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On January 15, 2008 (one year and five days before his presidential inauguration), Barack Obama spoke at an SEIU meeting. He vowed to “Paint the Nation Purple”, SEIU’s signature color. (video below) “We organized voting registration drives, that’s how we built political power on the south side of Chicago and kept on building it in Illinois. And now the time has come for us to do it all across this country. We want to paint the town purple and we want to paint the nation purple with SEIU.” Video: Obama Vows to Paint the Nation SEIU Purple

A woman on her way to St. Paul really got the goat of auto repairman James Prusci. She went to Tires Plus in Winona Friday, wanting a belt replaced on her Chevy Malibu. While he was doing paperwork, she said she had a goat in her trunk. "A what?" he asked. She told him she planned to butcher it. It was painted Minnesota Viking colors - purple and gold - with Brett Favre's No. 4 shaved on its side. Favre made his Vikings debut Friday in a preseason game.

***NEWS FLASH ***"Only Gravel is Truly Green"Washington(AP) -- In yet another Orwellian announcement today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs laid out the Obama Administration’s latest “green” proposal, namely, that grass lawns are no longer considered “green”. Gibbs emphasized that grass lawns consume enormous quantities of water, fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides, with the latter three products being produced from carbon-based fossil fuels.When asked if this means that green grass is no longer “green”, Gibbs reluctantly acknowledged that, “Yes, green is no longer green.”  However, Gibbs pointed out that government scientists were working really really hard to create purple grass,...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2009 – The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a Virginia-based troop-support group, will join the city of Branson, Mo., April 24 and 25 in a special “Hand in Hand” weekend honoring Purple Heart veterans across the country. The weekend will feature a wide variety of entertainment and sporting events designed specifically for wounded combat veterans, with free admission to all events. “I want the general public, youth and all veterans to have the opportunity to learn more about the sacrifices that our veterans have made,” Marlyce Stockinger, director of advertising and public relations for Branson.com,...

Iraq votes in key test of nation's stabilityPosted: 29 January 2009 1136 hrs Iraqi soldiers stand outside a polling center in Najaf, Iraq BAGHDAD: Millions of Iraqis vote on Saturday in an election seen as a gauge of how far the war-torn nation has progressed since a US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein from power almost six years ago. Iraq has in the past year seen a stark improvement in its security situation, but tens of thousands of police and soldiers will guard the country's first ballot since 2005, testing their ability to keep the peace. The stability of Iraq has...

WASHINGTON — Inaugural organizers fielded a flurry of complaints on Wednesday from people who had tickets to see President Obama’s swearing-in, but who were left stranded in an underground traffic tunnel near the Capitol. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the Congressional committee that handled the ticketing arrangements, said Wednesday that the Rules Committee would investigate the problems that kept thousands of ticket holders from seeing the event. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed regret that some ticket holders could not get to their sections, primarily in the standing-room area...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2008 – A policy change to expand eligibility for the Purple Heart award to prisoners of war who died in captivity represents the right decision that recognizes their sacrifice, a senior defense official told American Forces Press Service. The Pentagon announced the new policy earlier this week that will extend criteria for receiving Purple Hearts to prisoners of war who have died in captivity since the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. “The Purple Heart is an award worn with great pride and recognizes that the servicemember has been wounded or killed as a...

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 – With growing recognition of the toll post-traumatic stress disorder has taken on U.S. forces, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Defense Department may consider awarding Purple Heart medals to combat veterans afflicted with it. “It’s an interesting idea,” Gates said when asked about the concept during a May 2 media availability at Red River Army Depot, Texas. “I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at.” Gates’ comment followed his visit the previous day to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he toured the post’s Recovery and Resilience Center, which is using...

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry on Monday pinned the Purple Heart on Private First Class Sean Bannon in a pregame ceremony at the mound as Curt Schilling stood beside them. Bannon, 22, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, was critically wounded by an IED in Iraq. He has spent the last month at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington, D.C. Bannon requested that Kerry, a fellow Purple Heart recipient, do the honors of presenting him with the medal and asked that the Senator ask the Red Sox if he would be able to receive the award at home plate. The Red Sox organization was...

China's Purple Army Made for Magic Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News April 10, 2007 — China's terracotta army, a mysterious collection of 8,000 life-size figures of warriors and horses found "ready for battle" in a 2017-year-old tomb, was painted in many colors, most distinctively bright purple. New research on the purple paint suggests it was due to Taoist experiments in creating fake jade, which was thought to bestow immortality. The discovery explains why the otherwise fierce army sports a springtime shade. It also suggests a religious link with the army and reveals how inventive China's early chemists were, even when they...

