Braz

Obama's Biggest Mistake

2012-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

There are, or at least there should be, some things in life which we hold sacred; God, our children and family, our morals and principles.

The defense of our nation and everything that entails should be one of those sacred things for which there should not be any compromising. What would America be without our freedoms? Would we still be the shinning beacon to which generations have looked for generations? Would American be the land of the free and the home of the brave? Would we still be the country for which thousands risk their lives each and every day in a deadly trek in order to realize their dreams? The simple and most obvious answer to that question is a resounding, No!

America is free because it has always been strong. Because Americans have never been willing to compromise with righteousness. When the King of England became a tyrant, Americans (then English subjects)revolted despite having little chance to win against the then mighty British Army. But revolt we did.

Now President Obama, in a surreptitious move disguised as progress and humanitarian rhetoric, intends to weaken our military for a more "effective and highly maneuverable military". Our enemies must be relishing the president's plans.

North Korea, with its nuclear ambitions must be astonished at what they are hearing. A country known to starve its own people for the sake of a strong military and who is still at war with its neighbor to the south, must be making all sorts of plans right about now.

And what about Iran who has threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz and obliterate Israel?

Do we think that the President's announcement is more likely to encourage them to abandon their military plans?

I don't believe that the President understands what it is to have a strong military or to serve in it. If he did he wouldn't' make an idiot of himself answering the military salute that military personnel make .to the office, not to him. Even if the President had served in the military protocol demands that he not return the salute. But I think that this behavior is a small window to how the President sees himself; a dictator, a tyrant, a king.

I question our President's loyalty to this country. Always have and always will. The President's decision couldn't come at a worse time in history and it weakens America, leaving it vulnerable to those who would love to destroy everything America stands for.

The President is gambling with the security of our nation; With the lives of over 350 million people who he purports to care about and make a better life for.

What good are the President's plans if we become subject to another world power?

President Barack Hussein Obama is no friend of America or its people and if you bother to read his book, "Dreams of My Father" you would understand why.

America should rise up as it did during colonial days and throw this, this...tyrant, this buffoon out of office before its too late. The future of America should be sacred and not gambled with.

The Arrogance of U.S. News Media

2012-01-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

As a small child I watched as U.S. troops distributed WW IIsurplus powdered milk, cheese and Spam in our poor small town neighborhood inPuerto Rico. Such scenes can and in fact did inspire a great sense of loyaltytoward the U.S. government and the American people. In my mind’s eye neither coulddo any wrong. After all, these were the days of Camelot. Then President Kennedywas inspiring the nation to go to the moon and was standing up to the Sovietthreat of missiles in Cuba. There was plenty to be proud of. I could hardlywait to grow up and join the U.S. Marine Corps.

That said, it is with great trepidation and disappointment thatI now come to my own personal conclusion that U.S. media has become inebriatedwith self importance and hence, a little arrogant.

Since January when the state of Iowa kidnapped the nation’sattention to their Caucus the only news that all major television news agenciesseem to care about is the race for the Republican Party nominee; to theexclusion of all other world issues which affect and are of interest to manyAmericans.

Sure U.S. politics is important and we must, as responsiblecitizens, be abreast of the issues. However, there is a myriad of other issuesto which we should not turn a blind eye. There is still a war in Afghanistanwhere America’s finest men and women are dying. There is still a famine inSomalia and other countries around the world, tensions between Iran and therest of the world are at an all time high and is not just the American economy which is faltering,many countries in Europe are also at the verge of collapse.

As the melting pot of the world, many Americans of European andLatin-America descent just may be interested in these issues too.

CNN’s democrat Wolf Blitzer is among the guiltiest and annoyingpersonalities in television. As a former White House correspondent, Blitzerseems to think that his opinions or his interests are those of the rest of thenation. From the Situation Room Blitzer blitz Americans with his constantbarrage of nauseating diatribe of opinions, repetitive reporting andquestioning of candidates and other correspondents. He is not alone however,Fox and Headlines News willingly follow suit.

I just think that it is shameful that Americans often have toturn to Latin Channels like Telemundo, Univision and Galavision for wellbalanced and unbiased coverage of news. These channels do a great job ofreporting on issues affecting not just the Latin-American community, but theworld!

Get off the high horse CNN, Fox and Headline News! Stop the biasedreporting and do your job; news reporting. As professional journalists you arenot supposed to have an opinion. Your job is to report the news, all news, andnot just the news that interest you personally or concern only Americanpolitics.

Occupy San Diego Lacks Focus

2011-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Perhaps is ironic poetry that a photography student was photographing the Occupy San Diego movement with a 4 x 6 field camera. This portrait of a couple posing with their dog and protesting at the Civic Center Plaza last week seems nostalgic now when viewed in light of the fact that the very next day San Diego Police, at the request of city officials who themselves were responding to the concerns of “the other 99%” removed the many tents and other personal belonging which protesters had erected in defiance to previous direction by city officials.Some of the Civic Plaza workers who are inevitably exposed to these activists every day complained of human waste, the odor of urine and marihuana emanating from what was fast becoming an encampment in the middle of downtown San Diego.

I’ve been photographing and documenting the movement almost daily since it first occupied the Civic Center Plaza and everything I’ve seen simply reminds me of the heydays of the “Hippie” movement of the 60’s and early 70’s. With copious use of marihuana and perhaps other drugs the protesters yell and scream and demand changes to the current economic system around the world and dream of a Utopia-like state where everyone is equal and everything is provided by the government.

While the protesters see themselves as heroes and revolutionaries bringing forth new ideas and concepts in economics, there’s really nothing new under the sun in this movement. Those who don’t have, many of whom because they chose to live outside of the boundaries of normal society, complain that the top 1% own much of the wealth of this country. And while this is essentially true, the cold reality is that most of the protesters would continue to find themselves in the current situation they’re in even if the economy were healthy and unemployment was as low as 2%!

I have serious doubts that few-if any- business owners, presumably in business to make money and make a living would offer employment to the vast majority of protesters who currently occupy the Civic Center Plaza. The old adage of not judging a book by its cover might work for literary work, but doesn’t lend itself so readily to the real world.

Few people would patronize a business where employees looked and behaved the way many of these protesters do, at least not yet.While the protesters seem to have a valid concern over recent publicized practices of Wall Street and many of its financial institutions no one seems to have a clue of what it is that they wish to accomplish with the movement of how to go about it.

Movement organizer Keyla Ward recently told me that the San Diego group has been in contact with the original movement in New York through a website and that they are trying to compile a list of demands that the group hopes to present to officials. However Ward failed to say what those demands are or to what officials they hope to deliver the demands to.

Ward is currently threatening to sue the San Diego Police Department for use of excessive force during the police department’s recent actions to remove tents and other personal items which they protesters have been told repeatedly are not allowed in the plaza.

Ward was not one of those arrested but alleges that an unknown police officer swung a baton at her which caused a back injury when she ducked to evade the blow.During an interview some 12 hours before the police action I specifically asked Ward what the group would do when police undoubtedly asked them to once again remove the tents they had re-erected at the plaza and she told me that her and the group would comply with any police order or direction as it was not the group’s intent to clash with police.

However, during the night when police officers asked the demonstrators to take down their tents and remove their personal belongings it was the protesters who chose to ignore the officer’s directions and confront them with insults, racial epitaphs and resistance.

While no one seems to be clear on what the final objective of these demonstrations is, one thing fact is becoming clearer. These peaceful protests are costing cities all over the world millions of dollars in security and clean-up efforts. So the question begs to be asked: Why are protesters, so concerned with the social and economic status of the “other 99%” creating this expense by repeatedly and intentionally violating laws and ordinances which they know better than most?

Occupy San Diego

2011-10-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the distant stare of this protester as she holds her sign is as good a description of the ambivolence of these protesters who for 10 days have camped at the Civic Center Plaza in downtown San Diego.

They are loud and they are proud to be sure. But when asked what the end game of this movement is and how to achieve it, their answers become as vague as this protester’s stare.

That the middle class and those below it are angry at Wall Street for the way they seem to have mismanaged their business dealings is not in dispute. How they were bailed out with tax dollars by a democratic president and how they are now clinging to billions of dollars instead of creating jobs again is not in dispute. What seems to anger those who have taken to the streets in protest is what to do about it and how to go about remedying the situation.

At first glance it appears thatthese protesters are against the establishment; against everything and everyonethat in their view, is keeping them from having a job, from moving forward,from realizing the American dream. But that is not necessarily true.

In San Diego most of the initialprotesters simply wanted to bring attention to the issue that corporate greed is at the rootof our financial and economic problems. They insist that greedy bankers andtheir investors took high risks during the real estate bubble in an effort toget richer, quicker and that when that bubble inevitably burst and they wereat risk of losing their money, the government, which is supposed to look out forthe people, invented the phrase, “too large to fail” in order to use our taxdollars to bail them out, and that the banks in turn, are now gauging even moremoney out of Americans pockets to ensure that they remain viable through arecession that they created.

If all this sounds complicated;it is. While they yell and scream at corporations, the protesters areorganizing and communicating via smart phones.They email, "tweet" and post meesages on online social media sites who make money by selling advertisement space to the same corporationsthey protest. Domino’s Pizza is making a “financial killing” thanks to theprotester’s need for food. Unknown donors buy large numbers of pizzas todistribute among the hungry protesters. Makers of peanut butter, Wonder Bread,Smucker’s jelly and preserves are also making money as many protesters chooseto sustain themselves with the ever-popular PB&J sandwich.

Some of the protesters areobvious outsiders simply trying to take advantage of a grass root movement tospread hate, discontent and promote violence. In the mix of protester there arethose representing socialist and communist political parties in America and thosewho are against any and all immigration laws in this country or any resemblance of order. They question everything and everyone and feel that everyone should live off the land and be equal.

There are also those who seek totake advantage of the anger against banking institutions by encouragingprotesters to close their bank accounts with large banks and open accounts withthe different credit unions in San Diego.

And somewhere in the mix thereare also those who support organized labor unions, the legalization ofmarijuana and other drugs, and those who after nearly 50 years are still angryabout the war in Vietnam.

It is not clear how the rest of the movement isdoing in other parts of the nation and the world. But here in San Diego themovement seems to be gasping for inspiration and energy. Of the thousands ofprotesters who began the vigil 10 days ago, there are less than 50 still occupying thePlaza in downtown San Diego today. Perhaps because they are slowly realizing that itis easier to shout and complain about any particular problem than it is to deal with the complex and diverse issuesof a nation of over 300 million people.

No one seems moreinterested to see the protest end than the homeless of San Diego who make theplaza their sleeping quarters and at night panhandle the many patrons who haveenough money to go see a Broadway show. They seem to have been caught in thewhirlwind of a movement no one seems to understand. While many of the speakersinclude the homeless as part of those they are fighting and protesting for, thehomeless seem to exist in the shadowy edge of the movement seemingly confused andperhaps a little angry that their situation has been kidnapped by people theynever intended to lend their voices to.

The homeless seem to feel that forall the noise made by the protesters in their behalf, no one seems to belistening to their voice and that some of them just want to be left alone.

Sometimes in an attempt to bekind, we hurt those who we think we are fighting for…..

"...And to the Republic for which it stands..."

2011-10-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

With wars (not only US engaged ones) raging all over theworld, people starving in Somalia and other countries, diseases running rampantand economic woes in just about every country in the world, here in the UnitedStates, just like in the months prior to the attack of 9/11, people seem to beconcerned with trivial matters like whether the disgusting TV Show The Simpsonsshould be cancelled, or whether or not Kim Kardashian is wearing underwear! (Sarcasm added for effect)

How ignorant, mundane and insignificant some Americans havebecome in today’s world. How sad to see the once greatest nation in the world,fall in disgrace due to selfishness, greed and narcissistic behavior.

For decades I’ve been arguing that the kind of Democracythat liberal judges and politicians dream for America cannot survive.

Democracyand Republic are two forms of government which are distinguished by theirtreatment of the Minority, and the Individual, by the Majority.

In aDemocracy, the Majority has unlimited power over the Minority. This system ofgovernment does not provide a legal safeguard of the rights of the Individualand the Minority. It has been referred to as "Majority over Man".

In aRepublic, the Majority is Limited and constrained by a written Constitutionwhich protects the rights of the Individualand the Minority.

Thepurpose of a Republic form of government is to control the Majority and toprotect the God-given, inalienable rights and liberty of the Individual. TheUnited States of America is founded as a Republic under the Constitution.

However,those who consider themselves an abused minority have, as its sole purpose, tobecome a majority and in that achievement “get even” with the majority which intheir opinion has suppressed them for a long time. It is ironic that in theirignorance they don’t realize that by supporting a majority rule government,they are promoting a tyrannyand mobocracy (the majoritymakes laws and governs by passion, prejudice, or impulse, without restraint orregard to consequences) which willeventually turn on them. For majorities don’t remain majorities forever.

Arepublic however, involves the government using and abiding by the constitutionheavily. Personal rights are respected and cannot be taken away. A harshexample of the significant difference between the two forms of government is:In a democracy if the majority were to agree that murder should be legal, thenit would be legal. No individual rights; simply the will of a “mobocracy” wherethe majority makes laws and governs by passion, prejudice or impulse as statedabove.

In arepublic, guided by the principles of a constitution, the inhalable rights ofthe individual cannot be taken away no matter the desires of the majority; ahuge fundamental difference, wouldn’t you say?

Arecent incident aboard a bus is another example of democracy in action. Amother and her baby were kicked off a city bus because the baby was crying and disturbingthe rest of the passengers. Again, the majority made a passionate decision andviolated the civil rights on an individual and her child! In a republic was wrong is always wrong. And there has to be a moral and legal code or else society is doomed.

Americawas founded as a republic. Our forefathers fought long and hard and agonizedover the drafting of a constitution to avoid the passionate and discriminategovernment they left behind in England. We should live by the constitutionwhich gave birth to this country without interpreting as a “living document”which is ever changing. The constitution is what it is. It is this nation’sbirth certificate and it should be now and forever the law of the land!

Farewell to Andy Rooney

2011-10-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Without much notice or fanfare America TV lost another great icon of literature and humanities. Andy Rooney retired from 60 Minutes after 70 years of television writing and war reporting. Born in 1919 in Albany New York during the depression Andy, as he became known to America, attended Albany Academy and later attended Colgate University in Hamilton in upstate New York, until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in August 1941.

Rooney began his career in newspapers while in the Army when, in 1942, he began writing for Stars and Stripes in London during World War II. He later published a memoir, My War (1995) about his war reporting. In addition to recounting firsthand several notable historical events and people (like the entry into Paris, the concentration camps, etc.),

Rooney describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter.In February 1943, flying with the Eighth Air Force, he was one of six correspondents who flew on the first American bombing raid over Germany. Later, he was one of the first American journalists to visit the Nazi concentration camps near the end of World War II, and one of the first to write about them.

During a segment on Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation," Rooney confessed that he had been opposed to World War II because he was a pacifist. He recounted that what he saw in those concentration camps made him ashamed that he had opposed the war and permanently changed his opinions about whether "just wars" exist.

Andy Rooney wasn’t only a brilliant writer but a witty one too. His often whining and complaining about the most mundane things in life touched a chord with Americans and people all over the world.

Andy looked at life and saw the absurdity and waste that so often accompanies it.Andy wasn’t a political person but he wasn’t afraid to state his opinion regardless of whom it might offend. He often commented on how absurd political correctness has become and how only the opinions of those on the left are voiced and seem to matter.

By Andy’s own admission he was more of a democrat than a republican but he always had an open mind and reported thing not only as he saw them, but as they really were.

Like anyone in the public eye Andy had his retractors. As he might say, “There are always morons who refuse to see the truth and often enough those are the ones that scream the most. Must be all those pig calling contests they participate in.”

He was a curmudgeon for sure, refusing to sign autographs and becoming known for his unkempt appearance and short temper but he was unapologetic. He is who is and you don't like it, go jump on a lake. Long before the world became a free for all and everyone was encouraged to be whatever they are,

Andy was who he was and that’s just the way he was and is. After all, Andy just retired, at 92 years of age; he is still alive and well.Good luck in your retirement Andy, you will be missed!!

News: The Latest Victim of Greed

2011-09-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Like most people I don’t like to be played, manipulated or“handled”. Steered into something without being aware of it or told the truth;no one does. But when that manipulation comes from those who are in thebusiness of keeping us informed, of keeping others accountable, who demand thetruth from others, and then I really get tied up in knots.

I firmly believe that greed is the sole reason why theeconomy and the world in general are in the situation is in. Someone, somewheredecides that they want more money for whatever they’re selling and that greedtrickles down the economy ladder. The workers need more money so they canafford basic necessities while the big corporation stock holders then want moremoney so they can continue to afford the good caviar, champagne and their yachts.

Few things are free anymore; not museums, parks, parking, bankchecks, customer support, pillows, blankets, food, drinks, snacks or luggage inairlines. On the contrary, everyone is trying to figure out how to squeezeevery possible dollar from our pockets and they will make subtle, small changesto flee us constantly.

Go to any supermarket in the country and begin to payattention to the sizes and contents of the food you buy. You will notice thatwhile the size may be the same, the content of the package is less. Jars havebeen redesigned and the bottoms indented inwards to make them appear the samesize as before when in actuality the consumer is getting fewer products for thesame money. Literally an underhanded price hike without the consumer’sknowledge. The practice finally caught the attention of several news organizationsand recently it was exposed in the evening news.

Now is the news agencies themselves who are beingunderhanded. Recently I did some research for a story I was working on and Ivisited several news agencies websites for accurate information and to get incontact with the reporter who initially exposed the story, only to befrustrated time and time again by their requests to open an account and set upmy cell phone for “news notifications” or to “like” them in Facebook. I don’t wantto open an account, “like” then in Facebook or be exposed to the ads they nowhave in their websites! I just want to be able to contact a damn reporterwithout giving them an opportunity to spam me half to death!

Not only are news agencies contributing to the demise of photojournalistsby asking viewers to submit photo and video for the simple thrill of havingtheir names mentioned in a newscast, but they are making money by sellingadvertisement in their websites. And now, some, not all, don’t even let youcontact them unless you sign up for an account so they can spam you some more.What a shame!

The Painful and Slow Death of Photography as Art

2011-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had lunch with several friends of mine, some of whom are the best photographers in San Diego. In one single word, it was...depressing!

During our lunch conversation we all agreed that photography as an Art form is dying a slow and agonizing death. Gone are the days of actually studying the basics ;concepts like the law of reciprocity, ISO, F/stops, depth of field, using light meters, manual camera settings, taking your time, know your negative, and the lessons taught by the great photographers of the past like Ansel Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, Henri Cartier-Benson and many others.

Now is all done with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom or any other "fly by night" photography software. Don't have a freaking clue? No problem! We can fix it in Photoshop!! Every Schmuck with a digital camera is a "Photographer" these days.

For years there's been a saying, a joke really, which said, "It's not the camera, is the photographer". While it was meant in good humor and to be funny, it also spoke of the sacrifice of acquiring the knowledge and making the effort that photography requires and how a good photographer with the right knowledge can make a good image with practically any camera. These days some people walk into a camera store and lay down thousands of dollars for the lastest and best gadgets without having a clue how to use them at all, much less how to use them properly.

Back in the days of film each frame cost money to develop whether it was good or not. So every single frame had to count and be made as carefully as possible. Each shot had to compete for an editor's eye. That is the reason for light meters, vignettes and Polaroids backs; because the shot had to be composed and exposed right. Now "photographers"- and I place that title in quotations because like I previously said, every Schmuck with a camera thinks him or herself as one-shoot like Marines in a war zone. A very dear friend of mine always shoots in continuous mode. Seldom, if ever, have I seen him shot in Single Salvo because with digital it doesn't matter anymore. One simply deletes that 80 or 90% of shots which didn't come out right and keep the "good" ones without having a clue why their either failed or were acceptable, and that to me, is NOT photography.

My instructor used to tell the class, "Take your time, study the composition, the exposure. Look at the subject from all angles. Consider waiting for better light; more light, less light or no light. Shoot the image the way you first saw it in your mind. Consider the effects the ISO and f/stop will add or detract from the image. If your shot is not good, you're not close enough." I remember when photographers were in constant motion trying to get the best angle for a any particular subject. Today, with the advent of zoom lenses, photographers just stand in one spot and fire away. They don't realize that a wide angle lens used close to a subject distorts perspective and it can either add or substract from an image depending on what the intent is.

Today I still find myself using my medium format Mamiya 645 with my light meter, bellows and vignettes to give the image that "just right" feel. Now all that-and much more-is done in post production with computer software. Not to say that this is not an art for in the hands of an expert this kind of post production has become an art in and of itself. However, this doesn't excuse taking a bad shot and simply saying to one's self, "It's okay, I'll fix it late." Making a good image each and everytime we press the shutter should still remain our sole purpose.

It's really sad to see middle-age men who have dedicated their entire lives to producing beautiful images forced to retire or change careers because in today's world the lines between art and crap have been erased by software. Why is this? Because if what you have to sell is shit and no one like it, then you must redefine the concept of art and convince everyone that shit is art!!

One of my friends is retiring, another changed careers and yet a third went into such a specialized field, that he was forced to invest $45,000.00 dollars to buy equipment which the regular consumer (notice that I didn't say photographer) can't afford or knows how to use.

It's no one's fault, really. Ever since the first photograph was taken the interest has always been on how to bring this then "new" technology to the masses. And ever since, cameras have ever-so-slowly been changing with that purpose in mind. Who doesn't like to have a family album or take a picture of that brand new baby or know what great, great grandma' looked like?

And that's fine. But when the real study of photography is lost or devalued and the cameras attempt to do all the thinking, just who or what is the photographer?

Making a Profit Out of Death

2011-09-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Every day as I look at was once a great country I realizewhy fundamentalist Muslims and terrorists hate America and consider us “TheGreat Satan.”

If you don’t care about God, religion or have absolutely nospirituality at all, the current state of affairs not only doesn’t bother you,but I doubt that you even recognize it in the first place because where there’sno spirituality there’s seldom, if ever, any morals.

However, for those of us who do believe in a greater power,who have a moral compass, the current state of American society is a source forgreat concern. America has become the Sodom and Gomorrah of our times; a landwhere everything goes as long “we’re not hurting anyone.”

Well I guess that if you are one of those who believe thisstatement you consider yourself a no one because even if you don’t think so,you are hurting yourself and that makes you someone.

In any case, what inspires this writing is the shameful waythat Entertainment Tonight and other news organizations keep repeating the storyabout Taylor Armstrong-Hollywood socialite and recent widow of the late RussellArmstrong-while bashing her late husband who is not here to defend himselfagainst the accusations being made against him. Now I am NOT making excuses fora “wife beater” if that is in fact what he was. But I do find it tasteless whennews organizations keep a story alive because it helps to bring televisionratings to what otherwise is a tasteless television show with no redeeming qualitieswhatsoever!

For all her complaining, Taylor Armstrong should admit thather husband committing suicide is the best thing that has ever happened to theratings and publicity of the show.

Whatever happened between Taylor and her late husband shouldremain private if for no other reason that he was her daughter’s father! Andwhile everyone seems to be concerned over the child’s emotional welfare andwhether or not she knows about her Dad’s suicide now, someday she will be ableto read all of the terrible things that are being said about her father and itWILL in some fashion affect her relationship with her mother.

To promote, take advantage of and sensationalize a suicideis as foul as foul can get. And that it is made for the love of money makes itworse.

Don’t we have anything better to do with our lives than towatch rich people live their pitiful lives and their petty conflicts?

And we collectively wonderwhy there’s so much Anti-American sentiment out there…

Parents Shirk Parental Responsibility; Again!

