Another Successful Foreign Policy Trip For Obama: China

You know it's getting bad for President Obama when the Libby's at Saturday Night Live start banging on him as hard as they did last week.

For some reason I can't get the video to open up on this page, so please follow the link below...It's a little slow at the start (gotta get through the advertisement), but once it gets going it's a classic.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/11/22/shock-snl-takes-on-obama-in-earnest/

*YouTube link taken down...Edited to show NBC link.

Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009

"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the first-time homebuyers credit in the case of members of the Armed Forces and certain other Federal employees, and for other purposes."

Sounds harmless enough, right? Of course it does, and that is why it is so named...What does the "and for other purposes" portion mean?

That's the part that really matters; "and for other purposes" is ObamaCare...You'd think if the Democrats were truly proud of and weren't afraid of the details of their health care bill they'd label it as a Health Care Bill, instead of trying to doll it up with "first-time homebuyers" and "members of the Armed Forces."

Sadly, this isn't how the Democrats work, and they are unscrupulous enough to do anything to pass their monstrosity...They've passed one test, getting 60 votes to open debate on the bill. Now they only need another 60 votes to send it to the floor for a simple majority (51, or 50 + Joe Biden) to pass the bill.

EVERY REPUBLICAN VOTED NO TO OPEN DEBATE ON THIS BILL! This is something to be happy about...EVERY DEMOCRAT AND SO-CALLED INDEPENDENT VOTED YES TO OPEN DEBATE ON THIS BILL. This is something to be sick about.

There will be much game-playing between now and the next cloture vote to end debate [IE: bribes similar to the $300 million Sen. Landrieu received.]...At the end of the day I don't see a single Democrat or Independent who will vote NO on the cloture vote to end debate. If I am right, the bill be sent to the floor for a final majority vote.

Most Americans don't understand this process [they've been intentionally kept in the dark by the politicos], but it is important to understand ObamaCare can only be defeated if it is stopped at the cloture vote to end debate on the bill...A VOTE TO END DEBATE IS A VOTE TO PASS OBAMACARE! No matter how they vote on the final vote, if they vote to end debate they are voting to pass the bill, because the Democrats will easily have 51 to finalize it.

CONFUSED?!?! I bet most are...That said, now is not the time to go limp. Now is the time to bang on your senators, and to support the organizations who are lining up to fight against re-election of those who vote YES during the cloture vote to send the final bill to the Senate floor.

OBAMACARE CAN STILL BE DEFEATED! But everyone who is against it (most of America) needs to make their voice heard. Don't be cowed by the media pundits who will try to make you believe this is a done-deal...It is hardly a done-deal, and can be defeated. Question is: ARE YOU WILLING TO DO YOUR PART?

Are you ready to call/write/email your congressmen yet? CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMEN BY CLICKING HERE.

Or don't...We all have the option of doing nothing and watching our nation circle the bowl.

Such are your choices as an American. You can make your voice heard, and trust that your voice matters (which it does), or you can quit and cry when this "mess" becomes a reality.

American League Cy Young Award Winner

BREAKING NEWS!

In an unprecidented move, Major League Baseball has awarded President Barack Obama the American League Cy Young Award - For pitching excellence while throwing out the first pitch at the 2009 All-Star Game.

What are you laughing at? He deserves this award more than he does a Nobel Piece Prize...He deserves this award more than he does a Tae Kwon-do black belt.

Next up: Barack Obama winning a Pulitzer Prize - For speechwriting.

This Week in Pictures

A Deathblow for Obamacare

An excellent article from The Heritage Foundation...There is nothing I can add to it, so it's being posted in whole, without comment.

I just hope our U.S. Senators have 'time to read it' as well...Especially since we know they won't be reading the actual bill.
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Standing in the Rose Garden on November 7th, President Barack Obama celebrated the passage of the House health care bill claiming: “The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and our government, while strengthening the financial health of Medicare.”

Quite a bold statement if true. But a report released Friday by the non-partisan and independent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency in charge of running Medicare and Medicaid, blows the lid off of every one of Obama’s claims. All of the following quotes are from the report itself:

Health Care Costs Increase: “In aggregate, we estimate that for calendar years 2010 through 2019 [national health expenditures (NHE)] would increase by $289 billion, or 0.8 percent, over the updates baseline projection that was released on June 29, 2009.” In other words, Obamacare bends the cost curve up, not down.

