Monday, Monday

Good Morning, America, how are you? I chose this picture of the Betsy Ross flag for a number of reasons. In case you don't know what that flag represents, go here and read. Isn't that beautiful?

On this Monday morning America, it looks to me as if you are under siege in all sorts of places. We all know about Camp Berkeley. (And yes, Deebow over at Blackfive has a good one up about it - here - too. Read it later...lol) However, I dare to say our Marines are being taken care of, and tomorrow is another new day ;) OORAH!

Toledo, anyone? What a difference a weekend makes. NOT! Well, unless ya count the Mayor of Toledo digging himself into an ever deeper hole.

Mayor kicks Marines out of Toledo 1-24th Marines were scheduled for weekend urban warfare training in downtown Toledo, when Carty gave them the boot Toledo police said they knew about the training and had approved the unit’s use of the Madison Building and the Promenade Park area. The training was scheduled to start Friday afternoon and last until Sunday. Police said the unit’s presence would have a minimal impact on the city. Police issued a press release earlier in the week saying the Marines would be wearing green camouflage uniforms, operate military vehicles, carry rifles, perform foot patrols, and fire blank ammunition during the exercise. [Mayor's spokesman] Schwartz said there was a breakdown in communication between police and the Finkbeiner administration that led to the mayor’s action. “The Marines drilled here three times during the Ford administration and once under the Finkbeiner administration. After the last visit, the mayor told then police Chief Jack Smith, that he did not want the marines back. Smith failed to inform the current police administration of the mayor’s feelings,” Schwartz said. NBC24 spoke to Jack Smith who recalled that after the Marines last visit, he and the mayor had a heated exchange about the training. “He told me he did not want them, as he put it, 'playing war in Toledo,'" Smith recalled. "I told him, as a former Marine, that if one young Marine’s life is saved because of training he or she received in Toledo, Ohio, then it was worth the inconvenience.” Smith said if the mayor objected, then he should have been the one to convey those feelings to police. Smith took his run-in with the mayor as an objection to that last visit and not future training in Toledo. As a result, the Toledo police went ahead, granting approval to the 1-24th Marines to conduct the routine exercise. The police notified members of the Finkbeiner administration who were not aware that the mayor objected to units training in Toledo. When the mayor found out, he sent a member of his staff to tell Marines they could not conduct urban operations in Toledo. The unit was notified about 3:30 p.m. after an advance team arrived in Toledo. Five buses carrying some 200 Marines traveled four hours from Grand Rapids, only to find out the training had been shot down.

He said, he said. Same old, same old! Read the rest of this "news" here.

Follow along now :) As I read all this crap? Reminded of the line: What we have here is a failure to communicate." Well, as we all know, politics being what they are, 'fun' continued. The good Mayor of Toledo was finding out that having Marines "play war" (excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me,? Ass!) in his town would have been a lot safer than the fallout from his take charge attitude:

Article published Sunday, February 10, 2008 Finkbeiner taking flak over Marines Mayor defends his decision to cancel urban war games Some compared the flap to the one Mr. Finkbeiner set off during his first term in 1994, with his proposal that the city move its deaf population to land near Toledo Express Airport. "It makes Toledo look like a national disgrace," said Steve Baxter, 47, of Columbus, who learned of the ordeal through a national political blog. "And it reflects poorly on your mayor." Former Marine Brian Thompson, 40, of West Toledo said he was in disbelief when he first picked up the newspaper. Soon his feelings turned to anger. "My perception now is that Carty feels it is OK for Marines to die in Iraq, but just don't come to Toledo," said the 13-year Marine Corps veteran. "The better trained the men and women are, the better chances that they'll come home alive." In response to his critics, Mayor Finkbeiner declared his absolute support for the Marines Corps as well as all of the nation's armed forces - yet still defended his decision to send the Marines packing. "No matter how much I respect, love, and appreciate the military, there are better places to conduct military planning and staging sessions than the central business district," Mayor Finkbeiner told The Blade. "I think the military brass would understand and appreciate that."...(here)

Now ya see, Carty? Getting people all upset. Ya just don't seem to learn, Mr Mayor, that Toledo is not your personal kingdom to do with as you, please. Shame on you... everyone else in the good town of Toledo knew what was going on but the Mayor.

