My own Memorial Day Address

My own Memorial Day Address
Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper — Schleswig Leader, Thursday, May, 24, 2007 – Page 3 by Ted Mallory http://tmal.multiply.com

Eleven score and eleven years ago our ancestors brought forth on this continent, a new nation, supposably conceived in Liberty (that is the freedom to determine our own fates), and dedicated to the proposition everyone is equal.

Now we are entangled in a messy, sectarian civil war in another country that we invaded four years ago unilaterally and pre-emptively. We were told that they had weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to us. They didn’t.

It was insinuated that they were in league with the religious fanatic group that had used terrorist tactics to attack us a year and a half before. They weren’t.

We are divided as a nation over whether we should continue investing the lives of our men and women and obscene amounts of money to try to impose our will on this country, or to begin bringing them home and redeploying them and begin trying to find diplomatic and political solutions to the problems that resulted from our invasion.

Fortunately, this time we are united in our concern for and pride in those men and women who have been placed in harm’s way, in principle- fighting for our security and freedom, no doubt, as in any war, fighting every day for each other’s security and survival.

We also continue to be divided on social, legal, and political issues. Whether it’s better to preserve our rule of law that was designed to protect our liberty or all but abandon those protections in order to extract revenge on those who have or would attack us and hopefully prevent them from doing it again.

Whether it is better to preserve our rule of law that was designed to protect the liberties, equality and justice afforded to all people in our society, or deny many of those rights and privileges to those who some of us fear would represent too much change in our society.

Whether it is better to tolerate the dynamic tensions, conflicting interests, and frustrating bureaucracy that is part of the balanced system that our forefathers established, or disregard it in favor of an authoritarian political ideology that considers individual and other societal interests inferior to the needs of the state, and seeks to forge a type of national unity based on religious, cultural, and business interests.

These conflicts are all testing whether this nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

This weekend, many of us will meet in community buildings, churches, Legion halls, and cemeteries. Others will probably head for the lake, a ball game, or a barbecue.
We set aside this weekend to remember those who here gave their lives that our nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Wherever they shed their blood, is now sacred ground- whether at Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg and Anteitam, the Argone Forest, Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima, Inchon and Kapyong, Dong Ap Bia and Tet, Kandahar and Kabul, or Basrah and Fallujah.

You probably won’t clip and save this column, you’ll forget it by next week, But even if you never try to memorize Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, please never forget the people who gave their all for our country.

Even if you never attend a Memorial Day ceremony and just treat it like any other three day weekend, please remember what Memorial Day is for. Say a prayer for the families and loved ones of soldiers and guardsmen who are overseas. Find out how you can send a care package or help with toys or meals.

After all, it really is for us the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us --

That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.

Even if we vehemently disagree with or disapprove of the policies and decisions made by political leaders of either party.

-- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Stay informed, know your rights, participate in Caucuses, and let your self be heard- don’t be apathetic or complacent. We owe it to them.


Ted Mallory lives in Charter Oak and teaches at Boyer Valley Schools in Dunlap. ‘Ted’s Column’ has appeared weekly in the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper since 2002. If you’d like to see any of Ted’s editorial cartoons bigger and brighter, you can visit http://tmal.multiply.com/photos/album/2

What’s Cooking

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

8 pineapple slices
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 large sweet onion -- sliced
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
4 lettuce leaves
4 onion or sesame seed buns, split and toasted
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 bacon strips -- cooked

Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl; add teriyaki sauce. Place 3 Tablespoon in a resealable plastic bag. Add pineapple and rotate to coat; set aside. Shape beef into four patties; place in a 8” square baking dish. Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce mixture over patties; marinate for 5-10 minutes, turning once. In a skillet, saut onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Grill or broil burgers until no long pink. Place pineapple on grill or under broiler to heat through. Layer lettuce and onion on bottom of buns. Top with burgers, cheese, pineapple and bacon
Replace tops; serve immediately.

Key West Sweet Potato Fries

6 sweet potatoes, cut into French fries
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, canola oil, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. Thinner fries may not take as long.

Serve with Heintz 57 sauce and large dill pickle on the side.

