SPAM

Anyone with an email account these days undoubtably receives alot of what is termed, SPAM mail - that unsolicited mail that gets circulated around the globe. You know what I mean - forward this email to seven of your closest friends and Microsoft will send you a check for $10k or you will have tremendously great luck for the next 5 years, etc, etc, etc. However, once in a while you get an email that makes you stop and think. These are the ones I like. Since this is my blog and I can post whatever I want to :-) I have decided to post the following content of an email I received from my Dad last night. I did not go check the authenticity of these stories at snopes.com because its irrelevant. Whether or not Colin Powell actually said what is claimed below is not the point. The point is that, as Americans, we have a lot to be proud of - regardless of political affiliation. Would Bill Clinton have sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia during the same crisis - absoultely he would. So read on and remember to thank a Veteran today.

Every American should read these Four Great Stories

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When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was
asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just
an example of empire building' by George Bush.
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has
sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight
for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever
asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.

You could have heard a pin drop.

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Then there was a conference in France where a number of
international engineers were tak ing part, including French and American.
During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying
'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an
aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intended to do, bomb them?' A Boeing engineer stood up and
replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can
treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply
emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three
cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a
day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from
sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use
in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck..
We have eleven such sh ips; how many does France have?'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that
included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French
Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with
a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of
those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped
their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas
Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.'
He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these
conferences rather than speaking French?' Without hesitating,
the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits,
Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak
German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France
on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in
Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his
passport in his carry on. "You have been to France before,
monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted
that he had been to France previously. "Then you should know enough to
have your passport ready." The American said, "The last time I was
here, I didn't have to show it." "Impossible. Americans always have to
show your passports on arrival in France!" The American senior gave
the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained. "Well,
when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this
country, I couldn't find any damn Frenchmen to show it to."

You could have heard a pin drop