Author Archive

Headlines Tell The Story (June 20 -26, 2010)

At “Union of Americans” we offer a review of some of the previous week’s significant news. This is done by listing headlines of that week. If you would like to view an entire article, simply click on that headline.

Wall Street Journal (6/23/2010)
Top U.S. General Under Fire

Wall Street Journal (6/23/2010)
Judge Overturns Drilling Ban

Wall Street Journal (6/22/2010)
Bomber Pleads Guilty in Plot

Wall Street Journal (6/20/2010)
China Eases Currency Peg

A Journey Into Space That You’ll Never Forget!!!!

We have A. Zartha to thank for this unique journey into space. The trip is beautifully documented with photographs taken by the Hubble Telescope, which is 367 miles above Earth’s sea level. It is a humbling, exciting and beautiful trip deep into the unknown.

“Light years” are the standard measure for interstellar travel.In order to appreciate and possibly comprehend what you will see in this “Journey In Space” distances will be described in “miles per hour” or in “light years” so……..
          Speed of light is 671 million miles per hour
          Speed of light is 16.104 billion miles per day
          Speed of light, “light year”,  is 5.878 trillion miles per year

 We’ve tried to give you some perspective of distances with the above numbers.

Below is an example of  a photograph you will come across when you view “A Journey In Space”. It is of two Nebulas meeting called the “Ant Nebula” which are 3,000 and 6,000 “light years” away. Hard to visualize a journey that would cover such a distance.

The story of the “Ants Nebula” is a fascinating one and you will find many other stories and pictures of various celestial bodies. Trying to put all of this in perspective will be alot easier when you click on  Journey In Space, where you will find some of the magnificent, beautiful photography taken by the Hubble Telescope.

Again, to view these beautiful, undescribable and breathtaking photographs click on  Journey In Space.

Hope you enjoy…….. and arrive at an interesting perspective regarding the planet Earth and its occupants. ~ Publisher

President Micro-Managing the Post Office?

We received a copy of the “Stamp Email” from one of our “Trusted Readers”. This “Reader” has been a regular contributor toThe Journal of the Patriot’s Patrol for years and is a staunch supporter of the “Union of Americans”. ~ Publisher 

“….President Obama has directed the United States Postal Service to REMEMBER and HONOR the EID MUSLIM Holiday Season with a new commemorative 44-Cent First Class Muslim Holiday Postage Stamp….”  

The “Stamp Email” is a mass of half-truths and falsehoods. It raises serious questions and stretches the imagination. How can a stamp actually damage the honor of those who have fallen in the defense of our nation? Under close examination the “Stamp Email” doesn’t stand up. As a result any true criticism offered is too weak on which to base a legitimate claim of damage to our “Fallen” or to the American People. (**see Note)  

 Stating that a postage stamp could be endowed with such sinister thoughts and capable of calling for such actions as it suggests brings the “Stamp Story” into question along with all anti-Obama criticism and critics. It will do as much damage to the critics as it does to the one criticized. Obama critics have plenty of legitimate complaints on which to spend their time on rather than on a falsehood such as this questionable “Stamp Email”. 

What is really important about the mailing is that it reminds the American People of the damage that the “Sons of Islam” have brought to American interests abroad, the American People and the American Homeland. So, as far as “Union of Americans” is concerned, we wish to remind all “Patriots” to remember……………… 

“….REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am Flight 103!  

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Military Barracks in Saudi Arabia!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!
 REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11/2001!
REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!…”

We, the “Union of Americans”, are not anti-Muslim, but we are opposed to those Muslims that have embraced Jihad and threaten the safety, security and future of the American People. 

 

**Note:
It is the policy of the “Union of Americans” to submit documents received to “Snopes” and “Truth or Fiction” to determine their authenticity. The email above was submitted to both “Snopes” and “Truth of Fiction” and was labeled by both organizations  a hoax with a bit of truth mixed in…… a document with untruthful insinuations as to the source of the stamp, the message inherent in the stamp proposal and last questioning the constitutionality of such a document.

