Have you heard of the PGR? (Patriot Guard Riders) This group of motorcycle loving Veterans and Patriots are all about honoring our military and Veterans. They're totally awesome. Remember that whacked out Baptist church from Kansas that was protesting at the funerals of our soliders killed in Iraq and Afghanistan? Saying that these soliders died because of America's tolerant attitude towards gays? (~grumble~ IDIOTS!!) Anyway...one of the things these bikers do is to attend the funerals of our soliders, show respect by lining up and saluting the funeral procession, and they also stand as a barrier between the whacko people protesting and the family and other mourners so that the family is not hurt by their nasty remarks and accusations! I LOVE THE PGR, and will post more photos today of a couple of the funerals that they attended here in Central Oregon. In the meantime, this is what I got in my email this morning...I loved it!
Pastor Ted L. CrandallLCDR, CHC, U.S. Navy26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. They are sheep. I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep."Then there are the wolves, and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial."Then there are sheepdogs, and we are the sheepdogs. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, you are sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, you are a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, and walk out unscathed."Let me expand on this excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial; that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in foreign lands holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog trade in his fangs, spray-paint himself white, and go, "Baa."Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.The sheep’s only response to the wolf is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when the wolf comes.If you are sheep dog and you step outside unprepared to face the wolf, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are a warrior and are not prepared for the day evil comes, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself... "Baa."
The PGR riding into Redmond....these bikers are so impressive to me! Each and everyone of them has a heart of gold and is truly heartbroken at the loss of each solider. I encourage you to visit their website!
This is the Memorial Hummer that a woman in Portland had painted in her son's memory, and the images on the rear panel are of him and the others that died with him. These were taken at the funeral of Private Thomas Tucker of Madras, OR , one of the two soliders that were captured and tortured in Iraq. More than a thousand people showed up for that funeral, and bikers came from all over the country to ride in his honor guard. They came past where I live, at least 300 bikes....I could hear them coming for several minutes before I saw them.
