Aurora Avenue in Seattle has a plaque marking it as a Blue-Star Memorial Highway. Blue-Star Memorial Highways - there are many - honor our US military veterans. Aurora is State Highway 99; for decades it was US 99 - the Pacific Coast Highway from Tijuana, Mexico to Vancouver, BC, Canada.
The plaque on Aurora Aveneu is at N. 65 St. Two friends and neighbors, Gary Epps and Mike Shelton, saw the sign was in bad shape, so they did something; they repaired it.
The Blue Star Memorial Highway marker, on a triangular patch of grass just north of North 65th Street on Aurora Avenue North, was among hundreds installed across the country to honor the men and women of the armed forces after World War II.OK. I can read the plaque: title corrected. Posted by Ron Hebron at May 25, 2009 08:00 AM | Email ThisBut over the years, the 57-year-old marker had been run over, bent and haphazardly welded together. A bad paint job had left the sign nearly impossible to read.
The two men have been close friends since Shelton and his family moved across the street from Epps and his family about 16 years ago, and they decided to move quickly.
"We saw a need to do it, so we did it," said Shelton, a 50-year-old property manager, husband and father of three who once mowed the lawn of a nearby school simply because it needed doing.
They spent less than $100 and less than three weeks getting the marker pressure-washed, primed, repainted and ready for a rededication ceremony Saturday attended by members of the state's Garden Club and the Washington State Guard.
Photos show many of them in good shape - great to see this one in Seattle repaired and cared for.
Posted by: BA on May 25, 2009 09:46 AMThank goodness it wasn't. Kudos, guys!
Posted by: Michele on May 25, 2009 11:50 AMMore patriotic would be to hold the politicians accountable for not fixing up the sign.
I am very offended that tax money I have already given for this will not be used in this manner! Either I should get a refund or the money should used on more signs of this type.
The politicians, the government officials, they should be ASHAMED. But of course, politicians, they have no shame.
But of course she should have shame for re-electing these low lives. REGARDLESS of the party of the lowlife who let this go so unattended for so long!
Posted by: Steve on May 25, 2009 12:21 PMThis is indeed wrong. There is tax money that is budgeted (or at least should be budgeted) for such stuff.
This just bailed out a whole bunch of sleazy politicians and government officials who have obviously misappropriated the money used to fix such signs and put the money elsewhere.
WHY WERE THE SIGNS NOT BEING UPKEPT!! Where did the money go!
Far better would have been them taking a picture of the old sign with perhaps some WWII vets among it and send it either to a local or national news source and then out of disgrace the government would have fixed it.
Someone should be fired for this. But of course they saved some bureaucrat's ass!
Posted by: Sam on May 25, 2009 12:40 PMI think you might be missing the point of the story. Yes some bureaucrat got off the hook and yes money was wasted. That's what they do. Live with it if you can. Used to be we DIDN'T leave this to government care but took care of signs, cemeteries and memorials ourselves! So these two friends did it as intended. We'll never know the vets and families of vets who this selfless act touched. Let go of the politics for a few minutes and find a sign or a memorial that needs attention. Sadly sometimes the only human touch such memorials have is the spray paint of a grafitti artist.
Victor (and yes I'm a vet)
Posted by: Victor on May 25, 2009 01:12 PMThese markers are placed by a private organization. They received permission to place the markers in the public right of way, and I'm guessing there was some legislative proclamation declaring the particular stretches of roadway a "Blue Star Highway".
It is typical that the maintenance responsibilities for these markers remain with the group that placed them - which means the State or National Garden Club. It happens that the Seattle marker is one of the oldest in our State, so it is showing its age. Perhaps the Garden Club just forgot about it. It's great that there are neighbors now that have taken interest in it and care for it.
For Sam and Steve, none of your precious tax dollars were spent to purchase, install or maintain the marker.
No bureaucrat dropped any ball - when Victor says we used to take care of these on our own, we still do, and we should. The two of you could suck in your rants for a few minutes and put that energy to positive use, there are others of these that probably need some care.
A private group, much to their credit, developed this program on their own. That group may have dropped the ball in maintaining this particular marker, but then it has been over 50 years since it was placed and memories fade.
And Victor is playing the straight man, pretending he doesn't know! Very Steven Colbert sidekicky.
Worth several chuckles.
Posted by: Satirist on May 25, 2009 06:29 PMHow droll, what a wonderful example of "SP correctness".
Here's a post showing some folks honoring the service of our veterans.
And instantly, the SP ditto heads comment:
"surely there must be some sort of """"" LIBERAL AUTHORITY"""" out there who would say this is violation of our laws (thanks Michelle, you rarely ever let us down)
and,
"some LIBERAL politician should be held accountable for not spending local tax dollars on this obviously righteous and uniquely conservative cause of honoring our war dead."
Is there any cause, no matter how sacred or universal, that you folks can't make into a partisan rant?
