Gold Star mom Debbie Lee remembers Navy son on the anniversary of his death in Iraq

I had the privilege of meeting Debbie Lee a few years ago. She was personable, friendly, and outgoing. I met her, however, knowing the weight she carried, and I thanked her for her sacrifice. Today is the anniversary of her son's death in 2006 in Iraq, and here is her remembrance.

Today is August 2nd. This day will never be the same for me. For most people it's just another sunny summer day filled with normal routines, but for me it will always be "that day." Aug 2nd, 2006 is a day that forever changed my life.

It was another sunny day in Arizona 7 years ago, but across the world in Ramadi, Iraq it was a different story. I couldn't even tell you what I did that day but that evening I was at my small group and we were celebrating my birthday which had been the week before.

Within 30 minutes life would change from cake, ice cream and receiving a gift of a Willow Tree Angel named "Courage" to using that courage to survive the most devastating moments of my life.

I arrived home to find my son Kristofer waiting on the sidewalk to inform me the Navy was there. I glanced at the two Navy Officers in their dress whites on my porch and fell into Kristofer's arms and cried "Noooooooooooo!" I knew why they were there.

We entered the house and they tried to prepare me for what they were about to tell me. They had been in my home for about 30 minutes while Kris tried to find me.

"We can tell by being in your home you are a woman of faith and you are going to need to rely on your faith for what we are about to tell you. Your son Marc Alan Lee has been killed in Action." I couldn't breathe; I felt a pain in the core of my being that no parent should ever have to feel. I began to cry my river.

It's hard to believe it has been 7 years since that young man sacrificed his life defending his teammates, and our freedoms.

I still can't comprehend how you can fight in an intense fire fight for two hours, in extreme temperatures of 120 degrees, carrying 150-180 lbs. and still have the mental focus and strength to make the decision to do the right thing and risk your life for others.  Courage like Marc displayed doesn't just happen. It is engrained in you by your creator, it is the choice to follow the Biblical morals and values taught to you, it is the opportunity to practice in other difficult circumstances that life brings you or your BUD's instructors produce. Marc displayed physical and moral courage often witnessed on the battlefield, but courage need not be displayed only in the battlefields of combat as we fight and defend America and the freedoms we have been blessed with.

Our American History is rich in examples of patriots who displayed courage in numerous circumstances, willing to give everything if need be for what they believed in, to provide liberty and a better life to those they left behind.
 
There is a huge hole that is left from his absence. I will never share the dinner table with him, or feel his arms hug me in the way only a Mother and Son can hug, or see his smirky grin, beautiful brown eyes, dark curly locks, or experience his playful antics or hear his encouraging words. I won't get that dance at his wedding, or hold his children and watch them grow, or have him hold me or care for me when I get old.

Yet, there are so many blessings in the midst of this deep loss. Marc's sacrifice and his last letter home have inspired millions of people around the world. That young man is perhaps more alive in his spirit, that is still here, than he was in life.

I had no choice in the news the was delivered to me on Aug 2nd, but I did have a choice how I responded. God made it very clear to me that night as I read Psalms 27 that He was right there with me, He was my rock and my strength. "I would have lost hope if I had not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. What on the Lord, be of good courage and he will strengthen your heart; wait I say on the Lord." Psalms 27:15 & 16
 
I had seen God do amazing things in my life and I had confidence in Him that He would carry me through and be my strength. I chose to proceed through the grieving process and encourage and help others with the hope God gives me daily.

Accepting Marc's last challenge in his glory letter, and
by God's strength I have dedicated my life to supporting
and honoring our troops and the families they left behind.

Marc's name means Mighty Warrior and today I remember him and as I do every day honor his courage and sacrifice. He left behind his weapon, his armor and his boots and laid down his baton which I picked up and carry on. To everyone who served and sacrificed for my freedoms and yours, I say "THANK YOU."

Marc's final gift to me was his teammates and I am blessed to have so many "adopted boys" and share their families and their love. God multiplied my family exponentially and I am a blessed woman.

So as you enjoy your sunny Aug 2nd and live your normal life and watch your children and grandchildren play today give them an extra hug, count your blessings, and remember our fallen warriors who sacrificed all of their tomorrows and hope for a future so you could enjoy today.

