Original Post Date: March 24, 2010
This legislation will just subsidize people's horrible eating habits. Now since insurance companies will have to cover a person no matter how horrible their diet effected their health. Why care about costs of cholesterol medication, blood pressure medication, etc.. when the government is going to send you a subsidized check to help pay for them? Now, I will be paying for the average American's horrible health along with their horrible diet with my tax dollars.
I found out my cholesterol level was almost 300 at age 27. My doctor told me I should "reduce" my intake of red meat, and dairy. Also I would be on two separate medications for the rest of my life. I could have accepted this I my fate and burden the health care industry with my rising health care costs. However, I finally became a vegan, my cholesterol dropped by half, and I do not take any medications. Actually I was able to stop taking two previous medications for acid reflux....
I am glad that people that have genetic, or contagious diseases will not be denied health care. There are many other great points in this bill. However, the bill did not have to be 2,000 plus pages and cost over a 1 Trillion dollars we do not have in this country. My health care bill would be pretty simple....
1. Stop eating like crap and getting your dinner out of a window.
2. Exercise every week.
3. The government should start subsidizing healthy foods to help poorer communities. Stop subsidizing the beef and diary industries.
4. tort reform
5. Allow insurance companies to compete across state lines like car insurance companies.
American's diet is breaking the back of our health care and this bill will just further it. Just like bad drivers get higher car insurance costs or lose insurance all together. People with bad diets need to take responsibility for their bad diets. After the individual tries everything in their own power to improve their health, then the government should step in and help them.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Getting completely screwed over
Original Post Date: October 1, 2009
We sent the following to consumeraffairs.com and also to 3 local news stations tonight. We will also be filing a complaint against both Taylor Bean & Whitaker & Bank of America w/ the BBB. Just thought I would post it on here, too, in case anyone else has any ideas of where else we should send this to.
In case you are not aware, Taylor Bean & Whitaker (also known as TB&W) was one of the largest mortgage companies in the US before they were raided by the FBI in August 2009.
In November 2008 I obtained a VA loan with Taylor Bean & Whitaker mortgage company. Although I had planned on just paying my home owners' insurance and property taxes once a year when they were due, I was told by my broker that the VA required those payments to be averaged into the loan and paid monthly into an escrow account with my lender (TB&W). When I decided to refinance in July 2009, I had $911.55 in my escrow account with TB&W. My broker suggested I refinance with TB&W because he said they would be able to transfer that escrow money to my new loan instead of requiring it up front, so I agreed. However, when it came time to sign the refinance papers on July 25, 2009, my broker told me that TB&W had not been able to transfer my escrow money after all, so $1081.68 was added into my loan for new escrow, but that within 30 days TB&W would send me a refund check of $911.55 for my old escrow account. Of course I have never received this check yet, but that is not even the worst of my concerns at this point.
In August, after TB&W was raided by the FBI and suspended from making or servicing most loans, I began getting notices from many different companies claiming they now owned my loan. The first notice was from Colonial Bank dated August 12, 2009. The second notice was from Roundpoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation, also dated August 12, 2009. When I called Roundpoint, the person I talked to could not give me any information about my loan (how much it was for total, how much was in my escrow account, what my interest rate was, etc.), but told me to send my usual payment to them anyway. After I searched online, I found many people reporting Roundpoint was a scam, so it was lucky I had not sent them any money. Finally, I got a call from Bank of America stating that they had my loan. For a few seconds I felt relieved, until I asked for my account information and realized they had all the information for my OLD loan before I refinanced. $911.55 in my escrow account, my old interest rate, etc.
I explained to Bank of America that I had refinanced and that loan they had the information for no longer existed. They told me it must be some mistake they would get figured out soon and not to worry about it. However, after a couple of weeks, I started getting delinquency notices from Bank of America stating that I was overdue, I owed them 2 months worth of mortgage payments, I would lose my house if I did not pay, etc. Every time I would call them and explain the situation to a new person and be told not to worry about it, yet the notices kept coming. We even received a notice stating that if we do not pay them by October 16, 2009, they are going to start foreclosure proceedings! Finally we faxed them our settlement statement from our refinance to prove that the old loan no longer exists. Our title company also talked to a Bank of America representative by phone, and also faxed proof to Bank of America that the loan they are claiming we owe them money for has been refinanced, but the delinquency notices and threats from Bank of America are still coming.
Meanwhile, I began getting statements for my NEW loan from Taylor Bean & Whitaker as if nothing was wrong and they were doing business as usual! I called them and they insisted they do still own my new loan, and said that they will try to "pull back" my old loan from Bank of America, whatever that means. When I asked about the $911.55 they owe me from my old escrow account, they claimed that they did transfer it over to my new loan, so they don't owe me any money!
