Tap Tap

     This week is National Police Week, as we recognize all the police officers that have given their lives in the line of duty to protect the citizens of this country. You wont find it printed on your main stream calendars, or see it on the national news, but its here.

     I have been lucky enough to be in and around law enforcement since my first full time job at a police department in 1987. I was hired as a dispatcher but I was bitten by the bug and havent escaped it yet. I have dispatched, given breath tests, testified in court, done ride alongs, auxillary, and patrolled as a part time officer on my own. Been spit on, been in fights, been one of many officers on scene, and been on my own and needed more. Have felt the chill up my spine telling me something just isnt right, and layed in the pitch black darkness in the grass as gunshots rang out, wondering if I would make it home again. I have seen bad guys killed by law enforcement, and officers killed by "suspects".

     This country is full of men and women that strap on a gun and a bullet proof vest just to go to work. These arent ten foot tall immortals with capes and superpowers, but moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Officers that are well trained but may have to make a life or death decision in a milli-second, just to have to face a court and answer to a lawyer that has had two years to study all the facts. Officers that were killed for what they stood for, not for who they were personally. An officer represents the front line of defense in this nation..the thin blue line between right and wrong. Someone that will stand up and say, I will protect the ones that cant protect themselves, this I swear. Often they due this under ridicule of the public, low wages, and long hours. They go home, look at their sleeping children, and vow to go out the next day and do something to make a difference.

     The Law enforcement officers today dont want recognition or awards. They dont want parades or cheers. They just want to know that they have the support of the community to do a very tough job with very little resources. I am fortunate enough to be an officer on the Sheriffs office SRT team. The key to that is team. Everyone working for a common goal. Just like the citizens and community should do for their law enforcement officers. On our SRT team, we we stack up, or form a line to make an entrance into a building, the last man taps the shoulder of the man in front of him, and it works all the way up to the front man. Its a way of saying, I'm here brother, I've got your back...I'll be there for you.

     So this week we will hang blue ribbons in honor of those who gave their life in service to the community. We will gather and say prayers, read the names of the fallen, and go forth into the next year hoping the list wont be as long at the next ceremony. As the police officers stands in front of us to protect us, lets give him a tap tap on the shoulder to let him know we are all behind him, and will be there for him.

Life as is...

My soap box is currently being redone, so I wont grandstand today. Just a little blog so everyone will know that i am still alive. I am at work today and taking a break so that i can stretch my mind. Not much going on in the news right now that i can gripe about, the politicians are kinda in a lull as they prepare for their big push into November. I follow politics closely, and always have, but I have to admit...There isnt much to be excited about in the next election. I usually fall along the conservative republican side but as of late, they have kinda been pissing me off as well. I am worried about our country and the direction its going. If we dont stop, take a breath, and take care of whats important in this country, we are doomed. The people of Roman Empire can attest to that .I do believe it is easy to get to big for your britches and expect to much. Simplicity is the key. The people in this country are the ticket to success. It is not the duty of the government to invest in business and spend all our money to bailout companies. If a company over spends itself and fails, oh well. that is business. How much is enough profit. If your company post a quarterly profit of 10 million dollars, celebrate, do the happy dance, and keep doing what your doing. But we get greedy, and want 20 Million. so we overextend our budgets and our credit to "grow " our business in order to raise our profits. It only takes a few times of this until you are in dangerous territory and set up to fail. When you have overextended yourself, you have no wiggle room to compensate for a slowing economy. Even the top economist will tell you that the Market will have to "reset" occasionally...it cant always just go up. So when big business has all their eggs in one basket, and begins to fail, I shouldn't have to spend my money to save them. I mean, after all, they were making 10 million quarterly profit not long ago and i didnt see a penny of that money, now they get my money as well?? I was recently forced to spend a great deal of my money to bail out several large companies that were "to big to fail".
I keep checking my mailbox, but no check yet. Hell, just a thank you would be great.

    Take General Motors for instance.....They have the largest market share of vehicle sales in the world. They were tanking...going down for the last time. Everyone said."but what will happen to all those unemployed workers that GM lays off?" So we spent Millions upon millions to save them. Do you not think, that with such a large market in vehicle sales, that someone will step up and fill the void? Maybe someone with better management skills? That's capitalism! You tried, you failed, my turn! Maybe if the Unions didn't force the companies to pay $40.00 an hour to turn a screw, or pay the bosses extraordinary bonuses, they could have toughed it out.

     I remember when the big Airlines would get in financial trouble back years ago and come running to the government for help. (They used to be the worst at this). It's like they wanted us to think if they shut down, we would have to walk from Chicago to San Francisco if we needed to travel. Remember TWA or Braniff? guess what, other companies took over where they left off and we are still flying the friendly skies.

     I would love to see a swing back to how things used to work. Back when we depended on our workers to produce the goods we need. The farmers were growing our food, and raising our beef. Companies that depend on American consumers could actually afford to keep their businesses in America. We invest our tax money in us, not the rest of the world. we are not a third world country dependent on big brother to help us get by. We sure dont need anyone else to fight our fights for us. We are the USA, we should be what everyone else wants to be. We cower to no one, and cater to no one. You want our help, we will be there, but be ready to stand on your own when we are done. We should invest in our schools and our future. get back in the space program before somebody gets the upper hand on us. make our people proud and willing to work for what they have. to stop expecting handouts because they arent coming. bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps. If you cant get a job or feed your family, you can work fixing up our infrastructure to bring our deteriorating country back to life. People need something to be proud of in themselves. People that need housing could labor in run down neighborhoods remodeling houses for the needy, building sweat equity for their own house. No one should be homeless, no child should go hungry, not in the United States. We are better than that.

     Okay, I realize that I did get on my soapbox again..and for that I am sorry. I just care a great deal for this country and want to see things change. We are the greatest country in the world, and we need to act like it.

Are you freaking kidding me!!!

    I just spent 20 minutes typing what I thought could be the best blog i have ever done. I was really on a roll and speaking my mind and my browser just closed...all by itself. NEVER has done that before...just went away. So now you just get stuck with me griping! I mean what the Hell?? I was kinda stepping on some toes and going on and on, so maybe it was a sign to knock it off and save face. I thought about trying to retype it, but I got it off my chest and have lost the passion now. I will just sit here and grump about it I guess.

     If this was a dadgum typewriter I wouldnt have that problem. Computers think they are so much smarter than me and just sit here and try to boss me around all day. Like now, my computer is freaking out because it doesnt know that dadgum is a word and keeps telling me to change it. NO, not gonna do it. I know if I split it up the little red squiggly will go away, but thats not how i want it to read. Plus, its getting on to me for not putting the ' in doesnt. I dont have time for all that. You, the reader knows exactly what I mean. A typewriter would just sit there and do exactly what you told it, it knew its place. You dont have to go through 5 functions to print out a page, you just grabbed the top of the paper and yanked it out. (you better make sure you were done with it, because its next to impossible to line it up again). Then you could fold your paper, place it in an envelope, lick the stamp, and send it to its destination. simple. You didnt used to receive 20 letters in your mailbox everyday either from people that didnt know you. I never received a personal letter, in an envelope, with a stamp, that asked if I wanted a bigger penis, or refinance my home, or meet new people. Every once and a while, you would get the big envelope from publishers clearing house. You would save it but never open it. 

     I'm gonna call this one finished before technology rears its ugly head and erases my work again. I dont want to go to jail today and that is what would happen to me because i would go crazy and throw this laptop through the window and go outside and scream at pedestrians. Thanks for reading, have a good day.

Give us your tired, your poor...

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, the tempest tossed,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.


     The above Inscription is found on the base of the Statue of Liberty, a poem written by Emma Lazarus. I memorized this in the fifth grade for a play, and have never forgotten it. To me it speaks the idea of the United States of America, come, we receive you with open arms so you may flourish and thrive in the new world. Come they did...in groves. Immigrants poured into the United States in search of a better life for themselves, for their families. The great melting pot was forming...The English, Irish, Asians, Italians...and many more. All ingredients in the all american apple pie. It is what we are, what we will continue to be. People wanting nothing more than to be called Americans. That being said....what the Hell has happened?

