Wednesday, October 14, 2015

My YouTube Videos

About six years ago I put up eight video on YouTube and over the years the
total of views slowly climbed to 24,806 views for all eight videos combined.
The video are Marine Corps and other services related like the Glass Wall in
Jacksonville NC and the Wall in DC both walls honoring Vietnam Vets.So I
thought I would put up the YouTube site and If You have time you could watch
them, the longest is about 9 mins and the shortest is just over a min. The last
Video has the highest number of views over 13,734 and is tops in its category
and was the first video I made titled Eagle, Globe and Anchor.
https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U         

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Building America

In the years just before 1825 all the ground work had been done, the engineering
plains, the survey maps were finish the funding was set and now it was time to
hire a thousand strong men to dig a ditch. OK, it was a canal, but until it had
water in it and boats on it, its a ditch. And this ditch would run for one hundred
and two miles and they would do it with picks and shovel, axes and saws, mules
and horses, muscle and sweat, and a lot of whiskey, so the story goes. In 1831
the Morris Canal was finished, it ran from the Delaware River to Newark N.J.
It went from being a ditch to a canal, and it would last for one hundred years.

In the same vain in 1863 two crews of men would lay track to link the country
together as they built the transcontinental railroad. In the west they had a hard time
finding good workers, so they hired Chinese who in time would be 80% of the work
force. When asked why the Chinese management said they work hard, they don't get
drunk and walk off the job, and if they can build the great wall of China, they can
build a railroad. In the east many of the men were Irish and German immigrants and
some Civil war Vets. And they did it with shovels, sludge hammers, pickaxes and
muscle and sweat. These were the blue collar boys, they built canals and railroads,
walked the high steel on skyscraper, built dams and bridges and road all over this
country. I don't know if they thought they were building America or not, but at some-
time in the future they could look upon there work with there grand-kids at there side
and say, grandpa helped build that.    
     


           



Saturday, November 8, 2014

The Black Robe Regiment

Black-robe Regiment fighting back again

Published: Friday, November 7, 2014 at 09:02 PM.

To the editor:
It started out slowly, almost unnoticed by most, an after-thought on the nightly news — but sometime during the 1970s the Supreme Court would rule that a Christmas nativity scene on public property was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment’s so-called “Establishment clause.”
And so began a downward spiral into the abyss we now find ourselves in today — an assault on anything Christian from the secular and atheist communities.
Over subsequent years, the battle has raged from the serious to the ridiculous: from nativity scenes to words like “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas;” holiday trees replacing Christmas trees; from Easter displays to Bibles, public prayers, The Ten Commandments and crosses; and all the words and depictions that atheists say offends them.
The atheists have won many battles, but the Christians also have a few wins such as the Mojave Desert Cross, the San Diego Cross and the Twin Towers Memorial Cross.
Then there are all the depictions of the Ten Commandments, and Christian statues and plaques that have been taken down, covered up or dragged into dark courthouse basements where they now sit out of sight, but certainly not out of mind and not forgotten — an atheist win, for now.
There was a time in this country when you could pray in schools or at school football games until atheists, aided and abetted by the so-called American Civil Liberties Union, started filing lawsuits against prayer in public places.
In the run up to the American Revolutionary War in 1776, there was a group of pastors speaking out from their pulpits in churches across the colonies, preaching freedom, liberty and independence from the British Crown — the British called them the Black-robe Regiment after the black robes they wore while preaching.
Today, there’s a new Black-robe Regiment forming because of the difficult times in which we find ourselves.
There is a war going on for the very soul of this nation, and over the values that made this nation great. American values are under attack from secularists, atheists, the federal government and activist judges.
The Black-robe Regiment is fighting back with the truth of God’s Word.

Bruce Knipp







Monday, October 27, 2014

Legacy of the U.S.

Legacy of the U.S. needs to be revived

Published: Monday, October 27, 2014 at 01:23 PM.To the editor:
Many younger people today are the children of the information age. With all their computers and smart phones, the Internet at their fingertips and with more information than any people before them in history, it seems they don’t have a clue, that they’re lost in a maze of social media. They seem to lack understanding of where they reside or how they got here or what it took too put them in the position of a free people which they now enjoy.
But this freedom will not last if not nurtured. It will wither and die, lost to the pages of history — a once great people who changed the world with their existence.
Now we appear to have those who don’t have a clue and those who tend to listen only to the revisionist history crowd — you know, the America-is-at-fault-for-all-the-world’s-ills crowd.
This started with our so-called college professors — you know them as the America haters, those who never take responsibilities for their actions and always blame others.
And now this garbage has crawled its way up to the very top, where we are forced to hear speeches that apologize for our country’s actions to countries with no clue of how freedom works.
I would implore those people with all the information at their fingertips to look up this country’s history and why we have nothing for which to apologize. And as you look into the history of this great nation you will find that we are a people from every ethnic group in the world — now known as Americans.
Remember, 238 years ago there was not one nation in the world that was free. This radical idea of a free people running their own country was unheard of. American history is one of the greatest stories in the world. The world would be a very different place if this nation were allowed to die on the vine.

Bruce Knipp

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Paying Attention

If your looking for answers to what's wrong with the politicians in Washington D.C.
I would suggest looking at us, you and me, and all the generations that came before us.
You see we weren't  pay attention, we had our own life's to live, jobs
to go to, families to take care of, kids to raise, we elected people we thought would
represent us, after all, they were Americans just like us, right.
And then we went on about our business cause politics was kind of boring
and we didn't really understand much of it anyway. And that person you voted for
to represent you, well they really just represented themselves and their political party.
Think of political parties as trade unions, like the teachers union the A.F.T. the
union represents the teachers, not the children, because the children don't pay dues.
Political parties represent congressmen, not us, its all about them and the money.