I am nervous to send TB&W any more money because of all the articles I have read about them not paying people's bills out of their escrow accounts. Both my insurance and my property taxes are due in November. I have already paid most of this money to TB&W TWICE now, the $911.55 of escrow in my old loan which has never been refunded to me, and the $1081.68 of escrow in my new loan. I am concerned that in November I will have to pay all this money a THIRD time, directly to my insurance company and Pima County because I have doubts TB&W will pay them when they are due. I have called both my insurance company (State Farm), and the Pima County Treasurer's Office about my concerns. State Farm said they would make a note on my account of this and notify me if my mortgage company does not pay it. The Pima County Treasurer's Office said they could not do this, but said I could check on their website to see if it gets paid. However, the woman I spoke to from the Pima County Treasurer's Office then told me that if I pay it and then my mortgage company later pays it that I will be "out of luck," because the Pima County Treasurer's Office will not refund my payment to me or credit my account to be applied to next year's taxes.
I have contacted several lawyers, but none of them will even meet with me. They all just say they don't handle cases like this. I also called the VA Regional Office in Phoenix, but as soon as they found out it was a Taylor Bean & Whitaker loan, the person on the phone said they were directed to tell anyone with a Taylor Bean & Whitaker loan to "handle it through the banks." I have two months worth of mortgage payments sitting in my checking account now, because I don't know who to send them to. I have never been late on a mortgage payment before this, and I have a good credit record, but now I am afraid of losing my house and having my credit ruined over this situation. I don't know what to do at this point, please help!.. .... ..
We sent the following to consumeraffairs.com and also to 3 local news stations tonight. We will also be filing a complaint against both Taylor Bean & Whitaker & Bank of America w/ the BBB. Just thought I would post it on here, too, in case anyone else has any ideas of where else we should send this to.
In case you are not aware, Taylor Bean & Whitaker (also known as TB&W) was one of the largest mortgage companies in the US before they were raided by the FBI in August 2009.
In November 2008 I obtained a VA loan with Taylor Bean & Whitaker mortgage company. Although I had planned on just paying my home owners' insurance and property taxes once a year when they were due, I was told by my broker that the VA required those payments to be averaged into the loan and paid monthly into an escrow account with my lender (TB&W). When I decided to refinance in July 2009, I had $911.55 in my escrow account with TB&W. My broker suggested I refinance with TB&W because he said they would be able to transfer that escrow money to my new loan instead of requiring it up front, so I agreed. However, when it came time to sign the refinance papers on July 25, 2009, my broker told me that TB&W had not been able to transfer my escrow money after all, so $1081.68 was added into my loan for new escrow, but that within 30 days TB&W would send me a refund check of $911.55 for my old escrow account. Of course I have never received this check yet, but that is not even the worst of my concerns at this point.
In August, after TB&W was raided by the FBI and suspended from making or servicing most loans, I began getting notices from many different companies claiming they now owned my loan. The first notice was from Colonial Bank dated August 12, 2009. The second notice was from Roundpoint Mortgage Servicing Corporation, also dated August 12, 2009. When I called Roundpoint, the person I talked to could not give me any information about my loan (how much it was for total, how much was in my escrow account, what my interest rate was, etc.), but told me to send my usual payment to them anyway. After I searched online, I found many people reporting Roundpoint was a scam, so it was lucky I had not sent them any money. Finally, I got a call from Bank of America stating that they had my loan. For a few seconds I felt relieved, until I asked for my account information and realized they had all the information for my OLD loan before I refinanced. $911.55 in my escrow account, my old interest rate, etc.
I explained to Bank of America that I had refinanced and that loan they had the information for no longer existed. They told me it must be some mistake they would get figured out soon and not to worry about it. However, after a couple of weeks, I started getting delinquency notices from Bank of America stating that I was overdue, I owed them 2 months worth of mortgage payments, I would lose my house if I did not pay, etc. Every time I would call them and explain the situation to a new person and be told not to worry about it, yet the notices kept coming. We even received a notice stating that if we do not pay them by October 16, 2009, they are going to start foreclosure proceedings! Finally we faxed them our settlement statement from our refinance to prove that the old loan no longer exists. Our title company also talked to a Bank of America representative by phone, and also faxed proof to Bank of America that the loan they are claiming we owe them money for has been refinanced, but the delinquency notices and threats from Bank of America are still coming.
Meanwhile, I began getting statements for my NEW loan from Taylor Bean & Whitaker as if nothing was wrong and they were doing business as usual! I called them and they insisted they do still own my new loan, and said that they will try to "pull back" my old loan from Bank of America, whatever that means. When I asked about the $911.55 they owe me from my old escrow account, they claimed that they did transfer it over to my new loan, so they don't owe me any money!
