***ST MICHAEL GOP NEWS***
**Message from Wright County GOP Chair**

Governor Pawlenty in WRIGHT COUNTY - Friday, October 13

Hi Everyone: Just received word from Governor Pawlenty's Campaign that he will be making stops in Wright County on Friday October 13:
Here is the Schedule:
11AM - Monticello - Crostini's Grill 254 W Broadway, Monticello

He will then arrive between 1:15pm and 1:30pm at Perkins in Buffalo for 45 minutes.

He will then travel to Delano - where he will be at 3pm --(but his campaign didn't know for sure where yet) Stay tuned for further details.
Hope to See you there!!!! Onward to VICTORY!!!!!
God Bless America, Again Don

 ***ST MICHAEL GOP NEWS***
**Message from Wright County GOP Chair**

Hi Everyone: We will have another Literature Stuffing Party on Friday, October 13, 4:30 till complete. We will be doing three tables of 18B, four tables of 19A, and switch to 19B when we are done with 19A and 18B. We also have the room reserved for October 20, Friday, 4:30 till ??? to finish 19B if we need to.

Literature Drop 19A: Sat. Oct 14. - Monticello Dairy Queen 9:00 a.m.
Please respond to this email or call contact number 763-300-8492 if you can makeit.

Literature Drop 18B: Thursday, October 18 Please contact Charlotte Hanson at charhan@lakedalelink.net for more details or respond to this email if you can help. Its MEA Day and you can get your kids to help!!! Special Need: NEED DRIVERS!!!!!

Literature Drop 19B: To be announced by the Emmer Campaign.
Thanks again for all you do!!! We really appreciate any help you can give!!
Onward to VICTORY!!!!
God Bless America, Again Don

***In Tribute to***
Mark D. Hindy

Mark David Hindy, 28, was 6 feet 4 inches, 250 pounds. His niece Olivia, 22 months old, is 2 feet 11 inches and weighs 30 pounds. That's a big difference -- a 3-foot, 5-inch, 220-pound difference, to be exact -- but somehow a bond had grown between them when she was even smaller.

"His hand was the size of her, but you could see the gentleness of his big hand supporting her back when he held her," said Ginny Hindy, Mr. Hindy's mother.

Olivia smiled at him when she was 6 months old -- before she had smiled at anyone else. When the family watched television, Olivia always crawled to Mr. Hindy's lap instead of her father's.

"She felt very secure with Mark," Ms. Hindy said.

Greg Hindy, Mr. Hindy's brother and Olivia's father, said that Olivia clearly missed her favorite uncle after the attacks destroyed the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, where he worked.

"After 9/11, she would ask for Mark. 'Markie, hug, Markie, kiss,' she would say," he said. "Then I would say, 'Hug Daddy. Mark will hug you through Daddy.' Now she points to his picture, and says 'Markie, angel.' "

Because of the pair's special relationship, the Hindys have created the Mark Hindy Charitable Foundation to help, among other things, fight diseases that afflict children.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 5, 2001.




Here are some of the kind words that others have said about Mark since his tragic death on Sept 11. 

From: Adam Tosto
Date: 05/10/2006
Message: Mark was my 1st cousin and more then just that he was my big brother and idol. I modeled my life after him and I miss him every day o fmy life. I stumbled upon this site looking him up on google and I just wanted to say that all the victims along with Mark will never be forgotten and I pray that this tragedy never occurs again.

From: Julianna Tosto
Date: 08/01/2006
Message: Mark was one of my cousins. i never knew him but, i am very upset that this tradgedy occured and he was killed. i think about him and what happened every day.We will never forget what happened.

In memory of one the most beautiful souls I have ever had the privilege of knowing.
Carey Oldfield, friend

Where were all these people when Michael Moore released Fahrenheit 9/11?

Clinton Officials Protest 9/11 TV Series
Thursday, September 7, 2006 12:05 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By DEEPTI HAJELA

NEW YORK (AP) — A "terribly wrong" miniseries about events leading to the Sept. 11 attacks blame President Clinton's policies, former Clinton administration officials said in letters demanding that ABC correct it or not air it.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Clinton Foundation head Bruce Lindsey and Clinton adviser Douglas Band wrote in the past week to Robert Iger, CEO of ABC's parent The Walt Disney Co., to express concern over "The Path to 9/11."

I 've been biting my tongue with Chris Matthews for a quite a while. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  Nobody‘s ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS:  Let‘s take a look right now at what the vice president said on the same subject. 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:  (inaudible) more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaida that stretched back through most of the decade of the ‘90s. 

With respect to 9/11, of course you‘ve had the story that‘s been public out there, the Czechs alleged that Mohammed Atta, the lead attacker, met in Prague with a senior Iraqi intelligence official five months before the attack. 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS:  Well, there you have it, a complete difference there, the president saying we never suggested a connection; then you have the vice president saying quite furtively there was a meeting five months before the attack where the intelligence officer from Iraq met with Mohammed Atta, the lead suicide bomber of 9/11.  It seems to me they have different messages.  One says there‘s a connection, one says there wasn‘t. 


