Oorah!

My brother officially signed up with the Marines yesterday. He's going to college (who knows where, blaaaah), and during the summers and on weekends he'll do basic training. I think they're going to give him $20,000 for school. When he graduates, he'll have a presidential commission and have the rank of an officer - a Second Lieutenant.

This is all through the Platoon Leaders Course. Of course, he owes them four years of active duty service after graduation, too.

He has been spending all of his time for the last couple weeks with the recruitment officer, Staff Sergeant ... Kazminksi? I can't spell Polish last names, lol. They are getting all the paperwork done and everything. Mother is all worried about him, and I guess I would be, too, if it were my son. I think he's going to be ok. It certainly will be prestigious to be a ranking officer. The SSgt. is with the Military Police when he rotates out of recruitment, and he said they don't see much action; so maybe Mother would be satisfied with that. However, Mother wants him to be a supply clerk, har har.

Of course, as soon as I got online today, what did I find but an article about our old "friends," the Westboro Baptists:

Friday, about 15 members of the group -- some of them children -- picketed the funeral of a St. Joseph soldier who was killed in Iraq. Mahoney reported that the group stood across the road from the Grace Evangelical Church during the funeral of 21-year-old Spc. Edward Myers.

"The first sin was being a part of this military. If this young man had a clue and any fear of God, he would have run, and not walked, from this military," said protester Shirley Phelps-Roper. "Who would serve a nation that is godless and has flipped off, defiantly defied, defiantly flipped off, the Lord their God?"

One protester had an American flag tied to his belt that draped to the ground. He was holding a sign that read, "Thank God For IEDs," which are explosive devices used by insurgents to blow up military convoys.

Protesters said America has ignored the word of God, and those who defend the nation must pay a price.

"That's the first piece of solid evidence that you have that the young man is currently in hell," Phelps-Roper said.

"The soldier is in hell now, you believe?" Mahoney asked.

"Absolutely," Phelps-Roper said.

I guess they are going around protesting military funerals now. Personally, I think that could be dangerous to their physical health.

Rest of the article.