Here's to long weekends

I'm really grateful for an awesome wife and a kicking son... I like how John gets active every night about the same time.  Let's talk serious for a little bit now.

Regardless of your politics, today is a day to be grateful for Memorial Day and those that have given their lives fighting for what we Americans believe.  On this day or even when you read this, give pause to be grateful for just a few of these things:

• That the war against terror is not being fought on American soil
• The last war fought on American soil was the Civil War.
• Despite how poorly we fight wars against drugs, poverty, and illiteracy, we are bold enough to fight them
• That while we have more troops and civilians deployed than ever in our history, we still go about our daily lives: shopping, eating, etc.
• That we don't have to do bomb drills at work
• That our children learn duck and cover for tornadoes not for bombs
• That being patriotic is your choice
• That you can be an apathetic slob: never vote, never serve, never volunteer, and still feel safe.
• That you do not know true corruption nor live in fear that the army will overthrow your government
• That American - US of A is the greatest place to live on planet earth.  Now if we could only grow up!
  

Now, educate yourself.  Learn why you have a long weekend the last Monday of every May.
Original Article:

"Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

General John A. Logan Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-B8172- 6403 DLC (b&w film neg.)]

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee."