Star Spangled Banner, Ft. McHenry
America Bless God Bless America. National Anthem of the United States of America Introduction O say, can you see,    by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed    at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars,    through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched     were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare,   the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night   that our flag was still there; O say, does that Star-spangled    Banner yet wave O'er the land of the free   and the home of the brave? Observation On the shore dimly see   through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host   in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze,   o'er the towering steep As it fitfully blows,   half conceals, have discloses? Now it catches the gleam   of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected   now shines on the stream; 'Tis the Star-spangled Banner   O long may it wave O'er the land of the free   and the home of the brave! Question And where is that band   who so vauntingly swore, That the havoc of war   and the battle's confusion A home and a Country   should leave us no more? Their blood has washed out   their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save   the hireling and slave From the terror of flight   or the gloom of the grave, And the Star-spangled Banner   in triumph doth wave O're the land of the free   and the home of the brave. Conclusion O thus be it ever   when free men shall stand Between their loved homes   and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace,   may the heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that has made   and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must,   when our cause it is just, And this be our motto,   "In God is our trust"; And the Star-spangled Banner   in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free   and the home of the brave! Title: "Defense of Fort M'Henry", later renamed "Star Spangled Banner". Tune: "To Anacreon in Heaven", by? John Stafford Smith, 1750. Written on 14 September 1814 by Francis Scott Key ( 1779-1843). Became our National Anthem on 03 March 1931.  John Stafford Smith (1750–1836) was an English composer, church organist, and early musicologist.  "To Anacreon in Heaven" was written in the mid-1760s, when Smith was a teenager. The tune was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, a group of amateur musicians in London.  At one time, it was used as the national anthem of Luxembourg. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stafford_Smith) Key was a deeply committed evangelical. A respected Bible teacher, he served as Secretary of the American Sunday School Union.  (Rev. Bill Lovell, Dallas, TX, 06 August 2006.) Whatever is True, Whatever is Honorable, Whatever is Right, Whatever is Pure, Whatever is Lovely, Whatever is of Good Repute, If there is any excellence And if anything worthy of praise, Let your mind dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8   I pledge allegiance To the flag of the United States of America, And to the republic, for which it stands... One nation, Under God, Indivisible, With liberty and justice  for all. Recognized by U.S. Congress on 22 June 1942.  Scout Oath or Promise The Scout Law On my honor     I will do my best     To do my duty         to God         and my country         and to obey the Scout Law;     To help other people         at all times;     To keep myself         physically strong,         mentally awake,         and morally straight. A Scout is Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent  Caldwell Anglican Writings Bucking the Times: A defense of Holy Scripture as authoritative for the church. Elizabethan Homilies Proverbs 21:17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5: Before God, we are confident of this through Christ: not that we are qualified in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come from God. Colossians 3:23: Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 3:10. We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if he refused to do any work. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,  that you may discover what the will of God is, that what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

The Official U.S. Time is

http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java  Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.

The first purpose of education is to acquire wisdom.

   The second purpose is to acquire knowledge and skill.

...Success in College

Nothing you leave behind will endure forever.  Success is measured by what you leave behind that others can build on.

Useful Links

Black Computer Scientists, Mathematicians, Physicists, Engineers, Scientists

People

• Computer Scientists of the African Diaspora http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/computer-science/cs-peeps.html 
• Mathematicians of the African Diaspora http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/madgreatest.html 
• Physicists of the African Diaspora http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/physics/physics-peeps.html 

Organizations

• National Society of Black Engineers http://national.nsbe.org/ 
• Black Alumni/ae of MIT http://www.bamit.org/ 
• Black Scholars Network, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship http://www.ivcf.org/grad/bsn/bsn.html 

Distance Education

Free Education on the Internet http://www.free-ed.net/ 

• Complex Arithmetic http://www.sosmath.com/complex/complex.html 
• Calculus http://www.sosmath.com/calculus/calculus.html 
• Matrix Algebra http://www.sosmath.com/matrix/matrix.html 
• Differential Equations http://www.sosmath.com/diffeq/diffeq.html 
• Computer courses through IEEE http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/e-learning 

