Not My Problem

      A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer
and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a mousetrap!
     Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning,
"There is a mousetrap in the house, there is a mousetrap in the house."
     The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of
no consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it."
     The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house."
     "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers."
     The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, "Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a
mousetrap; am I in grave danger, Duh?"
     So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.  That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
     The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.  In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.  The snake bit the farmer's wife.  The farmer rushed her to the hospital.  She returned home with a fever.   Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.    His wife's sickness continued,  so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To  feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
     The farmer's wife did not get well; in fact, she died, and so many people came for her funeral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
     So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when the least of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
 
 

     Sullivan Ballou was born on 28th March, 1827. Orphaned when he was young, he experienced considerable poverty before qualifying as a lawyer. He entered politics and was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He was married with two young sons (Edgar and William) when the American Civil War started. A strong opponent of slavery, Ballou joined the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry on 14th July, 1861. The regiment was sent to Washington where they waited for further orders.
     In July, 1861, Abraham Lincoln appointed Major General Irvin McDowell as commander of the Union Army and sent him to take Richmond, the newbase the Confederate government.
     It was decided that the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry would be part of McDowell's army. When he heard he was leaving, Ballou wrote his amous letter to his wife Sarah Ballou. A week later on 21st July, 1861, Major Sullivan Ballou was killed when he was hit by cannon ball during an attack by the Confederate Army at Bull Run.
 
 

                     The Sullivan Ballou Letter

July 14, 1861
Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few
days-perhaps tomorrow. And lest I should not be able to write to
you again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under
your eye when I shall be no more. Our movement may be one of a
few days' duration and be full of pleasure. And it may be one of
severe conflict and death to me. "Not my will but thine O God be
done." If it is necessary that I should fall on the battle-field for my
Country I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of
confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage
does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization
now leans on the triumpth of the Government, and how
great a debt we owe to those who went before us
throught the blood and suffering of the Revolution.
And I am willing--perfectly willing--to lay down all
my joys in this life, to help maintain this
Government, and to pay that debt. But my dear wife,
when I know that with my own joys I lay down
nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with
cares and sorrows, when after having eaten for long
years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer
it as the only sustenance to my dear little children, is
it weak or dishonorable that while the banner of my
purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze,
underneath, my unbounded love for you my darling
wife and children should struggle in fierce though
useless contest with my love of country?

I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer Sabbath
night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of
them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of Death. And I am
suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart,
and communing with God, my country, and thee. I have sought
most closely and diligently and often in my breast for a wrong
motive in thus hazarding the happiness of all those I loved, and I
could find none. A pure love of my Country and of the principles I
have often advocated before the people, another name of honor
that I love more than I fear death, has called upon me and I have
obeyed.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to beind me with
mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet
my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears
me irresistibly on, with all these chains to the battle-field.

The memories of all the blissful moments I have enjouyed with you
come creeping over me and I feel most deeply grateful to God and
to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And how hard it is for me
to give them up, and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when,
God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen
our boys grow up to honorable manhood around us. I know I have
but few small claims upon Divine Providence, but something
whispers to me--perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar,
that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my
dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, nor that when my
last breath escapes me on the battle-field, it will whisper your
name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you.
How thoughtless, how foolish I have often times been! How gladly
would I wash out with my tears every little spot on your
happiuness and struggle with the misfortunes of this world to
shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot; I must watch
you from the spirit-land, and hover near you while you buffet the
storms with you precious little freight, and wait with sad patience
till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit
unseen around those they loved, I shall be always with you in the
gladdest day and in the darkest night, amidst your happiest scene
and gloomiest hours--always, always, and if there be a soft breeze
upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your
throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not
mourn me dead; think I am gone, and wait for me for we shall
meet again...

Sullivan

Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The
one dollar bill you're looking at first came off
the presses in 1957 in its present design.
This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton
and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk
fibers running through it.  It is actually material.
We've all washed it without it falling apart. A
special blend of ink is used, the contents we will
never know. It is overprinted with symbols and
then it is starched to make it water resistant and
pressed to give it that nice crisp look.