Last Edited: Sunday, 10 Feb 2008, 11:02 PM EST Created: Saturday, 09 Feb 2008, 9:58 PM EST Reservists with Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines out of Grand Rapids, Mich., pack up some of their urban warfare training gear outside the nearly vacant Madison Building in Downtown Toledo Feb. 8, after Mayor Carty Finkbeiner told them to leave the city. Related Items Videos Links Your Turn: Comment About It! Barrett Andrews Blogs About Coverage 1st Battalion, 24th Marines Website Berkeley to Marine Corps: You're Not Welcome Stories City Forces Marines Withdrawal Poll Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said on Friday that Marines "frighten people." Do you agree? Yes No DOWNTOWN TOLEDO -- In a news conference Saturday evening, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said the reason why he asked 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion 24th Marines of Grand Rapids, Mich., to halt their urban warfare training Friday and leave, came down to poor planning and lack of communication. Although Alpha Company has used Downtown Toledo in the past, as well as Perrysburg's Weapons Company, for urban warfare-type training, Mayor Finkbeiner decided against this weekend's training scenarios because he wasn't given a reasonable head's up or enough time to stop it before it had begun.(here) DOWNTOWN TOLEDO -- In a news conference Saturday evening, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner said the reason why he asked 200 members of Company A, 1st Battalion 24th Marines of Grand Rapids, Mich., to halt their urban warfare training Friday and leave, came down to poor planning and lack of communication.

Okay, so I kinda screwed that up a bit, but you get the idea. And ummmm, guess we can be glad Toledo isn't in Baghdad or Afghanistan. Every soldier knows what "poor planning and lack of communication" can do for you there. Talking lack of communication? It seems the City of Toledo might be having troubles - as of at least Sunday morning, their server was down, as was the Mayor's.

DotNetNuke Error: - Version 04.05.05Server Error in '/' Application. Runtime Error Description: An application error occurred on the server.

Hehehe. "Error". Ya think so? I was going to apologise for laughing, but hey, I am not sorry....I actually got the links for the Mayor's site from Blackfive...who is also running a post on matters Toledo. But ummmmmm, who elected this guy? Somebody must have.

And in case you think that it is only civic politicians who have troubles figuring out what patriotism is, come a gem of a story from corporate America. This one just boggles my mind on so many levels. But, here, you decide:

Saturday, February 09, 2008 MORE "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS" BROUGHT TO YOU BY VERIZON MANAGEMENT WARNING: Reading this could cause your hair to start on fire. You've been warned. John Ruberry at Marathon Pundit just sent an email alert about our good friends at Verizon Wireless. After reading the post, it's clear to me that Verizon just needs a good, old fashioned, blogger beat down. Sometimes corporations simply lose their way and need a little economic slap up-side-the-head to get them back to thinking more clearly. From Marathon Pundit: ***** "A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Terry recently returned from his third tour duty in the Middle East. He is a genuine patriot and has proudly flown his unit's American flag over the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. When he's not defending our country overseas, Terry Skiest works as a technician for Verizon Business. For three years, Terry displayed his American flag outside his cubicle. But when Terry left his flag hanging outside his cubicle during his last tour in Afghanistan, Verizon Business removed it. A co-worker of Skiest's reported that a local manager said that the American flag 'could be considered to be propaganda' and 'might be offensive to some workers.' Terry isn't trying to organize workers against VZB - he just wants to put the flag back up on his wall. Tell Verizon Business to put up Terry's flag."

That's from ThirdWaveDave here, and you really have to go read his thoughts. I'm telling you, something in the water...;) "Might be offensive to some people", "propaganda"??? You have got to be kidding me...Is that for real? Ummmmmm someone tell Verizon to check out the history of flag flying. Oh and yes, ThirdWaveDave DOES have contact info for Verizon. :) (Monday morning mission, anyone?)

There is a site Put Up the Flag with a must-see video and all sorts of info on. Go here for that.

O, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming..

Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

(Really, go here for a fascinating history.)

So yes, it is 'Monday, Monday' in America. I don't know about all of you, but from where I sit, waaaaaay over here, there really DOES seem to be something in the water, and in the air in some parts of your country. Very strange times we are living in.

Let's go into the week with this timeless reminder of traditions that make America great. OOORAH!


Brat (H/T to Cory, Mandy, Laurie, etc.etc)