2011-09-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

In a world where all children are winners and school gradeshave been changed from the traditional A, B, C, D and F to numbers so as to nottraumatize students and there is no such thing as first, second or third placein competition but participation awards, is it a surprise that parents areafraid to discuss obesity with their children?

In our quest for political correctness we are creating anation of wimps, afraid to have their egos bruised, afraid to compete and illprepared to face a harsh and often cruel world.

The United States is no longer the educational leader itonce was. China, Japan and many other countries have superior educationalsystems with less days off and more extensive curriculums.

While it may seem like an unrelated topic labor unions, withtheir unreasonable demands for high pay and other perks are forcing Americanjobs overseas where they recruit hard working and less whinny workers. Whenthis happens tax revenues fall and whey municipalities have less moneyeducation becomes one its victims; unreasonable? No, not really. Everything hasa cause and effect.

If we are to regain the leadership position we once had,Americans are going to have to stop caring more about political correctness andbecome more concerned with reality correctness. And if we really, really loveour children as much as we say we do, then let’s stop cuddling them and tryingto protect them from all harm. Let’s stop showering them with empty praise theydon’t deserve and giving them a sense of entitlement. In the real world theonly entitlement they have is a right to compete. Compete with others who arebetter and worse that they are.

They are going to have to come to grips withthe fact that they will hold a position in life and that, that position will bedetermined by their own efforts and not what is given to them because nothing,absolutely nothing, will be given to them for free.

Children need direction, children need focus and above all,children need parents who are willing to become leaders that lead them in theright path to life. Not friends, not confidants, not political advisors, butparents who are afraid to tackle the difficult topics in a child’s life.

If we keep whining, demanding more than we deserve, andavoiding responsibilities that are ours and ours alone, America will become thejoke of the world; fat, lazy whiny people who expect everything for nothingjust because we are Americans.

2011-09-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

The question: Will Afghanistan fall back intothe hands of the Taliban after US Marines leave? : The answer? The obvious and simple answer, yes!

If the country can’t count on the AfghanNational Army or the National Afghan Police Force, both of which have been infiltrated by Al Queda and the Taliban both of which are just buying time, what do officials think isgoing to happen when US forces leave?

To believe that Afghanistan, once so heavily defended and utterly controlled by theTaliban, can remain free once our forces leave is, at its best, naive and atits worse, plain and simple, stupid.

Just this week there was a bold attack against the US embassy in Kabul meant to intimidate the public and make it easier to take over the country once US forces leave. And, during a recent interview with western reporters Afghan president Karsai admitted that the situation in many areas of the country remains the same or is in fact worse.

Why should this matter to Americans? It is no secret that when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Al Queda found a base from which to plan and launch attacks on the US. The horrible attack against New York on 9/11 was planned by Al Queda while they were sheltered and protected by the Taliban in Afghanistan and will happen again once we leave.

After 10 long and hard fought years in VietnamAmerican politicians and the public too, did not learn a damn thing!

The policy of the current president has nothing todo with reality but everything to do with appeasing his political base and inso doing, assuring his re-election.

Every normal, average American with reasonablecommon sense will tell you that as soon as the American forces leaveAfghanistan, all of the fighting, all of the dying, all of the sacrifice willbe for not. As soon as Americans leave, the Taliban, who with the help of Al Queda,is waiting in the hills, will come back with a vengeance; torturing and killinganyone who they believed helped or even associated with American forces. Men,women and children, little girls who today enjoy an education and women whoprovide such education; dead!

And for all their self-proclaimed concern for humanrights, and humanitarian causes, the left wing democratic party and itssupporters will be responsible. They won’t admit it, they won’t even think it,but they will be responsible. When the horrible pictures and news come out ofAfghanistan they will cover their eyes in horror and will mobilize to send“those poor people” money or relief supplies in a well orchestrated andadvertised “humanitarian” mission because that’s what they do! Spend moneywhich in the ends fills the pockets of corrupt officials and doesn’t helpanyone but the enemies of the United States.

And when the inevitable terror attacks resume in our own soil they will blame what is most likely to be a republican president and completely ignore, as they often do, that it was their own cowardice and their own president, their own agenda and their own interests who will be responsible for the death of Americans.

Sad really, to see the once proud, mighty USAbrought down to its knees by bleeding liberals who still today believe theutopia that their LSD induced hallucinations created only in their minds.

Where is the Arrogance Now?

2011-09-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

In 2007,Bank of America arrogantly and defiantly announced that they were going toallow illegal aliens to open accounts in their branches all over America.Shortly thereafter, they also announced that mortgage loans would also be extendedto illegal aliens. I am sure that despite their massive marketing campaign thereal reason for this new business practice was not humanitarian but economic.They figured that they could make a fast buck cashing their paychecks andperhaps even keeping the interest earned in those accounts as illegal aliensdon’t have valid social security numbers under which their earnings and creditratings can be indexed.

Now, whilefacing several lawsuits for alleged abuses of mortgage and foreclosurepractices which have led to perhaps billions of dollars in losses Bank ofAmerica, has announced that they plan to close several branches and lay offthousands of American workers in the midst of what many are calling the mostsevere recession since the 1930’s.

Imaginethat! Bank of America who conducted business with illegal aliens is nowterminating thousands of AMERICAN workers because their gamble and questionablebusiness practices didn’t pay off.

Where is thearrogance now? Where is the defiance? While I greatly regret the loss of Americanjobs I hope that Bank of America not only fails, but that those who soarrogantly decided to do business with those who break U.S. immigration law, goto prison!

When Parents Move Back In

2011-09-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well it is finally here! The day I've dreaded and have had nightmares about for 30 years is finally upon me; my mother in law is now living with us. Oh, it is not that she is a physical challenge; so far at 87 she is in perfect health, except for a little arthritis in her hands and complete and total lack of control of her most important muscle; her tongue!

I find myself at a complete loss to either understand or explain her condition. She hasn't had a stroke nor is she in any way, shape or form in absence of her senses. She just happens to say whatever it is she is thinking to the chi grin of all of those around her, especially me!

It has never been a secret that she doesn't and has never liked me. She told me this herself when my wife finally brought me home to "meet the parents". She thinks that my race is...as she put it, " Lazy half breeds that have never accomplished anything, unlike the Portuguese who were great sea-ferrying explorers."

So as you can see, she has never been one to hold her tongue or her old-fashioned and out dated opinions. However her current unapologetic and unabashedly bluntness is not only a source of embarrassment, but continuous consternation, not only to me, but for my wife and her brother. She has literally turned into a "x-rated Sophia" from the TV show, "Golden Girls". Making this situation worse for me is the fact that she is as quiet as a cat and as deaf as a post. I don't know how many times she's seen me naked since she moved in here three months ago. And while she has cataracts in one eye and a hemorrhage in the other, she always manages to make a comment about how "cold" I must be, if you know what I mean. I don't know why, but she seems to always be just outside the bathroom door when I try to make a mad dash into my bedroom which is a mere foot away. I know, I can stop doing that and simply wear a robe when I come out of the bathroom. But if you'd ever used my bathroom, you'd understand... I am beginning to ask myself it its possible that my mother in law is a peeping tom, or would that be a Tomasa? Hmm....Nah!!!

Aggravating the situation is language. You see, she doesn't speak English very well. She is constantly muttering things under her breath and while I cannot hear what she is saying or understand it most of the times, suddenly my ears beging to ring and itch! Meal times have become a point of contention is our household as she doesn't eat what we usually cook or eats at a time when we regularly eat. Like most modern couples we have busy and sometimes opposite schedules. Meals usually happen late at night if we are to "see each other" at all during the day. She, wanting to "help", likes to prepare large and scrumptious meals that are to be eaten at a "reasonable" time. In our world that is not a word that is used often. At 8 or 10 o' clock at night is not "reasonable" to eat a two or three course meal when bed time quickly follows.

While we happen to be in the culinary genre, she happens to be Portuguese and perhaps because she was very poor as a child and had to eat whatever her family managed to grow in her small farm, she practically eats anything and everything that is green. "Is good for you" she says as she insists on cooking every single day and that we eat what she cooks when she cooks it because "eating late is not good for you." Needless to say, this doesn't work for us which makes her angry.

Some of her other challenging habits are; she doesn't like to leave the curtains open (not even during the day) "People can see into the house and see one's business which is not their business." She locks the outside gate even if I leave the house for a few seconds to check on the mail because, "Someone might come in and steal."

When my wife and I go out (we are both in our 50's) she insists that we let her know where we are going and at what time we are planning to be back." We must be home before dark because, "The world has gone to shit and there are a lot of sons-of-bitches (translated from her original Portuguese) out there." It's like we have suddenly turned into little children all over again. And I need to make clear that is not me she's worried about, but my wife!

Although we have two cars, she insists that I drive my wife to and from work because she feels better if a man is with her. However this practice does not apply to her because in her words "...men are a bunch of horny little bastards that are only good to take off your panties." (Quote)

Shopping with her is an exercise in patience too. She will have me spend 5 gallons of gas so that she can save 20 cents in bananas! She won't let us pay, or handle her money even thou it takes her five minutes to take her money out of her purse. And if one makes the mistake of saying anything (like I did last week) about helping her because there are people waiting, she'll yell, "Screw them, let the sons-of-bitches wait." Again, a direct quote! Thanks God that she mostly speaks Portuguese...(Sigh)

Perhaps Alzheimer, you'd ask? Nope!! Is just the way she is. She thinks that her age, grey hairs and experiences give her the right to let everyone know what she is thinking. A home? Neither she nor my wife would allow it. The best we can hope for is to convince her to rent an apartment close by where she can live independently but still close enough for support.

Having your mother in law move in suddenly and unexpectedly is....well...a life-changing experience. Gone is the freedom to do or say what you want. The flexibility of changing one's schedule to meet ever changing situations. The pleasure of having company over for dinner and wine as one is never sure of what she might say, and she says a lot!

I wonder why she is the way she is now. As I talk to my wife about how her mom used to be when they were both younger she tells me stories of a beautiful, vibrant, normal woman with no hang ups, biases nor compulsive behavior. She was happy, she was loving and above all, she was kind! Kind to everyone, no matter who they were. And now, in her later years, she has become a woman of obstinence, compulsive behaviors and hurtful speech. It has to be HER way or no way. She drives everyone around her, including her children and grandchildren, crazy with stress and worry.

In the 30 years that I've known her she has always been the way she is now. However, I can see in the eyes of her children the sadness of the changes in her. I see them remembering how she used to be back in the "good old days" when everything was fine.

According to doctors she might very well live to her 90's perhaps even her 100's! Which is more than I can say for me!!!

Political Signs: Condoned Vandalism

2010-11-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the mid-term election is over, what happens to all that spent ammunition which seems to have been plastered in every inch of every city by over-zealous volunteers?

Every election seems to bring the same eye sore problem to our neighborhoods; old discarded signs which are never picked up and which remain months and even years after the election is over. These political signs will fade with the sun, smear with the rain and eventually become trash that makes any neighborhood look trashy, um kept and deteriorating. These in turn embolden gang members and graffiti artists who feel free to increase their own vandalism. And that is exactly what these signs are; vandalism!

I cannot hang a sign of any kind on my own fence. The city I live it won't allow it and I suspect that is the case in any city in the U.S. and yet politicians don't seem to have such restrictions. Law end enforcement officials also seem unmotivated to follow up on these violations content with just saying that this problem is a difficult one to enforce. Why? You simply draft a letter to the candidate and ask him or her to remove his or her sign. If they don't comply, cite them. Just like we are cited.

This is becoming a real and serious problem in many cities across the country and it is about time that the Fair Election Committee or some other agency responsible for the ethics of candidates hold them accountable for these vandalism which is forced on the citizens these candidates promise to work for.

Negative Political Ads are Nauseating

2010-10-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

If you are like me you’re dizzy from all the attacks-not messages, but attacks-from political candidates and special interests groups wanting you to vote for this or that. Candidates and special interest groups would like us to think that these ads are designed to help independent or undecided voters make up their mind but that is not what these ads do.

What these ads really do-and if candidates and special interest groups were in touch with we the people they would know this-is make us nauseous.

Despite what politicians believe we, the voting public, are not stupid. We have common sense, we know what’s going on and we know that because we are living real lives each and every day. We, unlike politicians, are not rich. We do not have cozy pensions and unlimited health care waiting for us. We don’t get the benefits they get. We have to fight and scratch and pay for everything we get. We don’t need to be struck over the head or be harassed each and every day by negative political ads that don’t say anything substantial.

Approximately a month before any election the Registrar of Voters office sends out a voting guide that explains the propositions and the platform of candidates. Anyone who really cares about the electoral process can and does read this guide and carefully weighs the pro and cons of the issues according to their particular circumstances. By the time the election comes around, most of us have made up our mind about who we are going to trust to represent us. And those that haven’t made a decision, certainly will not be helped by the negative and misleading ads that run on radio and TV day and night.

I’d like to be able to blame the politicians and their greed for the benefits that public office brings but I can’t. We, the people are at fault. We, the people, the ones with the power, the ones these candidates are supposed to work for have abdicated our power to people who in some cases are less intelligent, less accountable and less ethical than we are. Apathy have brought us to the deplorable point we find ourselves in today.

There are few candidates with the values, courage and dedication to service the people without putting their own interests first. Let’s change this. Let’s take back our government and let politicians know that negative ads with no or little substance will not get you elected.

Hate Is Not a Dirty Four Letter Word

2010-10-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

The word “Hate” has become a dirty four letter word in our society. As if it was completely ignorant to hate something. We all hate. After all, hate is an emotion and we all have them. As with any other word, the word hate has several definitions. Here are some examples; “Intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury. An extreme dislike or antipathy.”

I understand that in the context of how people are using the word today it appears that they are choosing to use the word hate as an emotion deriving from fear, as in fear of the unknown which doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. We don’t hate the unknown; we have no reason to know whether we will hate it or not. It is a lot more likely that the reality is that we fear the unknown.

Hate to me is more a feeling of extreme dislike of something already known. I hate pain, I hate lies, I hate crime and criminals, etc.

There’s nothing wrong with hating those things which we, as individuals, find distasteful or wrong. There is, despite what others would have us believe, rights and wrongs in our society. Not every action is or should be embraced under the banner of “tolerance”. Murder, rape, child abuse, theft are some of the actions that we as a society should not tolerate and should hate as a matter of principle.

Let’s face it, those with special interests would like for their special interest to be accepted, tolerated and perhaps made legal. Let us consider the current fight to legalize the use or marihuana. Those who are behind the movement are those who like to use it or stand to gain because of its passage. Criminals would like to see their actions legalized or tolerated.

Is this insane, absurd and ridiculous notion? Absolutely! However, this is precisely what some people trying to redefine what “normal” and “right” is are attempting to do. They are politicizing the word “hate” in order to create fear that one could be considered ignorant, intolerant or a merchant of hatred because of their stand against things that shouldn’t be.

Is it fair or even smart to accuse someone of spreading hate because they take a stand against criminals? Isn’t crime a behavior? Would it be fair to redefine crimes as free speech, a right, the pursuit of happiness? Of course not, at least not yet!

There is right and there is wrong. There is darkness and there is light. There is love and there is hate. That is the way it has always been and that is the way it should continue to be.

Do not allow yourself to be called a racist, intolerant, or someone who spreads hatred simply because you take a stand based on your principles which are based on your moral code. Do not allow those who attempt to redefine behavior or language to fit their own special agenda. Stand firm and fight back!

Let us take back our language and our code of conduct and let us not succumb to clever tactics which in the end are baseless. Hate is not a dirty four letter word.

No New Taxes San Diego!!

2010-10-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

I don't live in the City of San Diego and for that, I am thankful. The city of San Diego wants to increase the sales tax half a percent from its current 8.75% to 9.25%. They argue that this tax is needed in order to save public safety services like fire and police protection and that might be true. However, it seems to me that they have their priorities confused because while they are threatening to cut down on police and fire services, they are not even considering closing down libraries or parks. Why?

Because almost no one cares about libraries or parks and therefore the tax would have no chance of passing if these were the services were cut. But mention fire and police services and everyone pays attention and moreover, they panic.

If this weren't enough in the midst of recession, the San Diego Unified School District wants to levy a parcel tax on parcel owners in order to retain teachers and protect class size. A tax which they promise won't be used for anything else than classroom education. The problem? There's a provision in the measure that defines classroom education as "emergency teacher retention." In other words, pay raises for teachers who would otherwise leave the district. As if the union bosses weren't doing enough of that.

I urge everyone living in the City of San Diego to vote NO on both of these two measures. Politicians need to understand that we, the tax payers, are NOT their private "piggy banks" and that if they cannot do the job with less, like the rest of us, they need to leave office and be replaced with people who are not afraid to make the tough decisions. To say and do the unpopular things in order to do what's right and not what helps them keep their jobs!

Parents or Children? Part II

2010-10-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

This will be short and sweet. No sooner do I write about the necessity to make school campuses safer by keeping unknown people out of campus, that some whacko opens fire on children at Kelly Elementary on Friday, October 7th.

Granted that the shooter did not enter campus and fired from an adjacent location, however we must ask what kind of damage could he have done and he entered campus?

Get over yourselves parents and allow school officials and authorities do what is best for our children!

Parents or Children?

2010-10-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

On March 6, 2001 a despondent student armed with a gun walked into the Santana High School in Santee, California and shot and killed two students and wounded several others.

A rare and unusual incident most officials said of the tragedy at the time. ; Words that do nothing to comfort those who lost loved ones or were injured by the gunman.
As a result of such incidents some schools-unfortunately not all schools have begun to enforce campus security laws long in the books but rarely enforced.

These laws require all visitors to check-in at the school’s office upon entering the campus, present a valid identification before receiving a visitor’s badge which must be worn while in campus. Visitors are required to conduct business as quickly as possible and check-in with the school’s office personnel before leaving. As a result, parents accustomed to entering campus unimpeded and wait for their children at the classroom’s door, are no longer allowed to enter campus until the dismissal bell has rung and school personnel open the gates. The consequence of these security measures intended to protect our most precious charges? Parents are whining that schools are being turned into prisons and that are not being allowed to participate in the lives’ of their children while in school. Give me a freaking break!!! Are parents this stupid, this dysfunctional that they cannot live without over-cuddling their children for the short period of time it takes to wait for them before school lets out?

In today’s world these measures are not only prudent, but necessary. Children are our most precious resources, tomorrow’s future. And there are people out there who are sick enough to want to hurt them and it is not only our responsibility but our duty to do everything possible to ensure that they are safe at school.

Parents should really try to get over themselves and not criticize school personnel but applaud their efforts to protect our children and make school the safe environment children need in order to learn and develop into tomorrow’s citizens.

No MORE Taxes!!

2010-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Kudos to today’s politicians; always looking for a new way to preserve their power and benefits, politicians have discovered a new “boogie man” with which to coerce more money out of the pocket of exhausted tax payers.

Ever wondered why the Nation is facing a budget crisis? God knows that taxes have not decreased and in fact we are paying more taxes and fees than ever before. The answer, spending!

Politicians want to do everything for everyone and spend money on every social program that comes down the pike. Not because they are soft-hearted, sensitive or caring people. But because they know that the people they serve will view them as saviors thus ensuring their votes when re-election time rolls around which further serves to extend their life time in politics.

The City of San Diego wants to increase the sales tax by ½ a percent from the current 8.75%, to 9.25% without any assurances that the current practices which created this financial crisis will be resolved. Without any assurances that they will cut their spending and assure that no new taxes will be asked of the public in the future. City officials freely admit that even the proposed tax increase will not be enough to solve the city’s problem, which is legalize for another tax increase in the future. How long will this go on before the public revolts?

After years of defeated propositions intended to raise our taxes, politicians have finally found an issue which strikes the tax nerve of everyone who cares for an orderly society and that nerve is public safety.

Few tax-payers care about the closing of libraries-schools and universities have them-, the closing of public parks-most of us don’t use them for they really belong to gangs anyway-, or the maintenance of public beaches, which always seem to be dirty and full of people hell bent on disturbing the peace drinking and breaking the law. So when politicians threaten the tax payer with closing libraries, recreational parks or cutting down on beach maintenance, the general public responds with apathy and votes against the propositions meant to raise taxes and keep these services going. However, everyone-except criminals- cares about fire fighter and police services. We all want to rest in the assurance that those services will be there when we need them.

So politicians-masters of deception and manipulation- have conjured up a new way to extort money out of the money of the tax-paying public. “Vote yes for this or that tax raising proposition or we will have to cut public services.” This is the new cry for tax increases. In the meantime, no definitive, workable and dependable solution to the way politicians misuse that revenue is put forth in front of the tax payers. No new reforms on how to reign in the out of control spending, and above all, no consideration for perhaps decreasing the pay for the same politicians responsible for the budgetary crisis in the first place.

Yes, politicians have done their homework and have discovered what matters to tax payers and are using those issues to convince the public to give them yet more money for them to mismanage.

I say vote no on any and all propositions meant to increase our taxes. Let the chips fall where they may. Let’s begin revolting against these abuses by bleeding liberals who feel more for outsiders than they do for the hard working American poor. We are taxed out and we are in a recession! Vote out of office those politicians who would compromise our essential services in a shameless plot meant to extort more money for their pet projects. Let the collective voice of the people for whom these elected officials work, be heard loud and clear and force them to do our will and not theirs. Only then will government corruption come to an end.

Why is it?

2010-09-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

After freely admitting that the planned actions of Reverend Terry Jones to burn the Quran were irresponsible, ignorant, offensive and provocative, I have some questions that perhaps those smarter and I can answer.

Why is it that the actions of Reverend Terry Jones are considered wrong and fearful of angering and offending Muslims all over the world, but even speaking about the possibility of moving the location of a Mosque near ground zero- which would anger and offend many American, including peaceful Muslims-can’t even be considered because of fear that it will anger many in the radical Muslim world?

Why is it that speaking against Muslim radicals is considered an outrage, but the beheading of Americans is not?

Why is it that Muslims can burn the American flag, behead Americans and broadcast the crime all over the Internet, and, in at least one instance, also burn the Bible, but a preacher with a following of less than 50 people burning the Quran is an outrage?

It is because by the mere savagery of their actions radical Muslims have placed themselves in a higher moral position? It is because they know that the majority of the world is sane and would never contemplate blowing themselves to kingdom come taking innocent lives in the process and so they intimidate humanity to the point of irrationality?

What is it about Muslims that make them so important that the entire world seems to be caving in to their demands, wishes and sensitivities?
I must not be a very smart person for I fail to comprehend the inequities between the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

Christian kids cannot wear T-shirts with Christian slogans on them nor can they wear crucifixes around their necks while in school for fear of being politically incorrect and offending others. However, Muslim girls can wear head gear or even Burkas as religious symbols of their faith?

Something is wrong here and Americans should begin to try to understand what it is and correct it. While it is perhaps wise to become more tolerant and accepting of others, we should not be willing to lose our own unique identity as Americans; People who in choosing a better way or life came here from all over the world to follow their own American dream.

Hate, Ignorance and Free Speech

2010-09-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

As repugnant as the proposed actions of Reverend Jones are, they bring to light an interesting question about how the guarantees of free speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution have been perverted in today’s society to include all matter of expression no matter how outrageous, hateful or discriminatory it might be.

Make no mistake about it. Reverend Jones has an absolute constitutional right to do what he is planning to do. But just because he can, should he? The clear answer to this question is a resounding and global no!

This new development brings to light some interesting points long debated between liberal and conservatives. How far should freedom of speech go?

It appears clear that on this one issue both sides can and have agreed that Reverend Jones planned actions, while legal, will have severe repercussions and should not take place. Which begs the question: If both sides agree that this action is outrageous and can cost lives, why can’t both sides also agree that the First Amendment of the constitution has been interpreted too broadly thus far and that it should and must be redefined to exclude other actions and words?

