Baby announcement emailed by Candice and Evan to all of our family in the waiting room right after the baby's birth:
>>
>> ********************************************************
>> Hope Inez Murrell
>> "Pure Hope"
>>
>> Born 2 pm 2/15/15
>> 6 lbs 6 oz
>> 19 1/2" long
>>
>> "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Bye-Bye Blackbird
FROM AN SR-71 PILOT.......Very interesting read....
SR-71 Blackbird
In April 1986, following an attack on American
soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan
ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's
terrorist camps in Libya ..
My duty was to fly over Libya , and take
photographs recording the damage our F-111's
had inflicted.Qaddafi had established a 'line of death,'
a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra ,
swearing to shoot down any intruder, that crossed
the boundary.
On the morning of April 15, I rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.
I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world's
fastest jet, accompanied by a Marine Major (Walt),
the aircraft's reconnaissance systems officer (RSO).We had crossed into Libya , and were approaching
our final turn over the bleak desert landscape, when
Walt informed me, that he was receiving missile
launch signals.
I quickly increased our speed, calculating the time
it would take for the weapons, most likely SA-2 and SA-4
surface-to-air missiles, capable of Mach 5 - to reach
our altitude.
I estimated, that we could beat the rocket-powered
missiles to the turn, and stayed our course, betting
our lives on the plane's performance.
After several agonizingly long seconds, we made
the turn and blasted toward the Mediterranean ...'You might want to pull it back,' Walt suggested.
It was then that I noticed I still had the throttles
full forward.
The plane was flying a mile every 1.6 seconds, well
above our Mach 3.2 limit.
It was the fastest we would ever fly.
I pulled the throttles to idle, just south of Sicily ,
but we still overran the refueling tanker, awaiting us
over Gibraltar ...
Scores of significant aircraft have been produced,
in the 100 years of flight, following the achievements
of the Wright brothers, which we celebrate in
December.
Aircraft such as the Boeing 707, the F-86 Sabre Jet,
and the P-51 Mustang, are among the important machines,
that have flown our skies.
But the SR-71, also known as the Blackbird, stands alone
as a significant contributor to Cold War victory, and as the
fastest plane ever, and only 93 Air Force pilots, ever steered
the 'sled,' as we called our aircraft.The SR-71, was the brainchild of Kelly Johnson,
the famed Lockheed designer, who created the
P-38, the F-104 Starfighter, and the U-2.
After the Soviets shot down Gary Powers U-2 in 1960,
Johnson began to develop an aircraft, that would
fly three miles higher, and five times faster, than
the spy plane, and still be capable of photographing
your license plate.
However, flying at 2,000 mph would create intense heat
on the aircraft's skin.
Lockheed engineers used a titanium alloy, to construct
more than 90 percent of the SR-71, creating special tools,
and manufacturing procedures to hand-build each of the
(40 planes.. (Wow ! ! ! 40 planes???? I thought only 7.)
Special heat-resistant fuel, oil, and hydraulic fluids, that
would function at 85,000 feet, and higher, also had to be
developed.
In 1962, the first Blackbird successfully flew, and
in 1966, the same year I graduated from high school,
the Air Force began flying operational SR-71 missions.I came to the program in 1983, with a sterling record
and a recommendation from my commander,
completing the weeklong interview, and meeting
Walt, my partner for the next four years.
He would ride four feet behind me, working all the
cameras, radios, and electronic jamming equipment.
I joked, that if we were ever captured, he was the spy,
and I was just the driver.
He told me to keep the pointy end forward.We trained for a year, flying out of Beale AFB in
California , Kadena Airbase in Okinawa , and RAF
Mildenhall in England ..
On a typical training mission, we would take off near
Sacramento , refuel over Nevada , accelerate into Montana ,
obtain a high Mach speed over Colorado , turn right over
New Mexico, speed across the Los Angeles Basin, run up
the West Coast, turn right at Seattle , then return to Beale.
Total flight time:- Two Hours and Forty Minutes.One day, high above Arizona , we were monitoring
the radio traffic, of all the mortal airplanes below us.
First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers
to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied.
A Bonanza soon made the same request.
'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply.
To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio, with a
ground speed check.
I knew exactly what he was doing.
Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit,
but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley,
know what real speed was, 'Dusty 52, we show you at 620
on the ground,' ATC responded.The situation was too ripe.
I heard the click of Walt's mike button in the rear seat.
In his most innocent voice, Walt startled the controller
by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet,
clearly above controlled airspace.
In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied,
'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,982 knots on the ground.'
We did not hear another transmission on that
frequency, all the way to the coast.< /SPAN>
The Blackbird always showed us something new,
each aircraft possessing its own unique personality.In time, we realized we were flying a national treasure.
