Most Americans have no clue why we celebrate Memorial Day.

Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Less than half of Americans know the true meaning behind Memorial Day, according to a survey taken a few years ago.

The survey of 2,000 Americans revealed just 43 percent were aware it’s a holiday honoring those who died in service while in the US Armed Forces.

Twenty eight percent mistakenly believed Memorial Day was a holiday honoring all military veterans who have served in the US Armed Forces — which is actually Veterans Day.

It was revealed to be a common mistake: A third of respondents (36 percent) admitted to being unsure of the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of University of Phoenix, the survey tested Americans on their knowledge of the holiday.

“For many Americans, Memorial Day is a much-needed day off to relax and enjoy their family. It is important to understand that it is also a solemn day of remembrance. For me, as a combat veteran and for military members and their families, this day holds great significance. Not everyone I served with was fortunate enough to return home,” said Brian Ishmael, senior director, University of Phoenix Office of Military and Veteran Affairs and former US Army sergeant.

Even though there’s some confusion about the holiday, 83 percent of Americans believe it’s important to do something to commemorate Memorial Day.

A Memorial Day Prayer 

Lord who grants salvation to kings and dominion to rulers, Whose kingdom is a kingdom spanning all eternities; Who places a road in the sea and a path in the mighty waters – may you bless the President, the Vice President, and all the constituted officers of the government of this land. May they execute their responsibilities with intelligence, honor, and compassion. And may these United States continue to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

May He bless the members of our armed forces, who protect them from harm on the land, air, and sea. May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. May the Holy One, Blessed is He, preserve and rescue our fighters and their families from every trouble, distress, plague, and illness, and may He send blessing and success in their every endeavor.

May the God of overflowing compassion, who lives in the highest and all worlds, give eternal rest to those who are now under his Holy sheltering spiritual wings, making them rise ever more purely through the light of your brilliance, and may he bless their souls forever and may he comfort the bereaved. May those of us who remain free never forget their sacrifice. On Memorial Day, may we as a nation remember those who gave their lives to protect America and our freedoms, and may their memories always be a blessing. May we spend some time today remembering those who sacrificed and praying that God protects their souls and comforts their bereaved loved ones.

May 25, 2026

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.

 

Previous health risks linked to the beef debunked.

Eating beef every day may not be as harmful as once thought.

Red meat has long been tied to risks to cardiometabolic health, including heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. The conditions affect more than 160 million Americans, including over 36 million living with Type 2 diabetes.

However, having 6-7 ounces of beef every day – a slightly smaller portion than a typical ribeye steak – does not affect risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, researchers at Indiana University say.

“Results from this gold standard randomized controlled trial build on existing scientific evidence that shows eating beef as part of a healthy dietary pattern supports heart health and does not adversely impact measures of blood sugar regulation or inflammation,” Kevin Maki, an adjunct professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, said in a statement.

“When beef is consumed as part of a healthy dietary pattern, it helps fill essential nutritional gaps and does not adversely impact the cardiometabolic risk profile compared to poultry,” he said.

The trial in prediabetic adults was fairly small, including seven women and 17 men between the ages of 18-74.

Researchers first measured their levels of the hormones insulin and glucagon, as well as insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.

Type 2 diabetes typically occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels and enables cells to use blood sugar for energy. Progressively deteriorating beta cell function is also a sign prediabetes has become Type 2 diabetes.

Then, participants ate two meals a day that each contained 3-3.5 ounces of cooked beef or poultry over the course of a 28-day period.

The meals included fajitas, stew, burgers, burritos, and a stir fry.

After a 28-day break, they did it again.

There were no differences for beta cell function or insulin sensitivity after these periods.

“The study findings suggest that regular beef intake does not adversely affect metabolic or inflammatory risk factors compared with poultry in an at-risk prediabetic population,” Indika Edirisinghe, a professor of food science and nutrition at Illinois Institute of Technology, said.

The research was funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which had no involvement in the study. It was released shortly after the Trump administration’s dietary guidelines, that puts animal protein at the top of the food pyramid.