Remembering my son, my hero, my mighty warrior!


Debbie Lee
Gold Star Mother of Marc Alan Lee
Spokesperson and Military Liason
Move America Forward

Leftists openly admit they wish Cheney would die ... sign the get well card

From MoveAmericaForward.org, the group who supports our military heroes and their missions in the war on terrorism....

LEFTISTS OPENLY ADMIT THEY WISHED CHENEY WOULD DIE AFTER HE RECEIVED NEW TICKER


In a disgusting display of vitriolic hate, thousands of far-left commentators and their supporters have been filling the airwaves and the internet with hate messages, openly hoping and praying for the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney, after his risky but successful heart transplant surgery.

We hate seeing rhetoric like this, it's ugly and beneath us, as Americans. We also wonder how much pain it must cause for Dick Cheney and his family. Someone who has done so much for our country doesn't deserve to be targeted this way.

We hope our GET WELL SOON CARD will remind Mr. Cheney that despite the hate coming from those on the left, most Americans actually support him, wish him health, and are praying for his speedy recovery. Please sign it!

SIGN THE "GET WELL SOON" CARD HERE!

In a very scary and cynical interview that sounded more like a "Death Panel" under Obamacare, NBC's Matt Lauer said "[Cheney's] case has re-opened debate on whether rules should be changed to favor younger patients"

NBC's medical editor Nancy Snyderman said Cheney's operation "...raised a lot of ethical questions, moral questions, about whether the Vice President, in fact, should have received his heart..."

Even more hateful were the comments posted on Democratic Underground, a website well-known for it's extreme left slant. The follow are all quotes from their website! > "I hope he dies a slow death" > "Cheney is a murderer" > "I hope dick is in pain and drowning in his own fluids" > "I'm not going to feel anything but intense gratitude... [when he dies]"

Is this kind of sick demented talk even worthy of our attention? The answer is yes.

Even though we are used to people hating our friend Dick Cheney, he's already trying to recover from a tough and invasive surgery. On top of that, knowing that there are people out there WISHING for you to not recover cannot be comforting to think of. That's why we have to show him that there are thousands of people supporting him!

Our "GET WELL" card reads "We thank you for your years of service and support for our troops, and we will all keep you in our hearts and prayers for regaining your health and happiness."

PLEASE SIGN IT NOW AND FORWARD IT TO OTHERS!  SIGN THE GET WELL SOON CARD HERE!

TODAY! Move America Forward TROOP-A-THON

~All-Star celebrity lineup strives for largest pro-troop drive in history!~

An All-Star lineup of celebrities will team up TODAY for an historic effort to send the largest shipment of care packages ever to U.S. troops serving overseas.

Celebrities, military figures, and leading politicians will participate in the “Honor Their Service” TroopAThon – an 8-hour Jerry Lewis style telethon that will be broadcast online at TroopAThon.org.

The TroopAThon will broadcast from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library from 4:00 pm-12:00 Midnight eastern time and will feature ...

~ President George H.W. Bush ~ President George W. Bush ~ Vice President Dick Cheney ~ Rush Limbaugh ~ Sean Hannity ~ Mark Levin ~ Jon Voight ~ Kelsey Grammer ~ John Ratzenberger ~ Ann Coulter ~ Dr. Laura Schlessinger ~ Gary Sinise ~ John Ondrasik ~ Dennis Miller ~ Jackie Mason ~ Kevin Farley ~ Gavin McLeod ~ Melanie Morgan ~ Andrew Breitbart ~ Pat Boone ~ Michelle Malkin ~ Debbie Lee ~ Laura Ingraham ~ Lars Larson ~ Greg Gutfeld ~ Monica Crowley ~ Andrea Shea King ~ Curtis Sliwa ~ Hughes Sullivan ~ Mark Williams ~ Martha Zoller ~ Jake Rademacher ~ Jed Babbin ~ Chuck Holton ~ Rich Lowry ~ Michael Graham ~ John O’Hurlsey ~ Tammy Bruce ~ Robrert Davi ~ Matt Sanchez ~ Megan Ortagus ~ Connie Stevens ~ Deroy Murdock ~ Ed Morrissey ~ Kylie Wiliams ~ Matt Lewis ~ Noel Sheppard ~ Pete Hegseth ~ Robert Spencer ~ Roger L. Simon ~ Roger Hedgecock ~ Ron Winter ~ Walid Phares ~ Elisabeth Hasselbeck ~ Buzz Aldrin ~ Rick Allen ~ Gerald McRaney ~ Jerry Haleva ~ Pat Sajak ~ Dale Dye ~ David Zucker ~ Charlie Daniels ~

Tune in, join in, and show our troops how much we care.