I am nervous to send TB&W any more money because of all the articles I have read about them not paying people's bills out of their escrow accounts. Both my insurance and my property taxes are due in November. I have already paid most of this money to TB&W TWICE now, the $911.55 of escrow in my old loan which has never been refunded to me, and the $1081.68 of escrow in my new loan. I am concerned that in November I will have to pay all this money a THIRD time, directly to my insurance company and Pima County because I have doubts TB&W will pay them when they are due. I have called both my insurance company (State Farm), and the Pima County Treasurer's Office about my concerns. State Farm said they would make a note on my account of this and notify me if my mortgage company does not pay it. The Pima County Treasurer's Office said they could not do this, but said I could check on their website to see if it gets paid. However, the woman I spoke to from the Pima County Treasurer's Office then told me that if I pay it and then my mortgage company later pays it that I will be "out of luck," because the Pima County Treasurer's Office will not refund my payment to me or credit my account to be applied to next year's taxes.
I have contacted several lawyers, but none of them will even meet with me. They all just say they don't handle cases like this. I also called the VA Regional Office in Phoenix, but as soon as they found out it was a Taylor Bean & Whitaker loan, the person on the phone said they were directed to tell anyone with a Taylor Bean & Whitaker loan to "handle it through the banks." I have two months worth of mortgage payments sitting in my checking account now, because I don't know who to send them to. I have never been late on a mortgage payment before this, and I have a good credit record, but now I am afraid of losing my house and having my credit ruined over this situation. I don't know what to do at this point, please help!.. .... ..
.. .... ..
Footprints in the Sand
Original Post Date: June 28, 2009
I was listening to my playlist and thought of this poem.
Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned Jesus about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
by Carolyn Joyce Carty
I was listening to my playlist and thought of this poem.
Footprints in the Sand
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene he noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of
his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he
questioned Jesus about it:
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
by Carolyn Joyce Carty
HELP the CPR FUND!!
Original Post Date: October 8, 2008
My wife posted this on her blog, go to this website and help out a good cause. http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
Hi, everyone. Most of you know I have been working w/ CPR Fund rescue for a few months now & I really really like them a lot. Right now we are trying to win the $100,000 shelter giveaway contest, the top 10 groups in the country will get $10,000 each. Please help us win! Go to the link below, type in CPR Fund in the search area, click vote, then type in the animal you see in the little picture to confirm your vote. It only takes like 30 seconds. Here is the link:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
This contest is going on until December, you can vote from your computer once per day, so please vote often & if you know others who will vote please pass this info on to them, too! Thanks!
UPDATE: I was wrong about the top 10 shelters in the country getting $10,000 each. There is one $25,000 winner, one $10,000 winner, & FIFTY FOUR state winners that get $1,000 each. So we have an even better chance than I thought of at least getting something. Please vote for us :-)
My wife posted this on her blog, go to this website and help out a good cause. http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
Hi, everyone. Most of you know I have been working w/ CPR Fund rescue for a few months now & I really really like them a lot. Right now we are trying to win the $100,000 shelter giveaway contest, the top 10 groups in the country will get $10,000 each. Please help us win! Go to the link below, type in CPR Fund in the search area, click vote, then type in the animal you see in the little picture to confirm your vote. It only takes like 30 seconds. Here is the link:
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
This contest is going on until December, you can vote from your computer once per day, so please vote often & if you know others who will vote please pass this info on to them, too! Thanks!
UPDATE: I was wrong about the top 10 shelters in the country getting $10,000 each. There is one $25,000 winner, one $10,000 winner, & FIFTY FOUR state winners that get $1,000 each. So we have an even better chance than I thought of at least getting something. Please vote for us :-)
Undecided Independent Voters.....dumbest people on earth..who I am voting for
Original Post Date: Jan 6, 2008
It is just me but are undecided independent voters just annoying to watch? It irritates me that the news media puts so much emphasis on these people. Take for instance the undecided voters in New Hampshire. I was watching a group of them getting interviewed on the Today Show and they were asked who they were at least learning towards to vote and some said they were probably going to be undecided all the way up to the ballot box. Yea, that is exactly how I want my next president to be picked, by some slap jaw yokel making his mind up at the last minute. I feel the same way with the way Iowan Democrats feel that the best way to pick the next president is to put everyone room and peer pressure people to vote for your candidate.