Chris Matthews is clearly spinning this to make it look like a contradiction (i.e. a weakness for the administration that he clearly opposes).  The President says "Nobody‘s ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack".  Chris turns that into "the president saying we never suggested a connection".  The Vice President points out a clear example of a connection (one of many) between Iraq and Al Qaeda.   

The reality is that there clearly was a connection between Iraq and terrorist organizations as the Administration has been stating all along.  The administration did not claim that Saddam was behind the attacks, they claimed he had connections to terrorists (i.e. Zarqawi, Khurmal Training Camp, Salman Pak Training Camp, etc, etc).  Combine the terrorist connections with the WMD (don't get me started on Chris and the WMD) and you have a recipe for world disaster.   

I know that we were attacked on Sept 11.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that Al Qaeda trained in caves in Afghanistan.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that Al Qaeda is still hiding in Iran.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that Al Qaeda is still hiding in Pakistan. 

I know that Al Qaeda is still hiding in Syria.

I know that Al Qaeda was in Iraq prior to the US invasion.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that Saddam had WMD’s until at least 1998 at which point he threw inspectors out of Iraq. The evidence was there and the media has video of WMD in Iraq prior to 1998 to prove it. There are UN inspector records showing that he destroyed some of the WMD’s but not all of them. Without inspection teams it was reasonable to conclude that he still had them.

I know that we have found WMD’s since the war started.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that Saddam’s Army folded as soon as we invaded, just like it was predicted.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that American troops were greeted as liberators in Iraq, not everywhere and not by everyone but still greeted.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that the insurgency was fueled from outside of Iraq by Iran, Syria, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, etc.  I know the media can prove this.

I know the civil war in Iraq was fueled from outside Iraq.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that not everyone agrees with me.

I know that over 65% of Americans agreed with me when we went to war.  I know the media can prove this.

I know that the media machine has turned that opinion against the administration, the soldiers, and the war.

I know that if we don’t stand strong then we will fail.

I know that we need to be united in the cause.

I know that Israel shows restraint and gets labeled the aggressor.

I know that Hezbollah takes cheap shots and then plays the victim card.

I know that Muslims are taught that they are being persecuted and I know that is not true.

I know that Americans made a choice to stay in the fight and voted for George W Bush in 2004.

I know that there are a lot of parallels to WWII.

I know that it took an atomic bomb to convince the Japanese that their cause was not worth dying for. I pray that it does not take an atomic bomb to convince the Muslim world that their cause is not worth dying for.

I know that Muslims want to die for their cause and Americans do not.

I know that the cause that we are fighting for is worthwhile and I know that I was willing to sacrifice my life to protect America and preserve the freedom in this country.

I know that being willing to sacrifice my life and being a martyr are not the same. I did not want to die but I was willing to, a martyr is willing and wants to die.

I know that Americans want to live in peace and not fight wars.

Finally, I know that there are times when you have to stand up and fight for what you believe in, and I believe in America.

 It all starts when you park your car in a foreign city where you can’t trust anyone but the guy next to you. Without that trust and that bond you cannot survive in a combat zone. Loyalty is something that needs to be earned and you have to prove yourself for people to trust you. That’s takes time.

As soon as you leave your vehicle you are surrounded by children. Half of them are looking for handouts and the other half want to be your bodyguard. It is well worth the $5 to have one of these kids keep everybody and I mean everybody at least 10 feet away from you.

I took one trip with an Army CID Agent who had very little field experience and had never experienced the swarm of children. He talked a lot and I mean a lot about how experienced he was but his actions and lack of preparation spoke volumes about his experience. He was freaked out that the kids were so close to him and he didn’t bother to bring any candy to keep them at bay. Two things every soldier needs in a combat zone are bullets and candy.

On my first trip I had recommendations from my predecessor on which kids could be trusted and which ones to stay away from. Hafise (pronounced off-ees) with the deformed arm was my favorite “bodyguard”. He kept all the other children away from us as well as any adults. Suicide bombers like to use the burkas as a way to hide bomb vests and it works very effectively. Hafise’s left arm was deformed and he had two small floppy fingers that obviously were not functional. I suspected that his mother probably was exposed to chemical weapons during the Soviet occupation.

It’s sad to see how the children are becoming street smart at such an early age when they should be in school (and there are plenty of schools in AF now). They have no fear of Americans and they know how to survive on the street. They also have an undying loyalty towards each other. They will protect each other through anything that gets in their way. These 10-12 year old boys have seen life and death at its ugliest moments and they survived. They survived because they take care of each and they trust each other.

As an Army Intelligence Officer working in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, I faced a lot of situations that would make normal people shudder, from suicide bombers, roadside bombs, ambushes, to kidnappings. Without the loyalty and trust of the guys I worked with, whether they were OGA, FBI, Soldiers, Sailors or Marines we had one thing in common, we had to trust each other. We knew we had to watch each others back and we knew that if we let our guard down we wouldn’t live long.