Wreaths Across America for our fallen heroes

Over the years you have probably seen the stunning photos of thousands of wreaths adorning the graves of America’s veterans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

The tradition began 17 years ago when Morril Worcester, president of Worcester Wreath Company, began adorning the graves of our heroes with wreaths at Christmas time. Mr. Worcester wanted to spread the tradition across the country, and so began the non-profit, Wreaths Across America, last year.

The goal is to have a wreath on every veteran’s grave. Move America Forward has joined hands with Wreaths Across America in this noble effort, and we need your help to fulfill the hope of remembering every veteran who went to his or her eternal resting place after serving our country.

Remembering those who served our country is simple. Sponsoring a wreath costs only $15 for the honor of recognizing the sacrifices of our veterans whom we must always remember.

After sponsoring the wreaths, your contribution to this great effort is done. We are working with Wreaths Across America to ensure that each and every wreath you sponsor is placed with love and respect on the graves of those who rest at national and state cemeteries across the country.

Remembering our fallen troops and those who served our country with great dignity and pride is especially important during the holidays, when we spend time giving thanks and celebrating the spirit of dedication and love for one another.

Important: You must include a special code to link your sponsorship to Move America Forward -- "CAMAF001."

Move America Forward is proud to participate in this important project. Sponsoring wreaths will take only a few minutes of your time.

Thank you for your generosity and support of our troops and the memories of our veterans. And God Bless our brave troops

Catherine Moy, Executive Director
Move America Forward

Remember American troops during the holidays

Move America Forward is reminding Americans, as the holidays approach, not to forget our troops who are around the world protecting the freedoms we enjoy.

Move America Forward reported:

As you know, hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest will be millions of miles from home this holiday season, and once the holidays are over, they face an uncertain future with a new commander in chief taking the reins for the first time since 9/11.

We're taking to the airwaves to remind people to support our troops and send them a gift and a note that you care at this critical time.

So in order to bring more Americans to this worthy cause and remind people of our troops at this emotional and busy time of year, we've again teamed up with KRLA 870AM in Los Angeles and KCBQ in San Diego.

KRLA will host an all-day fund drive for our thanksgiving packages today (Friday, November 21, 2008) and we encourage you to tune in anytime. If you're not in the LA area, you can listen live.

It is a good cause. Let's remember our men and women in uniform this holiday season.

Care package telethon raises over $1 million

World Net Daily reports on Thursday's historic effort to help U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan:

A fundraiser organized to collect sponsorships for care packages for the tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for this 4th of July has generated more than $1 million – the final total could even reach $1.2 million, according to organizers.

WND columnist Melanie Morgan and commentator Michelle Malkin of Move America Forward, the nation's largest grassroots pro-troop organization, assembled the sponsorship campaign and aired a "From the Front Lines" Web-a-thon at Ustream.tv this week.

On her website, Morgan confirmed, "The telethon exceeded my wildest expectations. I thought that if we were really lucky, really good, caught some major breaks – we might raise $400,000 – tops.

"Instead, the final tally on the electronic tote board was $1,055,719," she wrote.

"The response was so overwhelming that our website could not keep up with the orders. When all is said and done, I am guessing that Move America Forward will have collected about $1.2 million. People are still donating because UStream.tv re-broadcast the stream, and radio stations across the country were broadcasting or re-broadcasting in various markets," she said.

"Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham personally donated $15,000 each, and Rush Limbaugh pledged a personal check, Mark Levin donated, Michelle Malkin and Coulter cash flowed into our account. Mark Williams from WROR in Albany, New York, flew into California to be our 'relief pitcher' and his wife Holly ran the sound board and produced while we were on-the-air," Morgan wrote.