Is it any mystery why literally no one takes you seriously any longer?
Most of the time, you folks make me laugh.
But lately, more often than not, you make me sick.
But lately, more often than not, you make me sick.
Posted by Unkl Witz at May 25, 2009 08
_______________________
Funny. I think the same of you ALL the time.
Move comments stupid!
Posted by: Medic/Vet on May 25, 2009 09:00 PMNever enough metal is there
Posted by: hellpig on May 25, 2009 09:06 PMThen it could be used as a symbol of despite it being Memorial Day, our government have forgotten our vets.
Instead, the government didn't have to clean a sign that it was supposed to clean. So, where does the money that was budgeted for this purpose now go?
It is just another indication on how the government isn't doing what it is charged with doing (while at the same time doing all kinds of other thing it isn't charged with doing).
Hell, if this catches on home owners will be personally responsible for repaving the roads in front of their streets. But of course don't expect any tax rebate for that for the money saved by the government for forcing homeowners to repave their own roads will sure to go into ever increasing Governmental bureaucratic salaries.
Posted by: Alex on May 26, 2009 01:56 AMYeah! S/Be another 'memorial' day. ;) Posted by: PIFan on May 26, 2009 05:27 AM
I think we should demand that the person in charge of cleaning signs like this should be fired. After all, if they aren't really cleaning the signs like they are supposed to then no need for their position.
You pay taxes for services they don't provide and then if you really want the service you do it yourself which is in effect "paying for it twice".
And, yeah, they are lucky that they weren't arrested for "vandalizing public property". Couldn't you just see that happening. They repair and clean up something that the government should have themselves long ago, and THEY are the ones arrested. I have to agree with Michelle, I was indeed waiting for that punchline on this article.
Posted by: Jane on May 26, 2009 08:48 AMAnd I don't care if the politician is a Republican or a Democrat but when something so basic as taking care of a sign honoring our war dead goes neglected, that politician should pay BIGTIME.
I am no longer anti-Democrat. I am ANTI-INCUMBENT. A plague on both parties!
We need to find out who is responsible for this neglect. We shouldn't have to "pay twice" to ensure that the signs are cleaned and repaired.
This makes me so angry. Perhaps it was just a sign but of course it was more than just a sign and the Government didn't give a damn about it.
And then they keep coming to me asking for more and more taxes. Where does that money REALLY go? Heck we have one of the highest gas taxes in the country. Our roads should be paved with gold for all the tax money that has been allocated to it. But instead, look at the sorry state our highways are in.
More money isn't the answer. ACCOUNTABILITY - That's the answer!
Someone should lose his or her job because of this!
Posted by: Fred on May 26, 2009 09:09 AMJane, Fred, Michele:
Go back up and read BA at #6 above. Then Google "blue star memorial highway."
There is no bureaucrat or politician charged with maintaining these signs. There are no tax dollars allocated for these signs that are being spent on welfare queens instead.
Jeeze, get a clue.
Snort.
Coming from a liberal? That's pretty rich.
Posted by: jimg on May 26, 2009 10:33 AMApparently, #8 has never been to HA.
It pretty much goes without saying that the crowd here at Soundpolitics is the crowd that is always supportive of our Armed Forces.
It's the trolls' ranting leftwing/KOS crowd that too often calls our military "Stupid", "babykillers" (that's a laugher, coming from abortion supporters) and "mercenaries"--when they're not throwing cement on railroad tracks to protest shipments of military equipment or running ads ("Betray-US!")smearing a fine gentleman like General Petraeus.
Perhaps apologies are due from the thread's trolls for such, on a holiday such as this.
She thinks supporting our military means ranting about politicians who won't maintain private memorials and putting decals on the back of her car.
We think supporting out military means adequately funding VA hospitals and not electing right wing politicians who lead us into pointless and very expensive wars.
But I'm glad to see SoundPolitics supporting our veterans -- at least the ones who survive their unnecessary, mismanaged wars.
Posted by: Bruce on May 26, 2009 03:57 PMLook we are in the "tween" time right before the worse terrorist attack that ever happened occurs. Once that happens everything changes.
Actually the Iraq War was one of the few things Bush got correct. Well, at the beginning. But then he messed it up by letting it become an exercise in Nation Building and he let all the Daddy Warbucks profiteers get into it.
There is no doubt that George Bush was a very, very bad President. The main reason was that despite portraying himself as part of the right he really governed from the Left.
At least with the O people know he is a leftist whereas Bush governed as a leftist why portraying himself as a conservative.
Perhaps it's just me but I rather have the wolf than the wolf in sheeps clothing any day. As bad as things are with Obama, McCain has strongly backed all but a few of Obama's policies this really proves that McCain would have not been that different than Obama is when it comes to most policy matters.
