Here is something heartwarming from Southwest Florida

This is a good heart-warming story of how one loss can help bring back life to another, so to speak.

http://www.news-press.com/article/20091202/COLUMNISTS02/912020383/1075/San-Carlos-Park-man-offers-late-wife-s-artificial-leg-to-Army

San Carlos Park man offers late wife's artificial leg to Army
Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • December 2, 2009

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Buzz up!Twitter 1:10 A.M. — When retired Michigan policeman D'Arcy Young read about U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Araujo losing his leg, he didn't hesitate.

Young, who lives in San Carlos Park, called me and offered to give Araujo, 19, his late wife's artificial leg.
Southwest Floridians are known for helping folks in need, yet how can you top that?
The gift was an ultimate gesture of a man grieving the loss of Henrietta, 74, his wife of 29 years. Young says she died Oct. 30 of a cerebral hemorrhage.
"If that young man needs a leg, this is a possibility,'' says Young, 82. "Henrietta would want him to have it.''
He says his wife had diabetes and a vein problem, yet didn't use the prosthesis much because of infections in her right leg.
Cape Coral resident Araujo is recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after a Humvee in which he was riding on Oct. 16 was struck by a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Tyler Araujo, the soldier's father, was overwhelmed by Young's generosity.
"That is great,'' he says. "The Army is taking care of Michael's prosthesis, but there is a need for artificial legs up here. He should find a way to send it to Walter Reed.''
Young, who bought the Otto Bock Compact Microprocessor Knee System from Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics in Fort Myers for around $30,000, says he will gladly donate it to the hospital.
"It has a knee joint and can be adjusted to either leg,'' he says about the Austrian-made prosthetic he purchased in 2007. "Rather than see it sit here and go to waste, I'd rather see the Army have it.''

The original story

http://www.news-press.com/article/200911260110/COLUMNISTS02/91119083

Wounded Cape Coral soldier thanks Southwest Florida residents for support
By Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • November 26, 2009

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11:40 A.M. — U.S. Army PFC Michael Araujo is thankful to be alive this Thanksgiving.

The 19-year-old Mariner High graduate and Cape Coral resident also appreciates the prayers and monetary donations he and his family received from folks in Southwest Florida.

“Please thank everyone for their help during our time of hardship,’’ said Michael Araujo from his bed Wednesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “We are grateful for their support.’’

Military Policeman Araujo (pronounced A-roosh) lost his left leg when the Humvee in which he was riding was struck by a roadside bomb the Taliban detonated Oct. 16 in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Surgeons at Walter Reed removed Araujo’s left leg above the knee in an eight-hour operation Friday, according to Tyler Araujo, Michael’s father. Surgeons completed work Monday with a second procedure.

“They shortened the leg a little bit more,’’ Tyler Araujo said. “They reinforced the upper thigh with screws and pins. They will let it heal and fit a prosthesis with a knee joint in six weeks.’’

Michael Araujo says he is eager to begin his rehabilitation.

“God bless everybody,’’ he said. “Tell them to have a happy Thanksgiving.’’

TO HELP: If you wish to help the Araujo families offset expenses while staying in D.C., mail a check to Wayne Hamlin, Michael’s uncle and godfather, at 1724 NW 15th Terrace in Cape Coral, 33993. Hamlin’s telephone number is 239-218-9019. You may also donate money at any Fifth Third Bank nationwide. An account has been established by Patricia Hamlin, Michael’s aunt and godmother.
Originally published Nov. 19, 2009
There are people who need our help.

Then, there are people who deserve our help.

U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Araujo fits both categories.

The 19-year-old Mariner High School graduate was strengthening his upper left leg muscles Tuesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The exercise wasn’t part of his normal rehab.

18th rant: The use of Obama's middle name (Part 2)

In my 16th rant entitled The use of Obama's middle name I went on about what happened when Alaska Governor (and at the time Republican Vice Presidential Candidate) Sarah Palin came into Southwest Florida and Lee County Sherriff Mike Scott used Obama’s middle name. The backlash from that was astronomical and (in my opinion) led to the downfall of Senator John McCain’s bid for President of the United States. Well, this article coming from Politico.com yesterday just made me have to laugh.