The earliest life on Earth might have been just as purple as it is green today, a scientist claims. Ancient microbes might have used a molecule other than chlorophyll to harness the Sun’s rays, one that gave the organisms a violet hue. Chlorophyll, the main photosynthetic pigment of plants, absorbs mainly blue and red wavelengths from the Sun and reflects green ones, and it is this reflected light that gives plants their leafy color. This fact puzzles some biologists because the sun transmits most of its energy in the green part of the visible spectrum. “Why would chlorophyll have this...

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor opened in a Nov. 10 dedication ceremony at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, where Gen. George Washington's Army camped toward the end of the Revolutionary War and where he first awarded the Badge of Military Merit, a small purple cloth that became the model for the Purple Heart. Photo by Author More Images VAILS GATE, N.Y. (Army News Service, Nov. 30, 2006) - The oldest U.S. combat medal has a new home of honor on a site where Americans first fought for freedom. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor opened...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 2, 2006) – Citing the long, proud tradition of sacrifice and valor of Americans in combat, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson yesterday awarded the Purple Heart to four servicemembers wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. “Our freedoms, democratic traditions and American way of life rest on the shoulders of heroes who are willing to face extraordinary challenges and make astonishing acts of self-sacrifice,” Nicholson said. In a ceremony at the National Press Club, Nicholson presented the award to Pvt. Kevin Araujo of the 10th Mountain Division; Spec. Nicholas Helfferich of the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor,...

FORT HOOD, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 8, 2006) – The Purple Heart Medal will have its own monument at the 1st Cavalry Division Museum at Fort Hood next month. The announcement came on Purple Heart Day, Aug. 7. In its 85-year history, thousands of First Team Soldiers have earned the Army’s oldest medal. Nearly 2,000 Purple Hearts were awarded during the division’s last rotation to Iraq. “This monument on the museum grounds will give units a nice, shaded area to hold ceremonies,” said Carrie Cutchens, a museum staff member and collection specialist. The monument is slated for dedication during...

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2006 – A tradition that lasted a half century is being renewed on the shores of Lake Michigan. In the aftermath of World War II, Irv “Kup” Kupcinet, a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, wanted to reach out to servicemembers to show his gratitude for their service to the country. Kupcinet would take patients from veterans hospitals to Lake Michigan for a day of food and fun, said Eric Schuller, senior policy advisor to Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. From 1945 to 1995, Kupcinet offered Purple Heart recipients the opportunity to spend a day on a...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, June 26, 2006 — Next time Sgt. Aaron C. Morgan marches in a parade with the 1st Marine Division Band, expect his uniform to look just a little different. Morgan, a bandsman assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal June 24. The percussionist from the 1st Marine Division Band was wounded while performing security operations for an explosive ordnance disposal team April 17. Morgan was the turret gunner in the lead vehicle of his convoy running down one of the more traveled roads in the area. It was late at night, the...

6/23/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- A sergeant severely wounded in action in Iraq received the Purple Heart Medal today, pinned on his chest by the Air Force chief of staff. Staff Sgt. Israel del Toro Jr. accepted the medal from Gen. T. Michael Moseley at a ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. More than 200 people attended the event, including family members. The sergeant, supported by family members, fellow controllers, A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots, Soldiers, an Airman Leadership School class and the hospital medical staff was at a loss for words because...

With all the talk about the former red state, Republican state, California, becoming a blue state -- which is not quite as true as some think -- there is someone talking about it becoming a purple state. That is California Republican Party chairman Duf Sundheim, who talked about his hopes for California during last week’s bus tour kicking off Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Phil Angelides. The Silicon Valley lawyer came on a few years ago to put a moderate face on the party, whose apparatus was traditionally viewed as right wing and increasingly out of step...

Purple Heart Park in Southeast Tucson has a new monument to honor the park's namesake. The city has replaced the crumbling Purple Heart statue in the park on East Rita Road in the Rita Ranch community with a new monument honoring those killed or wounded in combat. The 12-foot-long brick monument, about 5 feet high, features a heart in the middle made of squares of purple glass, said Jim Conroy, the East District administrator of the Parks Department. He called the monument very well done. Mike Dyer, chaplain for the local chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart,...

