As always you can view all my recent Cape Cod pics on my online photo gallery.

Thanks to Siberian Grinder for the heads up on this camera.

Now that I think about it… I could sort of feel all those extra curled-up dimensions tickling my toes.

Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?
- Adolf Hitler… while persuading his generals that a Jewish holocaust would be tolerated by the West

…the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it … the failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous nonsense.
- Theodore Roosevelt… in a May 11, 1918, letter to Cleveland Hoadley Dodge

I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915.
- Henry Morgenthau, Sr. US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire

On this day, we pause in remembrance of one of the most horrible tragedies of the 20th century, the annihilation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire. This terrible event remains a source of pain for people in Armenia and Turkey and for all those who believe in freedom, tolerance, and the dignity of every human life. I join with my fellow Americans and the Armenian community in the United States and around the world in mourning this loss of life.
- George W. Bush, April 24, 2004

Armenian Genocide // Armenian Genocide Map // Armenian Genocide Photos // genocide1915.info // never-again.com

This day is not “just another day”. Many will tritely dismiss this as an unnecessary formality. Many will claim that they can “honor the fallen” any day they wish and choosing a particular day doesn’t make it more real. I respect that remembering the sacrifices of our servicemen and women can be an “everyday” affair… but in the hustle and bustle of our personal rat races it helps to have a special day set aside.

This sounds cliché, but most folks don’t know how lucky they are to live in a free country like the United States. Indeed, being born here is akin to winning the cosmic lottery. This country, filled with wealth and opportunity, was forged by courage and washed in the blood of the brave. We should never take for granted what was paid for at so dear a price, lest we lose it.

So today, I’ll remember why I’m free to type whatever I want here on my blog without fear of state-sponsored beatings and reprisals. I will probably pause when my eye catches the waving of one of the many American flags flying today. Perhaps I’ll even have the privilege of hearing the Star-Spangled Banner. I say “privilege” because that’s what it is… it’s a rare jewel to have a national anthem sincerely representing one’s hard-fought freedom.

And, yes, I question the patriotism of all the cynical fools who would besmirch the flag of this nation, or what it stands for. I have family and friends who have given their lives to defend the flag, and I will gladly hit Google Maps to help someone navigate from the US to a place that flies a flag they like better.

Not only is today Memorial Day, but May is National Military Appreciation month. May 19 was Armed Forces Day. May 23 was National Military Spouse Day. I suggest honoring the fallen by also honoring those serving right now, and their families… and here’s a few easy online ways how:
Sponsor care packages // Send some coffee // Send a letter // Support the USO

Memorial Day was this week and provided yet another reminder of how fortunate we are to live in a country this great and free. The things we complain about (gas prices, spotty cellphone coverage, slow computers) are – relatively – totally insignificant. I wonder how many people are being tortured around the world as you read this? Oops… sorry… I forgot we don’t trouble ourselves with such negative thoughts… after all, those are other people’s problems, not ours.

So here are a couple good wallpaper reminders to myself of how good I have it. The one on the left is a great Memorial Day wallpaper compliments of the US Air Force. The one in the right is compliments of yours truly and is the view of the beach from our Cancun resort hotel room we stayed in recently.

When your fortune improves, the columns on your house appear crooked.
-Armenian proverb