Millions Lose Existing Private Coverage: “However, a number of workers who currently have employer coverage would likely become enrolled in the expanded Medicaid program or receive subsidized coverage through the Exchange. For example, some smaller employers would be inclined to terminate their existing coverage, and companies with low average salaries might find it to their - and their employees’ - advantage to end their plans … We estimate that such actions would collectively reduce the number of people with employer-sponsored health coverage by about 12 million.” In other words, Obamacare will cause millions of Americans to lose their existing private coverage.

Millions Pay Fines Yet Remain Uncovered: “18 million are estimated to choose not to be insured and to pay the penalty associated with the individual mandate. For the most part, these would be individuals with relatively low health care expenses for whom the individual or family insurance premium would be significantly in excess of the penalty and their anticipated health benefit value.” In other words, 18 million Americans will either face jail time or be forced to pay a new tax they will receive no benefit from.

Millions Lose Medicare Advantage: “Section 1161 of Division B of H.R. 3962 would set Medicare Advantage capitation benchmarks … We estimate that in 2014 when the MA provisions would be fully phased in, enrollment in MA plans would decreased by 64 percent (from its projected level of 13.2 million under current law to 4.7 million under the proposal).” In other words, 8.5 million seniors who currently get such services as coor­dinated care for chronic conditions, routine eye and hearing examinations, and preventive-care services would lose their existing private coverage.

Millions Placed on Welfare: “Of the additional 34 million who are estimated to be insured in 2019 as a result of H.R. 3962, about three-fifths (21 million) would receive Medicaid coverage due to the expansion of eligibility to those adults under 150 percent of the FPL.” In other words, more than half the people who gain health insurance will receive it through the welfare program Medicaid.

Seniors Access to Care Jeopardized: “H.R. 3962 would introduce permanent annual productivity adjustments to price updates for institutional providers… Over time, a sustained reduction in payment updates, based on productivity expectations that are difficult to attain, would cause Medicare payment rates to grow more slowly than and in a way that was unrelated to, the providers’ costs of furnishing services to beneficiaries. Thus, providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantive portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable and might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries).” In other words, the Medicare cuts in the House bill are so out of touch with reality that hospitals currently serving Medicare patients might be forced to stop doing so. Thus making it much more difficult for seniors to get health care.

Poor’s Access Problems Exacerbated: “In practice, supply constraints might interfere with providing the services by the additional 34 million insured persons. …providers might tend to accept more patients who have private insurance (with relatively attractive payment rates) and fewer Medicaid patients, exacerbating existing access problems for the latter group.” In other words, those 21 million people who are gaining health insurance through Medicaid are going to have a very tough time finding a doctor who will treat them.

Reacting in part to Friday’s CMS report, Robert J. Samuelson writes in today’s Washington Post:

The disconnect between what President Obama says and what he’s doing is so glaring that most people could not abide it. The president, his advisers and allies have no trouble. But reconciling blatantly contradictory objectives requires them to engage in willful self-deception, public dishonesty, or both.

There is a reason why as more Americans learn about Obamacare, the less popular it gets.

Monday's Musings

Main Themes: Coddling Terrorist at Home, "It's the Economy Stupid," Health Care Monstrosity, Everyone Loves the Messiah, Right?
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Ft Hood Killings: Murder in the Name of Islam

'Soldier of Allah'
On private business cards he obtained over the Internet and kept in a box at his apartment

Hasan Wanted to Die a Muslim Martyr

He's not a terrorist, though...And it's unfair to believe his actions were based on Islam.

Homeland chief warns against anti-Muslim backlash

Washington Post laments shooter's 'lonely life'
'He was mistreated. He didn't have nobody. He was all alone'

See, I told you he isn't a terrorist and it's unfair be blame Islam...Because the government and the media say so.

9/11 imam calls Hasan 'hero'
Urges more attacks against U.S. soldiers

Muslim radicals call Hasan 'Officer and a Gentleman'
13 deaths were 'pre-emptive attack;' 'We do NOT denounce his actions'

Wait a minute! I thought he wasn't a terrorist and it wasn't because of Islam...Why are those he most closely associates himself with say the government and media are wrong? Hmmm?

Obama ignores terror threat at own peril
President must choose to confront an unpleasant reality, head on - or else it will run him over. The issue is the threat of terrorist violence, here on the homefront

Enemies Within

British spies help prevent al-Qaida-inspired attack on New York subway
Would have been the biggest attack on America since 9/11

Heaven knows how many of these lunatics are hanging out among us. Unfortunately, there's definitely more than a few...Obama may not want to say we are at war with them, but they sure as hell are at war with us.