When we taxied out of our revetments for take-off,
people took notice.
Traffic congregated near the airfield fences, because
everyone wanted to see, and hear the mighty SR-71.
You could not be a part of this program, and not come
to love the airplane.
Slowly, she revealed her secrets to us, as we earned
her trust..One moonless night, while flying a routine training
mission over the Pacific, I wondered what the sky
would look like from 84,000 feet, if the cockpit lighting
were dark.
While heading home on a straight course, I slowly turned
down all of the lighting, reducing the glare and revealing
the night sky.Within seconds, I turned the lights back up, fearful that the
jet would know, and somehow punish me.
But my desire to see the sky, overruled my caution,
I dimmed the lighting again.
To my amazement, I saw a bright light outside
my window.
As my eyes adjusted to the view, I realized that the
brilliance was the broad expanse of the Milky Way,
now a gleaming stripe across the sky.Where dark spaces in the sky, had usually existed,
there were now dense clusters, of sparkling stars.
Shooting Stars, flashed across the canvas every
few seconds.
It was like a fireworks display with no sound.I knew I had to get my eyes back on the instruments,
and reluctantly, I brought my attention back inside.
To my surprise, with the cockpit lighting still off,
I could see every gauge, lit by starlight.
In the plane's mirrors, I could see the eerie shine of
my gold spacesuit, incandescently illuminated, in a
celestial glow.
I stole one last glance out the window.
Despite our speed, we seemed still before the
heavens, humbled in the radiance of a much greater
power.
For those few moments, I felt a part of something far
more significant, than anything we were doing in the plane.
The sharp sound of Walt's voice on the radio, brought me
back to the tasks at hand, as I prepared for our descent.
San Diego Aerospace Museum
The SR-71 was an expensive aircraft to operate.
The most significant cost was tanker support, and in 1990, confronted with budget cutbacks, the Air
Force retired the SR-71.
The SR-71 served six presidents, protecting America
for a quarter of a century.
Unbeknown to most of the country, the plane flew
over North Vietnam, Red China, North Korea, the
Middle East, South Africa, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Libya,
and the Falkland Islands.
On a weekly basis, the SR-71, kept watch over every
Soviet Nuclear Submarine, Mobile Missile Site,
and all of their troop movements.
It was a key factor in winning the Cold War.I am proud to say, I flew about 500 hours in this
aircraft.
I knew her well.
She gave way to no plane, proudly dragging her
Sonic Boom through enemy backyards, with great impunity.
She defeated every missile, outran every MIG, and always
brought us home.
In the first 100 years of manned flight, no aircraft was more remarkable.
The Blackbird had outrun nearly 4,000 missiles,
not once taking a scratch from enemy fire.On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for
the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum ,
sped from Los Angeles to Washington
in 64 Minutes, averaging 2,145 mph, and
setting four speed records.
Charlie Reese's Final Column
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Monday, February 2, 2015
A Texas Goodbye
“American Sniper”. Here’s some great background information on how Texas
gave him is final farewell. It will help your understanding and appreciation of the movie.
A TEXAS
GOODBYEThis is why America
will remain strong. We take care of our own as well as others who
may not deserve taking care of. I just wanted to share with you all that
out of a horrible tragedy we were blessed by so many
people.Chris Kyle was Derek's
teammate through 10 years of training and battle. They both
suffer/suffered from PTSD to some extent and took great care of each
other because of it.2006 in Ramadi was
horrible for young men that never had any more aggressive physical
contact with another human than on a Texas football field.They lost many
friends. Chris became the armed services number #1 sniper of all
time. Not something he was happy about, other than the fact that
in so doing, he saved a lot of American lives.Three years ago, his
wife Taya asked him to leave the SEAL teams as he had a huge bounty on
his head by Al Qaeda. He did and wrote the book "The American
Sniper." 100% of the proceeds from the book went to two of the
SEAL families who had lost their sons in Iraq .That was the kind of guy
Chris was. He formed a company in Dallas to train military, police
and I think firemen as far as protecting themselves in difficult
situations. He also formed a foundation to work with military
people suffering from PTSD. Chris was a giver not a
taker.He, along with a friend
and neighbor, Chad Littlefield, were murdered trying to help a young man
that had served six months in Iraq and claimed to have PTSD.Now I need to tell you
about all of the blessings.Southwest Airlines flew in any
SEAL and their family from any airport they flew into...free of charge.The employees donated buddy passes
and one lady worked for four days without much of a break to see that it
happened.Volunteers were at both airports
in Dallas to drive them to the hotel.The Marriott Hotel reduced their
rates to $45 a night and cleared the hotel for only SEALs and
family.The Midlothian, TX
Police Department paid the $45 a night for each room. I would
guess there were about 200 people staying at the hotel, 100 of them were
SEALs. Two large buses were chartered (an unknown donor paid the
bill) to transport people to the different events and they also had a
few rental cars (donated). The police and secret service were on
duty 24 hours during the stay at our hotel.At the Kyle house, the Texas DPS
parked a large motor home in front to block the view from reporters. It
remained there the entire five days for the SEALs to congregate in and
all to use the restroom so as not to have to go in the house.