I am not anti-free speech. But I am bringing forth the argument that in order to live peacefully in a society individual rights must be tempered with common sense and a small measure of censorship in order to maintain order and civility.

For a while now it has been broadly accepted that certain racial epitaphs long accepted in past cultures are not longer tolerated. The world has gone through extremes trying to adopt political correctness as its new mantra. And yet there are still many who argue that any and all matter of speech or actions is and should be protected by the umbrella of the First Amendment.

I think that Reverend Jones has brought to global attention a problem which has long been ignored in this country and that is how far should individual rights go before those very freedoms tear at the fabric of the document which guarantees them?

Reverend Jones and his small band of misguided followers are wrong. I know it, the American people know it. Hell, the whole world knows it. But we should also know that unless we redefine our interpretation of free speech, we should expect more of this kind of ignorance.

Obama, tries to fool all the people all of the time!

2010-08-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I fail to understand why some Americans are surprised at President Obama’s fast sinking approval rating when they are fueled in large part by some of his erratic actions and illogical decisions.

Some people are surprised and angry that President Obama has come out in support of the proposed construction of a Mosque a mere 200 yards from ground zero where over 3,000 innocent people were murdered by Islamic fundamentalists. However, like a true litigator, he now says that he did not speak as to the wisdom on the building the Mosque there, but to the right of Muslims to build a Mosque. Like a skilled litigator, Obama splits the baby whenever he can.

Why is this surprising? America not only elected a Black president, but also a Muslim president. If his name alone is not a clue, let’s recap what he’s done so far to show how he favors Islam versus Christianity.

While running for president he resigned his membership in a Christian Church under the excuse that he needed to distance himself from the antagonistic statements made by the Church's minister. A man he claims to know for over 20 years! Shortly after that, he suggested during an interview that he and his family would take some time to search and find a new Christian Church in which to worship. So far, this has not happened. Our President chooses instead to watch Church on TV. What faith? You're guess is as good as mine but anyone can make an educated guess.

President Obama has publicly stated that “America is no longer a Christian nation…” and as if to prove it, he has ended the Day of Prayer which for over 40 years has taken place in the White House. However, he does support and holds worship services for Islam and Muslims and recently gathered with Islamic leaders to celebrate the Holy moth of Ramadan.

If this is not enough, President Obama spends a good part of his time apologizing for America and Americans everywhere he goes.

After First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Gulf Coast and urged Americans to vacation there, she, her family and the President chose to vacation in Maine. Not two months after that vacation, Michelle Obama spent time in Spain; A trip which was heavily funded by tax payer money.

After weeks of trying to convince Americans that the Gulf Coast seafood is safe to eat, he and his family once again travelled to the area today to once again urge Americans to vacation there. Never mind that they are scheduled to take yet ANOTHER vacation in Martha’s Vineyard next week. And, as if to make a point, he and one his daughters enjoy the waters which just a few weeks ago were polluted with crude oil. If you and I did that we very well might have Child Protective Services investigating whether or not we have endangered the life of our child by bathing in possibly contaminated waters.

All of this spectacle is really motivated by the economy and how IT affects his approval numbers. We all know that if Americans suspect that seafood on the Gulf Coast is not safe to eat, the fishermen of the area will not fish. No fish, no sales to local restaurants. No sales to restaurants, no commerce and no visitors. No visitors, no economy, no economy means no votes from those who largely voted him into office.

Republican voters have always known about the mistake that is Obama. Independent voters are waking up to the mistake they made in electing Obama to the presidency. Hard core liberal democrats will soon too, wake up to the president Obama.

You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. --------Quote attributed to President Lincoln

"Don't tase me bro"

2010-05-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sigh…Here we go again. When oh when are people going to take responsibility for their own actions-sober or not-and stop blaming the police and making excuses for people who BREAK the law?

For the life of me I cannot, and I guess will not understand today’s liberalism and tolerance toward everything illegal while destroying what is legal.

Why should a law enforcement officer risk injury tackling down a suspect who could-and often is-under the influence of drugs, or alcohol and is breaking the law? Why should a law enforcement officer risk his or her career with a possible slipped disk, broken back or neck to cuddle a person who has made the decision to put themselves in danger?

Tasers came to be because of the uproar over police's use of dedly force and are a tool used by police not only for the safety of the suspect-an alternative to the use of deadly force-but also to protect the officer; a fact that very few seem not to care about.

It doesn’t, or it shouldn’t matter that the suspect in the case of the Philly’s game thought that he was just performing a prank or that no one was hurt. He broke the law for no other reason than to obtain a few seconds of notoriety; the officer acted properly and should be commended, not criticized. Because he “tased” the suspect, neither the officer nor the suspect were hurt and that’s more than the suspect deserved.

America; Its Worse Enemy?

2010-05-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Remember the good old days when immigrants came to this country legally to become Americans, assimilate into their new country and become good productive members of our society?

Now immigrants come to this country legally or illegally, not to assimilate and become part of American society, but to try to turn America into the very land they immigrated from. New immigrants are no longer Americans. They are Africans, Mexicans, Italians, Canadians, Sudanese, Arabs, etc., who just to be living here.

The many benefits, protections, rights and privileges that America offers everyone living here, have become the very weapons that those who are against us are using to attack us: The right to citizenship if one is born here regardless of whether one’s parents are here legally or not. The right to welfare, again, whether one is here legally or not. The opportunity to study practically for free-most education assistance programs and grants are mostly awarded to “impoverished” immigrants who then enter into political office so that they can support, enforce or even enact laws which further facilitate the infiltration of more illegal immigrants.

Right now the "breaking news broadcasts" report that a Pakistan-born but naturalized U.S. citizen was arrested and charged with the attempting bombing of a car parked in New York City. If he hates the U.S. so badly; why then did he become a naturalized citizen? Was it part of a plan all along, or did be become radicalized later? Most everyone-especially those who know him, support him or just want to deny reality-support the theory that he is a “good boy” who’s been changed by bad elements or even worse, who is really innocent and is simply being persecuted by “the great Satan.” I don’t believe it.

In any case, I think that the time has come to perhaps deny some individual rights for the benefit of society in general.

National Security; The New Game of Tag

2010-04-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Back in the good “old days” of law enforcement, before the hysteria against pro illegal immigration this is the way a typical law enforcement contact would go down.

We receive a report over the radio of a stolen vehicle, no other information. A few moments later we spot the car and pull it over. Upon running the suspects for wants and warrants and of course, proper identification to make sure they were not wanted for murder elsewhere, we’d find that perhaps some of the suspects were here illegally. We’d call the U.S. Border Patrol who would then take them into custody in preparation for an immigration hearing. If they were determined to be here illegally, they were more often than not, deported back to Mexico and the charge of Grand Theft auto was never filed. If they were here legally, then we’d take them into custody, charge them and upon conviction and service of their sentence, they were deported back to Mexico as “persona non-grata” or not welcomed in the U.S., which means that they could never come back legally.

This was the procedure for every contact we, as police officers had with suspects. All of them based upon reasonable suspicion that a crime had been committed and that the person we had detained had committed said crime. Not once do I recall pulling someone off the streets because they were black, brown, yellow or green! As police officers we were trained to look for objective and reasonable signs of a crime.

It is part of law enforcement’s job to establish the identity of suspects (impossible to issue a citation of summons if officers don’t know the real identity or place of resident of a suspect) and if we found that federal law had been broken, to call the authorities as per the oath that every police officer takes to defend and protect not only the laws of the state in which they live, but the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic. Now all that has changed as it seems that the illegal immigrants are playing a game of “tag” and only they get to set the rules.

For example, they’d like for immigration officials to only enforce our immigration laws at the border, and if we don’t happen to catch them then, they would like to receive a free pass as long as they are in a “safety zone”. Remember playing tag when you were a child? When you were only “it” if you were caught outside of the pole, or fence, table, or whatever other place was agreed upon to be a sanctuary? It is absolutely ridiculous to play that game with National Security.

If one good thing has come out of this debate is that democrats and current government officials have been exposed as the liberal traitors they really are! In criticizing Arizona’s law and calling for the Justice Department to find fault with it, they have exposed their real intentions of never, ever, enforcing immigration laws. To them immigration reform simply means letting everyone in, no matter what. I wonder what date the next 9/11 will be.

Un-palatable Truths

2010-04-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

Arizona's New Anti-Illegal Immigration Law

2010-04-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Who the hell are illegal immigrants to be yelling out in the streets of Arizona that laws like the recently passed AB 1070 will not be tolerated in America?

Who are Mexicans to accuse Americans of hatred when their own constitution forbids the participation of “foreigners” in the political process in Mexico and also forbids from serving in the government, armed forces, merchant marines or from owning land in Mexico? Is that not discrimination? Is not that hatred? Is that not exclusion?

Foreigners who even march in a political demonstration in Mexico can be deported without even a hearing!!! Isn't that rich while they rant and rave about laws here in the United States of America?

And who are Mexican or Latino politicians to call for everyone to boycott the sovereing State of Arizona? Perhaps Americans should do the same and boycott Mexico! Two can play that game!!

It seems that Mexicans want to hold on to their own country by limiting the participation of foreigners who very well could affect the political future of their own country while carving away America for themselves with accusations of racism and hatred.

Mexicans do not seem to want to understand that Americans are not against them in general, but against illegal immigration and the threat to National Security that this continued practice presents to everyone. How many Mexicans died during the attack on 9/11?

The cold blooded murder of American citizens living near the border by illegal and criminal elements from Mexico will not and should not be tolerated. But we don't see Mexicans protesting that? Standing united against that? No, they protest and use scare tactics and provocative "cache" phrases like "racial profiling" to encite revolt. Police officers know that courts will never uphold a case where "racial profiling" was the only reason for contact and/or arrest. Only those people those who have broken the law-including immigration law-need to worry.

Has anyone ever paid any attention to the oath taken by sworn personnel in this country, from the U.S. President down to police officers? In case you're not familiar with it, it reads, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of...against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of...(State); that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter." In other words, to uphold both federal and state law!!

The tactic of pregnant Mexican women of crossing the border illegally so that their child can be born an American citizen is well documented. They do this knowing that an American citizen cannot be deported and a child should not be separated from its mother, even when she is an illegal alien.

The tactic of not carrying their proper legal resident documentation is also well knwon in Latino circles. They do this so that if they are improperly deported, they can inflame the passions of he people and possibly bring legal action against the U.S. government. An Arizona law requiring this of resident aliens is no different from the law in Mexico which requires Mexican citizens to carry their voting cards or the laws that exist in Europe which require that visitors from other countries carry and show a valid passport upon request by the authorities.

The tactic of being encouraged to have large families in order to affect the political process in the U.S. is also well known among Latinos.

The tactic of continuously crossing the border and then running back into Mexico to probe and provoke the response of the U.S. Border Patrol and other federal agencies is also well documented. And while politicians holding office are held hostage to political correctness run amok, I am not running for any office and I denounce all of this as well practiced but secretive tactics. There is a large and well organized movement to reclaim California for Mexico. Everyone with Latino roots knows this!!

Mexicans well learned the lesson of the American Struggle for Civil Rights and are borrowing the same tactics, the same emotional loaded language to incite protest, unrest and even violence. They well learned that no one, but absolutely no one like to be accused of being a racist and that those who are so accused will do almost anything to prove themselves free of such label.

If Mexicans are serious about everyone being “people” and "equal" and deserving of rights, let them change their own constitution to involve those other than “Mexican Citizens” from participating in their political system. In the meantime, those who are here legally are welcome.

Those who cheated, lied or simply ignored and broke the law and in so doing show their contempt for this country, get the hell out of here!

Want to read more about how Mexico descriminates against foreigners? Click on the tittle of this article.

Letter From a True American!!

2010-04-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like: " We're no longer a Christian nation", " America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world," America is mean-spirited." Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a
whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.
You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.
And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...

Sincerely,
Harold B. Estes
Snopes confirms as true:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp

This and That

2010-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

This week San Diego residents discovered that their reward for following Mayor Sander’s call to conserve water is…higher water rates! It seems that because of the savings the water district is not making enough profit!!

During her first abroad trip by herself, First Lady Michelle Obama patronized the Mexican government by stating during an interview that the violence in Mexico is not any worse that violence found in any major city in America. In fact, the First Lady feels so safe in Mexico City that she wouldn’t hesitate to visit the country with her own family. I wouldn’t hesitate either if I had a contingency of well-armed secret service agents guarding me even during bathroom breaks.

Airlines recently showed off their incredible power by convincing aviation officials in Europe to allow air travel through “safe” corridors despite claims by experts that volcanic ash covering the area presents a serious danger to air travel. It seems that money always trumps safety until a plane comes crashing down.

Finally, President Obama is making a big deal about how he is planning to cut 100 million dollars off the federal deficit. Really?!! When you consider the size of the ever-increasing debt that represents but a fraction of this nation’s expenditure!! Want to see a the explanation? Visit; http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts/

Slippery Slope May Lead to Self Destruction

2010-03-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

I never really understood sayings like, “Slippery Slope”, “Line in the Sand”, “Camel Nose inside the Tent”, and “Opens the door” meant when used by political, legal and social pundits whenever given a chance to be on TV. That is until I began paying attention to issues which as an adult affect my life and the lives of my family.

Now as I look around me and see the ever-present “generation gap” loom wider and wider as I get older, I have finally come to realize the dangers contained within the above cliché-like statements.

Now I understand that to allow something which the general public has for ages considered illegal, unethical of immoral to stand; even slightly, “opens the door” for any particular issue to become the new “norm.”

Cases in point are marihuana, alcohol, abortion, gay rights, offensive and hateful speech wrapped around the mantel of protection afforded by the 1st amendment.

When taken in the context of the time period in which it was drafted, I am positively convinced that the framers of the US Constitution never intended for the 1st Amendment to be distorted the way it is today. I wish I could go back in time and bring back some, if not all the men who signed that sacred document and have them see what we have done to the ideals over which they agonized so much.

They’d be horrified to see that the document which gave birth to the greatest nation on earth has been distorted by the personal preferences of those who have argued its meaning through the years. Let’s face it; we all judge and interpret laws in accordance to our own prejudices. If we smoke marihuana then we oppose any law which restricts its legal use. If we drink then we are more apt to approve of laws allowing it, or lowering the age required for its use. If we are gay, then we want laws passed which recognisze and protect such unions. And if we hate, then we kidnap the 1st amendment and use it to protect speech which only demeans and spreads more hate.

I used to question where did all the “hippies” of the 60’s and 70’s have gone. Not anymore. While some of them have grown older and now see the naiveté of their behavior, others are still out there making, interpreting and twisting laws to fit their liberal beliefs. Some of them, if not most of them, are now judges who l egislate from the bench; lawyers who interpret laws in order to make them fit their ideology, senators and congressmen who have no morals or ethics and believe themselves to be above the law. Even those who are not in public office are out there teaching their own children. We all do it, liberals, conservatives, middle of the road independents...

This issue and argument can on and on and on into the end of times. From the moment that the US Constitution was adopted there have been those who have attempted to “interpret” what it means. And from the moment that the US Supreme Court first decided that a case was “unconstitutional” they gave themselves the ultimate right to decide what that document means.

It seems to me that people cannot comprehend or refuse to accept that to live peacefully in society; certain “rights” must be understated, perhaps even waived. In my view there’s no more accurate statement than the one which states, “Your rights end where your neighbor’s begin.” In other words, your right to free speech may violate your neighbor’s right to pursue happiness.”

It is unreasonable and naïve to believe that any society can survive when each individual is given the right to do that which is contrary to the well-being of society in general. Such society can only lead to self-destruction. Somewhere, somehow we must learn to compromise.

2009-12-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

Are you old enough to remember Leslie Gore’s song, “It My Party (And I’ll Cry If I Want To)”? I do and thanks to the First Amendment which guarantees free speech in all sort of hideous manner I can proudly claim, “It’s my blog and I’ll write what I want to”.

As far as blogs go my blog is tame, irrevelant, useless, even geeky at times but so what? It’s mine and I can do with it whatever the hell I want. It doesn’t matter to me that I don’t have a large following of readers, or that I am not being discussed or considered. It only matters that I write what I feel and think and that it is out there, like a message inside a bottle, wondering in the vastness of cyber space until someday it might be read by someone who may or may not agree with me, but who might be inspired to also write or try to change the world. Perhaps someone with more talent or means than I.

So for the few, the VERY FEW, who read and leave disparaging comments, I say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Thank you for taking the time to put two coherent sentences together. But above all, thank you for giving me the pleasure of knowing that I pissed you off!

The Harm of Psychology

2009-12-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

Remember when going to a psychologist or a psychiatrist meant going to an office to discuss and try to resolve emotional issues that would better prepare you to deal with the many stresses of life?

Do you know why these mental health professionals are forbidden from dating their patients? It has to do with not allowing them to take undue advantage of people who find themselves in a vulnerable position in which dating them would do more harm. It is one of the most sacred tenants in medicine and the government takes it very seriously.

Well take all that and throw it out the window because when physiologist and psychiatrist move their shingles to Wall Street, all bets are off.

These days is just not Business Majors who are working there. Companies now routinely hire these mental health professionals to try to get in your head and make you buy, buy buy whether or not you need it or can't afford it. Sopping has become-thanks to very cleverly disguised advertisement helped along by these professionals-a form of therapy or relaxation. "Go ahead and shop. Ger yourself those shoes, that coat, that car; you're worth it". This seems to be the mantra of commerce today. It seems that as long as they are not treating you personally, they can cause all the harm they want not only to your mental health, but also to your pocket book.

It seems like a windfall when they cause you to buy to the point of stress and then treat you to help you cope with the financial difficulties that their collegiums helped create.
It is called the Physiology of Shopping and if you think that you are not under attack, think again.

Americans and the world for that matter, have become zombies; robots that obey the whims of everyone with something to sell. From turning classic Christmas songs into cheapened tacky advertisement slogans to using these time honored music to sell us something, it is a relentless attack with ridiculous scare tactics like, “if you don’t shop and give us your money we will be forced to close our stores and lay people off”.

Profit margins…those are the magical words that no one ever hears about. Companies and individual businesses need to learn to live with reasonable profit margins and not use their companies as cash cows that finance their lavish life styles. If everyone would learn to live without that luxury yachts, we all would be better off.

Why?

2009-12-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Why is it that some homeless people have no money for food or shelter but they find the money to buy marijuana which they then smoke out in the open early in the morning while huddled together fighting the cold of a winter morning?

Why are weather “forecasters” paid when they are wrong more than 50% of the time? Back in the day weather wasn’t even part of the news. People recognized that despite all the modern equipment in the world weather cannot be predicted with any measure of accuracy. Or could it be that the inaccuracy is caused by their own egos and willingness to the be the first to report on a small amount of rain which in San Diego can be big news?

Why do young people walk around with such arrogance ignoring or not even seeing those who are only slightly older than they are? Only in this country can a person of experience is dismissed as useless by a generation consumed with youth.

Why is it that despite a water shortages for the people who are already living in San Diego County are government officials considering enlarging the population and the demand on the ever decreasing water resources in the county by granting more building permits?

Why is the City of San Diego decreasing public services, including fire and police, but willing to consider spending tax payers money to build a new stadium for the Chargers, a team which has not won a Superbowl and year after year falls short of the mark?

Just a few questions I would love to have the answer to….

The H1N1 Vaccine Shortage

2009-10-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

As I sit here suffering from the symptoms of a confirmed case of H1N1 which I got from my grandson, I feel qualified to speak about the current panic gripping the nation. A panic which is causing selfish, self-centered and immoral people to horde medicine, against all expert medical advice, get a vaccine when they are not in a high risk group or even worse, attempt to make money on the misery and misfortune of others.

Yes I am really sick and feeling lousy; body pain and aches and temperatures as high as 103.7. Yes, I am worried about my grandson who being only 10 years-old falls into the category of those who are being disproportionately affected by this new virus. And yes I am worried about the thousands of people who are standing in line for as long as 16 hours in hopes to get the vaccine. But I can’t help but wonder what the feeding frenzy would be if President Bush were still in the White House and the nation was facing such shortage despite assurances a few months ago that there would be enough vaccine available by now to properly vaccinate at least the high risk groups.

If you are a moderate intelligent American with an open mind and a willingness to listen to both sides and then make up your own mind and you still believe that the media is not biased toward the left, just take a look at the any of the three major news networks in this country and notice the lack of public outrage and outcry over the shortage.

I don’t know that President Obama, or any other president for that matter, can do anything to accelerate the production of a vaccine which is created by a private for-profit organization: Is not like the President of the United States can pick up the phone and order a private institution to increase production even under emergency circumstances. And yet somehow I feel that if President Bush were still the president, the outcry would be heard around the world!

Remember a few weeks back when President Obama visited New Orleans to see the damage which still affects the city? President Obama, in what is a rare occurrence, was criticized for being making the visit two hours long. Residents felt that the president should have spent more time in the devastated city. That criticism was first reported in early broadcasts the next day but it was removed and absent from subsequent evening broadcasts.

It seems that any criticism of the president is quickly removed from the major news networks if it makes it to the broadcast at all!

If this is not enough to convince you, consider the latest salvo fired by the White House when they attempted to change Fox Network’s status from a legitimate new media organization to that of a “talk show” which is not entitled to have access to the president and one in which the president does not have to appear as clearly demonstrated when the President appeared in all three major network news casts to promote his health reform plan but refused to appear in any Fox News broadcasts.

The White House’ attempt to discredit and disqualify Fox News was so outrageous that the entire Press Corps rebelled against the move, choosing instead to fight for the First Amendment and not allow the president to go after a news agency simply because he doesn’t like the criticism.

When President Bush was president not a day went by where the major media outlets didn’t burn then President Bush in effigy for anything and everything.

Once again we witness that the facts don’t really matter and when it comes down to it, everyone, including the President and his administration, always tries to put the best foot forward.

Celebrating Life's Journey

2009-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our camper as we spent two days at the Silver Strand State Park in Coronado, Ca.
The night was warm and had we any firewood, there might have been a nice fire in the fire ring.

As it was, it was great just sitting on lounge chairs and enjoying a very special bottle of wine given to us by a very good friend.

I’ve come to realize that there is no reason to lament birthdays. They are, after all, the natural progression of a life’s journey which begins at the moment of our birth.

Oh sure we miss the health, the once toned body, the ability to eat anything we ever wanted and not gain an ounce. Some of us miss the hair that once kept our heads warm in a cool evening like this one. Others might miss the good looks, but the experience gathered during the voyage, the serenity that comes from finally understanding that despite its ups and downs like is good when one takes the time to share the small details like the one above, the patience that prolongs those special small and sometimes fleeting moments of pleasure more than makes up for the loss of those things which in the long run, don’t matter.

Whenever I find myself at a place like this, I can’t help but miss those loved ones who are no longer with us. The many people who at one time or another have enriched our lives and have touched our hearts whether they ever knew it or not. I missed many people this day, but the knowledge that I too might be missed by someone, that

I too will someday complete my journey added peace to my day.
And I realize that despite all the history of mankind, the sea has been tenderly kissing the shores like passionate lovers, and that it will continue long after I am too a memory.

All told, while the time spent in this special place wasn’t particularly lengthy, it was quite special and memorable. Making it ring more true that is not the years in a life, but the life in the years.

Chicken Shit

2009-10-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

When are airline travelers in general going to wake up and wise up? In what is perhaps the worse recession in 25 years, if not longer, airlines are holding the entire nation hostage with “chicken-shit” fares and added fees. It seems to be a game of chicken which the airlines are determined to win.

As fewer people can afford to go home for the holidays and stay home, the more airlines raise fares and fees for everything from booking on-line to reserving a seat. They claim that is a necessary move in order to survive, but what they don’t often reveal is that they are manipulating the law of supply and demand by cutting fights and seats and then raising the fare of the remaining seats. This game is going to continue until no one can afford to travel.

