Storman, that's cool. I am just not a PC kind of guy, and can irritate people without meaning to do so.

I may have said this before, but when I served, we got spit on and sworn at and yelled at. These days, these marvellous kids do this for us and I will do whatever I can to honor them

I admire and respect your position.

Your buddy,

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Bob Taylor (Astro)
Blue Ridge Self Storage
Cashiers, NC

Every legal citizen of these United States of America has the right to express their opinion - as a former member of our great military I did my part (as small as it may have been) to ensure that right!

We, as a nation. have always wanted to share that freedom with the rest of the world - unfortunately there are too many dictators out there that want to keep their people under their thumb. They know that if the people of their country had any of the freedoms we take for granted they would not be in power for long.

God Bless all our troops and keep them safe.

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.


All arguments can be resolved ... with high explosives and Humor!!!

War sucks, but if you are going to get in to a fight do what it takes to win that fight.
OOORAH! (it's a Marine thing).

Don't know how to do the thumbs up---but thumbs up Mr Jim!!! I hate that I was training someone today & didn't get to respond--am now reading this at home. I have strong feelings for all those who are fighting for our safety here at home so that we don't have to see another 9/11 on our TV sets (or up close & personal).

This goes right with my train of thought right now wondering what to put on my marquee that will "say it all" for Veteran's Day. As soon as Halloween is over, my marquee is changing to Veteran's Day. I've become teary-eyed thinking of what I want to say---but trying to keep it simple-yet thought-provoking. I don't know if I should say:

"Remember WHY there is a Veteran's Day" or simply

"HUG A VETERAN"

Thank God that we live in a country where we can all express our opinions!!

Pat
Jamestown, NC

has my vote!

Because of people like Melissa's brother and his peers, we can speak freely and enjoy things we consider 'simple' every day, mundane things, like our beloved SST forum. It is a public venue where we can speak our minds, debate and commiserate all without fear of persecution. What a privilege we enjoy... the simple freedom to speak our minds and share our thoughts! I would rather enjoy the ability to potentially irritate a person or two with my views than live like the poor women in other countries do.

My Uncle who passed away last week was one of the few Marines to serve in Sing Tao, China before the Korean conflict. I didn't know until now, as he and all four of his brothers, my late Dad included (USMC & the Navy) served our country proudly in one branch or another, as have many generations before them. But they never spoke much of their service; they just served, as they believed it was the right thing to do.

Our eldest son has followed in their footsteps and at the ripe age of 27 joined the Army Nat'l Guard. He is a member of the MP Brigade and has received many top accolades to date. Right now, he is safely living on US soil, as he seeks work to support his wife and almost 2-year-old son after being laid off from a major corporation he spent most of his adult years working for. I do have ‘skin in the game’ but even before our son joined, we’ve been actively supporting our military. I doubt any among us would do anything otherwise, especially in the aftermath of attacks on the United States. Americans should never tolerate things such as Astro experienced; we are an evolved society aren’t we?

John asked, "What can or should be done?

To echo others, we need to fight to win, AND we need to know what we are fighting for before deploying, and then budgets be damned in regards to our troops safety and security! Before we send our nation's finest into the battlefields we need to give our troops the tools needed and armor necessary to protect themselves. There is no excuse for the "Greatest Nation on Earth" to send under-equipped soldiers into battle. We need to do better and give them 150% of what they need. They don't need a bunch of D.C. rhetoric, flag-waving, glad-handing and mugging for the next TV sound bite. They need the tools to complete the mission.

We're there now, whether we agree with how we got there or not. If more troops are needed to bring all of our nation's prodigy home safely, then so be it. I don't want our 27-year old “child” in harm's way, but the old adage states "there is safety in numbers" and maybe that is the answer in all of its simplicity.

Get in, get the job done and then get them home. Just as in development of a new storage site, it's all in the planning and preparation. We've lost the planning and prep edge, so now we need to re-assess, make necessary adjustments and move forward. Wasted time costs... and in this case, the wasted time could amount to even more loss of our nation's troops. Remember each casualty number is a loved one to a fellow American. I’d personally rather bring everyone home and bury my head in the sand, but that’s probably not an effective solution in the long-term.


I am going to attach an image of an ad we've been running it in our community's 4th of July program book each year since 9/11. I am not attaching it as self-promoting, but rather with Veteran's Day approaching, we need to remember what the holidays truly mean to each of us and to our country. The ad is what came about while our hearts were still reeling from 9/11 and we need to always remember the consequences of our collective actions no matter what our political viewpoints.

To all of the proud service members & their families from our little SST community, I truly and humbly thank you for your service to our country.

Attached Images

MHIDI_ad_2006_reduced.jpg (91.0 KB, 9 views)

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!

That's a great ad, Gina, and also great sentiments.

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John Carlisle
Community Manager, Self-Storage Talk
Virgo Publishing LLC
jcarlisle at vpico dot com
312-623-9395

Beautiful ad!

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Melissa Roberts, CSSM
Facilities Director
Dunlap, TN

While we could debate what the best strategy might be, at this point A strategy would be nice. We've had several months worth of back and forth, distractions and diversions, and indecisions that we have had. We were told the decision on what to do had made back in March. Well???

There can be no more difficult job for a commander in chief than to commit Americans to combat because you know some of those ordered into a theater will not come back alive. But, while difficult, making those calls is a central part of the job. Indecision is not a strategy, waiting for elections and runoffs to unfold before acting is not a plan, and the ongoing back and forth on the talking head shows is meaningless. Make a choice, explain to the American public why the choice was made and what the expected result is, and, for pete's sake, stay away from artificial timelines on when said result will be achieved.

man up and make a decision already!!

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Melissa Roberts, CSSM
Facilities Director
Dunlap, TN

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, it is time to make a decision.

The family that allowed their son's casket to be filmed when the President visited Dover the other night were on the news this morning. The Mother said she held onto the President's hand for a moment and then whispered to him one thing; "Please don't leave our troops hanging." I'd hate to have to make the decision, but yes, it needs to be done and soon.

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!