Some nice video is out from the memorial service for the Sago miners. I had no idea Homer Hickam was going to speak. That was a lovely thing for him to do:
During the two-hour service a heart-wrenching photo montage showed the men as they were in life _ men who loved their families and God, NASCAR, hunting, fishing and a good laugh.
"There are no better men than coal miners," said author Homer Hickam, who wrote the memoir "Rocket Boys" about growing up in a southern West Virginia coal community. "The American economy rests on the back of our coal miners. We could not prosper without them."
Since the explosion, Hickam said many people have asked him why miners chose such dangerous work, and how they tolerate the fear.
"The people endure here as they always have," he said, "for they understand that God has determined there is no joy greater than hard work. And that there is no water holier than the sweat off a man's brow."
I've not yet heard word if the Westborons showed up, although as of yesterday they'd still planned to, the swine.
UPDATE
Thanks to Rachel for the link to the Patriot Guard Riders board, and a thank you to the PGRs for attending the memorial for the miners and for all the soldiers' funerals attended.
More pics here.
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Previous postings:
So Many To Hate, So Little Time
I don't know if you've heard of Patriot Guard Riders yet (http://patriotguard.org), but they were at the Memorial Service to shield the mourners from the protesters. Their Mission Statement is below:
"The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.
We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is. You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.
Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.
1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.
We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means."
Their Mission Report from this ride is here: http://tinyurl.com/8kdyy
Posted by: rachel at January 16, 2006 06:39 PMThank you, Rachel. I'm very pleased they were there.
Posted by: Donnah at January 16, 2006 07:45 PMI am REALLY confused about these people. Homosexuals and their vision of gays burning in hell have exactly WHAT to do with a mining disaster?
Posted by: tree hugging sister at January 16, 2006 10:32 PMThey seem to hate just about everything, regardless. At the miners' memorial, they were standing on American flags.
Why "Thank God for Dead Miners"? No idea. I imagine they were "fag-enablers."