It seems that the airline industry is headed for a show-down with unknown consequences. Sooner or later someone is going to blink in this dangerous game. Either the airlines lower fares and eliminate this ridiculous fees and make up the difference with more people taking to the skies or they continue with the racketeering scheme and go bust, or worse yet, demand and expect a government bailout. After all, we can’t allow the airline industry to fail, can we?

I don’t know what will happen, but I do know that nature abhors a vacuum and that whether or not American airlines make it or not, other stronger, larger, more financially stable companies will fill in the vacuum. So I say, if American airlines continue what amounts to legal extortion and by it they fail, let them. We need a revolution in this country; shake things up and let politicians and corporations alike know that ultimately they work for us.

If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants." -Wiliam Penn

2009-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

"Everyone and I mean everyone would like to live in an ideal world where there’s no poverty, no hunger, no wars, no crime, no corruption and above all; freedom. Freedom to choose, freedom from oppression, freedom to pursue whatever an individuals definition of happiness may be. And there lies the problem; freedom and Utopia are mutually exclusive for without some kind of moral code which dictates what behavior is acceptable and non-acceptable in a society where perhaps millions, if not billions of people need to live together there can’t be peace or even civility.

You cannot have an ideal world as long as everyone has the freedom to do whatever they like or want to do. Why: Because some people’s wishes are counter to the laws and rules which are needed and required for society to live in peace. Perhaps because men is inherently evil and only laws-may they be man-made or divine- can rule his behavior.

There are people who will use the freedom provided by the government to do things which are flat out illegal or immoral. Some of these people, if not all of them, do not believe that their activities or desires are necessarily bad, and that if it weren’t for laws which prohibit their activities, they wouldn’t be criminals. Take the organization NAMBLA-North America Men/Boys Love Association. Their sole purpose for existence and use of the First Amendment is to promote sexual relations between men and young boys! Should this be legal? Is this healthy for society, for boys, children? It shouldn’t be, but somehow some people believe that it is. Sounds like circular reasoning, doesn’t it? Well it is.

Freedom allows for greed and where there is greed there are going to be victims. When some people get rich through legitimate or illegitimate means some people will suffer. It’s that simple.

Almost as soon as the USSR broke up, crime- which had been tightly controlled by the suppressive government- spiked to never before seen levels. Pornography soon became its main export. And not only “regular” pornography but child pornography! So while some are getting filthy rich on this disgusting business, there are thousands of children who are victims and are suffering. This money buys weapons, drugs and bribes from officials who are paid to look the other way. In a country where poverty is still a problem, where people are hungry, cold in winter and hot in summer this is not hard to do.

These are just but two examples; there are thousands!

I am not making an argument for socialism or communism, or perhaps I am, I don’t know. I am simply trying to say that freedom without faith, without a moral code to dictate decent versus indecent behavior can not and will not ever lead to an ideal world.

WTF?!

2009-10-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

What had President Obama done that warrants receiving the Nobel Peace Prize? What?! He's only been in office since January and so far he hasn't done squat! The President or Prime Minister of every country he's tried to meet with for peace has slammed the door in his face!

I think that awarding this pretigious prize to President Omaba is an excellent example of not only the politics involved, but how biased the entire world has become.

Mean People Suck!!

2009-10-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

I fail to comprehend why there are people in the world who delight on being mean to others and only think of themselves. Where do these people come from? What has happened in their puny insignificant and miserable lives that motivate them to do this?

When I was a child I used to believe that the best way to put mean people in their place was either to insult them or just plain kick their ass. When you’re a child, you can get away with either or both. However as a grown man I’d be in jail all the time if I were to go around kicking the ass of these jerks that deserve to have their asses kicked or better yet, shot!

So I’ve realized that the best way to deal with these jerks is to just pity them. That’s right, pity them. Pity their miserable existence. Pity their miserable personalities and their lack of intelligence, education and in some cases; breeding. When people are that stupid, they are no better than the common dog who because of lack of intelligence, doesn’t realize he/she/it is a dog.

So for all your stupid miserable mean people out there-and you know you are-who can manage to read and stumble upon this blog; I pity your sorry ass, I really do because someday, somewhere, sometime that spirit IS going to catch up with your ass.

For Every Action, There's an Equal and Opposite Reaction

2009-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Actor and local San Diego resident Richard Dreyfuss is making the TV rounds promoting an initiative that he authored which seeks to bring Civics back into the classroom. A noble and desperately needed cause to be sure and I, a Republican, not only agree with his position but also applaud it.

Mr. Dreyfuss rightfully argues that society has failed in its responsibility to educate our children in some of the most basic and important aspects of life and that we HAVE succeeded in making our children more stupid. Dreyfuss, an actor himself, questions the fact that today’s children are getting their “civics” education from movies and pop culture and are incapable of balancing a check book, hammering a nail, or cooking a basic meal for their own sustenance. Dreyfuss goes on to say that the 21st century is and will be a challenge and if we do not bring civics back into our schools our children will have a really difficult time coping with it.

Mr. Dreyfus, who rarely attends film festivals, will attend the San Diego Film Festival being held this week in an effort to promote his initiative.

I hope that he succeeds in his attempts. However, I cannot complete this article without bringing attention to the fact that the class of Civics was one of the first casualties in schools due primarily to budget cuts which were necessary in order to finance the many social services which Mr. Dreyfus and his friends in Hollywood are so fond of.

Because of those cuts teachers were forced to agonize over which classes were absolutely necessary to prepare students for the rigors of college or just life. They believed, mistakenly so, that parents would fill the gap and teach their children what they themselves were taught in school when it came to civics. Whether parents just dropped the ball or were forced to work as a means to make ends meet and were no longer available for their children is debatable. But in any case civics was dropped and soon forgotten.

Whether Mr. Dreyfus’ efforts are born from his realization that his activism efforts had unintended consequences which he is now trying to repair or is just another attempt to be relevant we don’t know. But in order for his initiative to work he and others must understand that we cannot give away everything to everyone every time. Newton's physical law still rings true: For every action there’s an equal an opposite reaction.

Whaever It Takes...Really?

2009-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am watching CNN-the biggest producer of sensationalism in the world-who just asked viewers to submit their opinion to the following question. Do you agree that more US troops should be deployed to Afghanistan?

Not surprising the first caller said that the U.S should not send anymore troops to Afghanistan and when asked the inevitable follow-up questions; Do you believe that the troops already there should be brought home immediately or in phases? The caller answered that that the troops should be brought home immediately simply because President Obama promised he would do so during his campaign for President.

While it is good to hold politicians accountable for promises they make during their campaign, we should try to understand that the view of the world political situation changes as soon as the President is given his first National Security briefing. Offering ones opinion as a citizen is one thing, but taking action as the President of the United States of America is quite another.

A courageous woman with a son serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan was more pragmatic. She stated that more troops should be sent to the region and they should be better equipped to complete the mission for which they were sent and MUST be completed. Otherwise, she said, the boys who have already given their lives in that conflict would have died in vain; a woman who obviously understand the meaning of the word commitment and whose son is backing up her beliefs with service.

The third caller, a woman, really made me think. She said that more U.S. troops should not be sent to Afghanistan and moreover that the troops already there should be brought home immediately. Then she made a statement which she obviously did not give any thought to. She said that U.S troops already there should be brought home, “WHATEVER IT TAKES”.

Whatever it takes…Let’s dissect this short but important statement. Whatever is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as; “1 a : anything or everything that b : no matter what. So here is a woman who doesn’t believe in the doing whatever it takes to accomplish a mission to liberate the people of a country, but is presumably willing to give or do whatever it takes, or at least wants the country to do it, so that the troops come home. I wonder how much she is really willing to give to make this happen. Is she really willing to do or give “whatever it takes”?

I don’t want to get graphic here. Suffice it to say that before anyone utters such a statement they should really think about what they are saying because “whatever it takes” is all inclusive. It includes the moral and the immoral, the wrong and the right, the legal and the illegal and in so doing, it tears down any and “all” resemblance of a civilized society.

I know, I am making a mountain out of an anthill, but the poor use of language that is not meant is the cause for misunderstanding and that is partly responsible for the dissent we find in the country today.

Note: It should be of interest that while searching the Internet for a suitable image to accompany this article I visited a Taliban site-the group which threatens the peace and democracy of Afghanistan-and was rewarded with a malicious virus for my efforts. Are they responsible? Who knows…no one can say if they’re responsible, but no one can say that they’re not. You be the judge

A New Perspective

2009-09-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a three week trip to a place that is slowly changing my life at many levels; spiritually, philosophically and even politically.

Because the United States helped bring my homeland into the 20th century, I, like many other Americans, was not only grateful but I believed that the U.S. was the center of the world; that it didn’t matter, or at least mattered little, what the rest of the world thought of us. After all, Americans had the guts to fight and spill blood for the freedoms that we enjoy today and we have done our fair share for other countries which without our help wouldn’t be free today. And despite what some might think of us because of that, at least the people of those countries, like me, are grateful for the intervention. And yet, I’ve realized that being grateful doesn’t necessarily mean turning away to the mistakes or oversights of our government. That perhaps the best way to serve our country is to question and make sure that it continues to do the “right” thing in a world turned upside down. Now I know that we can spend the next millions years debating what the “right” thing is, but that is not the point. The point here is that as we are exposed to the lives and culture of others, we learn about our own humanity. The very small island of Sao Jorge in the Azores, territory of the government of Portugal is such a classroom and it taught me that new is not always better, than fast is not always more expeditious and that might, doesn’t make right.

In the small island of San Jorge life moves at a completely different pace and rhythm. And the people there understand that one should work to live and not live to work! They understand that riches don’t matter if it keeps you from appreciating the things in life which are much more important; the love of family, the esteem of friends, and the hardships taught by the land. They are warm, honest and generous people who make sure you feel welcome and leave-only if you must-with a full belly. They toil the land and from it they gather their nourishment much like a baby derives his from its mother. And perhaps because of it, they feel a genuine respect for it.

In Sao Jorge people know the value of hard work, of doing for one self, but they also understand the value of generosity and sharing what you have with those less fortunate. They know the wonder of laughter and love and friendship and often display these qualities during the many “fiestas” they hold in honor of the saints of their faith.

Life is simple there; most everyone owns a cow, goat, sheep, chicken, a dog, or a cat. And they actually harvest most of the vegetables they need. The milk they gather from their cows and/or goats they sell to the local cheese factory for the production of their main export; San Jorge cheese. Eggs and other products are also sold to local family owned stores. When a cow or goat is slaughtered, just like they do at the end of a fiesta the meat is shared among the neighbors community. Nothing goes to waste.

Airports, stores and other businesses are closed everyday from noon to 2pm, giving families a chance to get together in the middle of the day and do what they seem to do best, love.

In the island of San Jorge there doesn’t exist a single traffic light. All roads are only two lanes and no one seems to be in a hurry. And even in the rare occasion when someone might be a little late, others cheerfully and courteously allow them to pass without anger, frustration or rage.

And the young people! They are a pleasure to deal with as they are courteous, attentive and above all, respectful to those of us who despite living in the rat race, have managed to grow our fair share of silver hair.

And still, with all this tranquility Portuguese are not self-centered or isolated nor are they ignorant or indifferent to the issues affecting our world today. They enjoy a variety of television channels which offer a wide range of entertainment and news from all over the world. In fact I am willing to bet that the local Portuguese farmer is better informed on issues affecting the world than most Americans. England, Spain France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Angola, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Australia, China, Filipines, Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the United States are just some of the nations whose newscasts you can watch while in San Jorge. And when you are exposed to so much information you are bound to begin seeing the world in a completely different light.

I am not saying that the United States is always wrong or that we should all turn our backs on it. I am just suggesting that we open our minds to new ideas, new perceptions, new realities and then, just maybe, then we could begin to get along together.

Regrets Can Be Forever

2009-07-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

When one has been through what I’ve been through with people, one tends to become very weary not only of people’s motives, but of their behavior versus what comes out of their mouths.

Today’s world is undergoing a revolution; a love revolution. People, countries and even governments are more keenly aware of the world’s perception on how we behave as a society. It seems that everyone is determined to make this a better world; a worthy and noble cause to be sure. However, when it comes time to “put their actions where their mouths is” sort of speak, we routinely fall short.

I don’t comprehend why we continue to leave important things unsaid. Whether it is because we hope that nothing bad happens or are afraid of the consequences of what we need to say, we go through life practically oblivious to that which is most important in life, until the unimaginable happens and we’re left with filled with guilt and regrets for things what went unsaid.

The human race is indeed complicated and fickle. And I wonder if that is why we will never get along, because we lack the ability to really understand love.

Masters of Illusion

2009-04-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Many years ago several friends tried to tell me that the media was controlled by big corporations with liberal agendas and that not everything we heard or read on television or newspapers was accurate and that in fact, it might be misleading. One of them even gave me a book entitled, “Towers of Deception”, referring to the high rise buildings that house the major networks.

Being young, idealistic and ignorant, I disagreed and refused to believe that America, the greatest nation in the world, a nation founded on Christian values, could sink that low. However, as the years piled up and I became more and more aware of issues and policies which not only affect my daily life, but my future the lives of my children, and their children, I began to see with my own eyes what my friends tried telling me so long ago.

For example; America has elected a new President. A historical accomplishment to be sure, however I am afraid that many Americans are being beguiled by the history and are not quite aware of the manipulation.

When Mr. Bush was President, the media thought it necessary to keep us informed on the increasing number of casualties in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Now that Mr. Obama is President, we seldom hear any casualties report from the news, other than the generalized mention of another terrorist attack.

A few weeks ago, Charlie Gibson was reporting on the many positive changes now seen in Iraq. How shops are open, how people are free to live again. How museums are now open and women are studying, working and running for public office. However, not once during any of these reports did they even consider acknowledging that Mr. Bush’s policies toward Iraq could have been correct. Realizing that they could not continue reporting on the positive changes in Iraq without giving credit to the former President, the reports disappeared.

Rarely do we see any news that presents Mr. Obama in a negative or less that positive light. Even the funny guy that was going around pretending to be Obama while dancing has disappeared. I wonder why?

Now the entire world is near a state of panic over the Swine Flu; a new version never seen before. With only a couple of hundred deaths credited to it so far, and most people recovering without any hospitalization, our attention is diverted by this alleged threat and while we go around crazy with fear, no one is paying attention to Mr. Obama’s behind the scene politics.

Not long ago Mr. Obama signed a bill infected with earmarks, something he campaigned against. In January Mr. Obama signed an executive order which earmarks over 20 million dollars toward the relocation of Palestinian refugees with ties to Hamas. They get housing, medical care and public assistance on Americans tax dollar.

Mr. Obama wants to close the detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and relocate all detainees to American soil for trials. He has stopped what his administration considers torture. He has halted or delayed the trials of those responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

He has bowed to an Arabian King, refused to bow to the Queen of England-America’s strongest ally-and has had many conferences with leaders of the Middle East.

And most recently, DoD (Department of Defense) has withdrawn its long standing policy of selling spent brass to local ammunition dealers who re-load it and sell it to law enforcement and civilians. They are now melting the brass and selling to China for far less money than what the civilian companies were willing to pay. Now those companies have to lay off most of their work force as there is no brass for them to re-load. Mr. Obama, while publicly stating that he is NOT going after Americans guns, is doing everything he can to go after the ammunition; one effective way to accomplish the same thing.

If you don’t believe me, just watch all of the world news programs that come on in the evening. Look for news that cast Mr. Obama in a negative light. Look for news that cast Republicans or conservatives in a positive light. You will not find any, and the laws of probability tell us that this…is impossible. It’s just a thought, but I think that my friends were right. God help us!!!

Insane!!!

2009-04-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

And we wonder why teenagers are confusedand don't seem to have a sense of values, of identity or directions? Can someone please explain to me the rationale behind allowing a 17 year-old girl to buy the Plan B abortion pill without a prescription or parent approval? Upon being asked her opinion about the new ruling, a 17-year old said, "I think is fine. If you're old enough to drive, you should be old enought to do this".

Wow, that is one heck of a rationale. And yet we tell them that they cannot drink, that they cannot drive alone after 10:00 pm, that they cannot consent to sexual relations or, that they cannot vote. But they can decide, by themselves, whether or not to take a pill that could change their rest of their lives. Let us not complain about the new generation. Let us not complain about our children. Let us complain about us-the parents, teachers, counselors, doctors, lawyers, politicians-who are sending them mixed messages day after day after day.

Are we confused? No, I don't think we are confused. I think that we are past that point. I think that we are INSANE!!

Is This Really Peace?

2009-04-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am flabbergasted, utterly and completely flabbergasted. It is as if I were living in another planet! I just saw the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, in an interview with one of America’s most liberal news women, blaming the United States for the violence and the existence of the drug cartels in Mexico. Now it is not a Mexican problem; now it is an American problem! We are smuggling guns into Mexico. It is our demand for drugs that fuels the violence. It is OUR corrupted officials who ease the import drugs into the United States and the export of money and guns into Mexico.

Now it is Mexico who is willing to “work with the United States” to resolve our drug problem. Never mind that the drugs are produced or moved through Mexico into the United States. Never mind that it is the drug cartel who gives the drugs away at nightclubs, schools, colleges, streets and everywhere else young people gather so that they ensure a clientele. Never mind that there are drug addicts in Mexico too. That almost every hooker in the streets of Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez on drugs. Never mind that the Cartel is NEVER going to let go of what is a lucrative business.

Felipe Calderon has expressed his displeasure at the building of a fence across our common border saying that while he respects the right of every nation to enforce their own laws, he doesn't thinkt that the new border fence is a "friendly" gesture to a neighbor.

Let me ask you Mr. Calderon; Is it friendly to take away the homes of American citizens in YOUR country because in Mexico US citizens are not allowed to own land? Is it friendly for police officers to blackmail and extort US citizens when they visit Mexico? Is it friendly to encarcerate US citizens in your rat-infested prison camps over the most insignificant offenses?

It is appalling to me how those with huge planks in their eye are now throwing stones at America, as if their own countries and laws were so damn exemplary.

Columbia has been fighting the manufacture of Cocaine with significant assistance from American dollars and military equipment for years and it has made not one ounce of difference in the ammount of cocaine that is produced and smuggled into the United States. And where do they get THEIR guns? Probably from Brazil, one of the world's leading gun makers. I don't see anyone demanding that they stop. What about guns made in Italy, Germany, Israel, Russia, etc.? Hell, most citizens in the towns where the shit is harvested protect the drug lords because they make small and meaningless contributions to the towns and cities where they cocaine is harvested. What makes Mexico or the US thinkt that they can do anything about a problem that both countries have ignored for so long?

Okay, so Felipe Calderon has tried to take a stand against the cartel and the corruption found in his country. Even is he is not assasinated, he will be out of office someday and the new president will probably ignore the problem much as his predecessors have done. It's all politics and posture to try to disarm the law-abiding gun owner. That simple.

I can’t believe what a country of wimps we have become. In order to have peace with our enemies, the new United States policy is to become subservient to entire world. What a way to go…

We don’t want to arm commercial ships in order to protect them from criminal Pirates because we are afraid that it might increase violence? So we have to accept high sea robbery, kidnapping, extortion, terrorism as the cost of doing business? Are we that cowardly? My God, the world is really doomed, DOMMED!!!!

Susan Boyles

2009-04-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

The following text appearing in Italics is a re-print of an original article which appeared yesterday in the Sidney Herald. Church worker Susan Boyle sings on Britain's Got Talent. A frumpy 47-year-old Scottish charity worker who has never had a boyfriend has become an unlikely YouTube sensation, after her stunning weekend musical debut on a British television talent show.

By Wednesday the clip of Susan Boyle - whose dowdy appearance drew sniggers when she walked on stage on ITV's "Britain's Got Talent", saying she dreamed of emulating West End star Elaine Page - had been viewed 5.7 million times.

When she began to sing, the panel of three judges led by music guru Simon Cowell was visibly shocked, and the audience in Glasgow rose to its feet, as her voiced soared through "I Dreamed A Dream" from "Les Miserable’s".

"Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I have had in three years of this show," said judge Piers Morgan, admitting that before her performance "everyone was laughing at you".

"No-one is laughing now. That was stunning."

Boyle, from West Lothian, who says she has never been on a date or been kissed, now is the favorite to win the show - drawing comparisons with Paul Potts, an opera-singing mobile phone salesman who won in 2007. Potts went on to have number-one albums in 15 countries.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere you’ve probably have already heard about Susan Boyles (featured above).

I am ecstatic that she surprised the word and with her powerful voice silenced her would-be critics. My questions is; Why? What changed? Before she began service the judges, the audience, the entire world was ready to ridicule her and make fun of her-something Boyles has suffered all her life. However, now that she has become an overnight sensation, everyone sings her praises. If she wins-and I hope she does-she will made over; New hair style, new eyebrows, clothes, image, etc. and she will be respected and admired. Why wasn’t she recognized prior to the show?

What Is Love and How Do You Overcome Its Loss?

2009-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

As the world grows larger, more crowded; more complex, there are more and more controversial issues and questions that create never-ending debate. One of these has-for centuries past and I imagine century’s future-been the feeling, the notion, that indescribable and indefinable sentiment that seems to unite the entire world.

A friend of mine recently asked me if I knew the secret on how to get over the loss of a great love. I had to admit that I didn’t know. So she suggested that I post the question on this blog to seek out responses to this ever-present mystery….So, if you come across this post and wish to share, please do so.

The Generation Gap: Inevitable

2009-04-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

I like watching CBS Sunday Morning. It inspires me to watch stories about the human condition in a way that elevates the mundane into a noble cause. It motivates me to look at my own life and try to make sense of the many difficult situations and challenges present in everyone’s life.

As always, I often go around the bend to get to the point I am trying to make; it’s just the way my brain works. And a story in this week’s episode of CBS Sunday Morning inspired me to write about the ever-present Generation Gap battle among generations.

Like almost every child in the world, I experienced the stress and confrontations created by this formidable event, and at the time, I remember telling myself that when I grew up I wasn’t going to become this old stiff, inflexible man with a closed mind. I told myself that I would understand and come to terms with the fact that each generation changes the world; that each generation wants to make their own statement in however way they feel it needs to be told.

That was then. Now at the tender age of 54, I find myself engaged in a generation gap war with, not only with my children, but with my grand-children who like Hip Hop music and idolize ex-gang bangers turned rappers. And I find myself at odds with the world at large too.

I still like to believe that I am a rather liberal progressive guy however there are some “minor” issues with which I cannot agree. For example; I cannot get on-board with the way people drive today. I believe that it is rude and extremely dangerous. I cannot get on-board with some of today’s music; I don’t think that songs that promote violence against police officers, the use of drugs and the degradation of women are particular worthy of anything.

I cannot get on board with those who choose to wear sagging pants around their knees and show me their dirty disgusting underwear. Or those who choose to drive around with music so loud that it makes the fillings in my teeth shake.

I cannot get on board with those who choose to take their dogs inside stores and restaurants where I shop and eat. Human hair in my soup is bad enough, but dog hair?! Give me a break! They are dogs!!! No matter how much you love them, they all lick their own ass!!!

There are many more things going on in the world with which I cannot agree and that puts me square in the middle of the Generation Gap battle ground which I tried so hard to avoid.

And so the beat goes on…the beat goes on.

Road's End

2009-02-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

Old Age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggyeyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother/father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long...

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less Grey hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant grade on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon ?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken... How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect...

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become.

I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be... And I shall eat dessert every single day, if I feel like it. MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART! MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER...

Thanks for sharing Mr. Charles...

Holidays...Bah Humbug!!

2009-01-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

Well another Holiday Season has come and gone and all of us are left counting the casualties. For some it is that dreaded credit card bill which will tell us in no uncertain terms and without any pleasantries that we spent more than the should have; and in most cases, on people who really did not appreciate it. Heck, most of us are so busy “getting ready” for the Holidays that we forget to “celebrate the Holidays.” Or to be more specific, if albeit not politically correct; Christmas!