Headlines Tell the Story (June 13 – 19, 2010)

At “Union of Americans” we offer a review of some of the previous week’s significant news. This is done by listing headlines of that week. If you would like to view an entire article, simply click on that headline.

Wall Street Journal (6/18/2010)
Democrats Divided on Energy Bill

Wall Street Journal (6/17/2010)
BP Agrees to $20 Billion Fund

Wall Street Journal (6/17/2010)
France Seeks to Raise Retirement Age in Bid to Tame Deficit 

Wall Street Journal (6/17/2010)
The Bad News About ObamaCare Keeps Piling Up

Wall Street Journal (6/17/2010)
Obama Address Gets Low Marks
(President’s First Oval Office Speech Draws Criticism from Across Political Spectrum)

Wall Street Journal (6/16/2010)
End Seen to Free Checking

Wall Street Journal (6/16/2010)
Oil Spill May Hinder Recovery

Wall Street Journal (6/16/2010)
Senators Rap War Effort
(Afghan Strategy Is Hit By Bipartisan Criticism as Setbacks Stirup Concerns) 

Wall Street Journal (6/15/2010)
U.S. Apparel Retailers Turn Their Gaze Beyond China

Wall Street Journal (6/14/2010)
European Union Considers Temporary Bans on Short-Selling, CDSUS to Demand BP Fund

 Wall Street Journal (6/14/2010
Kyrgyzstan Violence Threatens Region

New York Times (6/14/2010)
Map and Estimates of Oil Spilled In Gulf

Flag Day

Flag Day is a day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for our nation’s flag, its designers and makers.      

 In the United States we celebrate Flag Day on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day. An Act of Congress established national Flag Day in August 1949.Our flag is representative of our independence and our unity as a nation “…one nation, under God, indivisible”.    

Our flag has a proud and glorious history. The flag was at the lead of every battle ever fought by Americans. Many people have died protecting it. It even stands proudly on the surface of the moon. As Americans, we have every right to be proud of our culture, our nation, and our flag. So raise the flag today and every day with pride!  

 Properly Display Our Flag 

 There is a right way and a wrong way to display the flag.  The American flag should be held in the highest of regards. It represents our nation and the many people who gave their lives for our country and our flag. Here are the basics on displaying the American flag:      

  • The flag is normally flown from sunrise to sunset.
  •  In the morning, raise the flag briskly. At sunset, lower it slowly. Always, raise and lower it ceremoniously.
  •  The flag should not be flown at night without a light on it.
  •  The flag should not be flown in the rain or inclement weather.
  • After a tragedy or death, the flag is flown at half-staff for 30 days. It’s called “half staff” on land, and “half mast” on a ship.
  •  When flown vertically on a pole, the stars and blue field, or “union”, is at the top and at the end of the pole (away from your house).
  •  The American flag is always flown at the top of the pole. Your state flag and other flags fly below it.
  •  The union is always on top. When displayed in print, the stars and blue field are always on the left.
  •  Never let your flag touch the ground, never…period.
  •  Fold your flag when storing. Don’t just stuff it in a drawer or box. 
  •   When your flag is old and has seen better days, it is time to retire it. Old flags should be burned or buried. Please do not throw it in the trash.
  • There is a very special ceremony for retiring the flag by burning it. It is a ceremony everyone should see. Your local Boy Scout group knows the proper ceremony and performs it on a regular basis. If you have an old flag, give it to them. And, attend the ceremony. 

     

Courtsey of: http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/flagday.htm

The Week In Headlines

The Week Beginning June 7, 2010

At “Union of Americans” we offer a review of some of the previous week’s significant news. This is done by listing headlines of that week. If you would like to view an entire article, simply click on that headline.