Lets look at a few things they have been doing that's ether illegal, unethical or just
plain corrupt. Over half the congress are millionaires, nothing wrong with being  
a millionaire, unless their enriching themselves with legislation that favors there stock
portfolios. Some congressmen have there stocks in blind trusts  
others don't, and the ones that do, well their not that blind. So how do you
think a congressman will vote say on the XL pipeline if he as stock in a competing
company to that pipeline.
Sometime ago 60 minutes did a piece on insider trading in congress
where members of certain committees could trade on advanced information
that the public could not, in fact if you did, you could go to jail, but not them. So they
changed the law so it couldn't happen, but they put a loophole in the bill that made it
worse then it was before, these people just love power and your money.
Then theirs this little thing called back door bribery, oh you're going to love this one.
There are about 44 congressmen and senators who have retired over a couple of
years who now have or had jobs with firms and companies they helped out
by slipping in a loophole in a bill that helps a company or firm in someway. This secret
deal between the company and the congressmen is when he/she retires they become
lobbyists for that company for at least a million dollars a year, nice work if you can get it.      

I just ran across this little gem a few days ago. Congress and their staffs have to
have Obama care and the government is paying a big subsidy to help them out, bad
enough, because you don't get that kind of subsidy. But here's the kicker, the weasels
put this in a bill that says when a member retires he/she can opt out of Obama care and
go back to their former insurance, do you think you can opt out when you retire,
somehow I don't think so. First they tried to except themselves from this law, and when
that didn't work they quietly slipped in this loophole. Now the thing that really burns me 
up about this is not one of these clowns stood up and said anything about it. Democrats 
who voted for Obama care or Republicans who appose it, why, because its all about 
them, nothing unethical here right.
Its time to elect people who will vote for team limits, and hold them to it. Team limits
won't happen over night, it will take time, time to replace the old guard, will team limits
solve all the problems, no, but it will go a long way to help. Team limits and us paying
attention to what's going on, we just got to start paying attention.

Bruce Knipp        





Monday, February 3, 2014

Political Parties

In 1796 George Washington gave his now famous farewell address to the nation.
Part of his address was about political parties, Washington was the only President
who had no party affiliation and thought political parties should not be encouraged
and spoke-out against them in the strongest of terms.
From 1774 to 1789 fifty five men of the Continental Congress wrote three major
documents, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation and
The U.S. Constitution, all done without a political party in site, their wasn't a
elephant or donkey anywhere in the room. That's not to say the members didn't
argued with each other, but it seems they did it with class. Some will say they used
the art of compromise. I tend to think they used the power of ideas, taking parts of
many ideas from many members and putting them together to come up with a
consensus, for they new their was more then one right answer.
Unlike today, where Democrats and Republicans rarely talk to each other
and rarely have any ideas worth talking about. Today its all about money, how much
money a member can raise for themselves and their party, those who raise the most for
their party get to serve on major Congressional Committee's as a reward, for many its
has become a career. And we the people keep helping them out by reelecting them over
and over again.
Unlike those in the Continental Congress who served for patriotism, who "Pledge to each
other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor".


Bruce Knipp
 



Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Legend Of Arlington Ridge

The Legend Of Arlington Ridge

Its has been said that ever since the dedication,
Of the Iwo Jima Memorial on Arlington Ridge,
A ceremony takes place each morning
In the hours just before dawn.
As a low, knee-high ground fog
Sweeps across the Ridge in the cool morning air,
A band is heard playing the "Marines Hymn".
From an unknown distance and very low at first,
The music becomes increasingly louder.
Yet, no band is ever seen.
It is then said,
That out of the tree line of Arlington Cemetery,
A company of Marines clad in dress blues appears from the mist,
Marching through the ground fog toward the Memorial.
Flags at the head of the column stand straight out,
Snapping in the wind, yet not even the slightest breeze is felt.
The Marines march to the Memorial in perfect cadence,
While no orders are heard by those who witness this event.
Like "The Silent Drill Team",
the Marines execute each move in flawless synchrony.
As they reach the Memorial,
They suddenly halt, right face, and "order arms"
As the lights from the monument
Ricochet off of their fixed bayonets.
The Marines possess an eerie transparency
That sends shivers down the spines of onlookers,
Yet there is no fear.
In fact, a feeling of pride and honor
Sweeps over those who gaze upon the apparition.
Four Marines ceremoniously step out from the ranks
And lay a wreath of red and white roses at the base of the Monument.
It is believed that these four men
Are Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl. Ira Hayes, Cpl. Rene Gagnon,
(three of the six flag raisers on Iwo Jima),
And Medal of Honor winner John Basilone.
Strank and Basilone were killed
On that hellish black sand island in 1945
While Gagnon and Hayes were destined to relive that fateful day
Until mercifully relieved them of their posts.
Two buglers are heard playing "Echo Taps",
But once again, there are no buglers in sight.
The ceremonies conclude just before the break of dawn
As the Marines come to right shoulder arms, right face,
And silently march back to Arlington Cemetery.
It is said that they are from all eras of Marines buried in Arlington,
And they are charged with guarding their Memorial
And the honor for which it stands.
All of this may be difficult for some to believe,
But legends are, after all, only legends.
Yet, ask any Marine if they believe the legend,
That Marines guard the gates of heaven
And see what they say.
The "Legend of Arlington Ridge",
Is no more than the belief in honor.
Marines live it every day of their lives.
Honor is what we were taught when entering the Corps;
Honor is what we took when we left.
Throughout life and beyond,
It is our most cherished possession.

©2001 - L/Cpl Bruce Knipp