I am not one to say I told you so. Heck who am I fooling. Of course I am. I TOLD YOU SO YOU PARTISAN KOOL-AID DRINKERS.
Posted by: Hank on May 26, 2009 06:22 PMCome back when you are sober and try it again.
Maybe then you will make sense.
Posted by: Unkl Witz on May 26, 2009 07:32 PMWow, what is the alcohol level of the moonshine you are drinking Unkl Witz?
Posted by: Susan on May 26, 2009 09:43 PMMy answer in retrospect should have been...why just two days? Why not one day every month...or how about just every day...
Posted by: John A. Bailo on May 27, 2009 12:10 AMIt is one of those things that needed doing and they went ahead and did it. Because it was the right thing to do. No more, no less, just right. Posted by: Glenn Cassel AMH1(AW) USN Retired on May 27, 2009 01:20 AM
Save the drama for your mama,Witz.
Apparently you've never heard of the Vietnam conflict that began and escalated under Democrat presidents.
Posted by: Rick D. on May 27, 2009 08:13 AMActually Rick, I have heard of Viet Nam. In fact it was weighing rather heavily on my mind (and my plans for the future) when I graduated from High School in 1970. You see Rick, in those days, we didn't have an all volunteer Army or Marine Corp and couldn't rely on the underclass to provide the cannon fodder. Unlike Dick Cheney or Rush Limbaugh, we couldn't get deferments to pursue our "other priorities." Our butts were on the line along with everyone else our age.
Fortunately, I lived though it. Lot's of other folks I knew weren't so lucky.
And yes, you are correct: In 1962, Democratic President John Kennedy ordered about 10,000 American troops into Viet Nam as advisors. By 1965, Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had made the decision to commit 250,000 troops and began round the clock bombing of North Viet Nam. By 1970, Republican President Richard Nixon had inherited a national embarrassment and tragic mess. Very much like the war in Iraq, there were no easy solutions or a clear path out.
Which is why some of us were not too anxious to jump into what seemed like another tragic mess.
We spoke out loudly against the war in Viet Nam then, and I only wish we had spoken more stridently against the war in Iraq now.
You're making a sweeping generalization of who makes up the current volunteer military with that statement, Witz. I'm not surprised that your assumptions fail when faced with the facts as they are and not as they exist in your emotional argument.
You also owe our current service personnel for assuming and intimating as such that they are merely "underclass cannon fodder".
Unlike Dick Cheney or Rush Limbaugh, we couldn't get deferments to pursue our "other priorities." Our butts were on the line along with everyone else our age.
You mean unlike current V.P. Joe Biden, who received the same number of deferrments as Cheney. Also strangely missing is the Democrat idol Bill Clinton, whom actively avoided (timeline in link) the draft and forced some other unfortunate soul to take his place in Vietnam. You can foam at the mouth about a commentator like Limbaugh all you'd like Witz, but he's a private citizen. The two I gave you off the top of my head are lionized by the same Democrat party that whines about Cheney and Limbaugh not serving. It's blatant hypocrisy.
Time didn't stand still since your experiences in the 70's, even though many of your views apparently have.
You also owe our current service personnel an apology for assuming and intimating as such, that they are merely "underclass cannon fodder".
Posted by: Rick D. on May 28, 2009 10:31 AMA true charitable person does things without seeking out credit. As the Bible says acts in a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
They on the other hand are photographed for all the world to see standing proudly beside their sign.
It would have been much, much more honorable for them to have cleaned and fixed up the sign anonymously.
Posted by: Greg on May 29, 2009 08:21 AMA true charitable person does things without seeking out credit. As the Bible says acts in a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
They on the other hand are photographed for all the world to see standing proudly beside their sign.
It would have been much, much more honorable for them to have cleaned and fixed up the sign anonymously.
Posted by: Greg on May 29, 2009 08:23 AMA true charitable person does things without seeking out credit. As the Bible says acts in a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
They on the other hand are photographed for all the world to see standing proudly beside their sign.
It would have been much, much more honorable for them to have cleaned and fixed up the sign anonymously.
Posted by: Greg on May 29, 2009 08:34 AMA true charitable person does things without seeking out credit. As the Bible says acts in a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.
They on the other hand are photographed for all the world to see standing proudly beside their sign.
It would have been much, much more honorable for them to have cleaned and fixed up the sign anonymously.
Posted by: greg on May 29, 2009 08:36 AMAs a veteran, I think that your comments are completely short-sighted. It's a far greater good to call attention to this and possibly generate awareness to others with similar signs in their areas to restore them to a readable state than to do it anononmyously and preserve just this one.
I believe this was the intent behind the actions of these men, not publicity.
Posted by: Rick D. on May 30, 2009 12:21 AMI suspect they also did it for other reasons, such as personal pride, integrity, desire to honor veterans, and a love of America.
YMMV
Posted by: steve miller on May 31, 2009 07:02 AM