Long weekend thoughts

Last summer, we spent an extended weekend in Cape May, NJ. I love that place. (I wrote about that visit here, and I even featured the same seagull that's shown above, but in photographic format instead of acrylics; just scroll down if you do click on that link, because the gull photo's at the bottom.)

Now that Memorial Day is upon us (don't forget to hang an American flag if you don't display one already!), I have begun thinking summer thoughts. Many folks head beachward for the big weekend. Sadly, we will not be among the beach-bound, but perhaps we can finish some half-completed home projects in between barbecues?

I finished this painting a couple of days ago. He's for sale in my Etsy shop. This made for a prettier picture than another gull image that's seared in my brain; on that particularly memorable occasion, while enjoying our lunch at an outdoor cafe, we observed a gang of sea gulls attacking a beachgoer's bags of unsecured snacks, then devouring them... only to find out later that the victims of the thievery were staying in our bed and breakfast. Poor folks. They hadn't learned, yet, the incredible damage a flock of seagulls can wreak.

Gulls are very smart birds; experts train them to do all sorts of tricks at the National Aviary on the North Side of Pittsburgh. I could digress here, and lead into a rant about birds being smarter than some bird-brained individuals I keep encountering... but I don't want to lay that on you when there's an important holiday, and another long weekend, winking at us all. So, gulls are smart. I'll leave it at that.

Thank a veteran for service. Thank another in honor of those who lost lives while serving; pray for those who've come back and brought injuries and anguish with them. This cushy realm we call America could not exist without their sacrifice.

(Although, if the current leadership keeps up its relentless efforts to kill the freedoms I love through lies, deception, and the systematic dismantling of the Constitution, our cushy realm will completely cease to exist... Oops. There I go again.)

Flag Abuse

Speaking of the flag, here's an abuse of the American flag, plain and simple.
flag abuse

People, I try to keep politics at a minimum here on Melmoirs. I do. But honestly, at this point, I'd have to find out something unspeakable about Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan to make me vote for anyone else.

I urge all of us to open our eyes. Understand the bloated and unfounded ego, the unhealthy agenda. Please try to grasp the threat to America that is clearly evident in one man's utter disrespect for what made this country great.

Reminder

If you can remember how you felt 8 years ago today—the shock, the sick feeling that washed over you as you viewed the scenes on television, the horror of realizing how many lives were being lost, the uncertainty from minute to minute as to what might happen next—then please display your flag today.

Even if you can't remember, hang it. Please. Do not let the memory blur. Do not let your guard down. Do not ever choose to forget that we live in a fallen world, full of people who are ruled by evil.

And frankly, I still think it's cool to be a patriot and love America and be proud of her. In spite of what our first lady thinks.

P.S. Hey, does anyone else think it's odd that, for all the stupid anniversaries that Google celebrates, they are not observing this one AT ALL? No special Google logo, no mention... Hmmmmmm. Who owns Google? A bunch of frothing libs? Fascists? Reds? Can we tell Google that we think they're lame? Even if they're hosting this very site? Yes, I think we can.

Remembering those who have fallen

I’m yet another clueless American in many ways. I had to go find some information online about the fast-approaching holiday. This page was pretty informative:

www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

If you feel clueless, I encourage you to go to that page and read it through. Although, I found the below quote from that URL slightly annoying:

It [Memorial Day] 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), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Must a 3-day weekend for federal employees be a deciding factor when determining the calendar day of observance? (Yes, I just lower-cased “federal” on purpose.) And you can always leave it to the southerners to cling to their own ways longest.

Another interesting little tidbit from that page was the fact that a woman inspired the wearing-of-the-poppies, and ultimately the Buddy Poppy programs that have supported disabled vets for decades.

I also had to check online so as to be absolutely sure about how to hang the flag vertically; I’m just never certain, and I don’t want to be the fool who displays it wrongly. There’s a veteran living across the street who’d likely shake his head with disbelief if he saw it hanging backwards.

And I’m sure I’ll be disappointed once again this year, when I see a noticeable paucity of American flags all around the neighborhood. Remember how they flew with pride after 9/11? All of a sudden, the flag was cool again. And now, already, so many have forgotten. Lulled by picnics, barbecues, and yard maintenance, the real meaning of the holiday has been tabled once again…until the next disaster, when the country will be reminded to be thankful for all we have. All of which we have because other people gave their lives.

One thing we can all do is this:

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."

And if you’re one of the folks who think the holiday should fall on May 30th regardless of which day of the week, you can sign a petition on that same link I referred to earlier.

You can also add a quote here on melmoirs, something related to Memorial Day; include it as a comment. I’ve already started it off with a couple; check out the quotes I’ve listed as comments, than insert a quote comment that you think sums it all up.

Thanks for tuning in, and have a meaningful Memorial Day.