Swearing in: 'Barack Hussein Obama'
By: Mike Allen
December 10, 2008 12:17 PM EST

President-elect Barack Obama says he plans to use all three of his names when he takes the oath of office in January, giving voice to a name that was was rarely used during the campaign except by critics.
In his first post-election newspaper interview, with reporters from the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, Obama was asked: “Do you anticipate being sworn in as Barack Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?"
He replied: “I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition, not trying to make a statement one way or the other. I'll do what everybody else does.”
In fact, all presidents have not used their middle names when taking the oath of office. Jimmy Carter famously went as “Jimmy Carter.” Ronald Wilson Reagan took the oath as simply “Ronald Reagan.”
Harry Truman, of course, didn’t have a middle name — just an initial that didn’t stand for anything — and was sworn in as “Harry S. Truman.” (We've gotten a lot of e-mail about the period after the 'S.' Despite the urban myth to the contrary, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum says Truman put a period in his signature and posts a photo to prove it.)
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford took the oath using their middle initials.
The last three presidents have used their middle names: George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton and George Walker Bush. So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Lyndon Baines Johnson, in the hasty ceremony aboard Air Force One, went nameless — prompted to say only, “I do solemnly swear.”
The insertion of the name is a tradition not specified in the U.S. Constitution, which directs about the president in Article II: “Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’”
Obama’s middle name was largely taboo during the campaign, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) apologized when it was used by Bill Cunningham, a talk-radio host who was introducing McCain at a rally in Cincinnati.
The Associated Press reported at the time, “Asked whether the use of Obama's middle name — the same as former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein — is proper, McCain said: ‘No, it is not. Any comment that is disparaging of either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is totally inappropriate.’”
Here is a transcript of Obama’s interview with the two newspapers, which have a joint Washington bureau as Tribune Co.

© 2008 Capitol News Company, LLC

17th Rant: The lack of knowledge of those who vote

As I was listening to the radio, I tune into the Neal Boortz radio talk show and he mentioned something which I found disturbing and will even make mention of it here.

http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2008/11/how-obama-got-elected.html

HOW OBAMA GOT ELECTED
By Neal Boortz @ November 19, 2008 8:26 AM Permalink | Comments (40) | TrackBacks (0)
Now that the election is over, this report by John Ziegler is making some waves. Maybe because it exposes some of the Obamamania. Also because it shows how the lamestream media was in the tank for Barack Obama in this election. And also because it demonstrates the fruits of our government education system.

Now I really don't care what else you do today .. so long as you don't abuse any small animals .. but please watch this video. On Election Day some Obama voters were chosen by the producers of an upcoming documentary "How Obama Got Elected." These voters represented a cross-section: young and old, black and white, male and female. They were chosen based on their verbal abilities and willingness to express their feelings to a large audience. Listen to these people. I promise you, you will be entertained.

Certainly it was hard to judge the true nature of Obama supporters based on the random ones selected for this video ... So the Zogby people were commissioned to conduct a telephone poll to ask a greater number of Obama supporters the very same questions asked of the people in the video. Oh and one other thing to keep in mind. The people were given multiple choice answers to these questions. Even with multiple choices, here were some of the results.

94% of Obama voters correctly identified Sarah Palin as the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter.
86% of Obama voters identified Palin as the candidate who spent $150,000 on a campaign wardrobe.
86.9 % of Obama voters though that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though the quote actually came from Saturday Night Live.
Now for some news about the candidate they were supporting ....

57.4% of Obama voters could not correctly say which party controls congress.
82.6% of Obama voters could not correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot
88.4% of Obama voters could not correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket
56.1% of Obama voters didn't know that Obama started his political career at the home of Bill Ayers, an unrepentant terrorist.
Now you have a measure, for good or bad, of some of the voters who went to the polls on Election Day awash in Obamamania. Do some of you now think that there are people voting who shouldn't be allowed to vote? Remember, there is no constitutional right to vote in a presidential election. Shouldn't we be weeding some of these people off the voting rolls?

Also, here's an interview with John Ziegler by Nate Silver. Oh my is it full of bad words!

 

I had followed the comments and also the callers to Neal's show, and most of what I had read and heard was rather disturbing especially in regards to the fact that people just pick and choose that which they want to hear and learn.

16th rant: The use of Obama's middle name

Yesterday during a rally for Republican Vice Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, the sherriff of Lee County referred to Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama by his full name which is Barack Hussein Obama. The McCain-Palin ticket distanced themselves from the comment, even going so far as to have their spokespeople saying, as Palin spokeswoman Tracey Schmidt did, that they "do not condone this inappropriate rhetoric, which distracts from the real questions of judgment, character, and experience that voters will base their decisions on this November."

I personally see no problem with it for the simple reason that if you watch the presidential innaugurations, you notice that the Chief Justice uses the President-elect's full name (for example George Walker Bush for the current sitting president) when giving the oath of office. For McCain and Palin to distance themselves from it is beyond me.

15th Rant: The decline of online Gor

When I started this blog I originally did not want to rant about online roleplay, but from what I had read and what happened recently this needed to be said.

from http://kharog.tripod.com/diatribe1.html

WHAT HAPPENED TO GOR?

In October, 1998, I had stumbled across a Gor section while I was chatting on Chatropolis. At the time I knew nothing of Gor, so I walked into the Kassar Camp which at the time was led by Ubar BLADE. The name I used was Worf, a Klingon Warrior. Now before I get bashed and trashed because I chose a Klingon let me explain just WHY I chose that persona. I am a big Star Trek fan, and I chose a Klingon persona because they value honor over everything. Hence, the reason why whenever either I or somebody else departs I always wish them HONOR and Success. I stayed in the Camp about an hour, and then left because as many of you know I have no computer at home so I use the college or public library computers and depend on the public transportation system. The following week I found out about WebMaze and entered the Tuchuk Camp there which at the time was led by Ubar KNIGHTSTORM. I observed and asked many questions about both the Camp and the website, taking in what I had seen and read. I do not know if it was on my first or second visit to the Camp but I noticed a Member was a little upset about something so I asked him what was bothering him and helped the best I could, though I was not a Member of the Camp. Later that day before I left for the bus this Member came to me and asked if he could speak with me in PM. I approved and he asked me if I was a member of a Home. I told him no and he said that he would speak with the Ubar and see if I can become a Member based on what I had done earlier that day in trying to help him in his distress. The following week the Ubar spoke with me and made me a member of the Camp. During the time I was a member I got to meet many people who to this day I will never forget, no matter what name they use now. I also learned a little more about Gor and what it means to be truly Gorean. Also during my time in Tuchuk I was able to be online more often and eventually was named to the position of GateKeeper. In late November to early December GreyEagle, the Member that I had helped out my first or second day visiting the Camp, had opened the Kataii Wagon Camp and asked if I can help him open it and build it. I accepted the offer and during my time as First Shield there I had acquired a slave and was also honored to be a Member of the House of GreyEagle. During my time in the Camp I was able to be online a lot more and one time did something to the Ubara of what was then Chatlantis Tuchuk West, which I am still kicking myself in the ass to this day. Also during that time a Warrior had entered the Camp and became a Member, then somehow slithered his way to be above me both in rank and in stature. I did not like it and so I resigned from both the House of GreyEagle and from Kataii, thereby incurring the wrath of the House and the Camp. I came back to KNIGHTSTORM's Tuchuk Camp which was by this time located in ErosChat. I had hoped that there I can begin anew without harm from the GreyEagles, but I was found and then decided to kill myself off to begin anew. Was I dishonorable in doing that? As I look back on that incident I was, but I learned from that and grew more and more as a Gorean.

Even when I did start anew as Kharog tai Meshtarc (my current persona) I had problems, but life is hard, and as the saying goes "If life deals you lemons make lemonade." In other words, life is hard, but make the best out of what life dealt you. I had been injured many times on various sites, captured once by a band of Panthers on AlterRealm, moved from Home to Home because of political maneuverings, FC'ed twice only to see them blow up in my face, built a Home of my own (Fort Kahless) only to see it go down the tubes, but I remained strong and firm in what I believe in.