Still others will count casualties in the context of loss…Lost loved ones. Lost friendships, lost expectations. I am sure that we’ve all heard the saying, “…we can choose our friends, but we can't choose our relatives…” A saying that fails miserably short in its attempt to be funny.

While it is often true that relatives can- and often do-drive us crazy, for better or for worse, and perhaps because of true love or a sense of duty-after all, “blood IS thicher than water”-it is more often than not, family members who are still standing by our sides when all of our other so-called “friends” have moved on. Is is family who acknowledges the sending of greeting cards and who take the time to send out a thought and a feeling to someone.

Perhaps there is good reason why people often sing “Auld Lang Syne” during the holidays for there’s a line in that particular song which while sad is also very poignant. “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old times since?”

It would appear that either by desing or subconcious carelesness, that is exactly what we do during the Holidays.

This Christmas season I decided that I was going to stop being a Grinch and send out Christmas cards to not only my family, but to those who I consider friends. Let's just say that I was inspired by cowgirl who always honors the small details. I sent out 86 cards telling family and friends how I feel about them and wishing them and their families a Happy Holiday Season because after all, tomorrow is not a promise. A total of 12 people thought enough of me or my family to send a card of their own or reply to the one I sent.

I guess that it can be argued that the Holidays are not about that, and that’s right. The Holidays: The Reason for the Season, is the birth of a small child whose birth went unnoticed by much of the world and who still gave his life so that the rest of us can be heartless…..

2008-12-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

While stuck in suffocating local traffic yesterday; inhaling all that sweet pollution and sweating from the unseasonably HOT weather we’ve been having for what it seems has been FOREVER, the movie “Bruce Almighthy”suddenly came to mind. What would I do if I were suddenly given God’s powers? And while getting rid of clooged freeways would be top on my list right up there with coooling the planet-especially San Diego, and sending all those other people stuck in traffic with me back to where-ever they came from, I also realized that one man’s curse is another man’s paradise.

I, for example, suffer from a breathing condition that is worsen terribly by extreme hot weather. Santa Ana winds for me are a nightmare from hell which makes me run for my inhaler and if they last long enough; to my local Emergency room. However, for the thousands if not millions of people who suffer from Arthritis, or who are homeless and lack a shelter from what otherwise is supposed to be cold weather; the current weather we are having in San Diego is a blessing.

I am sure that the hundreds of people who did NOT loose their homes in the recent fires are “concerned” about the current hot and windy conditions and are praying for cooler weather if not plain-out rain; should they loose THEIR homes to another Santa Ana fueled fire. And yet, too much rain could cause massive land-slides which could claim even more homes and more importantly, more lives.

The millions of people who have lost their jobs at the worse time of the year-not that there’s a ever a good time to be jobless-wish that the economy would pick up and that jobs were plentiful again. But for those who have to deal with the social and economical problems that a booming economy bring, this recession seems to be what is needed for those with the money and the power to re-focus their efforts on what is really important.

The more I thought about all the problems of the world and how they are all somehow related to each other the more I believed that no, I wouldn’t want to be God and be in-charge of deciding what prayer to answer and which one to ignore. Can you begin to imagine how many people there’d be in the world if for everyone who has ever lived and died were still alive as per the requests of those who loved them?

Yes, I am forced to admit that it doesn’t matter where or what I am doing, God is always answering a prayer which more often than not, goes against my own desires. Go figure…..

Hope?

2008-12-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

Like millions of other Americans, I too found myself lowering my guard and hoping that the historic moment I was witnessing on election night would transcend politics and make all of us, not just better Americans, but better human beings.

I watched in wonder how people of all different ethnic backgrounds came together at my gym the very next day and excitedly exchanged ideas and hope for the future, seemingly setting aside the wounds and the pain of the past and willing to work together as Americans! And I found myself wondering I my cynicism-born of 50 years of disappointments-had made me too hard; unable to believe anymore.

Even the way we treated each other during our long, arduous and boring morning and evening commutes seemed different. People were being courteous; letting others change lanes. There were smiles on people’s faces and I even witnessed a few friendly waves of the hand.

For the first time in a very long time I felt the grip on the battle sword I have long carried with me, begin to weaken and allowed myself the faint hope that we as people, might make it after all.
Then came Black Friday and my hopes and dreams were once more dashed by the nature of mankind. Once again I found myself thinking and believing that it doesn’t matter who the Shepperd is; Obama, Mc Cain or Jesus Christ, we as “Godless” people have sunk too low and have turned our eyes too inward to give a damn about others.

In this, what is supposed to be the happiest of seasons, three people have lost their lives needlessly in shopping related incidents. Two men shot and killed each other inside a Toys-R-Us store-packed with shopping families with children; according to news sources, because their wives became engaged in an argument.

Inside a Wal-Mart a man simply trying to make a living in a recession was trampled to death by an out of control mob mad with their own greed. And this “battle” is not even for food or survival, but for toys and consumer goods. God help us should the day come when food is scarce.

Our freeways seem more like a scene from “Mad Max” than the roadways of a civilized world. Every where you turn there is someone-usually more than one-driving rudely and recklessly, endangering their lives and the lives of everyone else on the road. Like a fever, the way we drive is a symptom of something perhaps more serious taking place somewhere else in the body. The body in this case is society in general.

And, as if the wrong of our times needed an exclamation point; the tragedy in Mimbay-formerly known as Bombay-in India. Instead of celebrating a Holy season in whatever spirit and belief we all share, more than 100 people will be mouring the terrible loss of a loved one.

President-Elect Obama has not yet taken office, but that is not in any way interfering with the wave of complaints from the very people who voted him into office. “Oh, he is not being aggressive enough. He is not bringing the ‘change’ he promised.” Or is stopping those who will test his resolve as President.

We have become an egotistical and selfish society and this is very, very bad. For when we turn our eyes toward ourselves, we are incapable of seeing the world around us. We are incapable of learning and thus, change.

Our very nature is evil. Our forefathers understood this and this why so many of the men who sacrificed everything for our freedom often spoke about a government of laws, “…for man must be ruled by the word or by the sword. But ruled he must…”

Earth without mankind is Eden. Earth with mankind in it is Hell. We are the pestilence that infects this planet. No other creature on the face of the earth can act with pre-meditation and ill-will toward fellow-man. Only we are capable of such savagery and we we are getting more savage with each passing Holiday Season.

Ho-ho-ho…

We Shall Miss You Always!

2008-09-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Angels-by definition-are not of this world. They are God’s own cheerleaders and protectors sent to us to brighten our lives with their innocence, curiosity, happiness and love.

They are blessings in disguise sent by God to show us the true definition of unconditional love and beauty; a glimpse of the paradise He has promised those who believe in Him and in His name try to live a life worthy of that glory.

Unfortunately for those of use who happen to be lucky enough to encounter that Angel, often times have to endure their unexpected and much too soon departure. This is the case of a special Angel called Diana who was called back to Heaven by He who gave her to us.

I can’t begin to imagine the pain and the sadness of all of those who knew her well and loved her. I only knew her for a very short while and my heart aches at her passing. I can’t fathom the agony and grief of her mother who unselfishly and without a moment’s hesitation denied herself and dedicated her life to fulfill this Angel’s special needs.

I can however, imagine the immense hole that her absence will create in the lives of those who knew her for I feel it already in my mine. Her laughter and trusting innocence gave us all hope that there could be a better world. Her un-bashful and unrestrained zest for life despite her challenges served as shinny examples of true courage and what a gift life is.

I will miss her laughter and her singing and her calling me “Tio”, a special title she had for those she loved.

Farewell Diana and thank you so very much for coming into our lives and sharing with the rest of us your own piece of Heaven. You shall me missed and never forgotten for your will live in our hearts. We love you!

The Final Regret

2008-08-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

As Ride Captain for an organization known as Patriot Guard Riders I attend a quite a number of funerals and memorial services throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. And while the miles and what we call the “missions" and the dog tags we make to memorize them are beginning to pile up, I can’t get used to the deep and desperate grief that is part of each and every one of these “missions”.

Inevitably many things are always the same at these ocassions; the black clothes, the dark glasses that unsuccessfully try to hide away tears, the terrible grief that always grips the friends and loved ones. But one particular theme that specially toggles at my heart is the finality of the regret some people feel for feelings gone unsaid. Time and time again I hear a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, a wife, a child wish they would have had more time to express those feelings that are important: One more day to say one more, “I love you”, or to say, “I am sorry” for harsh words or deeds spoken or acted out in a moment of frustration.

I believe that more than anything else it is this final regret that brings home the finality of death; the fact that never again will we have a chance to share a moment with that loved one who always seems to have left way too soon.

So I have proposed to not let this happen to me or my loved ones. I have proposed to say those things that need to be said; to express those emotions that only mean something when shared during the magical journey that is life. And this doesn’t mean that if I say “I love you” to anyone in particular he or she has to love me back, for it is not about how they feel about me, but more about how they’ve touched MY life and the feelings that they’ve inspired in me!

People are almost constantly coming in and out of our lives for a reason. Sometimes they come when we have something to give. More often than not, they appear when we are in need of a particular gift they possess. But in any case, they seem to always write a chapter in our own book of life and in so doing, enrich our lives and make it better: Even if we don’t realize it at that very moment for change, even for the better is painful, but necessary because it is only when we dare to go around the bend that the wonders of the world are exposed to us.

So please, do yourself a big favor and share those wonderful feelings you have deep inside. Take that special person out for coffee, tea, lunch or just take a walk and let them know how special they are to you. Don’t wait until the final chapter is written and there are no more pages left. Then, it will be too late.

True, Fair, Balanced News...Bull

2008-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

I don’t really know if there was EVER a time when newspapers or any other news delivery media actually gave the public true balanced news. If there was ever such a time let me tell you something…Those days are OVER!

In case you have not figured it out by yourself yet, let me tell you how newspapers, television, radio and magazines work these days: MONEY!

I am a free-lance photographer and correspondent and because I am not in the payroll of any news media organization, my livelihood depends on following stories which these media outlets would want to buy. Increasingly those stories have to be stories with a certain flare for the dramatic, the scandalous, the sensational or shocking.

Today’s news media survives on advertisement and advertisement in turn, dependss on circulation. In other words, the more people that read, watch or listen to your media, the more money the media can make on advertisement. Therefore, the “news” has to-almost by default- cater to the tastes of the readers, regardless of how dubious the content.

People are voyeuristic in nature; Let’s face it, who amongst us do not slow down at the scene of an accident to take a better look? Who amongst us do not like to watch a high-speed pursuit on television or listen to the latest gossip involving a politician or a celebrity?

Most people are not interested in good news. They much rather read about the “interesting” the scandalous or lascivious stories that often lead the news these days. So that’s what the news media gives them. Is either that, or they loose readers, and in so doing, dollars. And we all know that in today’s world, money is almost a religion.

So next time you turn on your TV in the morning as you get ready for work, or turn on your car radio on your way to work, listen carefully at what you’re hearing. Listen at how the powers to be manipulate your thinking, your opinion, your diet, your wardrobe and practically everything else in your life.

If you want to listen, fine go ahead. However, do not be fooled for even a split second that you’re getting true, unbiased or balanced news. There is NO SUCH THING!

MY Arby's Store Policy

2008-07-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today-as is often the case with me-I saw something relatively small when compared with the seriousness of the challenges facing the world today, but which makes me wonder about the bigger picture; for it is more often than not, the smallest detail which speaks the loudest about the general health of society.

While sitting inside an Arby’s Restaurant with my grandson I saw-what to me was the most powerful argument for the use of contraceptives I’ve ever seen-walk into the restaurant carrying a large bag of food from Arby’s competitor; Mc Donald’s. Along with the bag, this “Stud Muffin” was also carrying an empty McDonald’s 32 oz cup, which by the look if it, had been re-filled several times.

Without hesitation or trepidation this “prime dirt bag” strolled over to the self-serve soda counter and proceeded to fill the cup to the rim, drink half of it and fill it up again. He then calmly walked over to a table-where several other fine specimens were seated-placed his feet on the empty seat across from him and beging eating his “Big Mac”, all the while being as loud and boisterous as he could.

The behavior of this “long-haired” tattooed “wanna-be” thug with very questionable taste in underwear, while not criminal, was clearly meant to intimidate the large Hispanic clientele who perhaps is not accustomed to the loud, obnoxious and rude behavior of some American teens.

Now I don’t know what Arby’s policy might be regarding the eating of competitors food and stealing soft drinks in their stores. I imagine that in his capitalistic market they might frown on it. However, in this case, the Store Manager chose to ignore the theft and continued serving customers.

I know that if I’d been the Store Manager I would have enacted the “Get the fuck out of my store before I have your white skinny ass arrested for stealing” policy. And oh…”pull your fucking pants up asshole. No one wants to see that shit while their eating!!”

I guess is a good thing that I am NOT in the “People Business, huh?”

Sailing Into Harm's Way

2008-06-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day for the United States of America. Why? Because Hilary Clinton, one of two democratic Presidential candidates has lost her race for the nomination of her party; I say this despite the fact that I am NOT a Democrat, I AM a Republican. Not because I do not believe in Civil Liberties; for I do. But I also believe that freedoms are inexorably tied with responsibility and balance and that not ALL freedoms should be granted.

I would rather see my candidate, John Mc Cain, loose to Senator Clinton than to the misleading and deceptive Barack Obama who upon taking office and in light of his recent resignation to his Christian church, will more than likely announce that he has found a new religious faith; Islam. To me this is as ridiculous and inconceivable as the American people electing Japanese general Yamamoto during our struggle during WW II. We just cannot take such a risk.

I can understand the American people dissatisfaction with politics as usual. I can understand and empathize with the American people hatred for the war- for no-one in his or her right mind can accept war as a given. I can understand the American people longing for a world where everyone is at peace and we can all gather around and collectively sing Kumbaya. But what I cannot understand is the American people naiveté in believing that such a world can exist without the compromise of the ideals that birthed America.

Barack Obama has simply promised change and the American people have forgotten that change is not always positive. Don’t believe so? Ask the people of Venezuela who are suffering under ever-increasingly oppressive President Hugo Chavez; a man, who like Obama, promised change.

Ask the Cuban people, who were promised change by Fidel Castro during his revolution against dictator Batista. Ask the people of any oppressed country who was beguiled by the deceit of a charming and seemingly enigmatic candidate.

I am convinced that Senator Barack Obama is the WRONG man for the job of President of the United States of America. I belief that America is embarking in a dangerous and irreparable destiny should Senator Obama become our President. A situation which will lead to the destruction of this nation, and I can’t help but to remember the old adage, “Not everything that glitters is gold.”

Memorial Day 2008

2008-06-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Another Memorial Day has passed and while I am a little late in paying tribute to those brave and women who have given their lives defending an ideal, I am here; present and accounted for to remind those who have forgotten, those who never knew, those who never served, those who never gave but who take each and every day of their miserable lives, that this day is NOT about outdoor BBQ’s, hamburgers, hotdogs, blowout sales, vacations, or the opening of swimming pools-as some children recently answered when asked what Memorial Day meant.

No, today is about recognizing those who didn’t want to die, those who wanted to live, grow up, get married, have children and grandchildren and grow old, but who never got the chance.

You see this face? What do you see? Do you see an old man whose time has passed? Do you see a man who should step aside and let a new generation do “its thing”? I hope not. I hope you see what I see; a man who proudly stood and answered the call of his country. A man willing to sacrifice everything to defend his ideals, his beliefs, his family and everything he held dear, including this country which gives us so much-it allows us to insult it, it allows us to attack it, it allows us to turn our backs to it.

If you notice this man’s hat you will see that he served on-board the USS Hornet (CV-8) an aircraft carrier which served with distinction-If you want to find out more about the service record of this ship and that the crew endured, PLEASE click on the above tittle and you will be directed to the USS Hornet's Museum-during WW II. That makes him a living hero, a legend, part of the greatest generation this country WILL EVER see. For if it weren’t for men and women like this, who knows whose flag would wave under our capital. We Shall Never see the likes of them again.

I know that in today’s Political Correct world patriotism has become something to be ashamed of, something to denounce for some ignorant people believe that being patriotic and grateful somehow discriminates against those who are not Americans. However, I feel differently for everyone who comes to this country is looking for the same ideal this man and many like him served for; Freedom.

Please, remember that next year before you worry yourself sick over what beach you will go to, what sale you will take advantage of, whose party you will attend.

The Years

2008-04-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today, as I walked along the street I came upon a handsome strapping man who although getting along in years, looked as if he could still take care of himself. A little slow in his walk and his back perhaps not as straight as he might have liked, this well-dressed and very distinguished man looked me straight in the eye and gently, almost timidly stepped aside to allow me to pass on the narrow sidewalk. And I don’t mean that he made way for me; no, he stepped clear into the street and allowed me to pass. Why? I guess that I will never know, but his gesture made me wonder.

Perhaps it was simple and plain courtesy; something long forgotten in today’s world. But maybe it was something else. Perhaps it was the state of his years, the fragility of his stature which made him do what he did.

As I passed abreast of him I saw this powerful man look down, his eyes on the pavement as in quiet recognition that his time has already passed; As if to acknowledge that room should me made for a younger generation. But what I saw in this gentle giant was far removed from this-my own assumption-for in him I saw the strength of his youth, the assurance of his years and the character of a man. Not an old man, just a man. A man who once dreamed of a future filled with glory and accomplishment: A future where he and he alone would conquer the world. And perhaps he did for around his neck he wore a stethoscope. Perhaps he was an MD, I don’t know and I don’t really care because what I saw in his eyes was far more important.

I wish I would have stopped him from stepping aside. I wish that I would have stepped aside before he did, for he has more than earned the respect. But above all, I wish that he knows that it doesn’t matter that the years have passed, but what has come to pass during those years. For is not what a man has accomplished in his life that’s important, but the legacy he leaves behind.

Whaaaaa!

2008-04-02T06:58:00.001-07:00

Wow, here we go again! Some San Diegans are whinning because the city-in an effort to keep pollution from reaching the ocean, which brings federal fines-is planning to sweep the streets twice a week instead of the current once a week schedule. Their complaint: That they will have to move their cars twice a week and will not be able to park on the street-as opposed to their driveway or garage which the city mandates in every dwelling.

Of course, many will ignore the new schedule-just as they do the current one-forcing street sweepers to go around their cars: The penalty? None whatsoever! Street sweepers have no power to cite vehicles which week after week ignore the posted schedule. One possible solution; to empower city employees to cite illegally parked vehicles for ignoring posted signs: The consequences? The may never finish sweeping the streets.

And the beat goes on…

Everyday People, Doing Extraordinary Acts

2008-04-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

San Diego County Sheriff William Kolender announces this year’s Sheriff’s Department Medal of Valor winners at an awards ceremony which took place at MCAS in Miramar on Tuesday morning.

Seveal deputies, county employees as well as civilians were honored for their contribution and acts of heroism during the wild fires last fall.

Among the recipients was deputy Alvin Vasquez, who received his second Medal of Valor for his efforts in rescuing home owners trapped by the North County fires last fall. Deputy Vasquez earned his first Medal of Valor for similar acts of heroism during the fires that devastated San Diego in 2003.

John Mc Cain....

2008-03-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

I just met Republican Presidential candidate John Mc Cain: Have you ever met a presidential candidate? Have you ever shaken his or her hand, looked into their eyes and see that human being and not the public persona? If you haven’t I strongly suggest that you do so if you ever have the opportunity, for what you you’ll see is a lot different than the carefully edited, perfectly lit and masterfully crafted sound bite that is so often part of the news. What you will see is reality: Real people standing there in all their wonderful human flaws with a desire to serve. Would YOU run for public office knowing the intense scrutiny you, your family and friends will face?

Mc Cain spoke of the economy, the war and Veterans Affairs. Perhaps not surprisingly given the nature of the crowd-members of the Greatest Generation; survivors of some of the most important conflicts in WW II.

When other candidates speak of the war, is rhetoric. When Republican Presidential candidate John Mc Cain,-former US Navy pilot and POW during the Vietnam war-and the sacrifices it demands, it is reality, its experience, its understanding born from an unique and specially qualified perspective: that of a man who paid dearly for the call of duty. Mc Cain understands that America has not been fair to those who like him, answered the call of their nation and have suffered so much because of it.

John Mc Cain speaks with the conviction of a man who knows that because you must support the cause of war does not mean you seek it: a man who knows that every human being-including our enemies-long for peace. However this peace everyone seeks is always based on our own ideals and principles and that living in servitude is NOT peace nor is it freedom: Freedom that as Americans, we cherish, not only for ourselves, but for everyone.

John Mc Cain doesn’t want war; God knows he’s lived enough of it. However, he also knows and there are fights worth fighting, that there are principles worth saving and more importantly, that there are fights that demand a complete and total victory, not just a truce of a compromise.

I don’t know about you, but when that telephone hot line inside the White House rings in the middle of the night I want the Commander in Chief who answers that call to know what is like to have answered the call of a nation. A Commander in Chief, who has lived, fought and survived other crises: A Commander in Chief who knows, and doesn't just have an idea …Now that’s leadership. Oh, by the way, yes, I am a Republican.

Surfing USA

2008-03-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Perhaps nothing depicts the magic of summer more eloquently than surfing. And while San Diego is not known for the kind of waves that surfers live for, we are known as a city with a beautiful coast line, which thanks to great year-round weather, is a magnet for people all over the world.

So popular is San Diego that during the months of May through September, San Diego is hijacked by so-called “zonies,”- visitors from Arizona who migrate to San Diego looking for cooler temperatures and cool waters.

On any given weekend traffic along the I-5 and the I-15-the only two major arteries leading to and from San Diego-are jammed with visitors coming into our fair city to enjoy its many amenities-mostly the beautiful beaches and the newly redeveloped Gaslamp Quarter which is becoming known for its “New Orleans” flavor and atmosphere.

I am not so sure that San Diego is really entitled to its slogan of “America’s Finest City,” after all; boasting has always been a part of advertising and promotions. However, there are many things that San Diego does right, and being a good host to the many tourists who every year visit our city, is one of the many things that San Diego does right.

It All Begins With a Simple Hello

2008-03-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Heel, a local surfer in Ocean Beach side-lined by a recent arm injury, enjoys a hot cup of coffee and a brief chat with my friend, Bill while he wistfully watches his surfing buddies enjoy better-than-average surf at Ocean Beach on Wednesday morning.

Heel-yes, that is his real name-said that he really doesn’t know how he injured his arm but that the injury is going to keep him out of the water for six long months. However, he proudly adds that it has already been 8 weeks since his arm was placed in a cast in order to prevent further injury to all the torn ligaments in his shoulder.

Still, Heel admits that is going to be a long and frustrating summer until August when he hopes to have the cast removed and be back in action.

I met Heel as my friends and I got together again for our monthly Photo Club breakfast-a very loose association of photography enthusiasts who just happen to enjoy each other’s company and share a passion for photography.

Every time we meet I am reminded of just how much we can learn and how much more our enjoyment of this great world can be if we keep an open mind and are just willing to share a simple smile and “Hello!” Something that both Bill and Rick are really good at.

In the year since we’ve been meeting just for fun, we have managed to meet people from all over the state, the nation and even the world. Bill-our friendly giant-now enjoys the pen pal friendship of a Chinese student he met while we where "shooting" around town and she vacationed in San Diego last year.

Through the magic of the internet they share stories and-of course, pictures-of each other’s families and lives.

