Tonight we pay tribute to three men who gave their all for their country - Sgt. 1st Class David J. Todd Jr., a soldier who died recently in Afghanistan; Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, a soldier who died recently in Iraq; and Sgt. Nickolas Lee Hopper, a marine who died nearly a year ago of wounds he received in Iraq but who was mistakenly not formally identified as a casualty of the war in Iraq until last Friday.

Come join us Central Texans today at the Dog & Duck Pub, Guadalupe & 17th (406 W. 17th).

We'll start at 2 pm, but we'll be there for a few hours--indoors because of the heat--so drop by whenever you can this afternoon.

It's been a while since we got together, so we have a lot to catch up on. Plus there's planning for Netroots Nation and participating in the Netroots for the Troops project to pack and send care packages to the troops from Netroots Nation.

If you can't make it to this meetup, never fear. We'll be having more-frequent meetups in preparation for Netroots Nation and November election campaigns. And if you're not on my list to receive email notices and reminders of our local meetups, email me at the address in my profile and I'll add you.

Also see below the fold for info on the Texas Democratic Party Bloggers' Caucus in Austin on Thursday evening.

The IGTNT and Mojo Friday crews are pleased to announce that we will be going to Netroots Nation '08 in Austin, July 17-20. Our joint venture will pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and help those on the ground today with care packages from home.

As we come to the close of the Memorial Day weekend, we're asking you to look forward with us, and help us to help our GIs so far from home in a hostile environment. What we'd really like to send is a one-way ticket home for each and every one of them, but we all know that it's going to take more and better Democrats to get that feat accomplished. In the meantime, there's a lot that we can do to make life a little bit easier for them. Join us below the fold for details.

Tonight we remember Sgt. John Kyle Daggett, a young man who recently died of wounds suffered in Iraq, and we bear witness to the bittersweet homecoming of two soldiers missing from the Korean War, Sgt. 1st Class George W. Koon and Sgt. 1st Class Jack O. Tye.

Please join me below the fold to pay tribute to their memory.

Tonight we pay tribute to two soldiers who died together in Iraq and will be sorely missed by their loved ones: Cpt. Andrew. R. Pearson, 32, of Billings, Montana, and Spc. Ronald J. Tucker, 21, of Fountain, Colorado.

Of everything in this world,
I guess I'll never know why,
Something as good as this could,
Flower up and die.

- From "Reason to Cry," by Lucinda Williams

Please join us below the fold to pay tribute to these two young men tonight.

I held a Jewel in my fingers -
And went to sleep -
The day was warm, and winds were prosy -
I said "'Twill keep" -

I woke - and chid my honest fingers,
The Gem was gone -
And now, an Amethyst remembrance
Is all I own -

- Emily Dickinson

Tonight we remember three exceptional men: two marines who died together in Afghanistan, and a Green Beret who died in Afghanistan. Please join blue jersey mom and me below to pay tribute to them.

Tonight as we pay tribute to two soldiers who died last week in Iraq - Staff Sgt. Joseph D. Gamboa of Guam and Spc. Gregory B. Rundell of Minnesota - there is little I can add to the sentiments that come through in this song:

Boxes

There's a woman, puts things in boxes
Keepsakes mostly of her kids
There are snapshots of gap-toothed boys and girls
There are pictures and drawings they did

There are trophies and ribbons
An old newspaper clip of a young bride
And there's a stack of old valentine cards
"I love you" is written inside

Well, there's a hat, somethin' borrowed
And a veil, somethin' new
There's a Bible, somethin' old
And there's a letter--it's somethin' blue

There's a letter--it's something' blue
Came on a day turned black
A grateful nation informs you
your first lieutenant, he's not coming back

There are valentine cards
There are valentine cards
Some flowers carefully dried
There are valentine cards
There are valentine cards
"I love you" is written inside

by Sam Baker*

Continued below the fold...

So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others I would say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Tonight we pay tribute to three family men who recently died in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army. Together, they leave behind three wives and four children, as well as many other grieving family members, friends, and colleagues.

Tonight we honor four more fallen soldiers: Spc. Brynn J. Naylor and Sgt. Samuel E. Kelsey, who died in Iraq; and Staff Sgt. Michael J. Gabel and Cpl. Joshua C. Blaney, who died in Afghanistan. They will all be missed terribly by their loved ones, especially during this Christmas season. Our hearts go out to their friends, family, and fellow soldiers.

This verse from Emmylou Harris’s "Boulder to Birmingham" has been going through my mind this weekend:

I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face.

Please join me and the IGTNT team in remembering these four.

Amid all the dangers that those who serve in our country's armed forces face in war-torn areas, it is easy to forget that they are also vulnerable to the same sorts of violence that affect citizens at home, especially women. The two women we honor tonight--Seaman Anamarie Sannicolas Camacho, 20, of Panama City, Florida, and Seaman Genesia Mattril Gresham, 19, of Lithonia, Georgia--were murdered, apparently by a fellow sailor who had had a casual relationship with one of them. The Navy Times reported that he was armed as a member of the base security force, and according to WJHG News, friends said that he had threatened her in the past and had been ordered to stay away from her. The alleged shooter remains hospitalized in critical condition after turning his gun on himself.

Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and colleagues who are affected by this tragedy.

"You are not forgotten" - those are the words on the POW/MIA flag. Today as we honor two fallen servicemen whose deaths were recently announced by the Department of Defense - one who died on September 25 of this year, Luke Milam of Littleton, Colorado, and one who died in April of 1942, James Blose of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania - it's clear that, for all who give their lives in service to their country, those words are more than just a slogan.

We are blessed to have a wealth of information about these two remarkable men. Please join me below the fold for a tribute to them.

(POW/MIA flag image is in the public domain.)

We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience. ~ George Washington

No doubt we can all profit from the dear-bought experience of the two true leaders traditionally honored on Presidents' Day--George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The following quotes seem especially relevant to the state of our nation and its executive branch today. Washington and Lincoln weren't perfect, but if only our current president had even a fraction of their wisdom and integrity!


George Washington (1789-1797)

I shall constantly bear in mind, that as the Sword was the last Resort for the preservation of our Liberties, so it ought to be the first thing laid aside, when those Liberties are firmly established.

Continued...

Since the latest redistricting of Texas, I am once again in Lloyd Doggett's district. Today he sent an email request for input on the remarks he will make during the House debate on the Iraq war next week--he will have five minutes to speak. As a Texan, I am so grateful to have this kind of representation in the House (even though I still have no representation in the Senate). I am also so grateful that the day has finally come when we have so many strong Democratic voices in both houses. Lloyd Doggett has been an outspoken critic of the war since before it started, when few politicians seemed the courage to speak out.

Below are Cong. Doggett's email and my reply. (Thanks, Maccabee, for your recent diary, which I linked to in my response to him.) Although the congressman has directed his request for input to his constituents, feel free to add your comments below. I will send him a link to this diary.

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment

we have no sympathy for the devil.

we acknowledge the power to act that is in us

image and poem below the fold

(RubDMC's daily intro)

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment

we have no sympathy for the devil.

we acknowledge the power to act that is in us

image and poem below the fold

(RubDMC's daily intro)

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment

we have no sympathy for the devil.

we acknowledge the power to act that is in us

image and poem below the fold

(RubDMC's daily intro)

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment

we have no sympathy for the devil.

we acknowledge the power to act that is in us

image and poem below the fold

(RubDMC's daily intro)

this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war

we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment

we have no sympathy for the devil.

we acknowledge the power to act that is in us

image and poem below the fold

(RubDMC's daily intro)

Humbly filling in during Jerry's absence...