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va., May 26, 2006 – A new version of a postage stamp commemorating the Purple Heart and all those who have earned it was issued in a ceremony here today. Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Postal Service unveil the new version of the Purple Heart Definitive stamp at Arlington National Cemetery, May 26. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. During the ceremony, two veterans of the war in Iraq were awarded Purple Hearts by R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs. "(The Purple Heart) celebrates...

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division Rear Adm. Robert L. Phillips presented five Seabees, currently serving with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, with the Purple Heart medal here May 8. Steelworker 2nd Class Jody Allen, Construction Electrician 2nd Class Sean Sullivan, Steelworker 3rd Class Christopher Moran, Constructionman Cody Cannon and Constructionman Richard Fisher received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while operating in and around Al Asad, Iraq, as part NMCB 133’s recent deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition to elected officials, family members and Seabees, guests at the ceremony included more than...

AL TAQADDUM, Iraq (May 8, 2006) -- Two Marines were awarded Purple Hearts May 1 for injuries received during an improvised explosive device attack in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. Staff Sgt. James N. Wheeler and Lance Cpl. Matthias E. Knudsen, both with the military police, sustained shrapnel injuries during an IED attack March 3, 2006. "We were out on an IED call," said Wheeler, referring to the unit who provides convoy security for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. "We were the lead vehicle and we received a stop call over the radio. We then hit a different IED...

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (May 4, 2006) -- “I heard the whole thing. I knew what had happened, but I couldn’t believe that I was actually hearing it,” said St. Cloud, Minn. native, Sgt. Alan D. Lane. “It got black real quick. Not knowing what was going on, I got out of the vehicle. I couldn’t see hardly at all from my right eye and I had this ringing in my ears. I was just checking my body not really believing I was in one piece.” Lane, Marine Wing Support Squadron-272 explosive ordinance disposal technician, was awarded...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (May 2, 2006) -- The family of the fallen Marine, Cpl. Pablo V. Mayorga, of 2nd Tank Battalion, entered the funeral home with tears filling their eyes as they said their final goodbyes to their father, husband, son, brother and friend. Paola Mayorga, Pablo’s widow, was presented with the Purple Heart for the wounds that took her husband’s life. The posthumous award along with a memorial honoring the life of Mayorga brought family and friends together to share memories of the past and lay to rest a beloved friend. “His life was a celebration...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (UPI) -- A dancer for Minneapolis-based funk/rocker Prince was busted at the Rio de Janeiro Airport with 44 pounds of cocaine. Cecilia Maximilia was arrested Monday as she was waiting to board an Air France flight to Paris, the New York Daily News reported Friday. Her companion, Jennifer Salgnac, allegedly had three bags of drugs as well, the newspaper said. The cocaine was discovered under false bottoms in the ladies` luggage by airport X-ray equipment.

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – Not far from the city that bears his name, George Washington reposes in his crypt at Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate he retired to after serving as America's first president and commander in chief of the armed forces. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and the first president of the United States, originated the Purple Heart Medal. After the American colonists had won their freedom from England, the medal was discontinued until it was revived in 1932. Photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Yesterday,...

LEWISBURG — A Millheim man accused of indecent exposure and open lewdness waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in the office of District Judge Leo S. Armbruster. Paul S. Shreckengast, 38, was charged after an incident at 5 p.m. Jan. 21 in White Deer Township. Police said he exposed himself to an Amish family while engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with himself. He allegedly followed the family, which was in a buggy, along the White Deer Pike from a stop in Clinton County near the Pit Stop Restaurant to the water treatment facility in White Deer Township. According...

NEW MEXICO (Army News Service, March 28, 2006) – Almost 62 miles and 64 years later, Clifford “Smokey” Martinez received the Purple Heart March 26 at the 2006 Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range for wounds he received as a prisoner of war during World War II. WSMR Director Thomas R. Berard presented Smokey with the Purple Heart before close to 3,900 participants and thousands of spectators in a closing ceremony. “This award is 64 years overdue, but how appropriate to be able to present it on this magnificent occasion,” Berard said. Smokey, a Bataan Death March...

3/24/2006 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- March 21 was a special day for one Airman. It was the day that he received his Purple Heart Medal. It was a proud day, and a long overdue one at that. Mr. Leo Bach received his medal after suffering injuries to his right leg and back after bailing out of his B-17 Flying Fortress nearly 62 years ago. Mr. Bach, then a 24-year-old first lieutenant bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps, was one of nine crewmembers on a bombing run destined for Cottbus, Germany, April 11, 1944. The crew...