The Gorelick Wall's back!
"U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda" Excuse me while I go pound my head into the wall for a while.

I know many of you have no idea what the 'Gorelick Wall' is; in simple terms it was a Clinton era policy which effectively blinded and muted our various intelligence agencies...If you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend The Looming Tower.

FBI refused to probe Ft. Hood jihadi despite contact with al-Qaida

Report: CIA aware shooter tried to contact terrorists

U.S. tracked Hasan before shooting
Feds dropped probe after monitoring exchanges with radical cleric

Officials: U.S. aware of Hasan efforts to contact al-Qaida
Army major in Fort Hood massacre used 'electronic means' to connect with terrorists

Religious Tolerance in Military Does Not Trump Security

Shooter Exposes Hole in U.S. Terror Strategy

Suicide By PC
The No. 1 lesson of the Fort Hood massacre is that political correctness kills.

We know they are here, and in many cases we know who they are. Yet we choose not to act on what we know...No individual Americans deserve to die, but if the country isn't willing to defend itself it will die due to apathetic idiocy. And deserve it.

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Jobless Rate Hits 10.2%, 26-Year High

10% Unemployment Shows Objective Failure of Obama Stimulus

Stimulating Failure
Will it ever occur to our leaders in Washington that what they're doing isn't working - and may actually be damaging our economy?

Shocking numbers: Real unemployment tops 22%
Obama figures deliberately understate economic plunge

United States now has higher unemployment rates than Europe

Salary Raise Counts as "Saved Job"

The 'Stimulus/Porkulus' promised to keep unemployment under 8%...Maybe 11%, but definitely not 8%. Hell, maybe not even 11% And no one's buying Obama's 'Saved Jobs' BS. Well, no one outside of the MSM, that is.

GAO: Full Recoup of Gov't Auto Investment Unlikely

GM, Chrysler Facing More Shortfalls

CIT files for 5th largest U.S. bankruptcy

The 'Stimulus/Porkulus' may not be working, but I'm sure TARP is...maybe not.

Gold hits record high as dollar wanes

The deficit for October totaled $176.4 billion, even higher than the $150 billion imbalance that economists expected

Commercial real estate 'crisis' looming for U.S.
"A crisis of unprecedented proportions is approaching"

A Record 36 Million in U.S. on Food Stamps

Rising unemployment, increased welfare, huge deficits, a falling dollar, and a new real estate bust on the way…Yet Obama has the gal to claim he’s fixing things.

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ObamaCare: What Gov't Will Require You to Do

The Public Option Is Neither Public, Nor An Option

The President told ABC News that jail time is an appropriate punishment for not buying health insurance.

Confirmed: Buy insurance or go to jail
'This is ultimate example of Dems command-and-control government'

Government Force at Heart of ObamaCare

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: it is “very fair” to send people to jail for not buying health insurance.

Why wouldn't everyone get insurance, it'll be FREE, right? Hahahaha!

CBO's 10 Year Spending Score for the Dem House Bill: $1.8 Trillion

Pelosicare: The worst bill ever
Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting

Even The New York Times admits the House health bill does nothing to control health care costs.

Lieberman: Pelosi's health scam 'will break America'

Pelosi Healthcare Bill Has Hidden Tax on Young

The Government Option
Many Democrats want to do away with private insurance and replace it with something resembling Medicare coverage for all, but that's not politically feasible. Many are fearful that the public option is a step in that direction as the Democrats try to trick the American people.

Expert: Healthcare Reform Hidden Costs To Trigger 'Massive' New Taxes

Feds Ignored Medicare Scam Warnings for Years
The federal agency in charge of preventing Medicare fraud repeatedly ignored internal watchdog warnings about swindlers stealing millions of dollars by scamming several programs show.

Hospitals in New York City and other urban areas are the primary targets of Medicare cuts that help pay for Obamacare

AARP's Tacit Support For Medicare Cuts Shorts Seniors It Supposedly Represents
Clearly something must be up with the AARP. Why else would the nation's largest lobbying organization…watch silently as Congress plans to cut Medicare spending by $400 billion to pay for its health reform legislation?

DUDE! I thought this was supposed to be free. I thought it was gonna be better. And I thought it wasn't going to hurt the elderly...What's going on here?

