I know – I’m a day early. TMBWitW has had a slight schedule change for this week, she’ll be working from home tomorrow instead of today, so I thought I would do my round up today. If this throws you off, please come back tomorrow and laugh at my mis-print in the title.

First Things First:
As you recall, I have been following the blog of the Yllescas Family. On Monday, Captain Rob Yllescas succumbed to injuries received from an IED in Afghanistan in late October. Please let his wife, Dena, and their families know how much the service of Rob means to you, your family, and the country. Services will be in Nebraska, time and date will be published on the blog.

Help a young Marine clinging to life – see the details at Texas Fred, help pass the word around – you neve4r know if you have a reader in the D/FW area, or if you can maybe help out somehow.

Elect Conservatives:
The only way to avoid the Democrat’s ideal of socialism everywhere (“it works, it just hasn’t had the right people in charge yet…”) is to elect conservatives from the bottom up. cookiecrumbexpress has the start.

Delusions of the Media (or, “India can’t Happen Here”):
When is a gun-wielding, explosive throwing, damage-inflicting person who is targeting people of particular citizenry not a terrorist? Check out Cube’s entry on the BLOG to find out. BlackFive has a piece about the elitist media fooling themselves. Gateway Pundit writes about the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. Dumb Looks Still Free has a “Stuck On Stupid” list for your perusal. Making a “no-bite” agreement with a snake will get you bit – details on Third Wave Dave.

Love Story:
Tissue alert – Ray writes about his Love, Von, on Do The Right Thing.

Wednesday Hero:
Honored by Old Soldier, Mail Call! Supporting the Troops

Travel Story:
The casino on the way home lured in An Ol’ Broad! A different kind of story, but it explains so well what those who are returning from less-than-friendly areas go through on the Sandgram.

Confusion:
Locker Room Mixups at Amazed In His Presence, obvious answers to those nagging questions at The American Apologist, confusino as to what a “gift” really is on Evolution Right

Guns Don’t Kill People:
American and Proud has a story all too common – a returned hero is killed at home. Rob talks about the causes – and the prevention. The Bull speaks out about crime in St. Louis. Texas Fred has a story where guns would have come in handy…

Our Heroes:
RGRoland has a picture of some heroes.

Being Themselves:
Charming Just Charming, Richard, Alaska Steve, Mary’s World, Akinoluna

The Department of the Silver Lining:
Has the Shine Dulled? Jenn of the Jungle and Bloviating Zeppelin have part of the discussion. Political Pistachio has another angle – just how much of the Constitution is the president-elect willing to ignore? mdconservative^® asks how Obama got hold of Republican wording during his meeting with the governors on Conservative Intelligence Report. More discussion on ARRA News Service.

The Importance of Being Earnest:
Thought of the Day from Andrew Tallman. Jury Duty for the wife of an active-duty Marine on Write on the Right – who, by the way, is on Okinawa…

You Think Our Politics is Bad…:
…at least most of the time, your vote is counted! Check out LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot for an ugly alternative.

“Have An Accident?” “No Thanks, Just Did.”:
How NOT to rescue the pilot on Pitchpull.

Things That Offend muslims:
Amboy Times adds to the list – statues?!?

Settled In:
Samantha West has gotten settled in and hooked up once again.

Depravity of Humans:
Our Sovereign Joy asks how low can we go?

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

The Captain passed away earlier today.

To the Yllescas family: Thank you for the service of your husband, son, brother, father – he is a man among men, and he will be missed. Please accept the condolences of a grateful nation.

Weekends sure go by fast – especially when you spend the nights driving a cab and the days sleeping.

Sunday evening, we went to the Luminaria at the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Here’s a sneak peek:

To see the entire album, drop me a line via e-mail, and I will send you the link on Facebook.

How was your weekend?

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

218

Happy Very Full Day – or Black Friday, depending on your view of the world.

Today on The O Word on BlogTalkRadio we chatted about a whole bunch of different stuff. I think I scared off one listener, by jumping between topics and either laughing uproariously or being very serious depending on the topic. I know we had fun with some odd news stories, and the Loon and prying1 added their two cents. Way-too-brief visits from AnnieB and Nikki. We checked the genderanalyzer for some of our favorite blogs – and boy, was the analyzer off!

See you next Friday!

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

…to one and all. A special THANK YOU to the people willing to serve this country who enable us to sit around and give thanks in the safety of our own home.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863, Washington, D.C.

Interesting side note: Lincoln dated this proclamation as “Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.” (emphasis mine)