[DeTomaso] How can this happen in America NPC

Fri May 22 19:55:34 EDT 2009

When did you ever not speak up? ;-]>
Love you man.....

On the eve of Memorial Day I'd like to remember not only JB and many of your comments but also our fallen comrades by sharing a story from when I came home after 22 months in Nam. 

Maybe it might make some of you who are a little younger or a little older or who have shorter memories ;-]>  feel a little better and a little prouder to be American's this weekend.   

In 1969 when I came home from Nam there were riots and demonstrations in all most every major city in the U.S.  either protesting the war or civil rights.    Martin Luther King and RFK had been assassinated.  And in general  not only did the country sound pretty f'd up to a young returning veteran it also sounded like it was falling or ripping itself apart. Bumper stickers proclaimed "PEACE NOW", and "GET OUT OF VIETNAM", or;   "LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT" ...everyone seemed to have an opinion to the left or the right....funny thing was not too many OTHER Americans were saying too much because they were too busy supporting a family, trying to find a job or get through school.

When I also came hom from Nam and processed out the Army I was 'advised' by the Army NCOIC at the Oakland Army terminal that wearing our class A (dress) uniforms or decorations to the SF airport due was optionable and the suggestion was that it was ill advised due to reported incidents or protests in both Oakland and San Franciso.  Everyone I came home with ignored the advise.... 

We put on new uniforms because the jungle fatiques we flew home in were pretty rancid....to make a long story longer we processed out of Oakland and jumped in a taxi to headed to the airport where I was heading home to Seattle. You could not of found a happier group of GI's. We stopped at a liquer store on the way and made ourselves some WELCOME HOME cocktails. ;-]>

Along the way we got the taxi drivers running  news update about the state of the economy, peace activists, men on the moon and hippies that were spitting on veterans and calling them 'baby killers'.  I never saw the men on the moon or anyone getting spit on  but I am pretty certain it happened and if it happened just once it happened one too many times....

One thing is for sure and that is no one I knew in the 70's or early 80's talked about their service in or near Vietnam.  For many veterans from all services it was already too much to believe that the country could seem to have not only forgotten its veterans who came home but they also seemed to have abandoned the veterans who did not come home. I can not think of another time in my life where I was more frustrated, sad and angry all at the same time.

All most every veteran I knew at the time had buddies who did not make it home
or for those who did make it home many had permanent disabilities....could not walk unassisted, lost limbs, had permanent brain or emotional injuries, etc.  And interestingly enough of the 4 buddies families of mine who had been killed in Nam that I contacted after I returned not one of them wanted to hear how their son had died or wanted to meet me.  I think I found that most disturbing of all........Most of my friends and family were split right down the middle about how they felt about the war and the state of the union....sound familiar?

Shortly after I came home Boeing flushed about 35,000 workers down the drain. If you lived in the Seattle area it was a pretty tough time if you were looking for any  job let alone in aerospace or manufacturing with no experience and no college degree.  By 73 we had a nationwide  recession....and others that would follow in '82 and 90 would seem just as bad if YOU were the one out of work...........and what did all this have in common with today or Memorial Day Weekend?

Allot of Americans were out of work then just like they are today.... either displaced in a dying industry or have lost homes.  Republicans blamed Democrats and visa versa.........and along the way most people forgot that allot of young brave Americans lost their lives not necessarily believing in one political party or another but just the right  to freedom to express your opinion and vote and live in peace. In a good part of the world you get a bullet in the head for saying whats on your mind. You don't usually get away with criticizing your president or elected officials and if you do you usually have to find a new home in another country.

So express away how you feel about the state of affairs in America but remember we have been through allot worse times then today and we will get through these difficult and challenging times just like we did 40 years ago or 200+ years ago.