     As I continue my bid to be elected President  of the United States, I feel I must address this issue. Immigration was, is, and always will be an important part of this country and its legacy in the world. If you live anywhere in the world, you can still apply for a passport, work or study visa and come to America to work and live while you try to gain citizenship. Yep, that's right, you just walk right in the front door and it is perfectly legal. My problem is with the ones that attempt and succeed in sneaking in the back door.

     Illegal immigration is exactly what the name implies..ILLEGAL. It never ceases to amaze me that the political left in this country just seem to push the term aside and cater to undocumented aliens, giving them the same rights as an American Citizen. I am all for human rights, but i feel like the more we enable the illegals in this country, the more rights are taken away from me.

     Illegal, undocumented people in this country burden our infrastructure and our resources almost to the breaking point. I understand that certain citizens in our society depend on government subsidies and my tax dollars go to to fund that. Truth is, that the large amount of illegal labor going on in the U.S., no taxes are being paid, but the government is quick to hand out benefits to the illegals.

     The difficulty in which we all experience now just moving around the country on vacation is in result to the attacks on our soil on Sept. 11th. Great efforts are on border security to keep the people that want to kill you, away. As good a job that the border patrol is doing, there are huge holes that go uncovered, and people flood into the U.S. unchecked. It would be possible to stroll across the border with a weapon of mass destruction to create another 9/11.

     Until we can account for everyone within our borders, we cannot take care of ourselves. We are a leaking bucket and our well is about dry. All we ask is that you come in the front door, pick up a name tag, and apply yourself in a fashion that makes you an asset to this great country, not a liability. I will work along side you everyday, but i wont work to support you.

     I planned on writing a great deal more, but am extremely tired and fighting to maintain thoughts, so i will end it here. Let me know your thoughts on this issue.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder..

     Yes, its been awhile since I have posted...its kinda strange how I just couldnt seem to get to it...maybe deep down i didnt really want to.  As we all are aware, we go through cycles in our lives in which we perform at different levels and our priorities change. I find myself putting all my effort into one thing at a time instead of multi-tasking. When I focus on work due to a hectic schedule, my home-life suffers so I try to step it up. Then when I am working extra hard at home and family, work starts to suffer. Then in between, you have to add all the little things that have a habit of snowballing while you were looking the other way. I do the best I can, I miss some things and I hit the bulls eye on others. I can never make everyone happy..so if your one of the people I let down in the past few weeks, sorry, maybe it will be your week next week.

     Its been quite an interesting couple of weeks at work with some pretty serious calls. The worst ones all seem to be involved around recreation. A pretty bad Hang Glider accident to start off, followed by a couple of really bad motorcycle wrecks. I know its the source of much debate, but, wear your helmet people!! This is so important when riding. 

    A big congrats  to my daughter for her performance in the Russellville Bands Appreciation Concert this past Tuesday. Always enjoy listening to the Russellville Bands, but even more so when my daughter is playing. Great music in the great setting of the new Center for Performing Arts at the high school. Such a top notch complex that is unequaled anywhere in the state. The improvement in the quality of sound is obvious from the first note on. Also I am proud of my daughter for making the cut and getting to perform in the RJHS Talent show. She is singing a duet with a friend, and it really is quite good. American Idol here we come!

    As for my oldest son Jake, I am always proud of his abilities at school and his drive to do the right thing. He is always selected as his school ambassador and takes a very active roll in the schools Green Team that educates other students on the importance of recycling. A recent field trip to the recycling facility in Clarksville was like a highlight for him for some reason, but his field trip to an Arkansas Travelers Baseball Game yesterday seemed to "hit home" as well.

