This is too good not to keep forever

From The Corner.

Two Great Stories--Truly Great [Michael Ledeen]

Another inspirational email going around. Fabulous.

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago .. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.

And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done.

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against TheMob, and he knew that the cost would be great.

So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.

But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop At late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching
danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.


Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.

He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.


So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.

Captialism rocks!

From the invaluable Jay Nordlinger at NRO:

Finally, a picture from a reader: here. He accompanied it with the words, “Capitalism rocks.” In case your computer has trouble bringing the photo up: It shows a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Karl Marx Street. The street, and the store, are located in the former East Germany.

This is for Kyle

Buy the shirt here.

Poor Congress, half as popular as the President

I still like Mitt most, but this is hilarious

* Fred Thompson's glare has the same effect as a Cruciatus Curse.

* Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. Why? Because Dumbledore was friends with Fred Thompson.

* Fred Thompson can transform into the most powerful Animagus form of all: Fred Thompson.

* If you call Fred Thompson a Muggle, he'll cast a spell on you where you spit out all your teeth. He uses his fist to cast the spell.

* A Quidditch game ends when either the Golden Snitch is caught or Fred Thompson becomes bored.

* Fred Thompson has killed more Death Eaters than any Auror... and that was just this morning.

* Even an Imperius Curse can't make you vote against Fred Thompson.

* SPOILER!!! At the end of Deathly Hallows, Fred Thompson kills Voldemort. With a ping pong paddle.

Mitt says: clean up the water our kids are swimming in

He's right again.

A Week in Seattle - Days One and Two

Last week, I made a trip with my parents to Seattle to see a cousin's wedding. On day one we missed the flight from DFW and had to go standby on a later flight. We lucked out and made it before it was too late.





After arriving in Seattle we found food and then found the Temple. That night the cousins arrived from Houston and Oregon. We rented a cabin in the shadow of Mount Ranier.

On day two, Mom, Dad, Braden Asay, Patrick Jones, and I went hiking on around Mount Ranier.


The scenery was breathtaking and the weather was perfect.





Whoop! Little Tahoma Peak is behind me here. More pictures are on others' cameras, so I will post them when I get copies.

The White Horse Prophecy

There was an article making the rounds on the Internet which talks about a prophecy about the constitution hanging by a thread and the Latter-day Saints coming to the rescue. The Church does not accept the prophecy as authentic, but it still has some traction in the lore of many Church members.

Some criticize this as evidence of Mormon intentions to take over the country. The recording of the prophecy 10 years after the Prophet Joseph Smith's death is interesting historically. This was a time when the Church was under intense scrutiny from the American government. It would not be long before federal troops were sent to squash the "Mormon uprising." So just when the government is ramping up its opposition to the Church, an alleged prophecy of Joseph's makes the rounds about the Mormons saving the Constitution and the United States. Even if origins of the prophecy are questionable, the timing of its publication is interesting.

I have heard about the constitution hanging by a thread for many years. I have never been inclined to believe that a Mormon being president was key to its fulfillment. I have always thought that this would be more of a grassroots type thing. Mormons would join with like minded citizens to work towards common goals and save the country. Many today talk about threats to the Constitution. The revelations instruct us to seek good and wise men to administer government (see D&C 98:5-10). If there is any validity to the warning of the constitution hanging by a thread, finding good and wise leaders is the key to its protection.

Joe Lieberman has it Right

To surrender to al Qaeda in Iraq would be catastrophic.

The officials I met in Baghdad said that 90% of suicide bombings in Iraq today are the work of non-Iraqi, al Qaeda terrorists.

Mitt the Pro-Lifer

I remember this speech from when it happened. All of Massachusetts knew Mitt was pro life and yet he kept campaign promises to not mess with the people's abortion laws (either to tighten or loosen). His articulation of this position is one of the main reasons I have been such a Mitt Romney fan for the past four years.

Liars in others' campaigns have tried to cherry pick this press conference to say Mitt is a flip flopper and has not always been pro life. Instead, he shows a great ability to articulate a strong pro-life position.

Here is a great website for t-shirts.
Saw 'em off short baby!

Bust Business Man in North America

This is for Posterity

I Consider this Prophetic

Nordlinger reports:

Later in the conference, another regional leader will say to an American, “If you leave Iraq too soon, you may find that you have to come back.”

Rev. Sharpton Visited Utah

I have read several accounts of Al Sharpton's visit to Utah. I may have been pretty hard on his comments, but I feel pretty good about how he looked for common ground. The reports say he visited Welfare Square, Temple Square, and the Family History Library. I sincerely hope Sharpton recognizes the good we do and, despite differences, can join with us for good causes should occasion arise.

So Great a Cloud of Witnesses

That is the phrase Paul used in Hebrews 12:1. That is one of the best testimonies of the Church. I look at the men and woment I have seen in the Church and they are the most noble, most inspiring, and most upright before the Lord that I have ever seen.

From the Quorum of the Twelve, to the professors I had at BYU, to the local leadership, to the friends I have had along the way I have marveled at their goodness.

Moroni 7:10-15 tells us how to judge. If it leads us to do good, to believe in God, and to follow Christ it is good and is of God. The doctrines of the Church lead these amazing people. No one can honestly separate beliefs from behavior.

I've finally got Democrats figured out

Zombies must have eaten their brains.
Update: I apoligize. It is the Republicans who support the amnesty bill who have had their brains eaten by zombies. I presume that the zombies will vote Democrat too.

Mr. Tolerance still at it

So it seems Sharpton backed off his bigoted statement for a bit, but has changed his mind. He is apparently ready to come out in full attack mode on the Church's "racism." Who on earth made Sharpton the conscience of anyone? He is perhaps the most racist person I have ever heard. Disgusting.

"Mormons Are Good People, But..."

I love sentences that start that way. They usually end in "...their doctrine is wacky/wrong/inspired of the devil."

If we are so misguided, why do we do so much good? Why do so many of our youth avoid the pitfalls of the modern era like sex and drugs? Why do hundreds of thousands of our high schoolers get out of bed at 5AM to attend seminary? Why do over 25,000 19-year-olds volunteer for grueling missionary service each year? Why do we have such a high rate of upper level education? Why are we so well respected in the business world?

The people who have the biggest problem with the Church are the extremely open minded and extremely closed minded. Those with open minds hate the Church for its unyielding adherance to standards, and those with closed minds hate the Church because of its challenge to the traditions of their fathters.

Mister Tolerance Himself

Not only is Al Sharpton an anti-Semite, it would appear he is also an anti-Mormon. He recently said:

As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don’t worry, that’s a temporary situation.

Aren't tolerant people wonderful? (I wonder what Sharpton thinks of Harry Reid. I will attack Reid for his positions, but if someone were to attack him on the basis of his religion, I will be the first to come to his defence.)

(Hat tip NRO- I first heard this on Rush during the first hour)