March 1, 2006 Ash Wednesday Psalm: Wednesday 12 Reading IJl 2:12-18 Even now, says the LORD,return to me with your whole heart,with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;Rend your hearts, not your garments,and return to the LORD, your God.For gracious and merciful is he,slow to anger, rich in kindness,and relenting in punishment.Perhaps he will again relentand leave behind him a blessing,Offerings and libationsfor the LORD, your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion!proclaim a fast,call an assembly;Gather the people,notify the congregation;Assemble the elders,gather the childrenand the infants at the breast;Let the bridegroom quit his roomand the bride her chamber.Between the porch and...

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2006) -- A Marine walks through a village in Vietnam while carrying out a mission of extreme importance. The day is warm and muggy and the villagers cower away whenever the Marine walks pass them. Suddenly, shots ring out in the distance and rounds impact around his location. His platoon sergeant goes down with the onslaught of bullets. The Marine reaches for his platoon sergeant's body to drag him away from the danger, but the wounded sergeant orders the other Marine to run and get his rifle. At that moment a warm...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Jan. 17, 2006) -- When Marines deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, they all try to bring a piece of home with them, something that reminds them not only of what they left behind, but also what they’re fighting for. Unfortunately for some Marines, they end up bringing a piece of Iraq home, in the form of pieces of metal from a roadside bomb or battle scars from enemy attacks. Sergeant Matthew P. Dalrymple, 26, of Chillicothe, Ohio was awarded the Purple Heart medal with a gold star in lieu of second award...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2006) -- Private First Class Frank Albano, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, was injured by shrapnel at Inchon, South Korea in 1950, just two years after enlisting in the Marine Corps. More than five decades later, the 76-year-old veteran was awarded his Purple Heart. During a Dec. 15, 2005 ceremony at Camp Horno, 55 years after being injured, Albano stood in front of Lt. Col. David J. Furness, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment to be recognized for his sacrifices. “There were Marines with worse injures,” said the resident of Mission...

Would somebody tell Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to just shut up? Today, of all days, this moron demanded that the U.S. begin the immediate departure from Iraq. After the latest example (this very day!) which is living proof that Iraqis are more intelligent than she, preferring as they do democracy over one-party fascism, is it not time that the dragon, having been pierced by the third arrow, should slink its scaly breast and scalding voice back into the vulcanic bowells from whence it came? Bush has proven his point, that he has a plan and that it has worked. The...

With delight and fervor, Iraqis cast ballotsThu Dec 15, 2005 6:30 AM ET By Luke BakerBAGHDAD (Reuters) - There may not be the same sense of history this time round, but the joy and determination of Iraqi voters emerging from dictatorship is still evident.Young and old, able-bodied and infirm, they streamed to polls for the third time in 11 months on Thursday, this time to elect a four-year parliament.While not as novel as the first post-Saddam Hussein election in January, participation was more widespread. Sunni Arabs, who boycotted the earlier poll for an interim assembly, flocked to vote this...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Dec. 6, 2005) -- While serving as an interpreter with 2nd Military Police Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, Lance Cpl. Amber R. Price of Greenville, N.C., a supply clerk with 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd MLG, traveled in several convoys during her time in Iraq, but, unbeknownst to her, the one on Aug. 13 would be her last. Price was riding in the lead Humvee in a convoy taking supplies from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, to Camp Fallujah, Iraq, when an overwhelming explosion rang out on the right side of the road. Price was sitting in...

VISTA, Calif. (Nov.. 22, 2005) -- The local San Giorgio Lucano Ristorante, known for it’s regular patrons of active duty Marines from Camp Pendleton and salty veterans from the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars club just down the street, was host to a night of sea stories told by Purple Heart recipients of all ages who have fought in every war from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Aside from the approximately 30 Marines and sailors and their families, a California Congressman and a former San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl winner attended the event. “It’s really simple what we’re doing....

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov. 22, 2005) -- A Memphis, Tenn. native was awarded the Purple Heart Medal here Nov. 16 for wounds received during combat operations in Iraq. Twenty-five-year old Lance Cpl. Josh Barrett, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s Surveillance, Target and Acquisition (STA) Platoon, and several of his teammates had been conducting counterinsurgency operations outside Fallujah in July at the time of the incident. “It happened around 11:30 (PM), while we were on a mission to insert sniper teams to be used for counter-IED (improvised explosive device) operations,” the 2003 Ole Miss’ University...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Nov. 22, 2005) -- Whether wounded on the battlefield or resting in a military hospital back home, injured Marines have always relied on the support of their fellow service members and loved ones to motivate them on the often rough road to recovery. Nineteen-year-old Lance Cpl. Brian Floyd received more than a few words of encouragement from his family, but a unique understanding of the trials he faced as a wounded combat veteran of the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq. “It’s a family tradition to serve our country, no matter what branch of...