If you look on the front of the bill, you will see
the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you
will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the
center you have a carpenter's square, a tool
used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to
the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy
to figure out, but
what is on the back of that dollar bill is
something we should all know.

If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles.
Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal
of the United States.  The First Continental
Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and
a group of men come up with a Seal. It took
them four years to accomplish this task and
another two years to get it approved.

If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a
Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the
western side is dark.  This country was just
beginning.     We had not begun to explore the
West or decided what we could do for Western
Civilization. The Pyramid is un-capped, again
signifying that we were not even close to being
finished. Inside the capstone you have the
all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.  It
was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it
alone, but a group of men, with the help of God,
could do anything.

 
 

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The
Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS,
means, "God has favored our
undertaking."  The Latin below the pyramid,
NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new
order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is
the Roman Numeral for 1776.
If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it
carefully, you will learn that it is on every
National Cemetery in the United States.  It is
also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the
Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the
centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly
modified, it is the seal of the President of the
United States, and it is always visible whenever
he speaks, yet very few people know what the
symbols mean.

The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for
victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of
a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough
to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material
crown.  We had just broken from the King of
England.  Also, notice the shield is
unsupported. This country can now stand on its
own.  At the top of that shield you have a white
bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We
were coming together as one nation.  In the
Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS
UNUM", meaning, "one nation from many
people".

Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars,
representing the thirteen original colonies, and
any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away.
Again, we were coming together as one.
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He
holds
an olive branch and arrows. This country wants
peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to
preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face
the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze
turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky
number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You
will usually never see a room numbered 13, or
any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think
about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of
the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on
our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in
the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus
Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on
that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13
fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And,
for minorities: the 13th Amendment.

I always ask people, "Why don't you know
this?"  Your children don't know this, and their
history teachers don't know this.  Too many
veterans have given up too much to ever let the
meaning fade.  Many veterans remember
coming home to an America that didn't care.
Too many veterans never came home at all.

The year is 1902, one hundred years ago...

What a difference a century makes. Here are the U.S. statistics for 1902:

The average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47).

Only 14 Percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily  populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent Accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a Dentist  $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a Mechanical Engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. Physicians had no college education.

 Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in  the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffe  cost fifteen cents a pound.

 Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the US were:

  1. Pneumonia and influenza
   2. Tuberculosis
   3. Diarrhea
   4. Heart disease
   5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico,
Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

One in ten U.S. adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter
at corner drugstores.

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time
servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
 

 

May we all look into our own heart and souls, where we cannot lie,  and reflect on our own selfish tendencies and ask how are we making a difference on this planet.  Can I conserve more, can I recycle more, can I take less and waste less, can I help more and can I give more of myself? I will find a way today to do more.

USS REAGAN PASSING THE ARIZONA MEMORIAL

When the Bridge pipes "Man the Rail" there is a lot of rail to man on this monster. Shoulder to shoulder around 4? acres. This doesn't give her
displacement but it's about 100,000 tons with full complements.

Capability

Top speed exceeds 30 knots
Powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling
Carries over 80 combat aircraft
Three arresting cables can stop a 28-ton aircraft going 150 miles per hour in less than 400 feet

Size
Towers 20 stories above the waterline
1092 feet long; nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
Flight deck covers 4.5 acres
4 bronze propellers, each 21 feet across, weighing 66,200 pounds
2 rudders, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
4 high speed aircraft elevators, each over 4,000 square feet

Dec. 8, 1994 Contract awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding
Feb 12, 1998 Keel laid
Oct 1, 2000 Pre-commissioning Unit established

March 4, 2001 Christened by Mrs. Nancy Reagan
May 5, 2003 First underway
July 12, 2003 Commissioned
July 23, 2004 Arrived at homeport in San Diego, CA

Capacity

Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
Carries enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
18,150 meals served daily
Distillation plants provide 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2000 homes
Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,325 miles of cable and wiring 1,400 telephones, 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets
Costs the Navy approximately $250,000 per day for pier side operation
Costs the Navy approximately $2.5 million per day for underway operations (Sailor's salaries included).