If Health Care Becomes About Abortion Or Any Other Issue But Freedom, We Lose

Democrat 'confident' abortion amendment will be stripped

Obama Implies Opposition to Abortion Restriction

Democrat 'confident' Stupak amendment will be stripped
Language in House health bill bars federal funding from subsidizing abortions

I'm against abortions in general, but abortion shouldn't be the reason to kill this bill. It deserves to die for many more reasons...That said, there is no way the Democrats are going to allow a bill to go through without the government paying to execute fetuses at will.

W.H. Won't Rule Out Reconciliation Rules on Health Care

Schumer: Health Care Reform Done By Christmas

Following advice by former President Bill Clinton to “move quickly”, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a motion that could start a floor debate on Obamacare by next Tuesday.

Democrats don't want to go home to the people during the holidays without a bill being passed, because they remember all to well how they were crushed during their August break...And they surely can't let this matter ride into next years election season. So, expect a 'jam-down' in the next couple weeks.

Flu Shot Shortage Shows Government Incompetence

According to Gallup, 67% of Americans believe Obamacare will either make their personal health care situation worse or no different.

The government is incompetent (not just the U.S., but all governments). And the problem with the flu shots isn’t production shortages, because it generally takes 6 months to make. The problem is the government overpromised knowing fully well there was no way the manufacturers would get it done in less than 6 months...They are doing the same thing with their false-promises of ‘reasonable health care for all at lower costs.’

That said, if most Americans don’t believe ObamaCare will give them better health insurance then why on earth is anyone agreeing to overturn our system? Back to the beginning of this topic: BECAUSE LIBERALS ARE ABOUT ‘CONTROL,’ NOT HEALTH!

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Obama Not What We Were Promised

Obama Ignores Mandate to Govern From Middle

A majority of Americans now see President Barack Obama as governing from the left as compared to one year ago when as many Americans expected him to be moderate as to be liberal.

Gallup: Majority Now Say Obama Policies 'Mostly Liberal'

Obama's Turbulent Year: Little Change, Lost Credibility

The American are finding out what this man is all about: HE'S AN ELITIST LEFTIST WITH A ‘SUPERIORITY’ COMPLEX...They should have been able to see this before he was elected.

Obamamania gives way to luke warm support

The Love Affair is Over
In 2008 Independents Proved They Weren't Racist by Voting Obama. In 2010, Independents Vote GOP to Prove They Aren't Socialist.

Obama Driving Voters Away From Dems

The New Jersey and Virginia governor's elections may or may not have been a mirage…Either way, the country will have a chance to get back on course in 2010. It also has a chance to screw things up even more. Only time will tell which way the masses want to go.

Democrats: GOP Backlash Likely in '10

Really? The party with zero control is going to be held responsible for the failures of Barack and the Democrat CONTROLLED Congress? It would be a historical first, but then again I still can’t believe the American people were gullible enough to put the Lefties currently running the country in place. So maybe the Dems are right…I doubt it, though.

This Week in Pictures

Thank You President Obama

I bang on President Obama on a regular basis because I disagree with most of his agenda and ideology...But when he gets something right I am willing to acknowledge it, and even cheerlead for him.

His speech at the Fort Hood memorial service was outstanding; in a concise way he spoke of each of those killed (I absolutely love it that he did this) as well as a wounded nation, and was point-on. Each paragraph was perfect...Here's hoping he does everything in his power as President and Commander-in-Chief to make sure a similar incident never happens again. Here's also hoping this event has awoken him to the need to prosecute the war against those who think like the Fort Hood murderer.

I hope you will take the couple of minutes it takes to read this.

President Obama's Remarks at the Fort Hood Memorial Service

We come together filled with sorrow for the thirteen Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on.

This is a time of war. And yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great American community. It is this fact that makes the tragedy even more painful and even more incomprehensible.

For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that has been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; sisters and brothers.

But here is what you must also know: your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life's work is our security, and the freedom that we too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that is their legacy.

Neither this country - nor the values that we were founded upon - could exist without men and women like these thirteen Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories.

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill had served in the National Guard and worked as a physician's assistant for decades. A husband and father of three, he was so committed to his patients that on the day he died, he was back at work just weeks after having a heart attack.

Major Libardo Eduardo Caraveo spoke little English when he came to America as a teenager. But he put himself through college, earned a PhD, and was helping combat units cope with the stress of deployment. He is survived by his wife, sons and step-daughters.

Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow joined the Army right after high school, married his high school sweetheart, and had served as a light wheeled mechanic and Satellite Communications Operator. He was known as an optimist, a mentor, and a loving husband and father.