And as JB said earlier.....remember to honor all our veterans including those who have did not ever get the opportunity to come home and listen to you slackers complain. ;-]>

Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com

________________________________
From: John Bentley <gndplne at yahoo.com>
To: michael frazier <red3644 at hotmail.com>; dyogi at hawaii.rr.com; pantera list <detomaso at realbig.com>; Lynn Wall <cars at wt-inc.com>
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 1:20:16 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] How can this happen in America NPC

Right, vote and speak-up.  everyone is too busy defending their side of the isle to see what we are all loosing.  While our service men and women are defending our country and liberty overseas, we are not doing our part defending our liberty at home.  Get involved and be part of the solution.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend and find a vet to thank.

John

--- On Fri, 5/22/09, Lynn Wall <cars at wt-inc.com> wrote:

From: Lynn Wall <cars at wt-inc.com>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] How can this happen in America
To: "'michael frazier'" <red3644 at hotmail.com>, dyogi at hawaii.rr.com, "'pantera list'" <detomaso at realbig.com>
Date: Friday, May 22, 2009, 1:05 PM

Was it Jefferson that said:  "when the citizens are afraid of the government
you have tyranny, when the government is afraid of the citizens you have
liberty"  Both parties are responsible for the mess but the ultimate
responsibility falls on us,  we either voted them in or stood by and did
nothing.  

Almost every single problem we have was started decades ago and have the
fingerprints of repubs and demos all over them.  Vote or speak up
dammit..... make ALL the politicians worry about their jobs like we worry
about ours.

Happy memorial weekend and I hope we all remember those that gave us the
liberty that we are slowly giving back.

Lynn

-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
Behalf Of michael frazier
Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 1:34 PM
To: dyogi at hawaii.rr.com; pantera list
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] How can this happen in America

It happens because America has been so dumbed down that most people can't
see what's happening and don't care even if they do.  Add to that a press
that doesn't report news but just editorializes and you can understand how a
completely corrupt puppet can get elected president.  Now he can fire
private businessmen and nobody blinks, suck up to dictators and

other thugs and it's all good, fund terrorists and it's cool.  F*** him.
He's yours, not mine.

Michael

TEXAS SECEDE...Vote from the rooftops.

> Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 18:13:21 +0000
> From: dyogi at hawaii.rr.com
> To: detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: [DeTomaso] How can this happen in America
> 
> Unbelievable story. This is a letter written to the editor of a website
called the American Thinker:
> 
> 
> My name is George C. Joseph. I am the sole owner of Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu,
a family owned and operated business in Melbourne , Florida . My family
bought and paid for this automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the
second generation to manage this business.
> 
> We currently employ 50+ people and before the economic slowdown we
employed over 70 local people. We are active in the community and the local
chamber of commerce. We deal with several dozen local vendors on a day to
day basis and many more during a month. All depend on our business for part
of their livelihood. We are financially strong with great respect in the
market place and community. We have strong local presence and stability.
> 
> I work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours a day. I know most
of our customers and all our employees. Sunshine Dodge is my life.
> 
> On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge franchise, that we
purchased, will be taken away from my family on June 9, 2009 without
compensation and given to another dealer at no cost to them. My new vehicle
inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a financed balance of 3 million
dollars. This inventory becomes impossible to sell with no factory
incentives beyond June 9, 2009. Without the Dodge franchise we can no longer
sell a new Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any warranty service
work. Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately $300,000.) is
virtually worthless without the ability to perform warranty service. There
is no offer from Chrysler to buy back the vehicles or parts inventory.
> 
> Our facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's insistence,
incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of a mortgage at Sun Trust
Bank. 
> 
> HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN? 
> 
> THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
> 
> This is beyond imagination! My business is being stolen from me through NO
FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING wrong.
> 
> This atrocity will most likely force my family into bankruptcy. This will
also cause our 50+ employees to be unemployed. How will they provide for
their families? This is a total economic disaster.
> 
> HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA ?
> 
> I beseech your help, and look forward to your reply. Thank you.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> George C. Joseph
> President & Owner
> Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu
> 
> The website articel can be seen here:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/05/letter_from_a_dodge_dealer.html
> 
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