    As long as I am bragging about my kids, cant forget my 5 year old Gabriel. He is our handful. He never ceases to amaze me on a daily basis. I think he is smarter now, than i was in the 5th grade. He is starting school next year and his mother is beside herself. He is our youngest and probably last to leave the house for school during the day, meaning she will just have me to talk to. We have been really trying hard to get him in the elementary school we like but since we live out of district, it is hard to get first dibs. I cross my fingers and pray it all goes well. 

     I have found that the thing on my mind lately, first and foremost, is my need for a vacation. I havent really had one in about 4 years and it is really starting to wear on me. So, i have a few ideas  but i am open to any suggestions from the peanut gallery on good getaways at good prices. Have to take the whole clan with me, so i have to consider that as well. I am always a fan of the beach, but I hate extreme heat, and thats an issue there. I love the Rocky Mountains but that is a long drive, especially with the whole family in tow. Have to give it some good thought and work out the perfect retreat.

     As usual, I have a lot to get done today, and me sitting at the computer sure isnt helping, so lets wrap this up. I have Yell Fest coming up next weekend...That is an extremely busy weekend for me. I, along with my fellow Mounted Patrol members, are selling tickets for a chance to win $500.00 cash, that will be drawn the final night of Yell Fest, May 12 th. We really need to sell a lot of these tickets to help us support life saving efforts in this county. tickets are cheap, $1 a chance, 6 for $5. The odds are much better than the lottery so get with me and buy some tickets today!!! 

    I will try not to let so much time go by before my next entry..so sign up to follow me and leave a comment, even if you think this isnt worth reading! Bye!

     

Here's A Tip...

In my normal routine of going through some bills and organizing some paperwork on my desk, I came across something that has been on my mind...and I want to gripe about it. Let me run a scenario by you.
Imagine a nice lazy afternoon in the mid 1950's. A small Mayberry type town with my little General Store being one of the only places to buy goods in town. As I stand behind my counter, a customer comes in and buys a bag of coffee, and some flour. I ring up the register to a total of $10.00. Of course this doesn't sit well with the customer so i explain that $2.00 is for the goods, and the $8.00 remaining is a customer charge. That's right, it costs you extra for me to wait on you. absurd? I think so!

     In just about every transaction you deal in today has some sort of service fee, convenience fee, ,or customer fee. think about that. That is the price that company expects you to cover for the right to do business with them. What the Hell? When did all this happen? I thought that if you had a business in America, you valued customers and went out of your way to keep them happy.

     I have been noticing this for some time on my bills and receipts. Its not OK to charge me for things that I assume are part of the service. I first noticed it on my Entergy bill several years ago right after the gulf suffered damage from a hurricane. There was a sizable charge on my bill, I cant recall exactly what it was called, a recovery fee I think. When I asked an Entergy representative about this, I was told it was to help recover the companies losses sustained by excessive overtime and repairs to the region effected.

     The other day I was paying a bill over the phone and was told that i would be charged a service fee for fee collection. Now i am having to pay, to pay. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??? I have to do you the honor of paying you a fee to take my hard earned money. Utilities are the worst because they have you over a barrel, you have to have them...so you pay it. Insurance is the same way..we are mandated that we have to carry it, so the insurance companies as a whole keep raising premiums because they have us..they own us.

     Oil Companies say they have to raise gas prices due to market speculation over middle eastern turmoil. Speculation...anyone remember economics class...this means guessing. They continue to tell us that they have to raise prices to adjust to global rise in production costs...they think. Then at the end of the fiscal year, all the gas companies post HUGE, RECORD profits!! I keep waiting for my refund check due to over-speculation, but it never comes.

    If we turn the tides on companies, would it favor us for a change? I remember when Hurricane Gustav came through, we did without power for 3 days..3 days..and I live in the city. Valiant attempts to preserve all my frozen and cold food fell slighty short. When i mentioned to Entergy that I would be sending them a bill to compensate for all my losses, they actually got really huffy with me. Threatening to bill the cable company for lost work wages when I have to take the afternoon off to wait for a service tech to arrive.
Subtract money from your cable bill for the 100+ channels you never watch...ever!

