Buy a Poppy for a Disabled Vet

POST-GAZETTE Res Publica
Buy a Poppy for a Disabled Vet
by David Trumbull -- May 25, 2012

Each year I see fewer and fewer men on the street wearing remembrance poppies on Memorial Day, since 1971 celebrated on the last Monday in May. One year I couldn’t even find anyone selling Buddy Poppies, the paper replica flowers that the Veterans of Foreign Wars sell to raise money for disabled veterans.

Ninety years ago, before Memorial Day in 1922, the VFW conducted its first poppy distribution, thus becoming the first veterans' group to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

In 1924 the VFW registered with the U.S. Patent Office the trademark right to the name Buddy Poppy. The VFW guarantees that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are genuine products of the work of disabled and needy veterans. No other organization, firm or individual can legally use the name Buddy Poppy.

When you buy your Buddy Poppy to wear this Memorial Day you will be giving material aid to a disabled veteran. And when you wear your Buddy Poppy you will be, to everyone who sees you, a reminder of the meaning of Memorial Day.

The American Legion also sells crepe paper poppies for Memorial Day. That is another fine organization worthy of your support.

Although the United States Department of Veterans Affairs states “The wearing of poppies in honor of America's war dead is traditionally done on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day” many of us do join our friends from the British Commonwealth nations in wearing the red poppy of remembrance on November 11th as well.

This Memorial Day remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion to cause of liberty.

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The Torch: be yours to hold it high!
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

—John McCrae (1872-1918)

Today is Straw Hat Day

May 15th is Straw Hat Day the beginning of the season when men may wear their straw boaters and Panamas rather than the fur felt fedoras, porkpies, homburgs, and bowlers that we wear (You do wear a hat, don't you?) the rest of the year. For more information see http://www.thefedoralounge.com. Straw hats may be worn until Felt Hat Day which is September 15th.

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

"Your stick should be of plain Malacca or other wood, with either a crooked or straight handle. The only ornamentation allowable is a plain silver or gold band, or top; but perfectly plain is best form." -- Emily Post, Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home (1922), Chapter 34, "The Clothes of a Gentleman."

"Alfonse" holds the sticks.

Of the lady's walking stick Miss Post was silent, for, as it so many matters of dress, ladies are free to accessorize at will. The gentleman's wardrobe choices are few and defined. Speaking of definition, "Malacca," according to Merriam-Webster.com means "made or consisting of the cane of an Asian rattan palm (Calamus rotang)." It is from the common use of cane for men's sticks that "cane" has come to signify a walking stick of whatever construction. However, careful speakers always distinguish between "cane" and the more general term "stick."

Ebay is a good source for vintage sticks, which being fashion accessories were frequently non-weight-bearing. If you need assistance with mobility or stability you should seek out a weigh-bearing stick made to the correct length for your height. I have found the business www.fashionablecanes.com to be an excellent and affordable source. They have a large variety of shafts and handles. Their sticks are rated for the maximum weight they can safely bear. And, their website has instructions on how to determine the correct length of stick for you. This is extremely important as a stick that is too short or too long may actually aggravate the medical condition that indicated use of a stick.

Viva Mexico!

POST-GAZETTE - Res Publica
Viva Mexico!
by David Trumbull -- May 4, 2012

Congress wanted to commemorate the holiday Cinco de Mayo, but they could not agree on the date.
--Humorist Mark Russell at the 2011 Robert Benchley Society Annual Awards Dinner.

All joking aside, congress could be forgiven for being confused about Cinco de Mayo. Often mistaken, in America, for Mexico's Fourth of July (Mexico's Independence Day is, in fact, celebrated on September 16th), it commemorates the Battle of Puebla, where, in 1862, about 4,000 poorly equipped Mexican soldiers defeated an invading French army of twice that size. It isn't a big holiday in most of Mexico, rather it is local to the City of Puebla in central Mexico.

In other words, Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican equivalent to Bunker Hill Day or perhaps Patriots' Day, a local celebration of a local battle that had national importance.

Cinco de Mayo is now observed throughout the U.S., where it is a much bigger holiday than it is in Mexico. Some U.S. celebrations now extend to honoring Hispanic ancestry and culture of all origins -- North American, Central American, South American, and Caribbean -- not solely Mexican.

American love of Mexican cuisine and of the distinctly Mexican liquor, Tequila, has helped spread enjoyment of Cinco de Mayo, as has, frankly, the commercial interest of food and beverage vendors. Never one to pass on an excuse for a party, I'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, although perhaps with Bourbon rather than Tequila, the 5th falling on the first Saturday in May, which makes it Kentucky Derby Day.

The Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, may have been as significant for American history as it was for Mexico. It was during the American Civil War and many historians believe that France was on the verge coming to the aid of the Southern Confederates. The French defeat at Puebla put an end to such plans, if any. Who knows, had Mexico not defeated the French that day the United States might be several States fewer today. That's if the Union survived at all after a Civil War with foreign involvement. So, perhaps it is fitting that Cinco de Mayo is bigger holiday north of the border -- Viva Mexico!