After retiring from the Army as a Major, John Gaffaney cared for society's most vulnerable during two decades as a psychiatric nurse. He spent three years trying to return to active duty in this time of war, and he was preparing to deploy to Iraq as a Captain. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Specialist Frederick Greene was a Tennessean who wanted to join the Army for a long time, and did so in 2008 with the support of his family. As a combat engineer he was a natural leader, and he is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Specialist Jason Hunt was also recently married, with three children to care for. He joined the Army after high school. He did a tour in Iraq, and it was there that he re-enlisted for six more years on his 21st birthday so that he could continue to serve.

Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger was an athlete in high school, joined the Army shortly after 9/11, and had since returned home to speak to students about her experience. When her mother told her she couldn't take on Osama bin Laden by herself, Amy replied: "Watch me."

Private First Class Aaron Nemelka was an Eagle Scout who just recently signed up to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the service - diffuse bombs - so that he could help save lives. He was proudly carrying on a tradition of military service that runs deep within his family.

Private First Class Michael Pearson loved his family and loved his music, and his goal was to be a music teacher. He excelled at playing the guitar, and could create songs on the spot and show others how to play. He joined the military a year ago, and was preparing for his first deployment.

Captain Russell Seager worked as a nurse for the VA, helping veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress. He had great respect for the military, and signed up to serve so that he could help soldiers cope with the stress of combat and return to civilian life. He leaves behind a wife and son.

Private Francheska Velez, the daughter of a father from Colombia and a Puerto Rican mother, had recently served in Korea and in Iraq, and was pursuing a career in the Army. When she was killed, she was pregnant with her first child, and was excited about becoming a mother.

Lieutenant Colonel Juanita Warman was the daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans. She was a single mother who put herself through college and graduate school, and served as a nurse practitioner while raising her two daughters. She also left behind a loving husband.

Private First Class Kham Xiong came to America from Thailand as a small child. He was a husband and father who followed his brother into the military because his family had a strong history of service. He was preparing for his first deployment to Afghanistan.

These men and women came from all parts of the country. Some had long careers in the military. Some had signed up to serve in the shadow of 9/11. Some had known intense combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and some cared for those did. Their lives speak to the strength, the dignity and the decency of those who serve, and that is how they will be remembered.

That same spirit is embodied in the community here at Fort Hood, and in the many wounded who are still recovering. In those terrible minutes during the attack, soldiers made makeshift tourniquets out of their clothes. They braved gunfire to reach the wounded, and ferried them to safety in the backs of cars and a pick-up truck.

One young soldier, Amber Bahr, was so intent on helping others that she did not realize for some time that she, herself, had been shot in the back. Two police officers - Mark Todd and Kim Munley - saved countless lives by risking their own. One medic - Francisco de la Serna - treated both Officer Munley and the gunman who shot her.

It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know - no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice - in this world, and the next.

These are trying times for our country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the same extremists who killed nearly 3,000 Americans continue to endanger America, our allies, and innocent Afghans and Pakistanis. In Iraq, we are working to bring a war to a successful end, as there are still those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that Americans and Iraqis have sacrificed so much for.

As we face these challenges, the stories of those at Fort Hood reaffirm the core values that we are fighting for, and the strength that we must draw upon. Theirs are tales of American men and women answering an extraordinary call - the call to serve their comrades, their communities, and their country. In an age of selfishness, they embody responsibility. In an era of division, they call upon us to come together. In a time of cynicism, they remind us of who we are as Americans.

We are a nation that endures because of the courage of those who defend it. We saw that valor in those who braved bullets here at Fort Hood, just as surely as we see it in those who signed up knowing that they would serve in harm's way.

We are a nation of laws whose commitment to justice is so enduring that we would treat a gunman and give him due process, just as surely as we will see that he pays for his crimes.

We are a nation that guarantees the freedom to worship as one chooses. And instead of claiming God for our side, we remember Lincoln's words, and always pray to be on the side of God.

We are a nation that is dedicated to the proposition that all men and women are created equal. We live that truth within our military, and see it in the varied backgrounds of those we lay to rest today. We defend that truth at home and abroad, and we know that Americans will always be found on the side of liberty and equality. That is who we are as a people.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. It is a chance to pause, and to pay tribute - for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.

For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us - every single American - must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations - all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today's wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops' success - no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great - in a world of threats that no know borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Here, at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to thirteen men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker Brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest - when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today's servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown - it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service. May God bless the memory of those we lost. And may God bless the United States of America.