Jefferson Review

"Your Liberty is Our Interest"

Home /  Archives / Links / Quotes / Book Reviews / Advertise /Contact us / Subscribe / Calendar

INDEPENDENCE DAY and RESPECT in LEFTington, KY

by Jeff “Mario” Smith, Guerilla Reporter

July 5^th, in the year of our Lord 2005

It was one of the hottest days on record in LEFTington, KY and the annual Independence Day festivities were in full swing. There was the 10K race, the waiters race, a parade, street vendors, fireworks, lemonade, brats and beer, and a concert. There was also a group of Vietnam Veterans with other Veterans and their supporters on hand to make sure that the Fayette County Vietnam Memorial was treated with respect. After all, that’s what a memorial is all about isn’t it, respect?

Thanks to the heads up from George Ewan, we were notified that in years past, and as was planned this year, there was to be a band placed in front of the Fayette County Vietnam Memorial as if it was just a place to run electrical cords and spill drinks while entertaining the sheeple. We were not going to allow that to happen. Why had it happened in years past? Well, one can only postulate, but I would call it a lack of respect.

Why had we not known about it in years past? Personally, I don’t go downtown anymore on Independence Day so I had no idea. I lost my stomach for LEFTington’s Independence Day festivities, they call it the 4^th of July Celebration, years ago. I don’t need my children around drunks and watching a float full of homosexuals and cross-dressers in the parade. When I was young, our parades back in Rhode Island included the machinery of our military, our soldiers marching, our boy and girl scouts, the local high school marching bands, the clowns of the Shriners, the Veterans Organizations with their Ladies Auxiliaries, war heroes and beauty queens in convertibles, and the occasional grandstanding politician. In LEFTington, as I remember it from several years ago, we have to put up with commercial floats from the soft drink, fast food, and pizza companies, the liberal political activists of the day, and homosexuals and cross dressers giving Independence Day a new meaning, one that I cannot identify with.

That having been said, we decided to put up with the nonsense long enough to make sure that the Vietnam Memorial was not disrespected in any way. As we had hoped, the city heeded our previously forwarded requests and moved the band to a more appropriate place, and for that, we thank the city of LEFTington. It was, simply put, the right thing to do.

It could not have gone any better. Highway, one of the hardest working, behind-the-scenes, Veteran Activists one could have the pleasure of working with, came downtown early and reconnoitered the situation. From Highway we learned that the band was in a better place and the Memorial was open and clear, as it should be. That wasn’t enough for the ever-vigilant Highway. No, Highway is always thinking. He went to the police command post and requested an escort to the closest possible position to the Memorial as we had some Disabled American Veterans with us. LEFTington’s Finest answered the call with style. Not only did they escort us right up to Cheapside Square next to the Old Courthouse for the reading of the Declaration of Independence; they did it with a dozen white Harley Davidson FLHT Motorcycles, sirens and lights in action. A tip of the skid-lid to the LFUCG Motorcycle Police from Veterans everywhere. Things like this could give one a new perspective of Lexington. These guys had it “going on” as they say these days. The Chips guys out on the left coast can’t hold a candle to our Harley Cavalry.

After witnessing the barrage against King George of England at the Old Courthouse (The Reading of the Declaration of Independence), we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial. It was then that I decided to treat this as a tour of sorts for out of town Disabled American Veterans, who joined us from the western part of Kentucky, because they care about respect for our fallen brethren.

I asked everyone to notice the POW MIA flag flying on the flagpole on Main Street and to make note that it was flying at the Memorial to the Fallen Police Officers and its eternal flame. I then explained how our leftist representative in Frankfort, one Kathy Stein, had the POW MIA flag removed from the flagpole at the Old Courthouse saying, in her opinion, that it represented “extremists”. The Mayor at that time, Pam Miller, apparently agreed and had the flag removed. After an extended battle with the city where we presented our views to the LFUCG Council with help from American Legion Man-O-War Post 8, Task Force Omega of Kentucky, Rolling Thunder, the POW MIA League of Families, the National Alliance of Families, the Heart of Illinois POW MIA Association, and Veterans and supporters world wide, the Policeman’s Memorial Committee came through and said they would fly the POW MIA Flag at their Memorial on Main Street. Again, a tip of the skid-lid to the LFUCG Police. Maybe we need to start electing some retired police officers to higher office instead of leftist extremists like Kathy Stein.

After waiting for the waiters race to finish, we moved in to the Memorial to pray and say a few words for our fallen brethren who paid the supreme sacrifice so that we could have the freedom to speak out about anything we please, own guns to protect ourselves and to hunt, vote for our representatives in government, own property, and enjoy all the other freedoms our Mayflower Compact, Northwest Charter, Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution declare and guarantee. These fallen heroes whose names appear on the Fayette County Vietnam Memorial gave the supreme sacrifice to protect those freedoms asking nothing in return. We owe them big; in the very least, we owe them and their families respect.

Never tiring from his behind the scenes work, Highway had in his possession one 12’ x 18’ American flag which we unfurled at the Memorial and had an impromptu ceremony of sorts. We prayed and thanked God for these men and their families and for the Liberty that God endowed to us which these men protected. Dave Jarrett, State Service Officer for the Disabled American Veterans Department of Kentucky, a disabled Vietnam Veteran, then said a few words to the crowd to let them know that we owe our service members for their sacrifices and if they know of any Veterans who need help to have them contact us ASAP. Dave is also another great American who never tires from his mission. We witnessed Dave helping a Disabled American Veteran, right there, who did now know that the Veteran’s Administration has several programs in place to help him. He will be in contact with Dave Jarrett and get the help he deserves and has been missing. God bless America and the Great Americans like Dave Jarrett that I have had the privilege to know and be in the company of at events such as this.

Steve Collier and Lee Cruise from WLEX TV 18 and Clear Channel were on hand for the Memorial event and I am told there was a segment on the evening news about it. Lee is one of the funniest on air personalities in LEFTington and Collier can be seen everywhere with his camera and "film can vest". Thanks to these men for covering the small moment we took out of our day to pay respect to our fallen heroes.

Present at this ceremony in our group were Jeff “Mario” Smith and daughter Maddy, Highway and his son Dustin Keesling, Herman and Teresa, Kinny “Neckbone” Harris, Jack “Jarhead” Hecker and friend Barbara, Bob “Rocketman” Norton and friend Teresa Radden, Chuck and Delora McAlpin, a new Chuck we met yesterday, Butch Hopkins, Dave Jarrett, Bob “Scout” Davies and daughter Mara, and Gary “G-Rod” Holder. Jake and Susan Norris met us there. Herman, his wife Teresa, and Chuck McAlpin, did an “ironbut” run from North Carolina to make this show of respect on time after raising a POW MIA Flag on a flagpole at a Veteran’s Memorial there. Chuck’s wife Delora worked 14 days straight and met these ironbut activists on the road on their way back so she could join us also. Talk about caring!

I want to personally thank all who participated and especially the LFUCG Police for getting our Disabled American Veterans as close as possible to the event area. One of these guys is 64 years old, another was in a back brace, and a third has a situation that requires frequent and long trips to the men’s room, yet they all made the trip on motorcycles from the western part of the state to see to it that our Memorial was shown the proper respect the men whose names appear on it earned and deserve. That’s dedication to the value of respect my friends. These are the men I salute and call friend.

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19(KJV)

_________________________________________________________________

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence
of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His
benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favors."
-- George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, October 3, 1789.

Weather (Louisville) / Mapquest /  White Pages / Business Search / CNN / Dictionary / E-card / MSN