These voters have had since September 5, 2007 (when Fred Thompson the last candidate to throw his hat in) to at least be leaning towards someone. To say that with all the information out there on the internet, TV, magazines, and other media outlet; where in this day of age you can just "google" a person's name and find out everything good and bad about them; where they stand on all the issues and what experience they have in the political arena; that these people still don't have at least have a person they are leaning towards just shows how really stupid these people are. They either are that stupid or they just want to be on TV.
I have at least decided.
I consider myself an an independent that leans both left and right on certain issues. I am more conservative on issues like gun control, health care, immigration, and government spending. I personally feel that abortion should be illegal however I don't base my entire decision on who to vote for on this issue. I am more liberal when it comes to the death penalty, animal welfare, and the environment.
With all those issues going through my mind I have consider voting for Guliaini, Hunter, Romney, Paul and Thompson. I have even considering changing my party and voting for Obama and Edwards. Guliani seems to be more intrusive it terms of how he governed New York (even though in some cases it work very well). Hunter is out after Iowa. Romney seems to just saying what he thinks people want to hear (Also this might be superficial but out of his 5 children not one is at least in the National Guard). I disagree with Paul's foreign policy. Thompson I could see voting for. Obama is too left on issues like Health Care, Immigration and it is hard for me to vote for a man that doesn't have any foreign policy experience and if he truly wanted to end this war he would have NOT voted several times for the funding.
However I personally feel with that McCain is the closest candidate that believes in my views. I supported the surge and it took guts for McCain to do the same because during that time it look like political suicide for him to support it. He is the only republican candidate that realizes the importance of global warming. He supports putting more international pressure on the region of Darfur. He has the highest rating of any republican candidate on animal welfare issues. He has repeatedly crossed party lines and has supported issues that he knew could be political suicide with republican voters because he believe in them. Even though I don't agree with everything he says I feel he is the closest to my overall stance on issues and I personally like his character. Also out of all the candidate he has visited Iraq (to see the situation first hand) more than any other candidate. Edwards, Thompson and Giuliani have never went to Iraq. Obama and Romney has been there once, Clinton three times, and finally McCain has been there 6 times since the war began.
With all those conflicting stances I have on issues, I found a candidate I that can support. I can hardly believe a person where their primary is less than a week away still doesn't know who they are voting for. If I could say one thing to them I could encourage them NOT to vote because I don't really want a person that didn't take this process seriously and do their homework months before to help pick the next leader of the free world. I mean you don't need to know exactly who but at least have it narrowed down to two people or be leaning in one direction.
It is just me but are undecided independent voters just annoying to watch? It irritates me that the news media puts so much emphasis on these people. Take for instance the undecided voters in New Hampshire. I was watching a group of them getting interviewed on the Today Show and they were asked who they were at least learning towards to vote and some said they were probably going to be undecided all the way up to the ballot box. Yea, that is exactly how I want my next president to be picked, by some slap jaw yokel making his mind up at the last minute. I feel the same way with the way Iowan Democrats feel that the best way to pick the next president is to put everyone room and peer pressure people to vote for your candidate.
These voters have had since September 5, 2007 (when Fred Thompson the last candidate to throw his hat in) to at least be leaning towards someone. To say that with all the information out there on the internet, TV, magazines, and other media outlet; where in this day of age you can just "google" a person's name and find out everything good and bad about them; where they stand on all the issues and what experience they have in the political arena; that these people still don't have at least have a person they are leaning towards just shows how really stupid these people are. They either are that stupid or they just want to be on TV.
I have at least decided.
I consider myself an an independent that leans both left and right on certain issues. I am more conservative on issues like gun control, health care, immigration, and government spending. I personally feel that abortion should be illegal however I don't base my entire decision on who to vote for on this issue. I am more liberal when it comes to the death penalty, animal welfare, and the environment.
With all those issues going through my mind I have consider voting for Guliaini, Hunter, Romney, Paul and Thompson. I have even considering changing my party and voting for Obama and Edwards. Guliani seems to be more intrusive it terms of how he governed New York (even though in some cases it work very well). Hunter is out after Iowa. Romney seems to just saying what he thinks people want to hear (Also this might be superficial but out of his 5 children not one is at least in the National Guard). I disagree with Paul's foreign policy. Thompson I could see voting for. Obama is too left on issues like Health Care, Immigration and it is hard for me to vote for a man that doesn't have any foreign policy experience and if he truly wanted to end this war he would have NOT voted several times for the funding.
However I personally feel with that McCain is the closest candidate that believes in my views. I supported the surge and it took guts for McCain to do the same because during that time it look like political suicide for him to support it. He is the only republican candidate that realizes the importance of global warming. He supports putting more international pressure on the region of Darfur. He has the highest rating of any republican candidate on animal welfare issues. He has repeatedly crossed party lines and has supported issues that he knew could be political suicide with republican voters because he believe in them. Even though I don't agree with everything he says I feel he is the closest to my overall stance on issues and I personally like his character. Also out of all the candidate he has visited Iraq (to see the situation first hand) more than any other candidate. Edwards, Thompson and Giuliani have never went to Iraq. Obama and Romney has been there once, Clinton three times, and finally McCain has been there 6 times since the war began.