"Thank you America, and the good Lord above. Thank you Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura, Monica Crowley and so many more, including the awesome John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting, and the fabulous comedian and serious patriot Jackie Mason," she wrote. "Thank you to the entire blogging community and folks at HotAir.com, Michelle Malkin.com, the Media Research Center, Human Events, WorldNetDaily, NewsMax and all the others in the on-line publishing world," she said.

Of course, the real story is that hundreds of thousands of generous Americans participated in a New Media venture that has never before been done. They did it for one reason: love and support for the United States military, our troops and our heroes," she said.
...
The care packages are including cookies, coffee, Gatorade, beef jerky and other items in the on-going effort also supported by Nancy Reagan, Gen. Petraeus, Lt. Col. Oliver North and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

Read the rest of the article here.

HUGE Support the Troops event today ... 4 til Midnight EDT

Move America Forward ... TODAY ... historic event to help our U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ... tune in from 4 pm until Midnight eastern time.

Move America Forward is conducting a live, online telethon TODAY in an effort to raise funds for the largest shipment of care packages to U.S. troops in history. The show will be hosted by Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin, and feature all-star guests including Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and many more.

Please support this great effort!

Move America Forward Thursday ... HUGE telethon for troops

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, 2008 ... tune in for Move America Forward's eight-hour telethon. The nation's largest pro-troop organization, their goal is to ship the largest single shipment of care packages in U.S. history to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ... half a million dollars' worth of care packages for our Armed Forces.

The grand finale to this effort will be a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon ("From the Frontlines") on June 26th (from 4:00pm - Midnight - Eastern). This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan & Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event. We are also deeply honored that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has also signed on to support the "Candy Diplomacy" portion of this effort! CLICK HERE for complete details regarding the "From the Frontlines" 8-hour telethon that takes place on June 26th.

Many well-known conservatives have joined in the effort and are promoting it. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Lt. Colonel Oliver North (Ret.), Monica Crowley, Michelle Malkin, and Melanie Morgan are all part of this historic broadcast.

- On Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh promoted the effort on his nationally syndicated radio show.
- The San Francisco Chronicle wrote about it.
- The Sacramento Union has printed two stories about the broader effort.
- Also check out Wake Up America.
- Another article is avaiable at DigitalJournal.com.

Contribute, tune in, help our men and women in uniform who do so much to preserve our freedoms. God bless them all!

Goal: Largest shipment ever of care packages to U.S. troops

Join in this push to send the largest shipment ever of care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq.

Scheduled to go out days before the 4th of July, the packages are a gift from Americans on America's birthday ... a thank you for all that our fighting men and women are doing in the war on terrorism to keep America safe.

Please join Move America Forward for this huge endeavor.

Move America Forward: Rush Limbaugh, Monica Crawley join all-star lineup

"From the Frontlines" Web-a-thon
Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 4 pm-Midnight Eastern

Move America Forward has launched a drive to send the largest single shipment of care packages to U.S. troops - in history!

Simply sponsor care packs to our troops - pick from the packages listed on the website - and they will be sent to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The items will be personally labeled, indicating who the sponsor of the package was and how you can be reached, and will include a special personalized message to our troops that you can choose to include.

Talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh, and television & radio personality Monica Crowley, have both joined the all-star lineup to support this drive and will be appearing on the June 26th eight-hour web-a-thon, "From the Frontlines."

Hosted by Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin, others taking part are Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, News Max's Christopher Ruddy, Human Events' Jeb Babbin, World Net Daily's Joseph Farah, Soldiers' Angels founder (and America's Mother of the Year) Patti Patton-Bader, Gathering of Eagles' Larry Bailey, and Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee.

This event will be broadcast via live streaming video online at Ustream.TV. Kithbridge, Inc. will set up a blog feed as the blogosphere is enabled to help drive this historic effort to support our military men and women.

Help our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan by sending a care package from home. Check the Move America Forward website for the list of packages.

"America's Favorite Mom:" Military mom Patti Patton-Bader

From Move America Forward: We sent out a notice to all Move America Forward members and supporters asking them to cast their ballots for Patti Patton-Bader, the founder of the pro-troop charity, Soldiers' Angels.

We were hopeful Patti could win the category of America's Favorite Military Mom.