Taya, their two small children and both sets of parents were staying in
the home.Only a hand full of
SEALs went into the home as they had different duties and meetings were
held sometimes on a hourly basis. It was a huge coordination of
many different events and security. Derek was assigned to be a
Pall Bearer, to escort Chris' body when it was transferred from the
Midlothian Funeral Home to the Arlington Funeral Home, and to be with
Taya. A tough job.Taya seldom came out of
her bedroom. The house was full with people from the church and
other family members that would come each day to help. I spent one
morning in a bedroom with Chris’ mom and the next morning with Chad
Littlefield's parents (the other man murdered with Chris). A tough
job.George W Bush and his
wife Laura met and talked to everyone on the Seal Team one on one.
They went behind closed doors with Taya for quite a while. They had
prayer with us all. You can tell when people were sincere and
caringNolan Ryan sent his
cooking team, a huge grill and lots of steaks, chicken and
hamburgers. They set up in the front yard and fed people all day
long including the 200 SEALs and their families. The next day a
local BBQ restaurant set up a buffet in front of the house and fed all
once again. Food was plentiful and all were taken care of.
The family's church kept those inside the house well fed.Jerry Jones, the man everyone
loves to hate, was a rock star. He made sure that we all were
taken care of. His wife and he were just making sure everyone was
taken care of….Class... He donated the use of Cowboy Stadium for the
services as it was determined that so many wanted to attend.The charter buses transported us
to the stadium on Monday at 10:30 am. Every car, bus, motorcycle
was searched with bomb dogs and police. I am not sure if kooks
were making threats trying to make a name for themselves or if so many
SEALs in one place was a security risk, I don't know. We willingly
obliged. No purses went into the stadium!We were taken to The Legends room
high up and a large buffet was available. That was for about 300
people. We were growing.A Medal of Honor
recipient was there, lots of secret service and police and Sarah Palin
and her husband. She looked nice, this was a very formal military
service.The service started at 1:00 pm and
when we were escorted onto the field I was shocked. We heard that
about 10,000 people had come to attend also. They were seated in
the stadium seats behind us. It was a beautiful and emotional
service.The Bagpipe and drum corps were
wonderful and the Texas A&M men's choir stood through the entire
service and sang right at the end. We were all in
tears.The next day was the
200-mile procession from Midlothian, TX to Austin for burial. It
was a cold, drizzly, windy day, but the people were out. We had
dozens of police motorcycles riders, freedom riders, five chartered
buses and lots of cars. You had to have a pass to be in the
procession and still it was huge. Two helicopters circled the
procession with snipers sitting out the side door for protection. It was
the longest funeral procession ever in the state of Texas. People
were everywhere. The entire route was shut down ahead of us, the people
were lined up on the side of the road the entire way. Firemen were
down on one knee, police officers were holding their hats over their
hearts, children waving flags, veterans saluting as we went by.
Every bridge had fire trucks with large flags displayed from their tall
ladders, people all along the entire 200 miles were standing in the cold
weather. It was so heartwarming. Taya rode in the hearse with
Chris' body so Derek rode the route with us. I was so grateful to
have that time with him.The service was at Texas National
Cemetery. Very few are buried there and you have to apply to get in. It
is like people from the Civil War, Medal of Honor winners, a few from
the Alamo and all the historical people of Texas. It was a nice
service and the Freedom Riders surrounded the outside of the entire
cemetery to keep the crazy church people from Kansas that protest at
military funerals away from us.Each SEAL put his Trident (metal
SEAL badge) on the top of Chris' casket, one at a time. A lot hit
it in with one blow. Derek was the only one to take four taps to
put his in and it was almost like he was caressing it as he did
it. Another tearful moment.After the service
Governor Rick Perry and his wife, Anita, invited us to the governor's
mansion. She stood at the door, greeted each of us
individually, and gave each of the SEALs a coin of Texas. She was
a sincere, compassionate, and gracious hostess.We were able to tour the
ground floor and then went into the garden for beverages and BBQ.
So many of the Seal team guys said that after they get out they are
moving to Texas. They remarked that they had never felt so much
love and hospitality. The charter buses then took the guys to the
airport to catch their returning flights. Derek just now
called and after a 20 hours flight he is back in his spot, in a
dangerous land on the other side of the world, protecting
America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)