A lot of negative things can be said about globalization-its negative impact on the local economy, the ease of terrorist elements to reach our borders-but a lot of good things can also be said about this ever-increasingly shrinking planet. And one of those things is that through a friendly greeting and easy-to-use technology, we get to see our similarities more than we see our differences. That despite our political views we all share a humanity that is…well, human. And when we begin to see each other as brothers and sisters sharing a planet, those political and ideological differences that seem to make such a difference now, disappear like the waves on the shores of Ocean Beach.

A Cottage One Sunday Morning

2008-03-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Among the many pleasures of travel-new scenes, new activities, new routines-is the sometimes unexpected pleasure of meeting new people and discovering the often interesting facts about their lives and how they came to be where they are. They say that behind every face, every life, there’s a story and more often than not, is not what it first appears to be.

That was the case during a recent trip I took into the unknown; an adventure if you will. As I always do then I travel I dedicated myself to my passion: Photography. It was while taking a picture of what I thought was a charming little house in a semi state of disrepair tucked away in the small town of Julian, just east of San Diego, California that I discovered such an unexpected story.

My intent was to take the picture and be on my way. However, as I was looking for the perfect point of view, I saw a friendly and welcoming woman walking toward me, carrying a Red Flyer full of what I assumed to be firewood. She raised her hand and with a smile as bright as the morning sun said, “Howdy friend, can I help you?”

“I was just going to take a picture of your house, if you don’t mind. I think it is quite charming”, I said trying hard to muster all the friendliness I am capable of, sometimes not an easy task.

“Why on earth would you want to take a picture of my itty-bitty house for?” she asked. Then, before I could change my mind she said, “It used to be a lot prettier back when my Joe was alive. Last winter we lost a huge maple tree in front of the house, it was heavy with snow and it missed the house by inches”, she said as she pointed to the stump of what must have been a huge tree just two feet from the front porch.

“I wish I could fix it up, but being a recent widow I find it difficult to keep things up” she said in almost a nostalgic whisper full of both, regret and remembrance.

I felt compelled to talk to her, and I introduced myself. She did the same and told me that her name was Barbara, Barbara Stanley. “Any relation to the actress?” I asked.

“No, she was Barbara Stanwyck. I am Barbara Stan-l-e-y,” she corrected with a hint of pride.

We soon fell into an easy-going conversation as she willingly told me the story behind the house and how two beach combers from Ocean Beach in San Diego had ended up in the mountains of Julian with nearly two acres of some of the most beautiful land around.

It turns out that Joe and Barbara had both grown up in the beach community of Ocean Beach in San Diego. He was the son of Greek immigrants and she was the daughter of a former farmer from the Midwest. The love bug soon bit them both and they began going “steady” in the 8th grade; they became inseparable ever since.

Deciding that they had waited long enough, they got married in 1954, soon after high school, and rented a small apartment.

Like most men in San Diego back then, Joe became a fisherman. The Tuna fishing industry was a booming business back then and Joe made a good living, allowing Barbara to stay home and begin raising a family.

However, the fishing industry took a turn for the worse and Joe was forced to change professions. Joe found a job as a butcher apprentice in a nearby slaughterhouse and in no time became an expert butcher. In 1965 Joe began to grow weary of working “for the man” and began looking for other income opportunities. One Sunday, while reading the paper, Joe saw a For Sale ad for a locally owned Butcher Shop. There was only one catch; the shop was located in the mountain town of Julian some 50 miles east of San Diego. Needless to say, Barbara was not too keen on moving to Julian, and Joe, like a good husband listened to his wife and dropped the idea.

A year later, Joe once again saw the same ad in the newspaper and telling Barbara that it was a “sign” packed his family into their station wagon and headed for Julian.

As it turned out, the man who was selling the butcher shop had sold it the year before, when the ad had originally appeared in the newspaper. But the deal had fallen through and the new owners were forced to “give it back” to the original owner. Telling Joe that he had made his money on the previous deal, he agreed to sell the entire business to Joe for five hundred dollars! Joe, who had managed to save two-thousand dollars, jumped at the offer and bought the shop right then and there. Joe then purchased the house and the property with the remaining money and just like that Joe was a businessman and Barbara was a “country wife” with two children to raise in a whole “new world”.

Joe was a hard working man and soon business was booming. After fifteen years Joe moved the business a barn he had built at the back of the house and began to concentrate on “custom butcher work” for hunters, neighbors and friends.

Life was good for Joe and Barbara in the small town and in 2005 they were able to take their “dream” vacation to Greece. They had a wonderful time, as all the photos in their living room attest to.

Then, on Labor Day 2007, Joe’s and Barbara’s sweet life came to a sudden and tragic end. On that day, Joe, who always got out of bed first to get the newspaper and make coffee for Barbara, died of a sudden heart-attack. Barbara found him on their driveway and life has never been the same.

Married for 52 years and sweethearts for almost sixty, Barbara was suddenly alone and overwhelmed. Left with a fully equipped butcher shop inside a full barn in the back of her property, Barbara now struggles to make ends meet, and is trying to sell the machinery that once made her life possible. And the house, which I had first found so charming it its disrepair, had now become a statement of a widow’s life.

Barbara was more than friendly; she was sweet, generous, accepting and trusting. She proudly showed me Joe’s office, machines and shop. She shared photographs and memories, but more importantly perhaps, she shared her life and in so doing, the photograph of her house, is now more than an image, it is also a memento of a day when I allowed myself to be human and so doing, touched the life of a lonely widow whom for a precious moment re-lived the fairy tale that had been her life. Who knew?

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

2008-02-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

I believe that we human beings have many responsibilities in life, but among the many responsibilities we are burden with perhaps none is more important or carries more consequences that our ability to feel compassion and share sympathy with our fellow human beings. For it is perhaps those small, almost imperceptible moments that so often go unnoticed, that leave a legacy: A legacy of kindness and love that someday might help change the world.

Newspapers report the news because of a sense of responsibility to society in general. A well informed nation is an effective nation. A nation that can effect change for the better and that should always be the goal.

So I now use this humble page to do the same thing. A few days ago I became aware of a non-profit organization which quietly and lovingly is spreading a legacy of love that is changing lives. Lives already ravaged by loss.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep-so named after the children’s bedtime prayer-is a non-profit group of approximately 3,000 professional photographers who unselfishly donate their time and talent to families who are facing a parent’s worse nightmare; the loss of a child.

Founded by Littleton, Colorado photographer Sandy Puc in April 2005, after being called upon to photograph the last moments of a newborn, the organization gently provides these devastated families with beautiful portraits of their children: A lasting memory of the precious, if brief moments spent sharing a life.

Because of the beauty of the gift and the terrible need, the organization has expanded to 8 countries all over the world. It now also provides portraits for all children up to the age of 17 years, recognizing that a child is precious at any age.

While a worthwhile cause, the job is not easy. Photographers must step into the most personal and painful moments in a family’s life and, with great compassion, create the portraits which will forever be a link to a life lost. Volunteers must be able and willing to respond to the families pleads at anytime; day or night, for sorrow often arrives unexpectedly. However, the reward of being able to provide a family with the means to heal brings hope to their future, and honors the child, for it is through remembrance that a family can truly begin to heal.

If you’re a professional photographer with a heart for love, kindness and compassion and you think you could be part of this beautiful project, please visit Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep at; www.nilmdts.org and submit your name for consideration. I can’t think of a more beautiful way to share a God-given talent.

Don't Tread On Me

2008-02-18T18:26:00.001-08:00

While doing a little cardiovascular work at my local gym this morning, I looked at the crowd before me and I did not see Whites, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native-Americans or anything else: I saw Americans. Different shades of a beautiful rainbow which paints America: People of all different backgrounds and experiences who come together every morning because they are committed to a better quality of life.

All of a sudden it struck me; Americans, like a giant family, will occasionally bicker with each other, but united by a common goal, will fight to defend the freedoms that they now enjoy. Facing a threat to the core of what makes this nation unique, and we will strike like a Lioness defending her cubs.

Why not? America was born of revolution; out of a desire to right a wrong, to address an injustice and to live free. It’s what defines America and Americans; the desire to be free.

The Taliban and those who oppose Americans way of life have their work cut out for them. While fighting a war on foreign soil to liberate people who perhaps despise our way of life even more so than they despise oppression might give raise to a fair share of critics, threaten our country, our lives, and our freedom here at home, and you will have stirred a hornet’s nest not unlike what the Japanese did during WWII.

The only way to attack this commitment, this singular focus is to attack from within, to make Americans believe that the threat they don’t see is part of a change they desire. The only way to attack and possibly defeat the dream that IS America is to pull the wool over the eyes of those who would seek peace at any cost. And the only way to defend America against this unique threat is to remain ever vigilant; much like the parent, guards the child. Use force to accomplish this, and Americans will rise against it with the passion, the singularity of purpose of a people who have always sought a better way of life. And that is the way it should be. What good is a principle one is not willing to die to defend?

Wooden Roses: Not Wooden Nickels

2008-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

San Diego, Ca---Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. That’s exactly what happened to me this morning.

As a freelance photographer and correspondent I am always looking for an opportunity to capture that dramatic image or story that will help me win a Pulitzer Prize. However, more often than not, I come across very nice and interesting people who, in their daily struggle for survival, have stories far more interesting than the ones what would get me that prize.

Such is the case with Melanie Fox and her husband. Recent transplants from Wisconsin, they arrived in San Diego in November and decided to venture into the business world.

While covering the 3rd Annual celebration of the Vietnamese New year in San Diego, I met the Fox’ who operate a small business out of Ocean Beach called, “Wooden Roses”. But don’t let the name fool you. These roses don’t look anything like the fake roses one usually finds in an Arts and Crafts Store. They look so real that they can even fool an expert. Just ask the Bee who mistook the roses for real ones recently to the amusement of Melanie Fox, owner and operator of Wooden Roses.

This simple business seems to have found the perfect answer to the age old question; How to keep real roses fresh? Real roses, of course, are magnificent and will always have a place in the never ending story of romance. However, for couples whose love has endured the test of time, these roses offer a perfect solution because, like their own love, they will last forever; a constant reminder of a perfect Valentine’s Day. And unlike real roses, these won’t send you to the poor house.

So, if you’re looking for the perfect flowers this Valentine’s Day, stop by Rock, Paper, Scissors in the corner of Bacon and Newport Streets in Ocean Beach and give your everlasting love a new form of self expression. You won’t be sorry.

Toll Roads: Double Taxation?

2008-02-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

For decades, California-a state known for sunshine, surfing and freedoms-had avoided falling into one of the largest and legal racketeering scams private companies have going in the US: Toll Roads!

The responsibility of building roads fall on local and federal governments. Every gallon of gasoline in every state is laden with local, state and federal taxes; taxes that are earmarked for the construction of roads and freeways. However, because of special interests groups road construction is often delayed and projects sometimes come to a grinding halt. The transportation taxes then sit idle waiting for lawsuits and counter lawsuits to be settled in court.

We ALL know that politicians are incapable of not spending money, especially if its use is tied up in the legal system, and more often than not the money is then transferred to the General Fund where it is used to finance every social and non social program that strikes a fancy in any given congressional district so that some incumbent can get re-elected.

When a road is finally approved, tax money collected for its use, is no longer available and that’s when politicians make a pact with the Devil. The task then is unlawfully given to a private company who is more than willing and able to build a road with “creative” funding and partnerships which at the end are nothing more than a bunch of hype with some private company making a huge profit.

For example: The new South Bay Expressway was designed and constructed through an innovative public-private financial partnership between the State of California and California Transportation Ventures Incorporated (CTV), a private consortium selected by Caltrans in 1990. The southern portion of the project, estimated to cost $635m, was financed by CTV through a combination of funding sources and is operated as an express toll road from SR-54 near Sweetwater Reservoir to SR-905 (Otay Mesa Road).
Once open to traffic, CTV will operate and maintain the toll road portion of the project. After the required 35 year concession, CTV will return the toll road back to Caltrans.

The financing structure of South Bay Expressway is unique and includes bank loans, a $140m federal loan facility provided by the US Department of Transportation under the TIFIA program (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998) and private equity capital. Additionally, area developers have dedicated right of way valued at $48m to the South Bay Expressway project.

In addition, the northern end of the South Bay Expressway project, estimated to cost an additional $138m, was funded through local financial support committed by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The SANDAG funding is dedicated to construction of the Gap and Connector sections of the project, important un-tolled links that will connect the tolled section of South Bay Expressway to the existing San Diego freeway network

The road is now built and the people, already struggling under the weight of high gas prices loaded with road taxes, are being charged again. The reality of toll roads is that more often than not, only the upper class can afford to pay to use the road and the road then literally becomes a road for the rich or the “well-to-do”. The poor have to sit in snarled traffic on the “free” road.

At the end of the 20, 30, or as in this case, 35 year agreement, after the private partnership has had its fill of profits, then turn the road back to the government who may or may not stop collecting the toll.

The Coronado Bridge serves as a reminder of this kind of deal. After years of collecting a toll to pay for its construction, the state continued to charge the toll in order to fund other programs well after the cost of its construction had been paid.

Toll Roads are a windfall for the government and a total rip off for the public who pays taxes for the construction and maintenance of “free roads”. At the end the state gets to keep the road, the taxes collected for transportation are used for other projects and the people get screwed. This is especially true for the new South Bay Freeway because its non-manned toll booths only accept exact change, often do not work properly, and require you to pay more than the toll with no change forthcoming.

This legal form of robbery needs to stop and is up to the people for whom government officials work, to vote these jokers out of office. Politicians need to learn within their limits like the rest of us. Nearly one third of our income already goes to pay for taxes: What percentage will they consider enough? This country was born out of the intolerance of its founders for taxation without representation. We are very close to violating the same principle.

As good luck would have it, last night the California Coastal Commission yesterday voted 8-2 to deny a proposed toll road that would have cut across habitat reserve in Orange County and San Onofre State Beach next to Campo Pendleton. Luckily just yesterday a similar road was voted down. The new Toll Road would have sliced through a State Park, endangering species and cutting access to the pristine beach near San Onofre. Of course, the company behind the project is not taking this vote lying down. An appeal is sure to follow.

"No Fair"

2008-02-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

Remember when you were a child and either a sibling or a friend made trouble and then convincingly blamed you for it? Remember how angry it made you to fall victim of a remarkable con artist who didn’t play fair? It happens every day: Honest righteous people who play by the rules suffer while those that cheat, steal and lie, prosper.

Something similar is happening to the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world. Somehow the bad guys are allowed to cheat, steal, lie and be barbarians while our troops get crucified for every mistake they make while in extremely hazardous and confusing conditions while trying to fight by the rules of engagement.

Insurgents hide in plain sight amongst the population-and are more often than not, aided by that population-confusing our troops and placing them in extreme danger as they fail to identify the enemy and the threats it poses: A tactic stolen straight from the North Vietnamese book of combat tactics. For those of you who were there: Remember the famous black pajamas? Then when the inevitable happens-civilians are killed or injured-they turn public opinion against our troops as if our troops were responsible for the enemy commingling through the civilian population.

Bleeding liberals who believe that the only path to enlightenment and redemption is to blame our troops and air our own mistakes to the world while erroneously identifying themselves with the enemy, turn public opinion against our troops and our own government, thus aiding the enemy.

Our troops are not perfect; they are young, dedicated people who are scared to death and honestly plain sick and tired of an enemy who doesn’t have any regards for human life. Those who have never experienced the pure unequaled terror of combat have NO right to judge, point fingers or even suffer an opinion on how our troops should do their job. The horror of war is that innocent people die; it is…unavoidable. This is why war should be avoided whenever possible. However when in the course of human nature such nightmare becomes necessary-some things ARE worth fighting for despite liberal beliefs to the contrary-we should endeavor to win for the cause is worthy.

In this war the cause is not only the liberation of an entire nation of oppressed people, but the survival of our own nation and our way of life. Simply stated, the radicals that attack us will not accept anything less than absolute conversion to THEIR religion for they see it as the only true means to God. Something that All religions have in common, I might add. The difference with our enemy is that they believe that it IS justified to kill anyone and everyone in the name of their cause. Do YOU want to forcibly become a Muslim? I know I don’t.

Why Can't We Just Drive?

2008-02-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Americans, like most everyone else, like to think of themselves as smart progressive people who evolve for the better every twenty years or so. For example, few of us would consider driving with a child seating on our lapslike we used to do some time ago.

Fewer of us think today that it is acceptable to drink and drive. And while there are still those who are guilty of doing so, the vast majority of normal and reasonable people have rejected this practice as totally insane!

But we think nothing of doing other activities while driving a car which are as dangerous as getting behind the wheel while drunk.

For example: A lot of people don’t think anything of getting behind the wheel of a car while talking on their cell phones, eating, drinking, texting or even reading the paper? Some people are driving while listening to their iPods which makes them incapable of hearing road hazards or emergency vehicles; there’s a reason why car manufacturers long time ago decided that cars needed a warning device and why emergency vehicles have sirens.

If you drive a car, you have undoubtedly noticed that increase of poor driving habits among the general population; changing lanes without signaling or even looking, not stopping at stop signs, turning in front of you when you’re already too close to stop should you need to.

I’ve often said that the way we drive says a lot about what is going on in society. How we treat each other while on the road behind a half a ton vehicle, speaks volumes on what we think of one another and how we treat each other every day.

In Germany where they have an Autobah no speed limit, it is unthinkable to drink, eat, smoke, or do anything else behind the wheel of a car, except drive the car! Even little old ladies have driving gloves and they use them. Europeans take the art-and it is an art people-of driving a car very seriously. There’s a reason why German car engineering is far superior to ours and why their cars are so sought after all over the world.

I know I am not going to change the world, but cyber space is big place and it seems as good enough a place to start. Think about it…

Let's Not Be Selfish and Self-Centered

2007-11-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

I could, (and I mean I could) understand the outrage over the wars in Pakistan and Iraq by men too stupid to understand that safeguarding international interests around the world has been and continues to be a legitimate reason for confrontation: Although the wars in both, Pakistan and Iraq are much more complex than that. Imagine if only ONE nation controlled all the fresh water in the world!

What I could not understand in a million years is why American women-women so spoiled to having their rights protected and enforced that currently laws exist that make it illegal for men to “leer” (whatever the hell that means) at them in the work place: That women who demand a man’s penis if one should have the temerity to speak to them at a party or a public bar, would have the guile to call President Bush a criminal, a rapist, a murderer, a warmonger and other chosen superlatives when in brining down Saddam Hussein and his pedophile sons he has single-handedly saved countless of “sisters” from atrocities including rape, genital mutilation, persecution and prosecution simply because they are women.

Currently there’s a woman serving a prison sentence for having had the audacity of being gang-raped because MEN in her country decided that this was appropriate punishment because in THEIR opinion she violated her country’s segregation laws. Are you freaking kidding me? I don’t care what justification is used for barbaric, fanatic and STUPID behabior-with Hitler it was the purification of the supreme race. With fanatic assholes is the will of God-moronic, uncivilized behavior is wrong, no matter the reason.

Is this what American women-and women all over the world for that matter, for it is not just American women who are protesting and calling Bush and the U.S. barbarians, women all over the world, including those who are oppressed, feel the same way- want for their counter-parts in other parts of the world? Are women so selfish, so comfortable that they have forgotten the long and hard struggle they took and continue to undertake each and every day to gain the respect and the acceptance that they are entitled to?

Is it okay for stupid, ignorant and barbaric men to keep young girls from securing an education, to cut off their clitoris in the name of religion, to undergo rapes, beatings and murder? Is this what Allah wishes for the women that He created to be man’s companion? Is this what the prophet Mohammad dictated for the woman who bore him, who gave him life; his mother? For even the great prophet had a mother, didn't he?

I can accept stupidity from third world countries where education and progress is all but non-existent, but here, in the United States of America, arguably the most progressive country in the world, this kind of view is nothing but moronic!
War is NEVER glamorous. It is cruel, horrible, painful and thus it should be avoided, but NOT to the sacrifice of the weak, the defenseless, the oppressed, for they are human too.

Big, Bad Men!!!

2007-11-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

What is it with stupid men with small egos who abuse women? Does it make you feel like a big man? Is it because a smaller and weaker woman is the only thing you can take? Does it make you feel superior, smarter, more Macho, you r dumb-ass?

Let me tell you something you bully, if you abuse a woman; being physically, verbally, mentally, emotionally or sexually, you are the worst coward and the biggest pile of crap there is. There’s no excuse for you; none whatsoever! It should be legal to take a baseball bat and just go nuts on you just to get you off of your high horse. It should be perfectly legal to shoot you on site! It should be perfectly legal for anyone, and I mean anyone who cares about women as human beings to beat the crap out of you so bad, that your own mother (Uh, a WOMAN!) won’t recognize you because for the rest of your worthless life you’ll be eating your food through a straw.

Personally, I like the shooting and killing on-site idea; because that way no one has to spend a damn dime taking care of you in prison. If you beat women, if you yell at them, demean them, keep them prisoners in their own homes (because being an jerk you’re afraid a real man will come along and take her away from you,) if you don’t appreciate everything they do; have your children, clean the house, wash the laundry, cook the meals, do the shopping, do the nursing, and all of this on top of a regular JOB; do us all a favor and jump off of a cliff!

Heroes

2007-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

When most people think about a Hero they probably conjure images of firefighters rushing into a burning inferno to rescue a child, or police officers running head first into danger, or perhaps soldiers sacrificing their lives to save the lives of their comrades. And while all these people are in fact heroes, there is still another kind of hero who quietly and without fanfare faces the daily challenges of life without complaint, but plenty of resolve.

I am fortunate to know, not just one of this kind of hero, but three men who I proudly call my friends. Our friendship is not the “molasses-sweet” kind of friendship; that is, we don’t call each other every day to see if everything is okay. We don’t even know each others birthdays or send cards on special occasions. But we do make an effort to meet once a month and share each other’s common interests and differences and we do it with respect, consideration and genuine interest.

Running Fool

I met Running Fool for the second time a couple of years ago during one of my first photographic assignments; I liked him right away. Running Fool is a gentle giant; a naturally peaceful and quiet soul with insatiable curiosity for everything around him. Once you meet him, it is difficult, if not impossible, to believe that this “Flower Child” was once a tough police officer.

While Running Fool is a far better photographer than I-a professional in fact-he withheld his knowledge and expertise to make me feel more comfortable. He knew it was one of my first professional assignments and he didn’t want me to feel intimidated. He softly asked my advice on an array of things to which he already knew the answer, and very gently offered me His own advice. He then set to shoot everything and everyone in a way I had never thought of before.

Even thou we had just met, Running Fool graciously bought lunch and made sure that the above 100 degree temperature was not getting to me. It did and I left him to finish shooting the assignment by himself. Not before making a pledge to meet once a month and share our common love for photography.

It was during this first breakfast that we both discovered that we had worked together before if only for one night. I knew there was a reason I liked him. We have been friends ever since.

A couple of months ago Running Fool faced a medical challenge which not only shook him, but the rest of us who know him and love him. And despite having every reason to complain about it, Running Fool simply faced it with the courage and quiet determination that he has always shown. A private man, Running Fool didn’t really discuss it, but we all knew that we were there, should he need us. Nothing else needed to be said. Thankfully everything is well with Running Fool and he has recovered his great sense of humor and the unique way in which he views life, not only through the viewfinder of his camera, but through his gentle eyes which have always looked at life from that slightly different POV.

Leroy

Leroy is a tall-6’ 4”-Viking of a man. I am still not quite sure of his ethnic background but I think that he is part English, German, and while he denies it, Viking. However, he should’ve been Mexican for he has a very soft heart for everything Mexican, especially the Señoritas.

Leroy is also a former police officer who just retired after a long career in law enforcement. Knowing him like I do, it is hard for me to imagine him as a tough investigator of some of humanity’s most vicious crimes. But I think that his off center and sarcastic sense of humor helped ease the horror of what he must have seen.

Leroy also has a love of photography-which is what binds the group-and would love to fill his days with his passion. However, he is a professor of forensics at a local college, and, like many former police officers, he is also a Private Investigator.

