Operation Gratitude

Re-posted from the Alpha Patriot (also on Little Green Footballs)

Carolyn Blashek got married in June last year, and by September her husband had been called up and sent overseas. She volunteered to work at the USO and one day an Army officer walked in looking for a chaplain. One wasn't around, so he asked if he could talk to Carolyn. He'd come home on emergency leave for his mother's funeral and was on his way back to his post in Korea.

Things were heating up in North Korea with the nuclear threat, he said, and he didn't know if he'd make it back this way again. It wouldn't matter anyway, though, he said.

"His mother had just died, and his wife had left him years ago," Carolyn said. "He said he didn't have any other relatives. Then he just broke down and started crying for a few minutes. It was so sad.


"After he left, I thought how many other servicemen and women have nobody."

And so Operation Gratitude was born. Carolyn runs this out of her house, sending care packages with toiletries, snacks, games, movies and personal letters of support to men and women stationed overseas that have been identified by their officers or chaplains as those who don't get much in the way of mail from back home.

Two things makes this program different from the others. First, it targets those who most need the moral boost - those that may not have anyone back home providing emotional support. Second, the personal touch that Carolyn gives by including a letter to the recipient.

Oh, and third - Carolyn runs the whole outfit - assembling, packaging, mailing - out of her home.

She has sent over 650 packages to date, and is ramping up for a special holiday mailing of some 2,000 packages that is going to require tens of thousands of dollars just to cover postage (each Holiday Care Package will require $15 in postage).

The is a worthwhile project. For those who cannot afford to give money (although it is tax-deductible), you can still help by writing a letter or two to be included in the packages.

If you don't think that this is worth doing, here is a letter from a grateful package recipient:

Dear Carolyn Blashek,
I received your care package today and it caught me by surprise because I was not expecting it. As I opened it tears almost came to my eyes because we are here in a strange country with a need of alot of morale support and here you are sending me this package full of good things. I can't thank you enough. It meant alot to me and you can bet that I will spread the word throughout the soldiers in Kuwait and Iraq. It makes me proud to be a soldier and fight for the freedom of people like you. May God Bless you always.

I'm here with my unit of transportation from Puerto Rico. "Muchas Gracias";

SGT P. R., USA, Personnel Sergeant

I'm posting a graphic link to Operation Gratitude. Please encourage your friends and family to participate. And for the Angelenos, they're having an event in Van Nuys the first weekend in November.

Un-Doing the Jerrymander

No whining should be allowed in California about the Reappo proposal from Ted Costa, Kevin McCarthy and Devin Nunes. They aren't suggesting a system where one side cheats the rules in order to give their team the advantage, they're suggesting a game with a neutral playing field.

The reapportionment and redistricting initiative, planned for the November 2004 ballot, is drawing lots of fire from the left. here and here and here. When is it going to catch on with the right (and the middle who are the biggest beneficiaries of all)?

Boo Hoo

This is not party time," Brulte said

Wictory Wednesday

It's Wictory Wednesday. Bloggers accross America are supporting the re-election of President George W. Bush by donating and volunteering to be a Bush Team Leader. Would you please join us?

And today, do it for the Dinubians

Here are some other blogs who are helping to reelect Bush:

Backcountry Conservative
Boots and Sabers
Bowling for Howard Dean
BushBlog.us (unofficial)
Bush-Cheney 2004 (unofficial)
ExPostFacto
Freedom of Thought
The Hedgehog Report
The Irish Lass
Jarhead
Jeremy Kissel
Left Coast Conservative
Matt Margolis
The Ole Miss Conservative
PoliPundit
Political Annotation
A Rice Grad
Ryne McClaren
Slublog
Southern Conservatives
Stephen Blythe
Viking Pundit
The Wise Man Says

If you would like to be added to this list, please email Poli Pundit.

Inaugural Blogger's Dinner

If they ever pick a date for the governor's inauguration, I'm planning a blogger's feast. I'll serve Rossi pasta (because they advertise on Rich Galen's Mullings.com)
and make something special from one of my many Nigela cookbooks (Nigella's father was a political ally of Margaret Thatcher). For dessert some GOP Ice Cream.

Extremely Cool Cassandra

The Insider says one name floated in the Arnold chief of staff derby is:

"a number of members of the transition committee are pushing for the selection of Cassandra Pye, vice president for corporate affairs at the California Chamber of Commerce, where she has been the political eyes and ears for the chamber for several years."

and USA Today joins him:

"After weathering late-breaking accusations of groping 16 women in the past, Schwarzenegger needs to appoint women, political analysts say. One female prospect: Cassandra Pye, an African-American and a top official of the California Chamber of Commerce."

Cassandra would be Fab! She's smart and snappy, hard-working, fearless and fun. She'd bring a whole different dynamic to the capitol 'cuz she's loaded with personality.

Dreier Dreams

Last week my friend the Potato suggested David Dreier as a likely candidate for Senate against Boxer. I demurred, figuring that a sure thing Senior Leadership position in the House was too good to gamble for a maybe in the Senate, but the American Prowler must be listening to Spooky. David is a very popular Republican, and would instantly be at the top of many primary polls, but I still think the House is too good to give up.

McClintock vs. Rogers

Ben at Infinite Monkeys suggests payback for McClintock in the appointment of Beth Rogers to the Schwartzenegger transition team ... I see it differently. As a member of the transition, Beth will be prevented from talking bad about McClintock and from organizing a campaign against him. Not that she won't run against him for State Senate, she still might, but if she started her campaign against him today, she'd have a couple hundred thousand in her campaign account by the end of the year.

Arnold is doing McC a big, giant favor by holding Beth back.

Draft Darrell

I'm joining the cheering section urging Darrell Issa for U.S. Senate. Millions of Californians owe him big for the aid he gave to the recall effort and he gives moderates the opportunity to prove that we are just as willing to work together for a win as the party conservatives are. Darrell's stock will never be higher than it is today with a 125,000 vote advantage over Boxer. 4,536,262 Recall Yes to 4,411,705 Boxer Yes.

What do you think?

Happy Birthday to Me

& Steve Young.