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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (43270)	7/5/2004 1:56:17 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 59480

Hannity, North in July 4th Tribute to Troops The skies lit up In Provo, Utah Saturday night in a stunning "Stadium of Fire" fireworks display for the nation's 228th birthday, as radio and TV stars Sean Hannity and Oliver North led 65,000 patriots in a massive show of support for the troops serving in Iraq and elsewhere in the War on Terror. Hannity came on stage to the strains of his stirring theme, "Let Freedom Ring," reports NewsMax.com's Wes Vernon, who was on hand to cover the festivities. Story Continues Below "Tonight is not about politics," the ABC Radio network host declared. The nation's birthday is the ideal time "to give thanks to the greatest country God has ever given to man." A number of Iraq war veterans were also on hand to deliver the message that their efforts rebuilding that war torn nation were not recognizable in mainstream press dispatches sent back home. "We've done so much good work. We opened schools," Sgt. Bill Johnson told the gathering. " For Johnson, this night's celebration was literally a family affair. He and his two brothers - Caleb and Nick - had all served in Iraq at the same time. A younger brother is in Afghanistan and a brother in-law is still in Iraq. After shaking hands with the Johnson brothers, Hannity declared, "You are heroes. Because of your sacrifice, we can all be free. We can never repay you." At least one T-shirt in the crowd displayed Hannity's picture, with the caption, "Welcome, Sean! America's Freedom Festival." Oliver North, whose Freedom Alliance has funded millions of dollars in scholarships for children of soldiers who had made the ultimate sacrifice, presented yet another scholarship to a child during the ceremonies. "When you're ready for college," he told the youngster, "here's your college education." North recalled that after World War II, it took four years to hand over Germany to the Germans and seven years to hand over Japan to the Japanese. The Utah crowd seemed to appreciate the irony that Iraq's new sovereignty was delivered in just 15 months - an accomplishment portrayed as a failure in the press. To help get the real story out, the July 4th crowd was treated to a video detailing reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Another highlight: a 21-gun salute - performed in memory of the fallen military personnel. "For those people in the Armed Forces," North told the troops, "we want to make it clear to you that we support you, you younger soldiers [putting] yourselves in harm's way so that all Americans can live in freedom and so that others around the globe can have the hope of liberty." One particularly poignant moment came when Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Ut., and U.S. Judge Dee Benson swore in 2 immigrant soldiers - one from Poland, the other from Korea - as U.S. citizens. As Hannity gave instructions, thousands in the audience held aloft colored inserts from Saturday's Salt Lake Morning Desert News, copies of which had been left under each seat. The result? A panoramic display of the American flag, with a yellow ribbon added in honor of U.S. soldiers who had given their lives in the Iraq war. An outstanding hour-long concert by Reba McEntire brought the fans to their feet. McEntire dedicated her music to the men and women who were protecting America's freedoms. Prior to the fireworks, a video tribute to the late President Reagan was presented to the appreciative audience, who broke out in cheers upon hearing Reagan's famous line, "Mr. Gobachev, tear down this wall." The evening's climax came with a spectacular display of pyrotechnics that more than justified the venue's moniker, "Stadium of Fire."