I am writing this not as a sob story but rather to let all know what Gor was like back before 2000. Back then there were no "death matches," no whiney slaves or pain sluts, no major name-calling like there is now. Back then there were only a few sites which offered a limited amount of Gorean rooms, and with the small amount back then at least if there were arguments or disagreements it was settled peacefully and not with violence. Granted Gor is a violent world, but at least things were settled like men before things got into one big "flame war" on a message board. Back then people did not fight over petty things, slaves were not as mouthy or sassy as some of them are now. I challenge each and every one of you out there, myself included, to bring Gor back to what it was when I first started out in 1998. I am not talking site wise when I speak of this. Rather I am talking philosophy and behavior wise, as I noticed a lack of respect and HONOR among many toward each other as well as toward themselves. If we work on bringing honor back to our lives and our Homes, if we get back to the books, then we would not have the problems we are facing with today.
If anyone disagrees with me, or if you agree with me, feel free to contact me via email or ICQ. My email addresses are rickbulow@iwon.com and kharog@iwon.com and my ICQ number is 130590002. I wish A/all HONOR and Success, for without them all else, including life, is worthless.

Those words, penned by me in 2001, hold true to this day. I had left in 2003 becaquse I thought I had failed as a Leader and as a Warrior, but now I realize that I had not failed in Gor but rather that Gor had failed me. Where were the times in which people led by HONOR and also who held true to what they believed in? I know if the shit I hear about on the Boards happened back before 2000 that things were done about it swiftly and that would be the end of it, not taken to a Message Board for people to air their dirty laundry in public.


from http://kharog.tripod.com/newspaper_articles/honorarticle.html

Been Thinking About....Honor
by Kharog tai Meshtarc
2nd of the GateKeepers
WebMaze Thentis

Honor: Many on Gor that I have seen state that they know what it is and that they are honorable, but do they really? Granted, my name and the pictures I use are not totally of Gor, nor do I claim to be full Gorean. However, I will say this much: If you cannot fail, you cannot succeed.

What do I mean by that statement? Simply this: One cannot truly experience the feelings that honor brings without first having the capability to feel and comprehend the utter lack of it. To me, honor is what makes me keep going despite the trials and tribulations of everyday life. I am reminded of what a few people had written about honor in earlier articles of the Gorean Times, that honor is a "knowing that what one is doing is right and decent and correct."

Expanding on that comment, I am reminded of a Warrior who is now dead who honorably defended and served His Homestone, yet at the same time, there was another Warrior, who is also now dead, who achieved His honor in a dishonorable way. Now I ask you: Of the two Warriors, which one showed loyalty, honor, and duty, which all Goreans, be it slave or Free, strive for? Was it not the One who achieved His honor the honorable way?

I leave you with this one thought, and if there are any who read this and disagree with anything I had said, feel free to email me at kharog@gocubs.com; kharog@angelfire.com; or feel free to look for me in WebMaze Thentis. The thought is: Honor is more important than life.

I wish all Honor and Success.

AFTERTHOUGHT

Those words, which I wrote over 2 years ago, still ring true today. Honor is tantamount to A/all, whether Free or slave, Warrior, Merchant, or even Panther Girl. Any thoughts, feelings, or questions on the article I had written, or even on this afterthought, feel free to email me at my new email address which is kharog@iwon.com or you can contact me via ICQ number 130590002.

Both statements were written during my first excursion on Gor, and they hold true today. Many of you who knew me as Kharog and as Worf still know that I am out here and am holding true to my words. I might have changed my appearance and character, but one thing I have not changed is the heart and the love for Gor that I held so true back then. If any have a problem with what I say, feel free to post on this blog entry, on the message boards, or hit me up on MSN or Yahoo or even in an email. You can even find me as I traverse Gor. I go by Maximus and am always willing to talk things over like reasonable men.