With all those conflicting stances I have on issues, I found a candidate I that can support. I can hardly believe a person where their primary is less than a week away still doesn't know who they are voting for. If I could say one thing to them I could encourage them NOT to vote because I don't really want a person that didn't take this process seriously and do their homework months before to help pick the next leader of the free world. I mean you don't need to know exactly who but at least have it narrowed down to two people or be leaning in one direction.
What I am thankful for...
Original Post Date: November 26, 2007
I hope this day finds you surrounded by family and friends, even if its just one special someone. For those who have answered the call and are overseas (or soon will be) during this holiday season, you are in my prayers. Again Happy thanksgiving and remember no matter how bad your day, month, or year is going at this point. We still live in one of the greatest countries in the world and we need to be thankful for everything that makes us happy in our lives.
I am thankful for .....
being married to Amanda, I know you always say that I am lying but you are the best thing that came into my life. That you have changed my life for the better 99.9% of the time.... even owning Diamond. That my life wouldn’t be the same without you and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
for my dogs. They made me realize sometimes you should take people at face value and hope for the best and you should be honest to the people you meet. That I don’t even remember how it felt when I didn’t ever want to own a dog. That no matter how bad my day might have been at least I know I have to friends that are always happy to see (or hear) me.
my brother Aaron that I will always remember playing everything from basketball, baseball, football, and other sports(sorry I still sucked, but you tried). When I was watching those old movies when I was home. It reminded me of how good of a brother you were and are to me. I am so happy you have Tyler in your home now. At least we know he will have a good father and will grow up in a good home.
my brother Shane. Even when I was pretty young, you talk to me about different things in history to current affairs. You treated me like I was an adult, and how no matter how different our views are we both realize how great our contributions to our country are. That I am so proud of you becoming what you always wanted to be. The students in your school don’t realize yet how luckily they are for having you as a teacher.
my brother Brian. Thank you for always playing military with me for hours in our backyard, and for being a best friend. I hope you know I regret not hanging out with you more while I was in high school. You would have been a better role model to me than some of the type of people I used to hang out with.
To my Mom, words don’t describe how much I am luckily to have you as my mother. You always had this way of making me not want to let you down, even when I was in high school. I know you didn’t intentionally do this, however sometimes that feeling helped me keep myself out of trouble.
To my Dad, 99,9% of everything you ever told me has turned out right so far. How I have to realize that I can do anything with my life, however everything has consequences and I have to live with them..good or bad. It made me turn my path in high school, where I almost didn’t graduate, was hanging out with some bad influences, to a career, finishing my degree, and having a wonderful family here in Tucson.
To all my other relatives. Grandpa Trueblood, for taking me fishing, from taking me for rides on your riding lawn mower, to talking to me about my military experiences now and sending me a card when I was overseas just with a couple of lines to show you cared. You are and always have been the grandpa you read about in books. To my Grandma Trueblood, I hope you you are finally at peace and thank you for teaching me it’s ok to make mistakes in my life. Grandpa and Grandma Borgo, some of my fondest memories are with you in New Jersey. When you both lived in Belleville, to when I was "trying" swim in Cape Manor, to when you welcomed my wife with opened arms while I was deployed, to your recent party where you found everything special even the case of mistaken identity in your photo album. I hope that Amanda and I are half as luckily as you two.
I don’t want to leave anyone out, but I need to get some sleep I work tonight. So to everyone else on both sides of my family, Borgos and Truebloods. I hope you know everyone in my family has had a piece in making me who I am. To my friends I still keep in touch with that might read this you are not forgotten I no matter how busy I get I hope you know I think about you guys everyday. That is what I am thankful for today. That my family and friends have been there for me during some of my toughest times.
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless
I hope this day finds you surrounded by family and friends, even if its just one special someone. For those who have answered the call and are overseas (or soon will be) during this holiday season, you are in my prayers. Again Happy thanksgiving and remember no matter how bad your day, month, or year is going at this point. We still live in one of the greatest countries in the world and we need to be thankful for everything that makes us happy in our lives.