     I just want to know when good customer service went away and arrogant business started ruling the earth. When businesses stopped trying to pamper the customer, and started catering to stockholders. we as consumers are in control, we just forget because we are bullied and pushed by big business.

   Alright, I am finished bitching for tonight. I will make an effort to be more positive in my future blogs so everyone leave comments and sign up to follow me so we can argue about what I rant about.

Man up

     What makes a man? A simple enough question on the surface...but is it?  The answer probably rests in the circles in which the question is posed. The answer would probably differ greatly  dependent on geography, culture, age and past experiences. I think that in the past, a definite stereotype was present in society of what was expected of the men in this country. An evolution has occurred since the image of the caveman emerging from his cave with a large club to walk to the closest female, strike her over the head and drag her back to his cave by her hair...or has it?

     Personally I am a firm believer in certain basic instincts that are embedded deep in the workings of human beings. Animal instincts ,if you will, that have a certain amount of control over the actions of us men, like it or not. Our ability to refine and control some instincts is a true test of our strength. In a sampling of men picked at random, a wide variety of personalities and levels of control would be obvious. That being said, I also believe that we need those different levels in the world today. For the men standing on the front lines, the military and law enforcement officers, it pays to have an aggressive, alpha male attitude...its necessary  for survival. Sometimes a more refined approach is needed, such as physicians, clergy, and social workers. Not saying that these characteristics cant interchange within these professions, you just cant get much done in confessional if the priest wants to whip your ass for what you say, or the police officer tells the criminals to just say they are sorry. 

     I guess the true test of a man, is the ability to adjust, conform to what is expected of him. To truly understand the situation around him and act accordingly. We ask 18 year old men to put on the uniform of the United States Military, travel to far away lands, and in accordance with his job and training, perform task that result in death and destruction of the enemy, civilians, and sometimes fellow soldiers. To see Hellish images and endure horrible conditions..those of which the common person could NEVER comprehend, then return to society and act like it was all just an extended vacation. We act surprised when a soldier cracks and goes on a rampage, killing civilians, other soldiers, wife and kids. I find it hard to believe that it doesn't happen more often. The military is just starting to understand this problem and attempting to deal with it. 

     We all flock to movies that have the larger than life male action hero. The muscled up, dual weapon toting bad ass with catchy one liners and hot women falling out of his pocket as he clings to helicopters, single handed kills all the bad guys, and gets the princess in the end. That is what Hollywood projects as a man. The other side of the spectrum is The Maury Povich Show in which countless losers are paraded across stage in an attempt to find who da baby daddy is. So obviously the answer of manhood isn't the ability to reproduce...any idiot can do that. 

     So...What makes a man? I think the best characteristic in a man is the ability to be flexible. To be open to what is around him and adjust to fit the needs of the people he cares for. I am a bit old fashioned and believe  that the man should be the foundation of the family. I was raised by just my mother, and she did an awesome job, but if a man looks at himself, his desire should be to be the tree on which the leaves grow. I think that a strong faith in God is required. The understanding that you will have days that you dont feel like you are doing a very good job, and have to rely heavily on your faith to get you through, but you CAN get through it. To be honest with yourself on your abilities..to realize when your in over head and not to take it out on the ones that love you the most. To project your anger towards others, to blame and destroy the lives of people around you is far from being a man. The furthest thing from manhood is a man that will strike a woman or  child. It has been my experience working in law enforcement, that the worse a man treats a woman, the bigger a whimp he is. 

     Some of the best men I know are good family men. Men that i look up to and admire. Men that put their own needs at the end of the list and strive to protect and provide for other people. Whether it be for their family, church, community, or all the above. I am fortunate to work around such men at work and in their volunteer work for the community. The larger a mans heart is, the stronger a man he is. 

     As for me personally, I try everyday to do the best I can, but mistakes are plenty. I try to learn from my experiences and not repeat the bad things. To go forward to improve the quality of life for me and my family and point the direction as my children get older so they can learn to make their own decisions. To be right with God and always reach out a hand to those in need. Didn't do so well today? Well, there is always tomorrow.