Leroy doesn’t hear very well these days, and like all of us, has his share of aches and pains too. If this wasn’t enough, Leroy also takes care of the love of his life, his wife who also has her challenges. And yet, he also doesn’t complain about life and instead faces everyday with the mischievous joy of a young boy. He recently purchased a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle and like a child on Christmas morning, he plays with it every chance he gets. I am glad to say that this is another one of life’s pleasures which we get to share. Running Fool, on the other hand, will not let us capture him alive for a ride.

I came to know Leroy through the foresight of Running Fool who introduced us during one of our now monthly breakfast meetings. He knew we’d get along and he was right. The first thing that Leroy did when he met me was to give me a moniker; something that seems to have become an unofficial requirement for our group: My moniker? Boricua, an indigenous term describing a tribal chief in my native Puerto Rico. We too have been friends ever since.

Little Joe

Little Joe is an enigma. Perhaps the most courageous man I’ve ever met, he too came to the group through an invitation from Running Fool who, and rightly so, believed that he too would be a great addition to our Motley crew. The first thing that Little Joe said when he finally joined us for breakfast was, “I would not be part of a club that would have me for a member”. I love his sense of humor. Brilliant, but quiet, Little Joe doesn´t brag about his accomplishments, although he very well could. I wouldn’t want to betray Little Joe’s privacy but he has challenges that would stop most men in their tracks. And yet Little Joe not only overcomes each and every one of them, but thrives as a news camera man, reporter, and writer for a local magazine. Like Running Fool and Leroy, Little Joe doesn’t complain and simply forges on with the courage of a lion taking care of his elderly mom with quiet determination.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and can be found just about everywhere in life, if one takes the time to look. They say that a true Hero doesn’t toot his own horn, nor is he comfortable with attention or accolades and if that’s true, then my friends are true Heroes.

We Can Only Hope

2007-10-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

As you may already know, San Diego once again suffered a devastating fire storm which began last Sunday by the arching of some power lines and was then fueled by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour.

It wasn’t long before most of San Diego County was consumed by flames. Over one million people were evacuated. Over 500 homes were destroyed, more than 25 people were seriously injured and seven people lost their LIVES! And, IS NOT OVER!!!!

And yet what amazes me as much as the devastation and the fury of the fire itself is how people who are usually mean, rude and nasty to one another were able to come together without any direction from the government to help fellow San Diegans.

Now I am not naive enough to believe that normally and naturally nasty people suddenly had a change of heart and decided to turn around and help those in need. It is probably more likely that the already nice and generous people of this community came together to help those who desperately needed help.

However, there’s a part of me that wishes that the former is true. That even rude, nasty people saw the devastation and decided to leave their “nastiness” at the door, sort of speak, and decided to help. And if that IS in fact the case, I hope that the goodwill that was present in San Diego this week, that good feeling of camaraderie continues to survive. I hope that San Diegans don’t let go of this feeling, of this attitude once the immediate danger of the fire is over.

I hope that come Monday morning, we have already forgotten what is like to be human and are once again running each other off the road, giving each other the “bird” and return to being selfish, arrogant assholes.

We can only hope……

Oakland, SF: You Make Me Sick!!

2007-10-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

Author's Note: This is how low some so-called Americans have sunk to. Let's be tolerant to everything and everyone, EXCEPT those who defend your right to act like an bigot! Let's see if when the Muslims run this country, they will continue to respect the liberties you now take for granted!

Reprint

September 28, 2007
Oakland Airport to U.S. Marines: You're Not Worthy

This morning I received an email from the brother of a Marine in the unit referenced below. The email speaks for itself and raises some disturbing questions. While outside OC, it's an issue that is worth sharing. The text below is unedited, although I have removed the name of the Marine who authored the email:

Marines and Soldiers Returning from Iraq not allowed into Oakland terminal

On September 27th 204 Marines and soldiers who were returning from Iraq were not allowed into the passenger terminal at Oakland International Airport.Instead they had to deplane about 400 yards away from the terminal where the extra baggage trailers were located.

This was the last scheduled stop for fuel and food prior to flying to Hawaii where both were based. The trip started in Kuwait on September 26th with a rigorous search of checked and carry on baggage by US Customs. All baggage was x-rayed with a "backscatter" machine AND each bag was completely emptied and hand searched. After being searched, checked bags were marked and immediately placed in a secure container. Carry on bags were then x rayed again to ensure no contraband items were taken on the plane. While waiting for the bus to the airport, all personnel were in quarantined in a fenced area and were not allowed to leave.

The first stop for fuel/food and crew change was in Leipzig Germany. Troops exited the aircraft and took a bus to a reception area in the terminal, where there was a convenience store, phones, Internet and restrooms. As we exited the bus we were given a re-boarding pass. Three troops remained on the plane with the rifles and pistols. There was no ammunition on the plane and the bolts of the rifles had been removed. After about 2 hours troops re-boarded the plane and flew to JFK in NY.

At JFK the procedure was similar to Germany, 3 troops stayed on the plane to guard weapons while the rest deplaned. At the gate we were each given a re-boarding pass and spent about 1.5 hours in the terminal, at which time we re-boarded and flew to Oakland.

As we came in for the final approach to Oakland a Lieutenant who served in Afghanistan with the same unit in 2006 mentioned how when they landed in Oakland they were not allowed in the terminal. He said, "they made us get out by the FED EX building and we had to sit out there for 3 hours". He also indicated he was almost arrested by the TSA for getting belligerent about them not letting the Marines into the terminal.

Well, the same thing happened again. This time we did not park by the FED EX building, instead we were offloaded near the grass that separates the active runway from the taxi ramp, about 400 yards from the terminal. When we inquired why they wouldn't allow us in the airport they gave us some lame excuse that we hadn't been screened by TSA. While true, the screening which we did have was much more thorough than any TSA search and was done by US Customs. Additionally, JFK didn't seem to have a problem with our entering their terminal, nor did security in Germany.

It felt like being spit on. Every Marine and soldier felt the message loud and clear, "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN OAKLAND!"

New Rules For Life

2007-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years, because you don't particularly like them!? Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days--mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain, trout?

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.

New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one sweet-n'-Low, and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge asshole.

New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing "Enter," verifying the amount, deciding no, I don't want cash back, and pressing "Enter" again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting??? Oh wait!? They're already doing that. It's called "The Howard Stern Show."

New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&Ms. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.

New Rule: and this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can't even tell if he's supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your web cam, dude. I just want to wash my hands.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to know in months. "27 Months." "He's two," will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.

New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, "Do you want fries with that?"

Stupid Is As Stupid Does...

2007-09-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a hell of a summer here in Camp Braz and I thought I write down just some of the moronic stuff people do EVERY DAMN DAY! Here they are in no particular order. And by the way, if you disagree, great! That is what our armed forces are defending, your right to open your mouth and say something STUPID!

Mattel:

Because of cheap labor, China has become the country of choice for many American companies; especially toy companies like Mattel. Unfortunately, the people who are paying the price for that greed are the children who fall victim to faulty toys. Just THIS afternoon another Mattel toy recall was announced. American company executives cannot inspect the Chinese facilities where these American toys are being made, so why do business with them? GREED!!! But you know what? As stupid as these company officials are for doing business in a country where the government does not allow you to inspect your product, the people who buy anything MADE IN CHINA these days are really MORONS!! The last time I checked, China is one of our major enemies!!

Mexicans:

Mexicans and Mexicans advocates are making a huge deal and are once again protesting and disrupting the border here in San Diego, because they are supporting a criminal who intentionally and willingly broke the laws of this country and was, rightfully so, deported!! Not only did she arrive illegally, to the anger and frustration of thousands of others who are patiently waiting their turn, but she also committed fraud when she used an illegal social security number in order to work here. She became a wanted felon when she failed to return to HER country after being deported there. She then has an American child so she can play on the sympathy of being a mother who is being separated from her “American “son, by a cold, racist country, and you know what? People eat it up!! Oh, that’s rich! Let ME USE that one to see if I can get away with a crime. “Your honor, I can’t go to prison, I have a son that you would be separating ME from.” She is a felon! What do they want, an open border through which every asshole in the world can come in? Why don’t we just invite Al-Qaeda and every other asshole into America with dirty bombs? Hell, why not even a nuclear weapon? It would be one way to fix the illegal immigration problem, wouldn’t it?

Mexicans, many of them in this country ILLEGALLY, are now protesting a winter homeless shelter which for nine years has been operating in Barrio Logan. First of all, Barrio Logan is NOT a barrio; it’s a community in San Diego which was first mainly occupied by dock workers, many of them, CHINESE!!

Second, isn’t this a form of racism since most homeless people in San Diego are Caucasians who lost their job to a Mexican? Ben Hueso, a Mexican councilman, not only doesn’t want the shelter in HIS district; he doesn’t want it in any of the other three locations that were suggested for the shelter. Who are the racists now? I wonder how many rights Americans have in Mexico??

Gen Petraeus:

Give it a rest your sons-of bitches. You sure want it both ways, don’t ya? You want a withdrawal of troops, but when that recommendation comes, “it is too little too late.” You made up your mind about this loooong time ago, and no matter what the recommendations were, you would not accept anything less than total immediate troop withdrawal. But then you’d be in a quandary because you wouldn’t want the republican president to take credit, would you? You pussies just want to simply “cut and run” like we did in Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia. Hand this country over to the enemy, who by the way, doesn’t want to have peace with you anymore than they do with Republicans. It is simple idiots: Want peace? Convert to Islam!! Then let me see you fight for gay rights…. Debate and controversy for the sake of it is not enlightenment, is not the sign of an intelligent, discerning society. Some things are just….WRONG!

Public Transit

That the f*&^% is the deal with public transit? Public Transit administrators want us to get out of our comfortable cars; with air conditioning, six speaker stereos, comfortable seats, GPS, email, cell phone, hot coffee or drink of our choice, maneuverability and flexibility in order to get on board a dirty, stinking bus, with often undesirable characters, broken air conditioning units, loud ghetto blasters, loud conversations, people with cell phone that won’t shut the f*&% up, late schedules and ever-increasing fares? Why? Are they crazy? If you want Americans to leave their cars at home, take those obscene salaries away from the stupid administrators and use to buy state-of-the-art buses; enough of them so that they run reliably every 15 minutes and not every hour or so (if you’re lucky), pay police officers to keep order INSIDE the bus. And maybe, just maybe Americans will choose to add two more hours to their already long day to spend in a horrible commute. Let’s face it, is not going to happen until you can imitate the resourcefulness of the Europeans when it comes to transit.

Driving:

Must we use our cell phones when we drive? What can be so damn important that it can’t wait until we get to where we are going? It’s bad enough that Americans (and that includes ALL nationalities and genders) are becoming the world’s lousiest drivers without having a stupid cell in their ears. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been cut off without a signal, made to stop suddenly, or forced to take evasive action by some yahoo driving and trying to use their cell phone. Yo asshole, you aren’t that smart!! You can’t do both! Either get your head out of your ass and drive, or stay home or at the office until you’re done with that so IMPORTANT bullshit!

Television, Marketing, Advertisement

Are any of us aware that our lives are ever-increasingly manipulated and even controlled by the Media? Don’t think so? Look in your coverts and take a look at what you have in there. Now ask yourself: Why did you buy that particular brand? Take a look at all the smart and educated people who despite all that education are walking around with an ass as big as VW Beatle from eating too much fast food even thou they, (we) all know that it will KILL YOU! While America is fighting a war on terror on two fronts, Americans are once again obsessed with crazy exploits of Britney, the dancing abilities of “has been” and the horny wives of some street in some city in America. And while most people watch, Al-Qaeda sneaks a nuke up our collective ass.

Dogs in Restaurants

What is it with STUPID people and dogs in public places where they sell FOOD? What is that all about? I know you love your stinking flea-ridden mutt, but the rest of us do not! We don’t want to get our yogurt, ice-cream, burrito, or whatever the hell is it that we are buying with dog hair in it!! Besides morons, IT IS A HEALTH VIOLATION!! If you want to be with your dog that much, STAY HOME!!!

Cell Phone Usage in Public

You finally got a cell phone and you think you’re cool, right? Except that everyone else also has one and you don’t look that cool anymore. Except, if you can show others that you are so important and so busy that you must yap on the damn thing everywhere you go; theaters, supermarket lines, bank lines, cars, restaurants, bathrooms: Oh yes! Oh yes! I went into a bathroom and there was a “dude” so important that he was on the phone while he took a crap!! What the fuck? Are you fucking insane??!! My God, for sanity’s sake, STOP using the phone in public. Trust me, you’re not that interesting and the rest of you don’t want to know your business!! Stop being a damn Yahoo!!!!!!

Junk Mail

If you’re a telemarketer, I feel sorry for you, really. To me telemarketers are right up there with hookers, drug dealers, terrorists and the slime of the earth. No, come to think of it, you are lower than a hooker. Hookers provide a service that someone actually WANTS! You don’t!!!

You don’t have a right to call me at home. You don’t have freedom of speech; telemarketing is NOT what the founding fathers had in mind and YOU KNOW IT!!! If you are going to call me at home and interrupt my evening with some bullshit product or service that I don’t want, expect me to be as BIG an asshole as you are!! I don’t want your shit, if I did, I WOULD HAVE CALLED YOUUUUU. So don’t be surprise when I use MY right to free speech and tell you to kiss my ASS!!

Ghetto Blasters in Cars

So you think is cool to drive around with a stereo so loud that it actually matches the decibels of a plane on take off? So you think that it is cool to be 30 years-old and be yelling, “What did ya’ say?” when your girl is asking you to bang her harder because you’re DEAF?!! Is that cool? I think not, but you know what? Fuck you for being so damn stupid.

There should be a law that allows a home owner to go outside and shoot the shit out of a set of speakers inside a car than can be heard farther than the back seat. Someday perhaps technology will come up with a device that sends out an electromagnetic pulse (the same as the one experiences when thermo-nuclear device goes off) that allows you to FRY the offending stereo.

Or you can do what I sometime do when I have the time. Follow the prick home and then, late at night, play YOUR loud shit in front of HIS house and see how they like it. So far I have not come across anyone who comes out of the house and says, “Hey bro that is the SHIT, man. Can you play it a little louder man; I can’t hear the mariachi in the back homie.”

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: The day will come when we will have to leave the house with a bazooka just to survive going to work because we are no longer a society; we are no longer a community. We are a bunch of individuals thrust together by circumstance and no one cares about anyone else. God Bless America...

Enough! Let Them Rest In Peace

2007-08-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I guess that as long as there have been humans in this planet, there have been stupid, moronic, selfish people who don’t give a rat’s ass about the feelings or needs of others. And, as long as these idiots exist I’ll be writing about their exploits, if for no other reason than to save my sanity and make sure I don’t blow a blood vessel. So here we go again…

The recent tragedy at the Utah coal mine where six men remain trapped by a mine collapse reveals better than words could, the ever-expanding rift among reasonable, smart, educated, common-sense Americans, and the unreasonable, uneducated, morons that can only think of their OWN needs and who operate under the “ I want it all and I want it now, because it’s all about me’ whose numbers seem to grow larger with each generation.

While the rescue efforts are admirable and of course, necessary, they have to be tapered with reality, sympathy, mercy and concern for the safety of the brave men who are risking their lives to save the trapped men.

Even when no signs of life have been detected, brave men risked their lives in a desperate effort to rescue their fellow brothers trapped more than a thousand feet below ground. And then last week, the expected happened. The mountain, unwilling to give up its dead, claimed the life of three more miners.

Now the families of the first trapped men are “boiling mad” because not only mine officials, but the federal government have deemed it too dangerous to continue to risk the lives of more miners in an effort to retrieve what at this point, can only be expected are the remains of the trapped men as if to make a point.

While I can understand their grief, their pain and their desire for closure, it seems incredible to me that these families are demanding that more men leave wives without husbands, children without fathers, mothers without sons, sisters without brothers, so that they can have closure.

While the media and everyone involved is always searching for the sensitive and politically correct thing to say, what these families are really saying is, “We don’t care how many more men have to die, we want our dead back. We don’t care if other mothers and children loose their loved ones, we want closure”. Are you kidding me, is this the extent of our selfishness? How low have we sunk as a nation!

Instead of issuing a statement expressing their gratitude for the effort and the sacrifice of fellow miners and extending their condolences to the families who lost loved ones while trying to recover theirs, they are DEMANDING that more risk their lives to recover what at this point is more likely than not, remains. Assuming that the bodies of these men can be recovered, what are they going to do with them? I assume that they are going to do what millions of other people do when they loose loved ones; lay them to rest, right? Excuse me for asking but, are these men not already entombed? Why risk the lives of more men, why deny a future for other families just so that they can do what the mountain has already done? My God…This is no different than souls who are lost at sea and never recovered, or those who are killed in a tragic and massive air tragedy and whose bodies are never reovered either. Honor their memory, hold a memorial service at the entrance to the mine and move on. Don’t demand that others pay the ultimate sacrifice so that YOU can have closure. Get over yourselves!!!!!

May I Help You?

2007-08-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

I don’t know how many people out there read this small page about nothing, but right now I wish it were a lot because I have a Service Public Announcement for all of you out there.

If you have a computer –and who doesn’t these days- and you need software for it, do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY it from the manufacturer’s online site!! Trust me on this one. If you ever need to re-download your program for any reason you will find it difficult to impossible to do.

Most companies will offer you the world when you are ready to shell out hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for their program, but when it comes to Customer Support after the sale, they are nowhere to be found. This is especially true if the company is one of those greedy American companies run by small fat bald men with little beedy eyes counting money in a back room somewhere who outsource their “support” to third world countries.

If, and that is a big IF, you have the patience to wait on hold for 20, 30 and sometimes 60 minutes before you actually reach a human being, you better have your international translator handy or at least the latest version of Webster’s Dictionary. Although I am at a loss to guess which version you will need.

It is obvious that to work for an American company overseas you DO NOT have to speak…ENGLISH!! Just have a cousin or a relative work in the Human Resources Dept. and you will be making bucco bucks in no time driving Americans absolutely insane with the eternal run-around.

My present torment happens to deal with Adobe Photoshop. Here is a company with the leading photographic editing software in the world, and yet they have no Customer Support to speak of. They are incapable of telling you where or how to re-download a product. They are incapable of giving you a new serial number for the boot-leg CD they send you, which apparently (and to MY surprise) doesn’t come from THEM! But then again, what do I expect? They don’t even know how to speak E-N-G-L-I-S-H!

Do yourself a favor, if you need any, and I mean any software, go buy it at a real store, with real people who speak English. Make sure you get a physical CD and for God’s sake, put that serial number in a safe. Take it to the bank and put in a safety deposit box, or just shove it up you’re a#^$! But whatever you do, DON’T EVER LOOSE IT, because if you do, you just might spend the rest of your life in Customer Support Hell!!!!!!

Bling-Bling

2007-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember having a conversation about the new bling-bling I was buying for the toy? Do you? Do you remember asking what was the bling-bling? Do you remember me telling you that it was...CHROME? Do you remember all these things?

Well, none of that helps-as you can see-if you can't ride! But IF you CAN ride, Idlewyld is a wonderful place to go....

Love Turns Winter Into Spring

2007-07-19T15:31:00.001-07:00

“I must get more coffee at winter’s first thaw”, he reminds himself as he pours the last of the coffee into a coffee pot for that special first cup of the day, especially in the cold of winter.

He inhales the sweet aroma and slowly sips his last cup for awhile as he walks to the fireplace and stokes the fire. He then walks to the window and in glorious wonder looks out into a winter wander land. It’s been years since he moved to the small cabin deep in the woods of the Canadian Forest and months since he’s seen another human being due to the heavy snowfall this winter. But then, wasn’t that the reason for moving this far north in the first place, so he could forget her?

As the glazes out the window at the incredible beauty of the place, he can’t help but allow his mind to wonder…to relive the last day he saw her.

“My God, she was beautiful!” he muses to himself as he recalls her honey-colored eyes, her ruby-like lips, the way her bright smile illuminated the dimly-lit room.

He had known that she was there to bring bad news. He knew it the second she walked into the sparsely lit restaurant; he felt it really! He couldn’t feel her, there was nothing in that special place she’s occupied for so many years; the link, that magical, almost heavenly force which had made them one, wasn’t there. He knew why….

He listened carefully to her words, her reasons, the noble sacrifice she was once again making and while his heart was dying, he said nothing. He couldn’t, he had promised long time ago to be her rock, her anchor, her prince.

He found value in what she’s said and just like that, she walked out of the restaurant and our of his life forever. The only three words he had managed to say had been, “Are you sure?”

That had been many winters and snowfalls ago, but he still felt it like yesterday. His heart still ached, his soul still bled…and somehow, he still lived, he still breathed and he still loved her.

He wondered how she was, where she was, with whom she was, what was she doing and most importantly, how had her life turned out. Was she happy? That was the most important question: Has she been happy all these years? While it hurt him to think it, to feel it, he sincerely hoped she was.
A knock on his door brought an abrupt end to his trip down memory lane and the peaceful morning he had enjoyed so far.

“It’s probably Widow Jenkins again, to ask if he’d cut some wood for her when he cut his later that day”, he thought. Widow Jenkins seemed to know exactly when to walk the five miles to his cabin in the dead of winter to ask for wood. He didn’t mind the work, in fact he preferred it. It was her constant yakking that drove him crazy: That and her nasty habit to chew and spit tobacco.

He grumpily opened the door ready to say, “Yes, Mrs. Jenkins, I’d do it”, just to get rid of her as soon as possible but his breath suddenly left his lungs. Suddenly terror and fear gripped his soul like a ghost and he was unable to move or speak.

Standing in his doorway, miles from nowhere, in the dead of winter was the woman of his dreams, the woman of his heart and of his soul: The woman who years before had ripped it out of his chest and had stolen it forever.

There she was though; a little older, just as beautiful with her eyes just as brown and her lips just as red, but so were her nose and cheeks and he suddenly realized that she must be freezing in the 10 below weather. So he slowly moved out of the way and watched her as she slowly walked to the fire and slowly rubbed her hands over the comforting fire.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, thank you. What would be great!” and he gave her what remained of his. She took it from him, took a slow sip while her eyes scrutinized his face.

He was older, more wrinkled, but his face was handsome, rugged, burnt by the sun, His shoulders were broader that she’d remember and his waist smaller, but then again he wasn’t living in downtown Las Vegas.

Her eyes never left his as she sipped the coffee and his never left hers. They stood there as if frozen by the subzero temperature outside. He finally said, “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

She looked at him for what seemed like a long time and answered, “I am here to love you sweetheart. I am here to correct a mistake” and then she added, “If you’ll have me.”

He answered by slowly walking toward her, holding her in his strong arms and once again slowly kissing her eager lips…Nothing else was said, nothing else needed to be said. Winter would be cold no more.

Are You????

2007-07-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Are you a SUCKER? No, I don’t mean a “pigeon, a stoolie, a fool”. I mean –and I know that I am butchering the English language here- a “Dracula-like” being that sucks the life out of people, things, places and then moves on; a leech, a parasite, a tick?

There are people like that in the world; people so hurt by it that they, without knowing it, turn into “bat-like” parasites that use the good, the love in people until they get bored and move on. Are you one of those?

I wonder how many people like that there are out there. How many people with wounds and scars so deep that they cannot see past the pain? I guess we’ll never know for sure, but if the direction of the world is any indication, there are probably a lot…

Life's TOO SHORT!!!!

2007-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, mia culpa, mia culpa, mia culpa, if you’re going to throw stones one should begin with one’s own sins. I am NOT perfect: God I wish I were, because there’d be so many things I’d change about myself.