I am thankful for .....
being married to Amanda, I know you always say that I am lying but you are the best thing that came into my life. That you have changed my life for the better 99.9% of the time.... even owning Diamond. That my life wouldn’t be the same without you and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
for my dogs. They made me realize sometimes you should take people at face value and hope for the best and you should be honest to the people you meet. That I don’t even remember how it felt when I didn’t ever want to own a dog. That no matter how bad my day might have been at least I know I have to friends that are always happy to see (or hear) me.
my brother Aaron that I will always remember playing everything from basketball, baseball, football, and other sports(sorry I still sucked, but you tried). When I was watching those old movies when I was home. It reminded me of how good of a brother you were and are to me. I am so happy you have Tyler in your home now. At least we know he will have a good father and will grow up in a good home.
my brother Shane. Even when I was pretty young, you talk to me about different things in history to current affairs. You treated me like I was an adult, and how no matter how different our views are we both realize how great our contributions to our country are. That I am so proud of you becoming what you always wanted to be. The students in your school don’t realize yet how luckily they are for having you as a teacher.
my brother Brian. Thank you for always playing military with me for hours in our backyard, and for being a best friend. I hope you know I regret not hanging out with you more while I was in high school. You would have been a better role model to me than some of the type of people I used to hang out with.
To my Mom, words don’t describe how much I am luckily to have you as my mother. You always had this way of making me not want to let you down, even when I was in high school. I know you didn’t intentionally do this, however sometimes that feeling helped me keep myself out of trouble.
To my Dad, 99,9% of everything you ever told me has turned out right so far. How I have to realize that I can do anything with my life, however everything has consequences and I have to live with them..good or bad. It made me turn my path in high school, where I almost didn’t graduate, was hanging out with some bad influences, to a career, finishing my degree, and having a wonderful family here in Tucson.
To all my other relatives. Grandpa Trueblood, for taking me fishing, from taking me for rides on your riding lawn mower, to talking to me about my military experiences now and sending me a card when I was overseas just with a couple of lines to show you cared. You are and always have been the grandpa you read about in books. To my Grandma Trueblood, I hope you you are finally at peace and thank you for teaching me it’s ok to make mistakes in my life. Grandpa and Grandma Borgo, some of my fondest memories are with you in New Jersey. When you both lived in Belleville, to when I was "trying" swim in Cape Manor, to when you welcomed my wife with opened arms while I was deployed, to your recent party where you found everything special even the case of mistaken identity in your photo album. I hope that Amanda and I are half as luckily as you two.
I don’t want to leave anyone out, but I need to get some sleep I work tonight. So to everyone else on both sides of my family, Borgos and Truebloods. I hope you know everyone in my family has had a piece in making me who I am. To my friends I still keep in touch with that might read this you are not forgotten I no matter how busy I get I hope you know I think about you guys everyday. That is what I am thankful for today. That my family and friends have been there for me during some of my toughest times.
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless
Withdrawal is Not an Option
Original post date: Jan 7, 2007
This was my descriptive essay in my Writing Class. If you have read any of my other blogs, you will probably notice some pieces of them in here.
The Iraqi Study Group has recently come out with a report recommending the withdrawal of combat troops in Iraq and increased diplomacy with Iraq's neighbors Iran and Syria. They share the view of the Americans that are getting tired of this war. They feel that the current escalation of sectarian violence between Iraqi ethnic groups is more of a problem for the Iraqi Government than for the United States. They believe that we need to focus our mission there on training the Iraqi military and police to secure their own country. They also want a timetable to withdraw all US forces in Iraq. Some even want a complete withdrawal of US troops by the end of 2007. Even though I agree that we need to provide the Iraqi Security Forces with the proper training to stop the violence, I also agree that we need to provide more troops in the country to quell the violence, not withdraw troops.
The US currently does not have enough troops in Iraq to quell the violence and train Iraqi Security Forces. We need to increase troop strength, however it will be a hard case to push to the American people. With the media biased against any good news, people have no idea that out of the 18 provinces in Iraq, 75% of casualties come from 4 of them: Al Anbar, Baghdad, Salah ad Din and Ninawa. These provinces are in the Sunni Triangle and the stronghold of US resistance by both former Baath Party, Al Qaeda loyalists and Iranian backed Shiite militias. We need to deploy more troops in each of the above four provinces quell the insurgency and focus on training the Iraqi military in those areas. We do need to allow the Iraqi Security Forces to be the on the front lines to quell the sectarian violence. The US military mission should be to secure the borders of Iraq to stop Al Qaeda and Iranian influence from escalating the violence.
Al Qaeda main goal in Iraq is to continue the civil war by promoting the Sunni minority to attack Shiite majority. According to a Newsweek article titled " Bin Laden's Iraq Plans," the terrorist leader has been diverting a large number of fighters from the anti-U.S. insurgency in Afghanistan to Iraq since 2003. Al Qaeda is trying to drive us out and put us on the defensive. They know from our recent past conflicts and deployment of troops ( Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia, and not invading Iraqi during the first Gulf War) that American's Achilles heel is its how its population reacts to casualties. Once they hit the magical number of US casualties, Americans will pull out of the war.