OTHER WEB LINKS

 

Pro-Life Websites
Anglicans for Life	http://www.anglicansforlife.org/
The Negro Project: Margaret Sanger's Eugenic Plan for Black Americans (Planned Parenthood founder's motivation: to exterminate our citizens)	http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1466&department=CWA&categoryid=life
Pro-life news: Lifenews.com	http://www.lifenews.com
True Love Waits, abstinence education	http://www.lifeway.com/tlw/
Index to state Family Policy Councils	http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=STATE_POLICY_LEG
North Carolina Family Policy Council	http://www.ncfamily.org/

Human Trafficking - Modern Day Slavery
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking	http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/

Relief Agencies

MILITARY INTEREST

Ft. Bragg Library John L. Throckmorton Library and Command Reference Center Randolph Street, Ft. Bragg, NC
Hours of Operation	Phone Numbers
Hours, effective 01 JUN 2001 1100 - 2100 Monday - Thursday 1300 - 1700 Friday - Sunday Closed  Holidays	396-BOOK  General Information 396-1691      Circulation 396-3523      Reference
Ft. Bragg Academic Learning Center at the Ft. Bragg Library, 907-2286
Fort Bragg	http://www.bragg.army.mil
Fort Bragg Morale Welfare and Recreation	http://www.fortbraggmwr.com/
SITES	Standard Installation Topic Exchange System
Throckmorton Library & Command Reference Center Academic Learning Center:  907-2286	Self-paced individual instruction dealing with GED, AFCT, SAT, ACT, GRE, CLEP Tests Word Processing Typewriters Internet Access
MOS Library: 396-6957/432-6826	Repository of Military Publications: Field Manuals, Army Regulations, Technical Manuals, Army Correspondence Courses

Digital Classes on the Internet Who:  Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Department of the Army Civilians. What:  Courses in Data Communications, Networking, Programming, Operating Systems Design, and more. How:  On the Internet by individuals with email addresses ending with "army.mil". Address:  http://www.armycbt.army.mil/armycbt/default.htm

Military Benefits:

Department of Labor Military Spouses website: http://www.milspouse.org/ 

TIPS AND TRICKS

21 JAN 2004, Courtesy of USAA:  If your wallet gets stolen, contact the following Credit Reporting Bureaus and the Social Security Administration to place a fraud alert on your credit cards and Social Security Number.

Pet Peeves

• Referring to the attack on the United States on 11 September 2001 merely as a "tragedy".  It was an act of war that justifies righteous anger.  Merely calling an event "tragedy" does not imply a moral cause.  Destruction or loss of life due natural causes, accidents, or mere poor judgment is "tragedy".  "Tragedy" should evoke compassion, pity, and actions to minimize loss due to similar future events.  A "tragedy" is not an event that justifies righteous anger.

• Calling a victim "hero" when there is no evidence the victim performed any heroic act.  While victims are properly deserving of compassion and pity, their victim status does not warrant being honored as a hero.  

  • People caught in the World Trade Center attack were not automatically heroes by their mere presence, though many who were caught there did become heroes.  Most people there were in pursuit of private or corporate gain, not altruistic goals.  They were at the wrong place at a critical time.

  • The real heroes were the rescue workers who entered the building to save lives of others and combat the fire and destruction taking place.

• We should not be selecting people for Space Shuttle rides based on politics and press value. In particular, sending John Glenn up a second time, or sending teachers, were stupid ideas. Honor the people who went, but condemn the policy.

• Public expectation of a hero to be an exemplar in all walks of life.

