Memorial Day

Category: default || By jt3y

I have not come here today with a prepared address. The committee in charge of the exercises of the day have graciously excused me on the grounds of public obligations from preparing such an address, but I will not deny myself the privilege of joining with you in an expression of gratitude and admiration for the men who perished for the sake of the Union.

They do not need our praise. They do not need that our admiration should sustain them. There is no immortality that is safer than theirs. We come not for their sakes but for our own, in order that we may drink at the same springs of inspiration from which they themselves selves drank.

I can never speak in praise of war, ladies and gentlemen; you would not desire me to do so. But there is this peculiar distinction belonging to the soldier, that he goes into an enterprise out of which he himself cannot get anything at all. He is giving everything that he hath, even his life, in order that others may live, not in order that he himself may obtain gain and prosperity.

And just so soon as the tasks of peace are performed in the same spirit of self-sacrifice and devotion, peace societies will not be necessary. The very organization and spirit of society will be a guaranty of peace.

We admire physical courage, but we admire above all things else moral courage. I believe that soldiers will bear me out in saying that both come in time of battle. I take it that the moral courage comes in going into the battle, and the physical courage in staying in.

There are battles which are just as hard to go into and just as hard to stay in as the battles of arms, and if the man will but stay and think never of himself there will come a time of grateful recollection when men will speak of him not only with admiration but with that which goes deeper, with affection and with reverence.

So that this flag calls upon us daily for service, and the more quiet and self-denying the service the greater the glory of the flag.

We are dedicated to freedom, and that freedom means the freedom of the human spirit. All free spirits ought to congregate on an occasion like this to do homage to the greatness of America as illustrated by the greatness of her sons.

President Woodrow Wilson
Memorial Day Address
May 30, 1914
(full text)

Your Comments are Welcome!

Was looking around this morning for info on the state of the MCK this morning and found your site. Thanks for accurately expressing the state of affairs of “Our Fair City.” It’s interesting to see when you click on “Our Fair City,” that it takes FOREVER for the site to come up. Sort of prophetic in a way. . . Anyway, Coleman Young, longtime mayor of my current Fair City, Detroit, MI used to refer to the D as Our Fair City. Since McKeesport is still on it’s 30-year and counting upswing, reading about it and Pittsburgh harkens back my memories of the state of Detroit when I moved here in late 1989, since there was no way I could find a job in Allegheny County with my BS from PSU (Thanksalot PSU, stop calling my house asking for money, I always keep your people on the phone, running your bill up. Be a player in the state already and do what you can to keep your alumni working in PA and contributing to the tax base there! Way to Go!) for any more than $5 an hour. Don’t get me wrong, I worked as a casual carrier for USPS before I came to the “Enchanted Mitten” to seek my fortune and I’ll never forget the wonderful opportunities that job provided me to see quite a special view of the Fair City that none other than Bullwinkle (Goof Gas Attack—Bullwinkle Compilation #2) referred to at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers (He really butchers Youghiogheny, too!). I think something needs to be done in McKeesport to have a Detroit Shock exhibition in McKeesport somewhere to promote the fact that Swin Cash is from our area and our most prominent celebrity/athelete of the current time. Face it, there can only be so many WNBA victory parades going under the Midtown Plaza ruins (very uplifting photos-Joni Mitchell would be proud) that would make SportCenter in September. Bill Laimbeer would probably hit his head on those again. It’s nice to see that politics in the area hasn’t changed in the valley at all in the 40 years I’ve been alive. I’m sure the first politician that will promote legislation to fine candidates $300 per sign (littering fine) that did not to remove their sign 5 days after the election would win by a landslide! Really, we know what a landslide is. Just drive up into Port Vue from the 15th St. Bridge, you’ll see. It’s nice to see that the Elbow Room still has a nice car parked in front of it most days. I remember when there was a Mercedes in front, now a Chrysler 300C.

Why didn’t Lynn Swann win? I thought surely he was going to win. He had the perfect Good v. Evil setup and I was sure he’d win. And what’s with Don Barden setting up a casino in the Burgh? He’s from the D, we have 3 casinos here and there’s no way he was getting one when he brought Michael Jackson in and some mockup drawing of an amusement park that he would build if he got a casino here. He may have them in Gary, Ind., but not here. The best thing he did was sell his cable co. to Comcast. I hope he builds a new Igloo for the Pens and whatever he promised to get that gold mine going there in Pittsburgh. Certainly it’s a well-known fact that the casino industry is a “community saver”, even more so than making cars, appliances, radios, food, electronics, housewares, building materials, steel, real estate, oil refining, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and everything needed to raise the quality of life in the USA, and the world. Yep, the franchising of Las Vegas and Atlantic City is keeping our nation afloat, for sure. Oh, and Steeler Stuff, too.
Whatever happened to Dynasty in White Oak, anyway?

And the Burger King in Olympia?

What was the Famous anyway?

Why is there state inspection on emissions in PA? Do you want to give it that California feel? Michigan eliminated it in 1996 since it was a known fact that auto companies provided the EPA with data to show that all of the cars were well into meeting emissions requirements worldwide. Even the ones with exemptions-old cars that nobody drive anymore. What do you pay for emissions testing anyway? We used to pay $10, but that was 12 years ago, and not too much went to the state. Hmmmm. Keep on having fun with Fast Eddie!!!
Les Ismore - May 30, 2007

I think Lynn Swann didn’t win was because he was a Cardboard Republican Hack with no Experience.
The NeoCons trotted him out there thinking we were so Steeler Crazy, we’d vote for anything Black and Gold. They were wrong.

However, I am not thrilled with Rendell, but I suspect his incompetency is less evil than than Swann’s.

What’s up, Les? You sound bitter.
lane in McK - May 31, 2007

Les isn’t bitter. He just needs to cut back to decaf. :-)

I appreciate his comments. Personally, I would have voted for Lynn Swann if he had any track record at all. He didn’t.

As for your other questions, Les:

1.) Dynasty burned down.

2.) Most of the Burger Kings in Western Pennsylvania closed due to a franchise dispute. There’s one open on Route 30 at Kmart Plaza in North Versailles.

3.) The Famous was a department store at the corner of Market and Fifth.

4.) The sky is blue, donuts are plentiful, and Friday is TGIF night on ABC.

Further information can be found at your local liberry: http://www.mckeesportlibrary.org/
Webmaster (URL) - June 01, 2007

Thanks for indulging me. I went to high school wiht a guy that wrote a punk song about “The Hamlet at the Confluence” called “Everything’s Gone!” (I’ll never forget you Danilo Vantriest) I wish it went somewhere. Thanks McKeesport for my education and providing boiler tubes for America for most of the 20th Century. Those tubes powered America for many years and everytime we see a smokestack, we should be proud. I saw the comparisons between Pgh & McK and I think there’s some promise there. Of course, the biggest asset is certainly Real Estate. What’s it going to take to turn it into the wonderful place it really is? Somebody give some CPR to the Lorax, already!! Let’s make sure that Swin Cash gets her due on the Espy’s on Wednesday and email ESPN a video slideshow of our wonderful town and the building dedicated in her honor. I’m not being sarcastic about this, but she could be the elected spokesperson for our cause, here. What can we do to make “The Hamlet” cool again? I heard on the radio today that Fast Eddie gave everyone the day off because the state’s broke. I hope he’s celebrating well on his yacht in Hawaii or somewhere. Do you really have to look very far to find out where the money went?

Later
Les Ismore - July 09, 2007

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