But we were pleasantly stunned when so many of you responded (along with members of Soldiers' Angels, Gathering of Eagles, Free Republic, et. al) and Patti was voted America's Favorite Mother - period. No category win for Patti; she won the entire package!

NBC even had a live video feed from Iraq where her son who is in the Army was able to congratulate her, wish her a Happy Mothers Day, and let her know how much he loved her.

Way to go, everyone!

FBI investigating violence against military recruiting stations

It's about dang time! The FBI is finally investigating the rash of violent incidents that have occurred nationwide with military recruiting stations. Move America Forward reports:

The Move America Forward Daily File Blog is reporting on the news that the Department of Justice has asked the FBI to review the incidents of violence against military recruiting centers and recruiters themselves that are being committed by anti-war activists.

The Department of Justice acknowledged Move America Forward’s request for such action in a letter dated April 29, 2008 and sent to the pro-troop organization’s legal counsel. Excerpt from the Department of Justice letter follows:

This is in response to your letter to the Criminal Division dated April 3, 2008, on behalf of your client, Move America Forward, Inc., recounting a number of incidences of vandalism and other activities at military recruiting stations.”

This action is seen as a serious step forward in the fight against groups like Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, New SDS and other socialist and anarchist groups that have been actively conspiring to attack recruiting stations all over the country.

On March 14, 2008, Move America Forward published The Sedition Report which catalogued many of these attacks, drawing from sources such as police reports, news stories, numerous blogs (most noticeably MichelleMalkin.com), forums such as Free Republic and action reports from groups such as Gathering of Eagles, Blue Star Mothers of America and many others. The Sedition Report, copies of which were given to the FBI and members of Congress, should provide a road map which investigators can use to examine the conspiracy of anti-war radicals to conduct campaigns of violence ("counter-recruitment") against military recruiting centers and our military men and women who serve here on the home front.

These attacks coincide with the activities of Code Pink, which provided $600,000 for terrorists families in Fallujah, as well as organized visits to Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and other nations where American anti-war radicals met with and pledged support to dictators who conspire against America’s interests.

Just as many of the far-left groups from the 60s, such as the Weather Underground, Vietnam Vets Against War, and the Black Liberation Army had ties to communist sympathizers and organizers in other countries, Move America Forward suspects that once a full investigation of these groups is conducted they will find links to foreign dictators, terrorist organizations, or organizations that work to fund or funnel support to terrorist organizations.

- MAF Blogger Danny

Berkeley "Support the Troops" rally phenomenal success!

To all of our friends and supporters at Move America Forward...

On Friday afternoon we will be publishing a comprehensive report on what happened in Berkeley, California on Tuesday - when thousands of you joined together to tell the Berkeley City Council that we would not tolerate their attacks against our military men and women.

You'll be able to find the report on our website.

Suffice it to say - it was a day where TV news helicopters hovered in the skies, more than 2,000 people (according to media reports) protested in the streets, and the outrage grew so large that Alvita King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) was on the phone with one of our supporters counseling her on how to best protest the egregious actions of the city of Berkeley.

The anti-military activists who had worked with the City of Berkley to first pass the anti-Marine resolution burned multiple U.S. flags that day. What was most offensive is that they were flags that they had stolen from Move America Forward's booths. Apparently there's a shortage of U.S. flags left to burn in Berkeley, CA.

In one instance their pyrotechnics got so carried away that they burned down a sign for "Peace Wall" while trying to burn a U.S. flag.

These people are disgusting. We don't say that lightly, for while we may disagree with those in the anti-war movement, we know that many of them are simply misguided or naive.

But no, these people who worked with the Berkeley City Council Peace & Justice Commission are disgusting, vile, people. In Berkeley, the virulent anti-military radicals are not just activists, they part of the local government.

At the end of the day, a majority of the City Council expressed apologies for their misguided actions. The problem is, of the contingent willing to admit they were wrong there was not agreement on who to apologize to - some said apologize to the troops, another said apologize to the citizens of Berkeley, and one even said to apologize to pro-troop organizations who found that Berkeley had given preferential Free Speech rights to Code Pink over other groups with "less popular" views.

