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Wednesday, June 30th, 2004
4th of July: In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the state Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor. These "celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the House and often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years have seen substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla ), St. Patrick's Day (for the patron Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year's Day, among others. But never once have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July.
So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison. In 1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North Vietnamese television in Hanoi after torture to get him to "respond properly." During this interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell out the word "torture." He was asked about his support for the war in Vietnam to which he replied "I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live." Four of his 8 years in prison were spent in solitary confinement. He later wrote the book "When Hell was in Session" chronicling his experience in Vietnam.
When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973, he said "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country in difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief for this day. God bless America." He was later elected to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Alabama, becoming the first retired Admiral ever elected to that body. I could go on and on about his accomplishments.
Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero.
It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Amen. God bless America.
freeandfun1 said:This kinda stuff just PISSES ME OFF!
freeandfun1 said:This kinda stuff just PISSES ME OFF!
lilcountriegal said:This article boiled my blood.... while if you read the entire story, Denton has some pretty far fetched thoughts (the sexual abuse in marriages if true is pretty sickening), but thats politics.
this man sacrificed 8 years as a POW in Vietnam being tortured and was prohibited from speaking simply because he was a Republican and had differing views is just moronic.
Kathianne said:That's kind of my take. I read the entire SNOPES bit, but they should have let him talk on the 4th! With the understanding he stayed on topic.
lilcountriegal said:Exactly.. they could have even required he submit an outline of his speech, whatever.
and I'll add, Kudos to Ahnold for swooping in and organizing a celebration of his own and asking Denton to speak. The more I hear of his politics, the more I like him as a politician.