Our First, Most Cherished Liberty

Res Publica
Our First, Most Cherished Liberty
by David Trumbull -- April 20, 2012

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently published a statement on the attacks, by local, state and federal government, on religious liberty now happening across America. They cite case after case.

• The Obamacare mandate that Catholic institutions pay for medical procedures they find morally impermissible.
• The singling out of Christian student groups for expulsion from the campuses of public colleges.
• The banning, as in Massachusetts and other states, of Catholic organizations from assisting in adoptions of children.
• A City of New York "crackdown" on small Protestant churches.
• Actions in several states to prohibit Catholic, Episcopal, and Methodist churches from performing their long-recognized role of providing sanctuary for the oppressed.

Intolerance -- official state-sponsored intolerance -- is on the rise in American to an extent not seen since the heyday of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s or even the period of the "Know Nothings" in the mid 1800s.

The bishops have characterized the Obamacare mandate as unconstitutional. It is unconstitutional.

In the early days of our Republic Thomas Jefferson assured the an order of nuns who served a mostly non-Catholic population by running a hospital, an orphanage, and schools that the principles of the Constitution were a “sure guarantee” that their ministry would be free “to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules, without interference from the civil authority. Such was the law in the 19th century and such was the law through the 20th century, and into the 21st century until the Obama Administration announced that Catholic institutions would have to operate as Washington bureaucrats dictated rather than in according with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

The bishops have announced plans to pursue both "legislative and judicial efforts to restore respect for religious freedom in the nation." I am please to say that Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown supports legislation to restore the religious liberty we had for 224 years until August 2011. His Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren, says that makes Senator Brown "extreme." The voters can settle that one in November.

In the meantime, the bishops have suggested that the fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, be dedicated as a “fortnight for freedom” and have urged Catholic institutions to work "in cooperation with other Christians, Jews, people of other faiths, and indeed, all who wish to defend our most cherished freedom."

Wedding Fireworks Display, Boston Inner Harbor, Saturday, May 19th.

Ocean State Pyrotechnics, Inc is sponsoring a wedding fireworks display on the waters of Boston Inner Harbor in the vicinity of Anthony's Pier 4, Boston, MA. The Captain of the Port (COTP) Boston has determined that fireworks displays in close proximity to watercraft and waterfront structures pose a significant risk to public safety and property. Such hazards include obstructions to the waterway that may cause marine casualties and the explosive danger of fireworks and debris falling into the water that may cause death or serious bodily harm. Establishing a safety zone around the location of this fireworks event will help ensure the safety of spectators, vessels and other roperty and help minimize the associated risks. This proposed safety zone will encompass a 450-foot radius around the firework barge.

The fireworks display will occur from approximately 8:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on May 19, 2012. To ensure public safety the proposed safety zone will be enforced immediately before, during, and immediately after the fireworks launch. If the event is cancelled due to inclement weather, then the proposed safety zone will not be enforced.

2012 Republican National Convention Caucuses

In accordance with the rules of the Republican State Committee, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Bob Maginn is pleased to announce that the following locations have been chosen to hold the 2012 caucuses for the purpose of selecting delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention to be held in Tampa, Florida from August 27 to August 30th 2012.

The caucus day is Saturday, April 28, 2012.Registration will begin at 9 a.m. with the caucus to begin at 10 a.m.

In accordance with the Republican Party rules and the results of the Massachusetts Republican Presidential Primary, all delegates and alternates are pledged to support Mitt Romney for President.

First Congressional District - North Middle School Cafeteria, 350 South Hampton Rd, Westfield 01085

Second Congressional District - Sutton Middle School, 383 Boston Road, Sutton 01590

Third Congressional District - Littleton Middle School, 55 Russell St, Littleon 01460

Fourth Congressional District - North Attleboro Middle School, 564 Landry Ave, North Attleboro 02760

Fifth Congressional District - Nevins Hall Memorial Building, 150 Concord St, Framingham 01702

Sixth Congressional District - Lynnfield High School, 275 Essex St, Lynnfield 01940

Seventh Congressional District - Randolph Community Middle School, 225 High St, Randolph 02368

Eighth Congressional District - Braintree Town Hall, 1 J.F.K. Memorial Drive, Braintree 02184

Ninth Congressional District - Old Rochester Regional High School, 135 Marion Rd, Mattapoisett 02739

The convention will host 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories. The convention will also include approximately 15,000 credentialed media—an international press corps second only in size to this summer’s London Olympic Games

2012 will mark the third time the Republican Party convenes its convention in Florida. The Sunshine State also played host to the 1968 and 1972 Republican National Conventions that nominated Richard M. Nixon. Both were held in Miami Beach.