Is America Still Red Vs. Blue, or Purpler? By ERIN McCLAM, AP National Writer1 hour, 41 minutes ago Dial back to a year or so ago, to the wrenching, vicious, partisan escapade that was Campaign 2004, to a time when we were told by a thousand pundits that America was deeply, hopelessly divided. And it felt that way: Family dinners became shouting matches. Bush and Kerry signs were snatched from yards. Blue and red were at war. But 12 months have passed since then, ample time for the nation to relearn the principles of civil discourse. We have had time...

LAKE PLACID (Oct. 31, 2005) -- On any given day, the staggering heights and breath taking view of the Verizon Sports Complex’s Mt. Van Hovenburg is an attraction for many who visit Lake Placid. However, for a salty Marine veteran, the beauty of the mountain and the rest of Lake Placid is just another day at the office. A son of an Army WWII veteran, former Marine Sgt. Mike Gonyea lived amidst the frigid winters and picturesque summers of Lake Placid all his life. As young teenager, like most children of Lake Placid, Gonyea took to winter sports. Hockey was...

At A mere 5ft 3in, Prince has always relied on the highest of heels to give him a lift. But his penchant for platforms could have stacked the odds against him. At 47, he has been told he needs a hip replacement. The singer believes years of strutting on stage (and energetic dance routines) have taken a toll on his joints. "He used to wear high-heeled boots every day and doctors told him that may have contributed to his condition," a source told U.S. magazine the National Enquirer.

A suspended Minnesota Vikings player is the defendant in a civil suit filed today in Hennepin County District Court. A 21 year old Richfield woman is accusing Onterrio Smith of sexual assault in another Viking’s apartment on June 12, 2004. In an exclusive interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the woman’s attorney spoke about the case and the victim. “I think she’s a credible person. I’ve talked to her family members who saw her the night that it happened. I’ve seen the medical records. I think she’s believable,” said attorney Lori Peterson. The victim alleges that she was drinking with Smith...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Oct. 4, 2005) -- It was June 23, 2005, when 20 Marines boarded a seven-ton truck and began, unbeknownst to them, their treacherous journey back to Camp Fallujah, Iraq. What happened a short distance down the road, is something that has and will continue to change their lives forever. Sitting in the second to last seat in the back, on the right side of the truck was Lance Cpl. Erin Liberty of Niceville, Fla., an ammunition technician with Ammunition Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group. She remembers talking with the female...

Based on the following observations, identify the object whose properties are being described. This object is about 15 centimeters in length and its diameter is 1.5 centimeters. It has a cylindrical shape. The object has many shades of purple that combine to form a swirling pattern like a piece of marble. It smells like wood and sweaty hands. It has a smooth texture. When it is tapped on a desk, it makes a noise like a drum. What is it?

MYRIAM MARQUEZ: DON'T DISMISS CHANGES FOR IRAQI WOMEN Ever since Safia Taleb al-Suhail triumphantly lifted her purple finger at President Bush in Congress -- signaling women's right to vote in a new Iraq -- the critics have wagged a finger back purporting that nothing will change. Oh, really? Where else in the Middle East do women make up almost a third of the parliament? Because that's what happened in Iraq's elections. It includes 45 women among the 140 members of the Shiite party blessed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, hardly known as a liberal. In all, 31 percent of the...

By Paul Greenberg Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Did you see the pictures from Beirut? How could anybody miss them? A tidal wave of mourners/demonstrators had turned out for the funeral of Rafik Hariri, who had been blown up -- along with various of his bodyguards -- after he started objecting to the Syrian occupation of his country. A billionaire who had helped rebuild Lebanon after its disastrous civil war, Rafik Hariri had served as its prime minister off and on for a decade, but he was a marked man as soon as he began objecting to Syria's occupation. Washington now has recalled...

Ran across this site, has some interesting cartoon images on t-shirts etc. with regard to the "Purple Finger Revolution". I got a T with the second image for posterity. BFlag

The story of Marine Staff Sgt. Robert Arellano's wound is not exactly heroic. He was sitting in a tent in southern Iraq when the 9mm handgun he was repairing went off, sending a bullet through his left leg. advertisement That's why his heart sank in spring 2003, when he heard that he would receive the Purple Heart as he recovered at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.