I am NOT a prude, but then neither am I total degenerate (whatever that means in today’s world) I am not conservative, but neither am I a total liberal. I am not a pacifist, but neither am I a war monger. I am not a choir boy, but I am not the devil. I am not a religious person, but on the other hand I am not an agnostic.

I AM, however, sensitive, eclectic and above all, honest. If I don’t have anything nice to say, I won’t say anything at all. I also don’t judge –been there, done that, mostly had it done to me- and it is NOT my job. I believe that everyone has potential for good, but that is it not always utilized. I also believe that we all have potential for evil and for some unknown reason, find this ability easier to develop, nurture and use indiscriminately.

With that said; I am also NOT a two-faced person. Never been, never will be. And in what is perhaps the biggest lie or contradiction about myself, I guess that I DO JUDGE because when it come to two-faced people, I don’t want anything to do with them. Don’t have time, life’s too short. Need help? Take my hand…I will try to help you because I know what it IS like not to be helped when I needed it. But don’t take my hand with one hand, and stab me with the other. That's just...Bull

I take people at face value UNTIL they give me reason to believe otherwise. And this despite every reason in the world to distrust people at every turn!

If you don’t like me; fine! I am NOT here for you to like me, or for me to like you either. If we should share a common interest, bond or connection while we both make the journey we call life, great, if not….Oh well. The population of the world is fast reaching 9 billion people! Know what I mean?

The RIGHT Thing To Do....

2007-07-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the honor of providing a final escort to a real hero; A man who although only 24 years-old, understood what was like to stand firm for a principle, for an ideal, for family tradition and honor, and for a cause.

It is easy to speak of what we are going to do or are not going to do when the shit hits the fan, and in my experience those who brag about doing; run, and those who never say a word are the ones who stand firm because it IS the right thing to do. What do I mean?

You’re walking down the street when you see a 92 year-old man being beaten repeatedly by a thug who wants to take his car. While 10 or 15 people stand-by doing nothing, one man dares to step forward and confront the man. Can he get hurt, probably. Can he even get killed, maybe. But is the right thing to do.

You’re strolling along on a Sunday afternoon when you see a pervert try to kidnap a little girl and stuff her into a car. Do you DO something because it IS the right thing to do? Or do you walk by because after all, “it ain’t none of your business?”

As a society we should be thankful that there are still people willing to step up and take a risk simply because it is the right thing to do.

Many people speak of principle and ideals, but then the chips are down, they simply run. Many earth-loving people, trying to do good things about the environment, but when it comes time to ride a bicycle to work, they can’t do it. When it comes to walking up a flight of stairs or down two, they take the elevator. When it comes time to sort plastic, aluminum, different colored glass, and paper, they simply throw it the trash.

So when was the last time you saw anyone willing to give up his or her life for a cause, for something that they really believed in? No, you don’t see that too often anymore, not in this land of, “what have you done for me lately?”

We should be thankful that there are still people willing to live and die for a code of honor, for ideals, that while no longer popular, are still the right thing to do.

When the towers fell that fateful September morning, when thousands of people ran away from the towers, many brave men and women ran toward them in a desperate effort to try to save the lives of fellow innocent people trapped inside. They knew they were taking a risk, they knew they were running into danger, they knew that the towers might fall, but they ran inside anyway and many died. Why, because it was the right thing to do.

Sgt Michael Martinez died in Iraq on June 28, 2007. He saw those towers fall and he knew that he had to do something; His beloved America was under attack. So he went to fight them over there, so he wouldn’t have to fight them in front of his daughter, wife, father or mother. He volunteered and because he did he died. Did he know the risks? Yes, he did. But it was the right thing to do…

Sgt. Martinez made the difficult but brave decision to serve and so doing maybe die on his feet rather than serve on his knees, because it IS the right thing to do.

To those who no longer have the will to fight to save guard the right to open their “pie hole” and say something stupid, I say, go. Go over there and take flowers to the enemy. Go over there and sell YOUR principles so that you may have peace. Go and serve on your knees, but do it over there. Leave this country of the free and the brave to those who are willing to die and fight on their feet, rather than serve on their knees. Why: Because it IS the right thing to do ASSHOLE!

Why Not?

2007-06-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have friends who are full of hope and optimism and who are capable of seeing the possibilities that exist even in the direst of circumstances, and that’s good. Thank God for those who love, who believe, who seek peace. I am not one of them. I am a warrior, a fighter, a sentinel, a bodyguard. I am the guy you want in your corner if you’re being hassled, threatened, bullied, or just plain screwed: Because I absolutely HATE those who take advantage of the small, the weak, or the defenseless. I guess that is why I was so well suited for my job.

I am capable of seeing beauty, of basking in its magic glow. I am capable of feeling love, giving love and on very rare occasions, even of receiving love. But I am also capable of seeing the evil and the ugliness that exists in the world. I am capable of seeing the selfishness that permeates all of humankind at one time or another. And the dark heart that lies within…I’ve had to, to survive. And it’s only getting worse.

This is why it is so important to allow yourself the privilege, the honor, the pleasure, the ecstasy that love brings. Love is the only emotion that redeems mankind. Without our ability to love we would really be useless; a fungus that infects what otherwise would be a perfect world.

Love someone. Love someone with kindness, with softness, with generosity, with passion. And allow yourself to be loved. Those of us who know love know that more often than not, the joy that love brings is found in the giving of ourselves. So if you allow yourself to be loved, happiness will reside in someone’s heart. And who knows...it might just allow YOU to love too.

It is true that violence begets violence and in the same way, kindness begets kindness, peace begets peace and love, begets love.

One of my favorite quotes of all time came from a man with whom I disagreed wholeheartedly, however is his words I found myself. This young man said, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

So ask yourself always: Why not? Why not dream, why not love, why not feel the joy of the one and only human emotion that makes us….human.

Memorial Day: What It Is and What Is Not!

2007-05-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Pick an American holiday; any holiday and all you’ll hear on the radio and television is commercial after commercial promoting that holiday’s special sales.

Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving…For every holiday there is an accompanying sale.

However, of all the damn holiday sales the one that pisses me off the most is; Memorial Day. When did Memorial Day become a day for celebrating? When did Memorial Day become a day to go to a mall and spend money we haven’t earned so that the stock holders can have bigger boats, bigger houses, fancy cars and better holidays?

I’ve written about this subject before but I think that during the OBSERVANCE (not celebration) of Memorial Day is worth repeating. America began worshiping money when we stopped worshiping God and appreciating and respecting the values under which this great nation was founded. When the courts mistakenly decided that Church and State must forever be separated, America lost its moral compass. And since nature abhors a vacuum, something else had to fill the void; money became our new God.

I wonder how many children really know what this holiday is really about. I wonder how many of us don’t know that it is not about sales, or picnics, hot dogs, hamburgers and such, but about remembering and honoring those who gave THEIR LIVES so that we can freely enjoy ours.

Memorial Day is about Capt. J. Bonini (USMC Ret.) who fought in the Korean War and earned the Silver Star. It is about Commander E. Gephart (USN Ret.) who fought in WWII and also earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart. It is about Sgt. I. Delgado Sr. (US Army) who fought in Korea. It is about Sgt. A. Vasquez (US Army) who fought in the Vietnam. It is about Cpl A. Casiano (USMC) who fought in Iraq in not one, but two tours of duty, and about the millions of others who died for an ideal.

This is what Memorial Day is about, not about buying new sheets, pillows, stereos, lawn furniture or whatever the peddlers of merchandise convince us we can’t live without.

Don’t you see? Don’t you know that Americans– and the rest of the world for that matter- have become slaves to businesses? We can’t seem to think for ourselves anymore. There isn’t one single place where we can’t hide that advertisement doesn’t reach us: They call during dinner time, they call our cell phones and eat up our minutes, and they use the ink and the paper on our fax machines to peddle their crap. They have us in the car on the way to or from anywhere. They have us when we watch TV. And now, even the sacred bathroom break is no longer safe because they are cranking up the volume on the commercials so that we don’t miss a sale, or haven’t you noticed?

We eat what they tell us to eat. We wear what they tell us to wear. We drive what they tell us to drive. We listen what they tell us to listen to… When does it STOP?

No people, Memorial Day is more than just a holiday. It is a day when the least we can do is remember and pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate price to give the rest of us the freedom to be….assholes!

Signs of the TImes

2007-05-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived long enough to realize that there are certain things in this world that are just “a given.” You know… Things that don’t need explanation. So when I saw these signs I just had to wonder.

For example: I thought that the location of the Bat Cave was supposed to be a secret. Well, apparently in this age of fast, anywhere, anytime information, it was a matter of time.

Hasn’t there always been a general consensus that this is absolutely true? However, apparently this is something else that our “service oriented” society feels the need to address.

It appears that either some people have yet to figure out the High Point of life, or need to go on the road to figure it out find it. Either way, who says that in our society there’s no time for information?

Dietary problems seem to be a very high priority issue in the 21st century. Well you know, with transfats,cholesterol, calories etc., there seems to be no where to turn when one wishes a good food.

The owners of this restaurant seem to have found a solution. If Diesel fuel can give you more miles to the gallon, perhaps it can also give you more years to the drumstick. It might be healthier, but I don’t know about the taste.

Finally, I know that we have become a society of multi-taskers, and that SERVICE, especially GOOD SERVICE is our highest quest, but isn’t this establishment taking “things” a little too far?

Hey Civilians! Shut The HELL Up

2007-05-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Olive Elementary School, along with five others, was locked down because shots were allegedly fired nearby. Children were locked down for five hours while police conducted a careful room by room search of all five schools which share the same campus.

Because of the extreme safety precautions that police took in safeguarding the lives of the children, some kids were forced to use trash cans as “port-a-potties” in the back of the classrooms. Parents too, had to wait while authorities tried to make sense out of the chaos that a situation like this brings.

As it turned out, no shots were fired and everyone was safe, albeit inconvenienced by the events.

However, as in most every situation in life, today parents are complaining about the extreme wait -they were forced to show proper ID before picking up their child- the lack of prompt information from police officials and the fact that children were not allowed to go the bathroom. Are you fucking kidding me?! Are they INSANE?! What are some parents thinking?!

You know what? Civilians are nothing but a bunch of whining jerks that want it all, and want it right now! Had police not taken the care they did in meticulously searching the campus and a child would have been hurt or killed, these same little assholes would have then complained that police were careless in their duties and did not do a good-enough job in securing the school. Had police given fast, but inaccurate information, they also would have complained and criticized officials. Had a child been wounded or killed because they were allowed to go to the bathroom...Oh my God, can't even think about the response then.

It seems to me that these sniveling whining idiots whose panicked reactions demonstrate their lack of control during an emergency, should just shut the hell up and let trained, composed professionals do what they do best; and that is to run into danger when everyone else is running away, and to risk their lives in order to protect our children; all of us in fact!

True Story

2007-05-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

On July 20, 1969, as commander of the Apollo 11 lunar module, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. His first words after stepping on the moon, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," were televised to earth and heard by millions, but just before he reentered the lander, he made the enigmatic remark, "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky." Many people at NASA though it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet cosmonaut, however, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs.

Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the "good luck, Mr. Gorsky" statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled.

On July 5, 1995, in Tampa Bay, Florida, while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-year-old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had died, so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.

In 1938 when he was a kid in a small mid-west town, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit the ball, which landed in his neighbor's yard by the bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky,"Sex! You want sex?! You'll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!" True story, or so I am told…

The Bird Feeder

2007-04-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, and the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.

Now let’s see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education, and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen. Then illegal aliens came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.

So You're Still Optimistic?

2007-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

So you still think that America is not lost? America, as a united nation, is gone. From the corruption of government officials who were raised with no morals or values, to the fragmentation of society along ethnic, political religious and economical lines, America IS lost.

While elected officials become eligible to a lifetime pension and government provided medical after only on term in government, the men and women who voluntarily serve our armed forces and are currently engaged in two war fronts, do so leaving loved ones behind who must depend on food stamps to make ends meet, and must co-pay for medical care that once was free to active duty armed forces members and their immediate dependents. And may God help you, should your loved one get killed or injured while in combat because the present military death benefits are barely above the national poverty line. If you live in base housing when your loved one is killed in action, you better start packing fast, because the military will kick you out before the body of your loved one begins to turn to dust.

Congress threatens to cut off funds to our troops because of expected political gains while they vote themselves huge pay raises and benefits.

Just about everyone in America believes is okay to bend the rules, lie or cheat occasionally in order to advance, as long as it is for the “common good.” They will lie, cheat and mislead a nation if they have to; after all, it’s a matter of interpretation, isn’t it?

Even now the tragic truth about Pfc. J. Lynch’s service and Specialist Pat Tillman’s death is coming to light: And guess what? Officials LIED! Whatever happened to the code of honor that for so many years was held close and dear by military men and women? If our current government officials are any measure; it simply doesn’t exist. America’s new motto appears to be, “The end justifies the means.”

Even now foreigners who come to this country illegally qualify for more social services than Americans or those who are here by legal means. They strain and drain precious resources regardless of the consequences and once here, they demand an open border so that many more come and further drain the system. It is far easier to smuggle into a country that has benefited from hard, bitter struggles than it is to fight to make your own country a better place to live, why? Because no one is willing to sacrifice for a cause any longer no matter how just or necessary.

America is lost and anyone who doesn’t see it, is perhaps more lost than the country. Even a democracy must have some limits to the freedoms it seeks to provide. Any form of government which allows free and unfettered attacks to its foundation is doomed. Like a virus that is allowed to freely attack its host will ultimately cause death, so will frequent attacks to the basic elements of its foundation, cause the death of democracy and America. Freedoms that eventually prove harmful to society in general are not civil rights, they are a poison, a poison that like a Cancer will spread.

No one in their right mind will remotely consider that anyone of us has a constitutional right to molest a child for any reason! But that is now…just like it would have been inconceivable 50 years ago to recognize same-sex marriages; 50 years from now someone will argue that molesting a child is a constitutional right based on their “pursuit of happiness” or “freedom of religion.”

My Constitutional Law professor in law school once told the class, “In law any argument that you can make with a straight face, has a chance to succeed.” And why not? All it would take is for the liberal children of today, those who are being taught tolerance at all costs, to grow up and become legislators and judges. This is how society changes over time. What we today call enlightenment, our parents and grandparents called “depravity.”

Think about it….Think about it. America, the great experiment…IS lost!!!

The Years

2007-04-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

So you think that there’s no time for tomorrow?
So you think that today is all there is?
So you think that the years go by too slowly?
So you think that you have too much life to live?

What foolish notions
What foolish thoughts
Today is but a whisper
Tomorrow’s already bought

The years are not slow
Only when you’re young
Soon you’re looking behind you
And footprints is all that’s left
And you wonder where and how
You seemed to have lost your step

Now the fast years are heavy
Regrets in the heart are long and plenty
And you think about the fast years
As you slowly wipe away the bitter tears

Are We Really Anonymous?

2007-04-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

I hate to use the same image twice-choosing to believe myself creative and clever enough to create my own image, or at least make the effort to find one in the millions and millions that are available on the Internet. But I confess that business has been really good lately-it seems that success might find me despite myself-and that it is all I can do to keep up with this page. So I am using this one which fits the bill.

There seems to be a real sense of anonymity in this medium - things that we wouldn't say or do seem to come more easily here in cyberspace. However, recently I discovered, the hard way, that we are not as anonymous as we might think or would like.

Like millions of people all over the world, I too, avail myself of the ease of the Internet; everything from email, to shopping, to keeping in touch with others is made easy from the comfort of my office, or, if I am really lazy or tired, the comfort of my couch.

Recently, while enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon with a nice Hot Toddy, I decided to make a purchase through Ebay. Hell, everyone seems to be doing it, and my daughter's house is practically furnished with "deals" she's found there. So I decided to stop being a "Fuddy-duddy" and give it a try.

I did make my purchase, and I did get what I paid for. Unfortunately for me, the seller thought that the item I had bought was worth much more than what I had paid for it and tried to help himself or herself to the rest of my bank account.

Fortunately, while the bank did make the transfer, the paying service did catch the attempted fraud and froze the transaction before informing me that the security in my account had be breached.

After some frustrating deals with the bank, a small fortune in overdraft charges and the closing of all accounts, the bank did replace my money. But I am amazed at how easily they were willing to empty out my entire account based on phony information.

Moral of the story? I was right after all. While on-line banking might be the way the world goes 'round these days, unless you have a 128-bit pentagon-like encryption too many crooks are after your hard-earned money to be trusted.

As for me? I am going back to the good-old days; I am stuffing my money in my mattress....

We're Screwed!

2007-04-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

You know I try. I really, really try to be upbeat about the future of this world and the potential of mankind to rise above our limitations. But when I see what I saw this morning in the parking lot of the gym I happen to workout at, I can only shake my head and laugh in resignation knowing that my initial outlook is probably correct: We’re screwed!

When I go to the gym I thank God that I have two healthy legs that can carry me for quite a distance. I am looking forward to some strenuous physical activity which will melt away some pounds as well as some of the stress that life can bring. So when I look for a parking spot, I usually try to park as far away as possible. You know, so I can keep up with the “exercise” mentality of the moment as well as to keep my new car from being beaten up by those people who can’t open a door without banging something.

So imagine my surprise when this morning, as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw two cars practically touching as the drivers both tried for the same parking space close to the gym’s entrance.

As if this wasn’t amusing enough, when the two drivers got out and began fighting…well that was just plain hilarious! Two grown men actually beating each other to a pulp over a slice of…air!

Imagine the scene; two “buffed” men fighting, one skinny security guard trying desperately to separate them, women screaming and regular commuters, with the patience of a newborn, honking their horns and trying to drive around the two stalled cars.

Amazingly enough, or perhaps not that surprising for two men who work out, this went on for quite a while.

After what seemed like an eternity the police finally arrived and, you guessed it, both men were arrested for fighting, both cars were impounded and neither one of them got to work out, unless you consider their boxing match a workout.

I don’t know about you, but if I am going to the gym to engage in physical activity, does it really matter if I have to park a “ways-away” and walk to the front door? No, and it probably doesn’t matter to you either. But then again….you and I are probably smarter than most.

Parents: Don't Do It

2007-04-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

Remember those passages in the Bible when the first-born usually paid for every sin that got loose in the land of milk and honey? If you think that those days are over, you’re wrong! The day of the first-born sacrifice is alive and well in the 21st century.

While I don’t want to knock anyone’s spiritual beliefs, I think I now know why so many disciplines are deep-seeded in guilt. Guilt works because it’s effective! Think about it; how many of us will do something that we really don’t want to do simply because we are made to feel guilty about something or other?

You know the routine…”Is okay, I am only the one who carried you for 24 months and spent 72 hours in labor.” Or the never-ending oldie but still goodie, “Oh, the things I could’ve accomplished, the things I had to give up because of you.” Yeah, what about giving up doing the Funky Monkey for a change? If you had, I wouldn’t be here, you’d have all those things and both of us would be a hell of a lot happier! And, “You ingrate, do you have any idea how hard I had to work to clothe you, feed, you, take care of you, send you to school If I had all the money that I spent on you, I’d be rich.” Yeah, and if you’d kept your legs closed, you’d still have a 22 inch waist too.

Not that I am not grateful for the life I’ve been given, it has at times, been wonderful. But love should not have a price. Children should not be pawns. If we raise them right, what they want to do, they will do for love, not guilt- they way it should be.

Those of you, who have hung tough through my tirades, mood swings, depressions, highs, lows and everything in between, know what I have to say about all that crap. Thanks, but no thanks.

I am convinced that some, not all, but some parents have children as a means to guarantee their own social security. Think about it, what better “new deal” than having children so that they take care of them during their limp stage? Is this really a good reason to have children? I think not!

I do not expect, nor will I ask, or accept the nomination of my children to become grandpa crappy. Which is a good thing because I don’t expect them to want to do anything anyway: I know why they were born: because I wanted the best part of me to live on. Because I wanted to give them the gift of life; the same opportunity I had to see this wonderful and often incredible world. Not to be a living sacrifice....

Newspaper or Internet?

2007-03-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

I recently watched a story on TV about the growing debate over newspaper or the internet as the way to get our news. As I listened to the “pros and cons” of both sides I was loaded for bear. I was sure that I stood with the internet news for various reasons; the internet saves trees as less paper is used to print newspapers that eventually make its way down the subway, the corner fence or some other place where it will bring more blight to any city. The internet give you “up-to-the-minute” news coverage, not yesterday’s news.

Then I went online to catch up on the latest news and the first story that caught my eyes was a story about a 101 year-old woman that was mugged in Queens, New York. “There’s even video!” I thought joyfully contemplating the advantages of internet news versus news print. But when I went to the video “BAM” there it was, an annoying as hell long – very long – ad for Bounty paper towels that I HAD to watch to get to the video, which didn’t load anyway, so I just got the ad. And suddenly it struck me; maybe it isn’t as clear-cut as I’d thought. Maybe there is still a lot of merit for the old newspaper after all.

I HATE advertisements, I mean, I HATE them with a wanton passion that should scare everyone who loves freedom. If it were up to me, I’d abolish the First Amendment as it pertains to advertisements and commercials period! That’s how much I hate them. Is not that businesses should not be able to advertise, after all, businesses and the mighty dollar seems to be what makes the world go round these days. It’s the constant bombardment, the bludgeoning over the head attitude that most businesses have these days. Its no longer about capturing your imagination and giving you a choice of product A or B. It is about kidnapping you and making you -forcing you- to listen to their pitch, whether you want to or not. Have you caught yourself adjusting the volume on your TV every time a commercial appears? Yes, you are! And you know why? Because advertisers are now recording commercials louder so that you can still listen to them when you leave the room to pee!! I don’t think that this is right, or that they have a right to do this under the First Amendment or any law; my retaliation? I mute the TV! I know, it is small victory, but is something.

Now back to the original point: The world is fast enough as it is; we rush everywhere, for everything and we don’t even know why. And unless you are the President of the United Stares and NEED to be aware of up-to-the minute news, the rest of us can wait until we get home to catch up with the happenings of the world. After all there is little most of us can do about that happened on the other side of the world, and even if we can do anything, is going to take time. The problem will still be there tomorrow. I don’t think many of us will read a news story and rush out of the house, office, or Starbucks to go join Greenpeace.

Reading the newspaper forces us to slow down…it forces us to find a comfortable, quiet spot to inform ourselves of the news, and advertisements not withstanding…what’s wrong with that?

You’ve Got Mail

2007-03-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

If you are one of those lucky people who is popular; friends, acquaintances, and those dying to become one of the two, you’ll probably have no idea of the hell I am talking about. But if you are one of those lonely souls who look at the world though the windows of cyber-space, then you know how joyful it is to hear that now familiar, “You’ve Got Mail.”

In some remote corner of a bedroom, a kitchen, an office or some other location where the lonely gather, someone’s only connection to another soul who might care, is that electronic program that brings others to you, if and only if, “You’ve Got Mail.”

When “You’ve Got Mail” the world is bright, the load seems lighter, there seems to be courage to take that one extra step, even when you don’t want to. The silence is momentarily pierced by a friendly, “How Are You”, “Hope You’re Doing Well”, “Thinking About You.”

The basic need to “connect” to another one “like us” is fed, the spirit soars and life seems to just get better; like a peg finding its own hole. When “You’ve Got Mail” the sun seems to shine brighter, spring’s song seems more beautiful and the world doesn’t seem such a lonely place.

Ever wonder what happens when, “You’ve Got No Mail?” The world goes from sunny to dark; from a warm and inviting place to a cold, inhospitable rock floating in space. The sun is just an annoying ball of fire and spring just means hay fever.

The lonely, the unnoticed, the uncared for, are more often than not, where the magic of life resides; Where life’s little treasures are hiding waiting to be discovered.

So if you are one of the “popular” people of the world, I encourage you to reach out and touch someone….you might be surprised with what you find.