 New York Times (6/13/2010)
U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan

Partners on Some Work and Opponents for the Prize: Control of the House

Wall Street Journal (6/12/2010)
Jordan’s Nuclear Ambitions Pose Quandary for Obama

Consumers Tighten Belts
(Surprise Drop In Spending Adds to Doubts About the Recovery’s Strength)

Wall Street Journal (6/11/2010)
BP Weighs Dividend Cut
(Estimate of Spill’s Size is Raised as Britain Defends Embattled Oil Giant)

FBI to Probe IPad Breach
(Group That Exposed AT&T Flaw to See Addresses Says It Did a ‘Public Service’)

Wall Street Journal (6/10/2010)
U.S. Firms Build Up Record Cash Piles

U.S. Ramps Up Tab on BP
(Stock Plunges as White House Insists Company Pay All Idled Oild Workers in Gulf)

Wall Street Journal (6/8/2010)
Obama to Reopen Oil Drilling
(New Rules on Shallow-Water Exploration Expected as Economic Woes Mount)

DJIA Slides Under ‘Flash Crash’ Low
(Blue Chips Fall 115.48 Points to 7-Month Low as Buyers Stay Away; A Sudden Pulse Pushes Up Gold)

Wall Street Journal (6/07/2010)
Chinese Workers Win Wave of Raises

Theodore Roosevelt on Immigration

“Union of Americans” has recently received a copy of photograph dated 1907 from one of our “Readers”. As per our policy we checked the authenticity of the photograph along with what was credited as being said by Theodore Roosevelt. ~ Editor

At the time Theodore Roosevelt was the Governor of the State of New York photograph but was soon to be the youngest President of the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt did indeed state the following in regards to Immigration. It seems it is a topic that he felt strongly about, as he spoke about Immigration multiple times throughout his political career and lifetime.

‘In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.’ ~ Theodore Roosevelt 1907

If you click on the following link, you will be able to do some further reading on President Theodore Roosevelt’s opinion on Immigration. 
http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/troosevelt.asp         

Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations

      1. Abu Nidal Organization (ANO)
      2. Abu Sayyaf Group
      3. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
      4. Ansar al-Islam
      5. Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
      6. Asbat al-Ansar
      7. Aum Shinrikyo
      8. Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
      9. Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army (CPP/NPA) 
      10. Continuity Irish Republican Army 
      11. Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group)
      12. HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
      13. Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
      14. Hizballah (Party of God)
      15. Islamic Jihad Group
      16. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
      17. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed)
      18. Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI)
      19. al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad)
      20. Kahane Chai (Kach)
      21. Kongra-Gel (KGK, formerly Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, KADEK)
      22. Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous)
      23. Lashkar i Jhangvi
      24. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
      25. Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)
      26. Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM)
      27. Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK)
      28. National Liberation Army (ELN)
      29. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
      30. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
      31. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLF) 
      32. PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC)
      33. al-Qa’ida
      34. Real IRA
      35. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
      36. Revolutionary Nuclei (formerly ELA)
      37. Revolutionary Organization 17 November
      38. Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) 
      39. Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)
      40. Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL)
      41. Tanzim Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (QJBR) (al-Qaida in Iraq) (formerly Jama’at al-Tawhid wa’al-Jihad, JTJ, al-Zarqawi Network)
      42. United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)

* Section 212(a)(3/4/4a) of the “Immigration and Nationality Act” (INA) defines “terrorist as: Any alien who-
(I) has engaged in a terrorist activity,(II) a consular officer, the Attorney General, or the Secretary of Homeland Security knows, or has reasonable ground to believe, is engaged in or is likely to engage after entry in any terrorist activity (as defined in clause (iv));(III) has, under circumstances indicating an intention to cause death or serious bodily harm, incited terrorist activity;(IV) is a representative (as defined in clause (v)) of–(V) is a member of a terrorist organization described in subclause (I) or (II) of clause (vi);(VI) is a member of a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III), unless the alien can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the alien did not know, and should not reasonably have known, that the organization was a terrorist organization;(VII) endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization;(VIII) has received military-type training (as defined in section 2339D(c)(1) of title 18, United States Code) from or on behalf of any organization that, at the time the training was received, was a terrorist organization (as defined in clause (vi)); or 4/ (iii) TERRORIST ACTIVITY DEFINED.-As used in this Act, the term “terrorist activity” means any activity which is unlawful under the laws of the place where it is committed (or which, if 4/ it had been committed in the United States, would be unlawful under the laws of the United States or any State) and which involves any of the following:4/ firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property.(iv) 4/ 4b/ ENGAGE IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY DEFINED- As used in this chapter, the term “engage in terrorist activity” means, in an individual capacity or as a member of an organization-(VI) to commit an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should know, affords material support, including a safe house, transportation, communications, funds, transfer of funds or other material financial benefit, false documentation or identification, weapons (including chemical, biological, or radiological weapons), explosives, or training–5/ (v) REPRESENTATIVE DEFINED.-As used in this paragraph, the term “representative” includes an officer, official, or spokesman of an organization, and any person who directs, counsels, commands, or induces an organization or its members to engage in terrorist activity.(vi) 5a/ 4c TERRORIST ORGANIZATION DEFINED- As used in this section, the term ‘terrorist organization’ means an organization—(I) designated under section 219 ;(III) that is a group of two or more individuals, whether organized or not, which engages in, or has a subgroup which engages in, the activities described in subclauses (I) through (VI) of clause (iv). 