As one of our Move America Forward supporters said:

They couldn't get a majority to agree on WHAT SPECIFICALLY they screwed up on, but they knew that they had made a disgrace out of Berkeley, and you know what -- in an odd way they managed to unite this country behind our troops at a time when the Code Pink crowd are trying to undermine support for the troops.

Again - tomorrow afternoon Pacific time (that's in the evening for you folks on the East Coast) we'll have a complete update to the Move America Forward website.

A giant THANK YOU to all of our supporters who came and joined us for part of the all-day, all-night affair, or who wrote emails to the City Council, or who made donations to help pay for the entire effort.

You've all made history: you got the Berkeley City Council to back down from attacks on our troops at a time of war - amazing work, everyone!

Update from Move America Forward at Berkeley

TODAY -- February 12 -- Calling all Patriots to Berkeley, CA, to stand up for the Marines....

From Move America Forward.... Friends, by the time you read this email our team from Move America Forward will have begun to arrive for our all-day pushback against the Berkeley City Council and their attacks on our troops here in America.

We already have learned that Code Pink is trying to pitch tents in the area that has been permitted to us for our pro-troop demonstration and anti-Berkeley City Council protests. It's going to be an interesting day in Berkeley, and we at Move America Forward will not back down -- we stand with our troops, and we will not allow them to be dishonored, insulted or attacked, especially by an American governmental body!

We will be posting updates all throughout the day with pictures and first-hand reports at our website.

There's one way for those of you who cannot be physically with us to support our efforts -- by making a donation to help pay for all the expenses we've incurred putting on this pushback. We may also need funds for legal bills should we have to challenge any of the actions by the Berkeley City Council and their allies with Code Pink.

Please make a contribution here -- no matter if as little as $10 or $25 or as large as $500 or $5,000. All donations are tax-deductible, there are no contribution limits, and corporate contributions ARE allowed.

May God bless America!

Today: Calling all Patriots to Berkeley to support the Marines

Join Move America Forward and Patriots from across the country TODAY as they take a stand in Berkeley, CA, to stand our ground and let it be known that we are not willing to give up ANY American cities to those who would dishonor and disrespect our military.

Join us for part or all of the day this TODAY, February 12th, when Move America Forward conducts an all-day pro-troop demonstration (and protest against the Berkeley City Council) at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley, California.

And we're going to let all these other towns across America know what is coming to them if they even THINK of trying to go down the Berkeley route.

Watch this video of the comments made by the Code Pink protestors in Berkeley, CA, to understand what we're up against this Tuesday when we conduct our pro-troop demonstration and protest of the Berkeley City Council.

Other cities that have taken a stand against our military:

- The Mayor of Toldeo, Ohio has told the Marines to get out of his town
- In Arcata, California City Council member Dave Meserve is leading an effort against military recruiters

We need you to come join us. Complete details at Move America Forward.

Fox News will have coverage of today's event and tonight's council meeting.

Fred Thompson picks up endorsement of Move America Forward's Melanie Morgan

Melanie Morgan, chairman of the nation's largest pro-troop organization, Move America Forward, radio talk show host on KSFO 560 AM - San Francisco, author of "American Mourning," and conservative columnist has endorsed Sen. Fred Thompson for President.

Writing in her new column, "The Complete Conservative," Morgan urged South Carolina Republicans to vote for Thompson:

For the sake of this nation, I'm hoping that on Saturday the people of the Palmetto State punch the ballot for Thompson (no hanging chads, please).

Read the complete column here.

Breaking: NYT "Killer Vet" story exposed as erroneous

Breaking news from Move America Forward....

Move America Forward, the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, today announced that after vetting the numbers cited by The New York Times in their Sunday, January 13, 2008, story, “Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles,” it became clear that the Times had engaged in demonstrably erroneous and false reporting.

It took seven New York Times researchers to find 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in the United States, or were charged with one, upon returning home to this country.

The Times made the false conclusion that:

“Taken together, they paint the patchwork of a quiet phenomenon, tracing a cross-country trail of death and heartbreak.”

The Times documentation of 121 potential killings out of more than 1.5 million veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), divided by 6 years of conflict results in a murder rate of just 1.34 incidents per 100,000 veterans per year.

That murder rate is far lower than the murder rate for the general population, demonstrating that the experiences of military service – including having served in Iraq and Afghanistan – actually made it less likely for returning veterans to commit murder once they returned home, than the general population.

