Approaching Fourth of July, 2008, Affords Bloggers Opportunities to Show Support for Our Troops and Their Mission and Embed Videos Expressing Such Support.

Approaching Fourth of July, 2008, Affords Bloggers Opportunities to Show Support for Our Troops and Their Mission and Embed Videos Expressing Such Support.·

The approaching Fourth of July, 2008, affords Americans in general and bloggers in particular many opportunities and ways for showing support for our troops and their mission. Each of us needs to find a way to be supportive. For a suggestion for bloggers, scroll down to the end of this installment.

. Some of us may go to Walter Reed Amy Medical Center (or other military hospitals) to show, or provide, support for wounded troops. Some of us may participate as volunteers in activities to show, or provide, support for veterans. Others may participate in activities to benefit military families with loved ones serving, and still others may participate in activities to benefit bereaved military families.

The opportunities for showing, or providing, support are many and varied in nature, scope and degree. Of those who served (and are serving), a wise person said, "Some gave all, and all gave some." Those of us not serving need to apply that principle to ourselves-- i.e., that some may provide more support than we may be in a position to provide ought not deter those not able to do as much as others to nevertheless do as much as they can. Often it's not the quantum of what's done but rather the quality and sincerity of what's done.

There are many, many reputable organizations who would be happy to receive small contributions as well as large ones, to receive limited volunteer assistance as well as extensive assistance. Too often we as individuals may fail to volunteer (or contribute) out of a fear that our contribution would not be significant enough. But that view ignores a vitally important fact of life-- that those who serve us need and appreciate knowing that there are very large numbers of us who not only are genuinely appreciative of their service but also willing to express such support and appreciation by word and deed. Such words and deeds need not be grandiose but must be sincere rather than merely obligatory in tone. Those who disparage such expressions of support as "faux patriotism" simply don't understand the difference between sincere symbolism and symbolic sincerity because such critics tend to practice the latter rather than the former.

·Embed YouTube/Google version of

July 4 Tribute & Thanks to Troops·

· (for highest-speed connections)·

·Global Web Solutions, Inc.·

As an aid to readers interested in finding ways to be supportive, I've posted in the left-hand column a mini-video tribute to our troops, below which are the names of, and links for, a number of reputable organizations supporting our troops. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a good starting point. Larger, embeddable versions of that tribute (in both Windows Movie Video and YouTube formats) are at http://PoliSat.Com/Thanks.htm. (One of the images in that video is a Defense Department image of the Lion of Fallujah in April, 2004, while he was still a Captain, and though our country suffered great loss at his being killed in action in 2007, I thought it inappropriate to remove his image from the video because he so greatly exemplified the nobility and courage to which the video pays tribute. His image also appears as a blended image in the Fourth of July Tribute.)

Regarding the text in the Fourth of July Tribute to (Our) Troops video (above and to the right and below-left), which I wrote last year, many people have expressed interest in being able to copy the text. The text is available in the format of stanzas at http://PoliSat.Com/Fourth_Of_July.htm, which anyone is welcome to copy and paste into a blog or website to honor our troops. Additionally, I'm quoting it below (in paragraph form rather than separated into stanzas) for anyone desiring to copy it in that form and paste it into a blog or website to express thanks to, and support for, our troops and their mission:

·Embed YouTube/Google version of

July 4 Tribute & Thanks to Troops·

·(for high-speed connections)·

·Global Web Solutions, Inc.·

When Freedom's at Peace on a Fourth of July then pure Celebration should blanket our skies. But now while our soldiers are risking their lives, and many so bravely for freedom have died, we owe it to them on this Fourth of July to show them our thanks for their noblest of lives. So little they ask for so much that they give so we may in freedom continue to live, that more than just "thank you" to them we must give. The "more" they would want is not "something" to give: It's what's given best by our lives when we live in ways to be worthy of all they did give. The "everyman" Private named "Ryan" perceived this insight returning to Normandy's beach by posing a question whose asking does teach the answer to what do we owe the deceased-- Asked Ryan, "Please tell me the life I did weave has honored the gift that from them I received."

Readers interested in a text-format version of the lyrics for the song featured in the "thanks" to our troops in the small-size video in the left-hand column may find the text as well as a variety of embeddable sizes and configurations of the video at http://PoliSat.Com/Thanks.htm, which provides links to, and embed-codes for, a variety of sizes and video-format configurations.

Many bloggers supporting the troops will be out and about on July Fourth doing exactly that rather than going to the beach, shopping or picnicking. Bloggers desiring to include a support-the-troops message for their July 4 installments may embed one or more of the video tributes displayed in this installment. More are at http://PoliSat.Com/Thanks.htm and http://PoliSat.Com/Fourth_Of_July.htm.