Three of the guideline’s authors had financial relationships with the association, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reported.

Court Rules 2nd Amendment Covers Firearms Parts, Good News for Those Who Build Guns

What used to be a fringe hobby in the firearms world, building or customizing your own guns, is increasingly popular.

So, Wyomingites welcome a ruling by the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, stating that the Second Amendment could apply to the buying, selling and possession of firearms parts without serial numbers.

AR-15 style rifles in particular can be built or customized to owners’ liking, using parts and accessories that can be purchased over-the-counter or ordered online.

“It’s like Barbie dolls for men. It’s all about accessorizing,” firearms enthusiast Nic George of Sheridan told Cowboy State Daily.

Court Rules On Colorado Case

At issue is whether the purchase, exchange and possession of firearms parts without serial numbers fall solely under state commercial regulations, or has Second Amendment implications.

The 10th Circuit Court on April 23 ruled the latter, Casper Attorney Ryan Semerad told Cowboy State Daily.

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Yadda, Yadda, Yadda: Anti-Gunners Warn of a Bloody Apocalypse if Gun Rights are Expanded…Again.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the debate over gun control that anti-gun messaging hasn’t changed much over the years. Once a particular “problem” is invented by anti-gun extremists, they generally settle in on a flawed argument to “correct” it, then just keep hammering away at it.

When Florida started the modern movement to expand the carrying of firearms by law-abiding citizens for personal protection in 1987, those opposed to the Second Amendment and the right to self-defense immediately began wailing about simple disagreements exploding into shoot-outs on the streets.

They predicted Florida would devolve into Hollywood’s depiction of the Wild West. But that never happened.

As the right to carry movement spread across the country, extremists still screeched about those impending Wild West scenarios unfolding in each state, but those predictions proved to be overwrought. In fact, when self-defense options were expanded for law-abiding citizens, states saw either a decline in violent crime or no significant change.

Then came the transition from expanding access to carry permits—or removing unconstitutional restrictions on who may obtain one or what they must do to be granted a permit—to promoting constitutional carry, where law-abiding citizens were simply presumed to remain law-abiding if the government didn’t first require they get a permission slip to carry a firearm for self-defense.

right to carry timeline gif

We now sit at 29 states with some form of Constitutional Carry, and in virtually every state where there has been a legislative push for such a law, those opposed repeated the same doom-and-gloom predictions they rolled out for the push to make carry permits more easily obtained.

“Our state will return to the days of the Wild West!”

“Simple arguments will explode into violent shoot-outs!”

“The streets will become a war zone!”

Again, none of that happened, just like it didn’t happen during the carry permit reforms.

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The supposed quietude of a good mans allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some will not, others dare not lay them aside…Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world deprived of the use of them… — Thomas Paine

More Virginia Prosecutors, Sheriffs Say They Won’t Enforce ‘Assault Firearm’ Ban

Multiple lawsuits have been filed in both state and federal court since Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill outlawing the sale, manufacture, and transfers of so-called assault firearms and large capacity magazines, as well as another measure prohibiting the carrying of “assault firearms” in most public spaces. Spanberger is also facing an enforcement challenge in addition to the legal challenges, with a growing number of county sheriffs and Commonwealth Attorneys declaring their intent not to enforce the new laws if they take effect on July 1.

Earlier this week I reported on two prosecutors who’ve publicly stated they have no plans on enforcing the laws against peaceable citizens. That number has grown to at least five Commonwealth Attorneys who serve Spotsylvania County, Smyth County, Powhatan County, Pulaski County, and Scott County.

I reached out to Buckingham County Commonwealth Attorney Kemper Beasley III for comment, and late Thursday night I head back from the prosecutor, who told Bearing Arms:

My responsibility and duty as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Buckingham County is to uphold both the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.

Both documents protect individual’s rights to bear arms, and recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court have helped clarify that right and I anticipate will eventually overturn recent legislation passed in our state.

That definitely sounds like Beasley doesn’t plan on enforcing the law, but I have sent a followup asking him directly if that is, in fact, the case.

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