Let us never forget this day

I know I will not. In fact, I remember exactly where I was on this day 5 years ago when I first heard about the plane striking the World Trade Center. I was at a McDonald's enjoying breakfast and listening to a local sportsradio broadcaster broadcast live from there when he broke for his 45 minutes past the hour break. I was about to walk over to him during the break and say that I wanted to speak about Michael Jordan's return to basketball and play for the Washington Wizards when I looked at his face which is that of shock. At first report it seemed to me like a small plane and that it was a freak accident, but when I heard of the second plane hit the World Trade Center I knew that this had to be some sort of planned attack. I spent the entire 9:00 hour glued to his little broadcast station as he had a set of headphones which I listened to the producer back at the station speak to him and updating him. There were other callers who chimed in with updates from the televised newscasts. After the show ended I hung around for a small time listening, then the host's dad offered to drive me to teh college where I could watch the TV in the library as well as get current updates on the internet. While en route I phoned my mom and stepdad to tell them what had happened. My stepdad told me that he had heard about it and that mom was going to get me and tell me but she saw that I was gone. When I went into the library at the college to watch the news, I almost fell to the floor upon seeing the planes striking the Towers and the Pentagon. About 11:45 I got word that the college was closing and called my grandma in Chicago to ask her if she and dad knew what was happening. She said that dad was on the way to the store but that they knew what was going on. After I spoke to grandma I went home and kept the news on the TV all the time, gasping and getting angry as to what happened.

I urge people to NEVER forget this day for as long as they live. I encourage everyone no matter where they are that if they have the American flag to unfurl it and wave it proudly, for as Frankin Delano Roosevelt said of another terrible day in American History, "This is a day which will go down in infamy."

It is amazing how 5 years later, the horrific events of 9-11 still affects people. A lady who checked the terrorists onto that first flight that hit the towers killed herself because she couldn't deal with the guilt. Also, another checker who did the second flight.... is still five years later in intense therapy. This I had found out from a woman who I had seen in a chat room where I visit often. I guess this is a lot like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.

14th rant: Bush bashing

one thing that really gets my fires stirring is the people who claim that George W. Bush is a bad President and that we should not dupport him. I say that he won reelection in 2004 and that he is president not only of the red states but also of the blue states as well. Granted, he made some bad decisions in his 2 terms, but who has not? The military likes him and there are people in the military who support him no matter what. Is that not enough for us?

Update on this Ranter

After a year's hiatus, I am back and ready to rant on anything sports, politics, or current events of both National and local importance. Check in daily for any new rants, and sorry for not ranting for a while.

13th Rant: The Federal Tax System (Part 2)

The deadline for filing the Income Taxes is in 2 days. If the Fair Tax (H.R. 25) proposed by Congressman John Linder and talked about by Neal Boortz, were to be passed April 15th would just be another beautiful Spring day and one in which we do not have to worry about giving our taxes to the Federal Government. I had received a canned letter from Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, and it seems to me that he is not leaning one way or the other on the Fair Tax. I am suspicious that many Senators and COngressmen feel the same way. We need to do more to tell our Senators and Congressmen that we need the Fair Tax implemented imediately. Think about this: Would you rather have 100% of the money YOU earned, or would you rather the Government have the Government take YOUR hard-earned money away?

Read here about the paycheck and how it will be affected by the implementation of the Fair Tax.

For more on the Fair Tax, here are a few websites I found:
The Homepage for Americans for Fair Taxation (The group behind the Fair Tax)
A Fair Tax Proponent's website
A Blog that has everything you want to know about the Fair Tax

12th Rant: The Terri Schiavo Issue (Part 6)

This just in: Terri Schiavo has officially died. I feel for the Schindlers for their loss, but at the same time I wish that they would have respected Michael Schiavo's wishes and left her alone. Now the fight will rage over what to do with her corpse. That is just sick and wrong, as she is now in a better place with no pain. Let Michael handle all her funeral arrangements. The parents had fought for so long that they should just let him do what he wants to do with Terri's body but at the same time respect their wishes and have a double visitation (ie., a Catholic visitation and funeral, then give Michael her body and let him cremate then do what he wants with the ashes.