Remembering veterans and those still serving

Many of you, like me, have family or friends who are veterans or current servicemen/women. Tomorrow across the state and country, we will remember those who have given their lives in service of their country and honor those who continue to serve.


This mid-week blog comes to you with a brief history about Veterans Day and ideas on how to celebrate.

History
World War I - On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, a temporary cessation of fighting between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect. Officially, the war ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, but "November 11, 1918 is generally regarded as the end of 'the war to end all wars.'" According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, "the original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m."

Parade
Travis County and the City of Austin's Veterans Day Parade will begin at 9 AM tomorrow (11/11/09), culminating with a memorial service at the State Capitol. Visit the City of Austin website for more info.

Flicks
My dad served in the Korean War, and he has told me countless stories of his time in the military. Growing up, I remember watching riveting war movies with him --not just on Veterans Day but just whenever. I have no idea what his favorite war movie is, but IMDB put together a list of the Top Rated! I'm kind of surprised how many movies on that list I've 1) actually watched and 2) really like!

Freebie food
Veterans and active duty military eat free tomorrow...at Applebee's. I tried to find local freebies, but the net wasn't as helpful. If you know of any freebies or special discounts, post 'em here!

So much can happen in a week

From local tragedies to national legislative action so much has happened this week. A brief recap follows.

11/3: Election Results
Just under 4% of registered voters in our precinct cast their ballot in the November election. That's just under the county-wide voter turn out of 5%, but Precinct 307 (just west of Zilker) had a 17% voter turn-out! Wow, way to go PC 307!

Proposition 1 received 48% votes for, and 51% against. All other props passed by a large margin. Click election results for more info.

11/5: Tragedy at Fort Hood
Everyone by now has heard of Thursday's shooting that took 13 lives and wounded 30 at Fort Hood. Many have shown their support of the survivors and their families --donating blood and money. News8 reports on local memorial events scheduled for today and information on where to send donations.

Local memorial events
-- Sunday at 5 PM, at Killeen Civic and Conference Center
-- Monday, A local grassroots organization is asking everyone to drive with their headlights on to honor those directly or indirectly affected.• The Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of Association of the United States Army has set up a Community Response to 11/5 Fund for anyone wishing to make monetary donations to help support the families of the victims involved in Thursday's shooting at Fort Hood.

Donation Information
--Monetary donations can be sent to the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of Association of the United States Army. Send checks to the attention of "Community Response to 11/5, P.O. Box 10700, Killeen, Texas 76547.
-- Barton Creek Square mall goers can pick up $1 wooden rose at Kay's Hallmark. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the families of the victims of Ft. Hood.
-- Donations can also be sent to the Killeen Red Cross at 208 West Ave. A., Killeen, TX 76541.
-- Donations are tax deductible, click on News8 reports for more details.

11/7: Passage of House Health Care Bill
With a vote of 220 yeas and 215 nays, the United States House of Representatives passed the House version of the health care overhaul bill. The bill requires employers to offer health insurance and provide a public health insurance option to compete with for-profit insurance companies. It will reduce the percentage of uninsured Americans from 17% (today) down to 4% by 2019. Most of the a cost of the $1 trillion bill would go to help low- and moderate-income people purchase insurance (subsidies.) Now let's see what the US Senate ultimately churns out!





What will next week hold for us?

No tricks, just treats! 11 reasons to vote on Nov. 3

I was derelict in my blog duties last week, because I had my sights set on Halloween fun! If you happened to stop by yesterday, you'll know I had a smorgasbord of treats: everything from the popular juice box (the choice selection of the night) to stickers, eyeball bubble and parachute toys and the 2nd popular choice of the night Goldfish! I also had Laffy Taffy candies on hand, because it's just not Halloween unless there's some candy!


It was so much fun seeing neighbor kids, teens, and parents dressed in terrifically scary or adorably cuddly (the babies, not the parents) costumes. My honey and I saw a baby lion, lots of princesses and pirates, a marine, classic Marvel Comic Book heroes, and other spooky characters! One of the highlights of the night was a lil' girl, maybe 2'5", who ran across the street lightening fast and enthusiastically shouting, "TRICK OR TREAT! TRICK OR TREAT! TRICK OR TREAT!" She was on a mission!

And though we didn't snap any photos w/the neighbor kids, we did get this photo of me holding down the treat stand.


11 Reasons to Vote on November 3rd
As for Tuesday's election, the 11 reasons to vote are...you guessed it, the 11 amendments to our Constitution. Voting on Tuesday is one way we can shape our State's fundamental principles.

The last Growing Democracy blog briefed you on the ballot, but for more information, visit the Southwest Austin Community Impact article: Constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot.

November 3rd Polling Location

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I hope everyone had a sweet-filled and safe Halloween weekend.