Selfless Service

Leaving your family behind, leaving your job and your friends, your pets, your LIFE. There’s a dedication to preserving the freedom of your country that takes over when you serve in the Military. Putting your own life on the line when you know that other people will not.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Sir Edmund Burke

I was at a friend’s house having dinner the other night when the topic came up of my friend retiring from the Army as soon as he has his 20 years of service. He is adamant that he finish his 20 but he is up for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. In order to retire as an LTC he needs to serve 3 more years in that rank. His wife is determined to make him get out and not risk another deployment. I love her to death but she doesn’t understand the reason why people serve their country.

Her reasons are that he now has two beautiful children and a nice house, a great job, and a wonderful wife. Why would he want to risk all that and possibly get deployed again?  

I have been on multiple deployments. My wife and I dated for 4 years before we got married and I was gone for over 2 ½ years of that time. I know and understand the sacrifice that soldiers are making on a daily basis because I have made those same sacrifices.

My wife has lived through having me gone, spent hours worrying and crying and wondering if I will come home.  It’s not easy to be the spouse of a soldier. It’s not easy being the parent or the child of a soldier. Most of the soldiers that I know do not want to go to war. They spend their time training and hoping that they never have to put that training to use. That all changed on Sept 11. Every soldier in America knew that he would see combat. That means every soldier knew that he might have to take the life of another human being. That’s not an easy reality to swallow.  They also know that it may be them losing their own life.  That's a risk that I and every other soldier was willing to take to preserve the freedom of this country.

Back to my friends house, we talked about why people serve and why a soldier would put his country and his freedom above everything else that he holds close to his heart. Without the freedom, the family, the wife, the children can all be taken away in a heartbeat. That is the reality in the majority of the world. We live in America and we don’t see the horrible reality that the rest of the world faces. Without the freedom we would lose the ability to make our own choices, spend our money how we want, eat the food we want, go to the beach when we want, walk the dog, go the park, fly a kite, watch a movie, be a Christian, Jew or Muslim if we want.

My wife survived having me gone, albeit it wasn’t easy but she survived. We live in America the land of the free and the home of the brave. The brave soldiers will always defend this country and that Freedom and everything that goes with it are the reasons that soldiers are willing to risk everything including their own life to preserve it.

I saw this today and I had to post it.

A word from Lt. Cotton

Lt. Tom Cotton writes this morning from Baghdad with a word for the New York Times:

Dear Messrs. Keller, Lichtblau & Risen:

Congratulations on disclosing our government's highly classified anti-terrorist-financing program (June 23). I apologize for not writing sooner. But I am a lieutenant in the United States Army and I spent the last four days patrolling one of the more dangerous areas in Iraq. (Alas, operational security and common sense prevent me from even revealing this unclassified location in a private medium like email.)

Unfortunately, as I supervised my soldiers late one night, I heard a booming explosion several miles away. I learned a few hours later that a powerful roadside bomb killed one soldier and severely injured another from my 130-man company. I deeply hope that we can find and kill or capture the terrorists responsible for that bomb. But, of course, these terrorists do not spring from the soil like Plato's guardians. No, they require financing to obtain mortars and artillery shells, priming explosives, wiring and circuitry, not to mention for training and payments to locals willing to emplace bombs in exchange for a few months' salary. As your story states, the program was legal, briefed to Congress, supported in the government and financial industry, and very successful.

Not anymore. You may think you have done a public service, but you have gravely endangered the lives of my soldiers and all other soldiers and innocent Iraqis here. Next time I hear that familiar explosion -- or next time I feel it -- I will wonder whether we could have stopped that bomb had you not instructed terrorists how to evade our financial surveillance.

And, by the way, having graduated from Harvard Law and practiced with a federal appellate judge and two Washington law firms before becoming an infantry officer, I am well-versed in the espionage laws relevant to this story and others -- laws you have plainly violated. I hope that my colleagues at the Department of Justice match the courage of my soldiers here and prosecute you and your newspaper to the fullest extent of the law. By the time we return home, maybe you will be in your rightful place: not at the Pulitzer announcements, but behind bars.

Very truly yours,

Tom Cotton
Baghdad, Iraq

As I set up this new blog I felt I should start with a prayer.  I can't think of a prayer more fitting than this one.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL
A poem by Peter S. Griffin

Dear Saint Michael, protector of Heaven's Gate,
Guide your Paratroopers, to a victorious fate...
Please keep us safe, in peace or war,
To right the wrongs, that God abhores...

Grant us speed, the flight of your wings,
The element of surprise, to deliver our sting...
Give our weapons, the fighting edge of your sword,
Equip us well, your Airborne wards...

Protect our flesh, with your heavenly shield,
Your warrior heart, that we won't yield...
Grant us strength, to endure the hardships,
Fairness in dealing, with those who would harm us...

Bend your wings, to form our perimeters,
That no enemy assault, could ever wither...
Grant us courage, in attack,
Protect our flanks, and our backs...

Pray for us, on bended knee,
Lead us through hell, to victory...
To God's enemies, grant your vision to see,
That evil will fall, to those who are free...

Tell them, freedom is a gift from God,
"The Home of the Brave", His blessed sod...
"America, America, God sheds his grace on thee",
Saint Michael, Patron Saint of Paratroopers,
LEAD US TO VICTORY!