  • A hero should be honored for being a hero. The reason for honoring people who perform heroic acts is to encourage others to do likewise under similar circumstances. Heroes should be honored with deferential respect. John Kennedy, John McCain, John Glenn, Bob Kerrey are prominent examples. Our astronauts. Our everyday policeman, fireman, rescue team member, soldier, sailor, airman, who signed on the dotted line, not really knowing what would happen in the future.
  • A person can be heroic in one aspect of life, and not heroic in other aspects of life. A person can be heroic on one occasion, and not heroic on other (even similar) occasions. We should praise the honorable, and not demand they perform as heroes in other areas.
  • Being a hero does not qualify a person as an authority on topics other than commitment to duty and sacrifice of self for the common good. The public often unfairly expects heroes to be exemplars of moral values, and have special insights about leadership, society, and public administration. We are disappointed when this is not true. Even worse, we may fail to critically examine a hero's statements on topics on which he is not an authority.
  • Being a hero does not disqualify a person from being an authority on other topics, but the qualification is not based upon being a hero. Most heroes understand this; the public often does not. When a hero makes a statement, that statement must still be judged on the merits of the statement itself.
  • A hero should be entitled to live privately, and not have to state reasons for rejecting public recognition, appearances, or service.

  • A hero should not volunteer as an exemplar in areas where this is not justified. 

• Confusing high academic achievement in the disciplines of ethics, philosophy, or religion with the right to be uncritically believed on statements of moral values.

  • University Departments of Philosophy, Religion, and Psychology are often socially liberal, and often reject the existence of God and existence of absolute truth.

• Political Correctness.

  • I have protected, with risk to my life, your right to free speech, including speech I consider repugnant.  I will not tolerate your abridging my right to free speech.
  • Tolerance does not mean affirmation or approval.  If you advocate or do something repugnant, people should disapprove and ostracize you.  Should we have been tolerant of Hitler, Stalin, or Idi Amin?  Truth must prevail.  Absolute tolerance breeds injustice and prevents distinguishing between right and wrong.

  • The concept of determining punishment for an act based upon the perception by the court of the criminal's thoughts at the time of committing the act is abhorrent.  This is similar to basing punishment for a crime based upon the criminal's or victim's political status.  (We still see this today in the military, where an officer can resign his commission or retire early to avoid judicial action, whereas an enlisted man must face the charges and receive real punishment.)  A major advance of justice under English law was to eliminate disparate standards of punishment based upon political status.  We are regressing to pre-Magna Carta times.

• Purposefully misrepresenting the words or intent of a person or organization, whether done by politicians, media, witnesses in court, or by private individuals, whether liberal or conservative. This is called being a false witness.

• Assuming that everything an opponent does is bad, rather than judging each act or statement on its own (de)merits.

• Taking a perfectly good word, assigning it a different meaning, and declaring anyone who uses that word an outcast.

• Changing the meaning of a word with the purpose of disguising truth or purposefully misleading.

• Euphemisms.  Psychobabble.  Double-speak.  Value-neutral language where values are clearly at stake.  Choosing words that soften the focus of ideas to defuse opposition or controversy.

  • "Moving forward", when the value of direction of events are controversial.  
  • "Hurtful", when the action should be called "evil" or "destructive".

  • "Pro-choice", when the meaning is "pro-abortion".  "Pro-life", when the meaning is "anti-abortion".

• Calling a woman or girl by the word "female" when speaking of social position.  "Female" is a term used to identify the sex of a kitten or puppy when it is born.  A human female is made in the image of God, and deserves the dignity of being called "woman" or "girl", not merely "female".  The word "female" is appropriate when mere gender identification is necessary, such as in medical records and on driver's licenses.

• Calling nurses, doctors, physician's assistants, nurse practitioners, corpsmen, medics, dentists, dental assistants, and other clinicians by the title "Providers".  Generic health insurance company terminology (commercial equivalent to government-speak, read the book 1984) does not give the honor due to these professionals and compassionate workers.  When I need medical care, I do not want to go to a "provider"; I want to see a doctor, nurse, physician's assistant, etc. "Provider" is used to identify abortionists, such as "Abortion Provider".

• Constructing a noun from a verb.

  • By adding "-ing", rather than using established vocabulary for a concept.  This is the opposite of a gerund.  Examples of common bad words: messaging, conferencing, partnering.

  • By prefixing with "to", or adding "ed".  Examples:  Changing "purpose" to "to purpose" or "purposed".  Changing "partner" to "to partner".

• Hypocrites. (Oops.  I shouldn't look in the mirror.  That does not make it right.) Hmm... You would rather me be a hypocrite and act benevolent than for me to act as I really am, whatever that is.