Virgin Frozen Fruit “Boat Drink”

2 oranges
2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 16 oz can crushed pineapple
2 cup ginger ale
3 bananas -- mashed

Grate the rinds of one of the oranges and one of the lemons. Squeeze juice from both lemons and oranges. Combine juice and grated rind with sugar, pineapple, ginger ale and bananas. Pour into a 6 cup mold and freeze. Remove from mold and thaw 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Jimbo for President

The other day I had an original idea. Okay, and almost original idea.

I Googled it to make sure and found that ALMOST nobody has taken this idea very seriously before.

My idea is Jimmy Buffett for President 2008. It's not a TOTALLY new idea. Former House Majority Leader, Texas Republican Dick Armey once tried to start a "Buffett for President" campaign back in 2002, but the Florida pirate and musician asked him not to, then made a campaign contribution to Florida Democrat Bob Graham's campaign.

And needless to say that Buffett's fans, known as "Parrotheads" have already printed T-shirts and his merchandising people have already made up bumper stickers, but other than Armey and the Parrotheads, I'm the first person to come up with this idea.

When you think about it, it's a fabulous idea. Our current President pretended to land a plane on an aircraft carrier, likes to work on his ranch and can cuss like a sailor. Jimmy Buffet flies his own sea-plane, likes to hang out on the beach and really is a sailor.

I hear you scoff. But the author of such hits as "Margaritaville," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and "Why don't we get drunk and screw?" actually has some genuine political experience.

Buffett has been the honorary mayor of Key West, the honorary President of the Conch Republic and of course the President and CEO of the "Margaritaville" chain of restaurants and merchandise store.

There are going to be things that neither Republicans or Democrats will like. Democrats may not be keen on how Jimmy would be okay with Free Trade. Republicans certainly won't like the legalization of various substances that show up at beach parties. You can never please everyone, but that's the point in proposing a third party, the "Parrot-ican-icrats."

Hawks may be frustrated because Parroticancrats are very laid-back.

They never rush in to anything let alone a fight. Doves may eventually be dismayed someday though, if some other nation just happens to go too far, especially if the Parrothead-in-chief will have had a few too many that day because he won't put up with any crap from anybody, unless he feels like it.

Just imagine the first 100 days of legislative proposals. Lime will be the national fruit, Rum and Tequila will become the official national mixers, the hammock will become the official national outdoor sleeping place thing and shrimp the official appetizer. And don't forget the national shirt-wear, Hawaiian.

And just so you know that he's got a whole team assembled to handle the world's problems, here are a few suggestions for cabinet:

Vice President will be Joel Walsh, formerly of the "Eagles," now touring again with his band the "James Gang." I know you were expecting Allan Jackson, but I figured him for Secretary of State. We need somebody tall to impress all those world leaders.

Besides, Jimmy asked around and Joel was the only person who wanted the job. In fact, here's what Walsh said about his role:

"If I was Vice President you know what I'd do? Pretty much anything I wanted to. I'd have a first class seat on Air Force One. An awesome pad in Washington D.C. (If you vote for me) Play golf all day with heads of state, if they brought beer wouldn't that be great? I can't wait!"

Just to keep the Red-Staters and hawks happy, we'd make Toby Kieth Secretary of Defense. He seems to know where to place American boots when necessary.

Bruce "the Boss" Springstien would be Secretary of Labor.

Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp will become Co-Secretaries of Agriculture- what with all their work on "Farm Aid" and all. And you don't want Willie at either the IRS or the DEA.

Reggae artist Ziggy Marley will become Secretary of Education, that way no child will be left behind without first “learning about peace, love, and surfing, mon.”

I figure Jimmy Buffet and Warren Buffett have to be related somehow, so we'll appoint the "Oracle of Omaha" Secretary of the Treasury.

Heck, I don't know why somebody didn't think of that one before- President Buffet may just want to put me in charge of the Ministry of Great Ideas.

Here's another idea; instead of having the inauguration on the steps of the Capital in DC, we'll have it at sunset on "Mallory Square" in Key West.

I just hope this goes farther than the "Bullwinkle for President" bandwagon I jumped on a few years back, or the Bozo campaign before that.