Given a census-estimated population of the United States of 300,000,000 persons in this country as of October 2006, and FBI-compiled statistics of 17,399 homicide offenders for 2006, the murder rate of the general population was 5.80 offenders per 100,000 on average – and a rate of approximately 7.67 per 100,000 for men.

Since all but one of the veterans cited by the Times who committed a killing in the U.S. was male, the comparable rate is approximately 7.67 incidents of murder per 100,000 people among the general male population, compared to just 1.34 incidents per 100,000 returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (of both genders).

“It’s obvious that the New York Times has an agenda of undermining the missions of our troops in the War on Terror, so much so that they are willing to resort to demonstrably false statistics to support their anti-troop bias,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

“The slander of our troops and veterans by the New York Times is unfortunately all too familiar. We heard this kind of nonsense about our returning veterans from Vietnam. It’s the same insult, different war.

“Perhaps the shameful staff of The New York Times has run out of war-time secrets to publish for America’s enemies to read, because now they’ve resorted to an all-out smear campaign of America’s finest men and women, who have served this country bravely and with distinction,” Morgan said.

In place of hard data to support their premise, The New York Times was instead forced to devote almost the entire portion of the 6,321-word hit piece to anecdotes of wrongdoing by individual veterans.

The New York Times even went so far as to trace back the phenomenon of murderous veterans to Greek mythology to back up their assertions of their report.

“The real mythology is the reporting by The New York Times,” Move America Forward’s Melanie Morgan concluded.

Move America Forward: Anti-war resolution slapped down in CA

From Move America Forward....

It all happened this Tuesday, when a California county Supervisor, Roger Dickinson, placed on the agenda an anti-troop measure that would have undermined support for our troops serving in Iraq.

It was quite offensive to us to see a local government body considering a measure that would only serve to harm our troops, when measures dealing with foreign affairs and military strategy shouldn't be the purview of local governments to begin with.

Move America Forward sent a delegation to speak at the Board of Supervisors meeting. We recounted our stories of what we saw first-hand in Iraq, and the progress our troops were achieving - progress that the troops themselves were very proud of.

Well, the Board of Supervisors voted to table Supervisor Dickinson's measure and pro-troop supporters were handed a great victory!

Video of Move America Forward members to the board
Video of news accounts of the meeting

Support the Troops during the holidays

HERE'S TWO WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR TROOPS THIS WEEK ... from Move America Forward:

1. Attend the magical holiday pro-troop concert, "A Song for Their Service," this Friday, December 14th, at 8:00 p.m. at the historic Lincoln Theater in Washington, D.C. A great event for you to bring your whole family to, the concert will honor our American heroes who will be special guests in the audience, and there will be an array of memorable performances by top musical talent in the nation.

You can order tickets and learn more about the concert at MoveAmericaForward.org.

2. Support the nationwide "Honoring Our Heroes at the Holidays" effort that is collecting hundreds of thousands of Christmas and holiday cards for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We're not going to let liberal activists and anti-military protestors denigrate our troops and make them out to be the "bad guys" in the war on terror. Instead we're going to personally deliver a massive number of Christmas and holiday cards to our troops serving in Iraq to show them how the American people REALLY do support them and their missions.

Holiday cards for the troops ... Honoring Our Heroes Tour continues

(From Move America Forward)

Just a quick note from the Move America Forward staff as we are on the road, writing to you outside the War Memorial in Lubbock, Texas.

Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee and Move America Forward Vice Chairman, Lt. Colonel Buzz Patterson (USAF, Ret.) just completed a live interview on the Fox News Channel. Here in Lubbock there's a building crowd and lots of TV cameras from the local television news departments.

We collected more than 5,000 Christmas/Holiday cards for our troops in just the past 12 hours! It touches our hearts to see the people of our great nation making the effort to make and sign Christmas/Holiday cards and then come out to our pro-troop rallies to show their support for the brave men and women who serve this nation and protect our freedoms and liberties.

Please help spread word to others who our down the way on our tour route - we want to keep building the sizes of the crowds as we head towards the Gulf Coast and then up the Eastern seaboard.

Our updated route and itinerary can be found at Move America Forward.