My Arlington Adventure

One of the activities that my American Legion post is involved in is called "Washing the Wall," and it's an annual event where Legionnaires from all over SC get together, ride up to DC and help the US Park Service wash one of the many monuments they're in charge of. It started out as helping wash the Vietnam monument which is called "The Wall," but over time the mission has broadend out somewhat. This year we were scheduled to wash the Korean War Monument. 

The plan was to meet at the Bojangles in Lugoff, SC on Thursday, Sept 24th, and leave from there at 8AM sharp. The weather apps were all predicting rain for that morning, so when I went to bed Wednesday night I said a prayer asking for no rain. I was very pleased to see that when I got up the chance of rain had dropped from 65% down to 10%, and I made the 40 minute ride out to the meeting place with no problem.

Ten minutes after I got there it started to rain, so me and the other riders and their passengers started putting on rain suits. It had been at least 10 years since I had worn mine, and I was a little disturbed to discover that I had almost outgrown it. It was a snug fit, but I managed to get into it. (I bought a new one today, by the way, in a bigger size!) After we suited up we hit the road, riding down Route 20E towards Interstate 95N that we'd take all the way to Dumfries, Va. 

It rained on us for the next 2 1/2 hours, from Lugoff all the way to Benson, NC. At times the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see further than 2 bikes ahead of me. During those intense downpours the leader (who was riding a trike and didn't have to worry about traction like I did on 2 wheels) slowed down to 60MPH, but the rest of the time we were zipping along in staggered formation at 70MPH.

To say it was an intense ride would be the understatement of the year.

We stopped at Kenly 95 Truck Stop in Kenly, NC for lunch, and then continued on to Dumfries. That was our initial destination because that's where we were staying. MUCH cheaper than DC! We finally made it to the hotel at around 5:30PM, having been on the road for nine and a half hours.  

The plans for Friday was for the group to head out to Arlington National Cemetery because my post was going to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. It was a 30 mile ride from Dumfries to Arlington, and traffic was a friggin' nightmare! The ceremony was supposed to take place at 11:15AM, but we were late getting there so it was pushed back to 1:15PM. I spent the time at the Tomb, watching the changing of the guard and the other wreath ceremonies, getting some good pictures and even better video along the way. The USS MAINE memorial was right across the street, so I went over there as well. As soon as the wreath ceremony was over we saddled up and rode to Mount Vernon for a very late lunch - or an early dinner, whichever. Then it was back to the hotel for the rest of the night.

The next day, Saturday, was the day we were going to the Korean War Monument to help wash it, but I'd had all I could stand of DC traffic. That, plus the fact that the weather was predicted to turn bad around mid-day Saturday due to the Nor'easter coming down the coast and was going to stay bad - meaning rain - all day Sunday, so I told the leader of the group that I wasn't going to deal with either the traffic or the rain again and would be leaving Saturday morning to go home instead of going out to the Korean War Memorial. I also wasn't too fond of the idea of zipping up the highway at 70MPH in the full dark, since we were supposed to leave the hotel at 5AM. I hated to leave the group and not carry through with the main reason for the trip, but my safety and well-being has priority in my mind, so that was that.

So I left Dumfries at 8:30AM on Saturday, riding to my sister's house in Angier, NC where I spent the night. The weather Saturday morning had already started to close in, and I didn't see the sun until I got to Emporia, Virginia - and I got sprinkled on coming out of Richmond, but nothing bad. This morning I got up to a clear sky and cool temperatures, with no rain predicted for the next 6 days either in Angier or in Lexington where I live. We had breakfast, and then around 9:30AM I cranked up the bike and headed for home, arriving a little before 1PM after traveling for a total of 4 days and 1,090 miles. 

It wasn't the best bike trip I've ever been on, but it wasn't the worst, either. I just don't think I'll be doing it again next year. If I never ride in DC traffic again for the rest of my life it'll be too soon.

Deo Vindice

IHC

 

   Lunch break in Kenly, NC

 

 

Things That Amaze Me: Constitutional Ignorance, Part 2

 

If you've been keeping up with current events, then you probably could have predicted what today's blog topic was going to be.  Considering how much the ignoramuses on the libtard left have been screaming after President Trump revoked access to the White House for CNN, Politico, and MS Now, it kinda figures that would be my next topic in the "Things That Amaze Me" series.

Once again, the people on the libtard left are making claims about Constitutional rights, and are doing nothing but proving two things:  how much they hate ANYTHING that Trump does, and just how much they DON'T know about the United States Constitution.  The left is now screaming that Trump violated the Constitutional rights of those three news agencies, and that they have a Constitutional right to have access to the White House.  

Of course those of us with common sense and a minimum understanding of how the Constitution works knows that they're 100% wrong, as usual.

So let's take a look at exactly what the First Amendment says, shall we?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Somebody please show me where access to the White House is mentioned in those words.  

Those on the left will tell you that Trump violated the Constitution  because he's 'abridging the freedom of the press,' and they are 100% wrong.  If Trump had come out and told them that they couldn't print something or couldn't report on something at all, THEN he would be in violation of the First Amendment.  But he hasn't done that.  He simply denied them access to the White House, which means they can't attend press briefings.

So if they can't attend the press briefings, then how are they supposed to report on what was said?  Simple - they use the White House Press Release that every news agency in the United States and several overseas agencies are sent after every single press conference.  After all, where do you think the smaller news agencies who don't have a representative at the White House get their information from?  Why, from the press release, of course.

No, the left is bitching because Trump did to those agencies what the Biden administration did when they barred a particular reporter from attending the briefings because he was asking questions that made Biden look bad (which wasn't hard to do).  After all, it's OK when a libtard does it, but when a conservative does it the world is coming to an end.  They're bitching because now those fake news agencies don't have a platform from which to spout their nonsensical questions which are intended not to get an answer or learn the truth but to make a veiled accusation against Trump.   

I learned a very long time ago that NO liberal news agency is the least bit concerned with getting at the truth.  All they want is something that they can twist and shape into something that fits their agenda, and if they can't make it fit then they'll just lie about it.  They do this safe in the knowledge that no one will do anything about it because, well, the First Amendment, you know.

Until Trump came along and said, "Nope, that bullshit ain't gonna fly!"  He has never been shy about calling out the fake news agencies, and now that he's in his second term and isn't eligible to run for a third, he can say or do almost anything he wants because he doesn't have to worry about alienating voters.  He knows this and man, is he taking advantage of it!

Do I support Trump's actions in this?  Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but yeah, I do - 100%.  If I were President I'd kick all of the libtard news agencies out on their asses and let them get their news from the press releases just like everyone else.

Guess it's a good thing I'm not President, huh?

Deo Vindice

IHC