(aa) a terrorist organization (as defined in clause (vi)); or

(bb) a political, social, or other group that endorses or espouses terrorist activity; 

(I) The highjacking or sabotage of any conveyance (including an aircraft, vessel, or vehicle).

(II) The seizing or detaining, and threatening to kill, injure, or continue to detain, another individual in order to compel a third person (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the individual seized or detained.

(III) A violent attack upon an internationally protected person (as defined in section 1116(b)(4) of title 18, United States Code) or upon the liberty of such a person.

(IV) An assassination.

(V) The use of any-

(aa) biological agent, chemical agent, or nuclear weapon or device, or

(bb) explosive,

(VI) A threat, attempt, or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing.  

(I) to commit or to incite to commit, under circumstances indicating an intention to cause death or serious bodily injury, a terrorist activity;

(II) to prepare or plan a terrorist activity;

(III) to gather information on potential targets for terrorist activity;

(IV) to solicit funds or other things of value for–

(aa) a terrorist activity;

(bb) a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(I) or (vi)(II); or

(cc) a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III), unless the solicitor can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he did not know, and should not reasonably have known, that the organization was a terrorist organization;

(V) to solicit any individual–

(aa) to engage in conduct otherwise described in this subsection;

(bb) for membership in a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(I) or (vi)(II); or

(cc) for membership in a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III) unless the solicitor can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he did not know, and should not reasonably have known, that the organization was a terrorist organization; or  

(aa) for the commission of a terrorist activity;

(bb) to any individual who the actor knows, or reasonably should know, has committed or plans to commit a terrorist activity;

(cc) to a terrorist organization described in subclause (I) or (II) of clause (vi) or to any member of such an organization; or

(dd) to a terrorist organization described in clause (vi)(III), or to any member of such an organization, unless the actor can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the actor did not know, and should not reasonably have known, that the organization was a terrorist organization.  

(II) otherwise designated, upon publication in the Federal Register, by the Secretary of State in consultation with or upon the request of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as a terrorist organization, after finding that the organization engages in the activities described in subclauses (I) through (VI) of clause (iv)…

Obama, Israel & American Jews: The Challenge

By Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe
The editors of Commentary asked 31 American Jews to respond to the following statement:

The open conflict between the Obama administration and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has created tensions between the United States and Israel of a kind not seen since the days of the administration of the first President Bush. And those tensions are placing unique pressure on American Jews, who voted for Barack Obama by a margin of nearly 4-to-1 in 2008 after being assured by Obama himself and by his supporters in the Jewish community that he was a friend and an ally of the State of Israel despite his long association with, among others, the unabashedly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

We argue that American Jews are facing an unprecedented political challenge, and at a crucial moment, with the need to address the existential threat to Israel—and by extension to the future of the Jewish people as a whole—from a potentially nuclear Iran. How will American Jews handle this challenge? Can Obama’s Jewish supporters act in a way that will change the unmistakable direction of current American policy emanating from the White House? Will American Jews accept Barack Obama’s view that the state of Israel bears some responsibility for the loss of American “blood and treasure” in the Middle East? Will they continue to extend their support to the Obama administration and to Barack Obama’s political party?

