of all places, Boise, Idaho. If their fellow travelers ever knew…

Ed “Too-Tall” Freeman, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts in supporting a heavily engaged infantry battalion in the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, evacuating more than 30 seriously wounded soldiers in 14 separate missions under heavy fire, has passed away.

His son related this story from the last few weeks as his father lay in the hospital:

“A guy came into the hospital and said, ‘You don’t know me, but I was one of those people you hauled out of the X-Ray,'” said Mike Freeman, 54, one of Ed’s two sons. “He said, ‘Thanks for my life.’ “

Rest in Peace.

It was 15 years ago…

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today that I first walked in the doors of a Target store as a team member – Assets Protection Specialist was the title – I was making $5.71/hr.

Fifteen years later, six months, and moving through seven different roles — I’m still here as Manager, Assets Protection Innovation at HQ — the “dessert” party for our floor is later in the month.

Though many opportunities have come my way to move on – leave the company – do something else – it’s the great folks that I work with everyday that keep me inspired and motivated — and challenged…. It’s been a great place to have a career.

Maggie, wherever you are nowadays, thanks again for hiring me. I had no idea this would be so much fun!

An observation about the Media

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There were less than 15 US military deaths in Iraq during the entire month of July 2008.

Can you point to one major newspaper that covered this in the same fashion in which they covered our more violent months?

I can’t.

DC v Heller

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Someone asked me the other day why I hadn’t blogged about DC v Heller, the Supreme Court Gun Control case that was decided a few days ago.

I replied – “Because it’s the outcome that I had always hoped for – and the one that I expected to see…”

I’ve been an advocate of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms since the day that I read the Bill of Rights and truly felt as if I understood what it meant – I feel just as strongly about the other amendments and the rest of the Constitution as well.

Prior to 9/11, I was nearly a single issue voter – that issue was gun control. A candidate’s stance on this issue tended to embody for me what I perceived to be that candidate’s view on most of the Constitution – even though that wasn’t quite true in most of the cases.

Now that the core issue is decided, I’m looking forward to the next 20 years of court decisions dealing with individual and specific issues related to this ruling.

Oh, and to all of you who I’ve argued this issue with who were on the other side of the issue – I told you so.