Jeff Jacoby’s contribution follows.

LONG BEFORE his election as president, it was clear that Barack Obama felt little of the traditional American warmth for Israel or any particular repugnance for the enemies that Israel and America have in common. As Commentary’s editors suggest, his exceptionally close ties to the man he described as his spiritual mentor, the Israel-bashing Reverend Jeremiah Wright, should have given pause to any pro-Israel voter. So should the persistence with which he vowed to undertake direct presidential diplomacy with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — the virulently anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic president of Iran — “without preconditions.” Yet many American Jews chose to give Obama the benefit of the doubt, telling themselves that he could be numbered, as Alan Dershowitz wrote at the time, “among Israel’s strongest supporters.”

Only the willfully blind could believe that now. And many American Jews are willfully blind.

Time and again, Obama has made clear both his lack of sympathy for the Jewish state and his keen desire to ingratiate himself with Arab and Muslim autocrats. The disparities in the administration’s tone and attitude have been striking. For the prime minister of Israel, there have been humiliating snubs and telephoned harangues; for the rulers of Iran, invitations to “engage” and sycophantic New Year greetings. When Damascus was reported to be arming Hezbollah with Scud missiles, Obama’s secretary of state observed mildly that the US “would like to have a more balanced and positive relationship with Syria.” When Israel announced plans to build more homes in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, by contrast, the secretary of state angrily condemned the announcement as “an insult to the United States.”

Even more egregious is Obama’s insinuation that American troops are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan because Israel won’t agree to peace on the Palestinians’ terms. The Israeli-Arab conflict “is costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure,” the president said in April — a claim not just false, but recklessly close to a blood libel. No wonder the number of Israeli Jews who see Obama as pro-Israel is minuscule: just 9 percent, according to the Jerusalem Post.

When the first George Bush was in the White House, he evinced a similar anti-Israel animus, and some of his advisers worried that his Mideast policy would hurt the president with Jewish voters. “F— the Jews,” Secretary of State James Baker notoriously responded, “they don’t vote for us anyway.” They didn’t: When Bush ran for re-election in 1992, he drew only 11 percent of the Jewish vote — less than a third of those who had voted for him in 1988.

Is it likely that two-thirds of the overwhelming majority of Jews who backed Obama in 2008 would abandon him in 2012, assuming he runs for re-election and his animus toward Israel persists? To ask it another way: Would most American Jews vote against a Democratic nominee out of concern for Israel?

There is no reason to think so. American Jews have been stalwart Democrats for nearly a century, and their partisan affiliation shows no sign of weakening — not even as the Democratic Party’s support for Israel grows steadily weaker. When Gallup earlier this year surveyed Americans on their sympathies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 85 percent of Republicans expressed support for Israel — but only 48 percent of Democrats did so. Reams of data confirm that solidarity with Israel is now far stronger among Republicans and conservatives than among Democrats and liberals.

That is why if they are forced to choose between standing with Israel and standing with the Democratic Party, many American Jews will simply deny that any choice must be made. As evidence, consider a recent Quinnipiac University poll, in which fully 50 percent of Jews described Obama as a “strong supporter of Israel” — a far higher proportion than the 19 percent of evangelicals, 23 percent of Protestants, and 35 percent of Catholics who said the same. Denial is not an uncommon response to cognitive dissonance, and a goodly number of Jewish Democrats will find it easier to keep telling themselves that Obama is strongly pro-Israel than to re-think their party loyalty.

To be sure, in 2012 Obama is unlikely to duplicate the 78 percent of Jewish votes he drew in 2008. But will American Jews turn away from him en masse? Don’t bet on it. “F— the Jews,” Obama’s advisers can tell him. “They’ll vote for us anyway.”

http://www.jeffjacoby.com/7543/obama-israel-american-jews-the-challenge
 
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Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. 

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays.

In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael replied with her own poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their “Buddy” Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored Ms Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.

Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50’s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 gravesites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye’s Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to “Taps.”

The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.

Courtesy of: http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html