The Iraqi Study Group supports diplomatic negotiations with Iran. This will only result in a dead end. Iran is backing Shiite militias to gain influence in Iraq. An in-depth TIME investigation based on documents smuggled out of Iran, meetings with U.S., British and Iraqi officials, as well as an Iranian agent, armed dissidents and Iraqi militia and political allies reveals that Iran had plans to influence Iraq before the U.S. invaded. Iran is militarily and economically supporting Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani and his network of insurgents as they commit violence against U.S. and coalition forces. Iran is also funding Hizballah and facilitating the import of sophisticated weapons that are killing and wounding U.S. and British troops
We can debate if Iraq was the good strategy in the overall war. In retrospect, I feel we should have waited to invaded Iraq and put more pressure on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Also, I believe we should have put more pressure on Pakistan about quelling support for Al Qaeda in its country's tribal areas. However, there is no denying that Iraq is the central front on this War on Terror. Groups like Al Qaeda and countries like Iran are treating this like a Third World War. In the 1990's we tried to appease the terror groups in that region. We thought that if we tried to negotiate with Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and other countries that preach hatred towards the US that we could avoid a war. September 11, 2001 and the rhetoric that some leaders in that Middle East spew about the US should wake us up to the fact that appeasement will never be an option.
This was my descriptive essay in my Writing Class. If you have read any of my other blogs, you will probably notice some pieces of them in here.
The Iraqi Study Group has recently come out with a report recommending the withdrawal of combat troops in Iraq and increased diplomacy with Iraq's neighbors Iran and Syria. They share the view of the Americans that are getting tired of this war. They feel that the current escalation of sectarian violence between Iraqi ethnic groups is more of a problem for the Iraqi Government than for the United States. They believe that we need to focus our mission there on training the Iraqi military and police to secure their own country. They also want a timetable to withdraw all US forces in Iraq. Some even want a complete withdrawal of US troops by the end of 2007. Even though I agree that we need to provide the Iraqi Security Forces with the proper training to stop the violence, I also agree that we need to provide more troops in the country to quell the violence, not withdraw troops.
The US currently does not have enough troops in Iraq to quell the violence and train Iraqi Security Forces. We need to increase troop strength, however it will be a hard case to push to the American people. With the media biased against any good news, people have no idea that out of the 18 provinces in Iraq, 75% of casualties come from 4 of them: Al Anbar, Baghdad, Salah ad Din and Ninawa. These provinces are in the Sunni Triangle and the stronghold of US resistance by both former Baath Party, Al Qaeda loyalists and Iranian backed Shiite militias. We need to deploy more troops in each of the above four provinces quell the insurgency and focus on training the Iraqi military in those areas. We do need to allow the Iraqi Security Forces to be the on the front lines to quell the sectarian violence. The US military mission should be to secure the borders of Iraq to stop Al Qaeda and Iranian influence from escalating the violence.
Al Qaeda main goal in Iraq is to continue the civil war by promoting the Sunni minority to attack Shiite majority. According to a Newsweek article titled " Bin Laden's Iraq Plans," the terrorist leader has been diverting a large number of fighters from the anti-U.S. insurgency in Afghanistan to Iraq since 2003. Al Qaeda is trying to drive us out and put us on the defensive. They know from our recent past conflicts and deployment of troops ( Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia, and not invading Iraqi during the first Gulf War) that American's Achilles heel is its how its population reacts to casualties. Once they hit the magical number of US casualties, Americans will pull out of the war.
The Iraqi Study Group supports diplomatic negotiations with Iran. This will only result in a dead end. Iran is backing Shiite militias to gain influence in Iraq. An in-depth TIME investigation based on documents smuggled out of Iran, meetings with U.S., British and Iraqi officials, as well as an Iranian agent, armed dissidents and Iraqi militia and political allies reveals that Iran had plans to influence Iraq before the U.S. invaded. Iran is militarily and economically supporting Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani and his network of insurgents as they commit violence against U.S. and coalition forces. Iran is also funding Hizballah and facilitating the import of sophisticated weapons that are killing and wounding U.S. and British troops
We can debate if Iraq was the good strategy in the overall war. In retrospect, I feel we should have waited to invaded Iraq and put more pressure on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Also, I believe we should have put more pressure on Pakistan about quelling support for Al Qaeda in its country's tribal areas. However, there is no denying that Iraq is the central front on this War on Terror. Groups like Al Qaeda and countries like Iran are treating this like a Third World War. In the 1990's we tried to appease the terror groups in that region. We thought that if we tried to negotiate with Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and other countries that preach hatred towards the US that we could avoid a war. September 11, 2001 and the rhetoric that some leaders in that Middle East spew about the US should wake us up to the fact that appeasement will never be an option.
SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
Original post date: September 18, 2006
Some people in this country believe that Peace can be achieved without soldiers, police officers, Border Agents, Custom Officials, and other Authority Figures. I, in my life, try to be a sheepdog for protection of my family, friends, neighbors, and people I don't know. I believe that Peace can't be achieved without Justice. Peace can never be internal and never-ending. Peace will only be achieved for relatively short periods of time by the efforts people I named above.
I will add this. Not all authority figures are sheepdogs. Some are wolves in disguise. They use their powers for evil and when they are found out they need to be punished.
Sorry for the length of this blog, but its worth the read.
N SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D.,author of "On Killing."
Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so
because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy
things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that
may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,
even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth
dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the
United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive
creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the
murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate
is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans
are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent
crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record
rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which
means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one
in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are
committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably
less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation:
We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people
who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme
provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the
pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow
into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue
shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and
someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For
now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there
who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil
men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget
that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in
denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to
protect the flock and confront the wolf."
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive
citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy
for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But
what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow
citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking
the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep,
wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes
them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the
world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids'
schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police
officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely
to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the
sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone
coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the
path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is
that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep
dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished
and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative
democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that
there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them
where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our
airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much
rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to
hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough
high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not
have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had
nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT
teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel
those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs
feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded
hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt
differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a
funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the
breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a
righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous
battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move
to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After
the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I
could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a
warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there.
You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but
he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able
to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the
population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals
convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious,
predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped
walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like
big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able
to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be
genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most
people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the
man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an
operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other
three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone
and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to
the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a
transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business
people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible
evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of
police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real
sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves.
They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be
whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay,
but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your
loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If
you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt
you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want
to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious
and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive
in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are
well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt
holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of
religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer
in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the
break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other
cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I
asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was ata church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally
deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen
people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day
if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do
was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the
eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself
after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer
was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and
would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for"heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective,
or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids'
school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can
happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often
their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog
quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with
yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there
helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically
destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is
counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and
horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth
when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't
train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy.
Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you
are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at
your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11
book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to
terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an
insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it
isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more
unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in
small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some
level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of
his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you
step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that
the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime.
Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you
walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to
yourself...
"Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no
dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees,
a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on
the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the
other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America
took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps
toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started
taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that
continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.
Some people in this country believe that Peace can be achieved without soldiers, police officers, Border Agents, Custom Officials, and other Authority Figures. I, in my life, try to be a sheepdog for protection of my family, friends, neighbors, and people I don't know. I believe that Peace can't be achieved without Justice. Peace can never be internal and never-ending. Peace will only be achieved for relatively short periods of time by the efforts people I named above.
I will add this. Not all authority figures are sheepdogs. Some are wolves in disguise. They use their powers for evil and when they are found out they need to be punished.
Sorry for the length of this blog, but its worth the read.
N SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D.,author of "On Killing."
Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so
because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy
things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that
may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,
even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth
dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the
United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive
creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the
murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate
is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans
are not inclined to hurt one another.
Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent
crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record
rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which
means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one
in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are
committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably
less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation:
We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still
remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people
who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme
provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the
pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow
into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue
shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and
someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For
now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there
who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil
men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget
that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in
denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to
protect the flock and confront the wolf."
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive
citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy
for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But
what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow
citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking
the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the
universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep,
wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes
them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the
world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire
extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids'
schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police
officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely
to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the
sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone
coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the
path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is
that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep
dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished
and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative
democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that
there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them
where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our
airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much
rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to
hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough
high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not
have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had
nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT
teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel
those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs
feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded
hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt
differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a
sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a
funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the
breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a
righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous
battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move
to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After
the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I
could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a
warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there.
You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but
he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able
to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the
population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals
convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious,
predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped
walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like
big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able
to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be
genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most
people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was
honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the
man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an
operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other
three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone
and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to
the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a
transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business
people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible
evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of
police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real
sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves.
They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be
whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay,
but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your
loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If
you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt
you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want
to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious
and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive
in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are
well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt
holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of
religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer
in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the
break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other
cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I
asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was ata church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally
deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen
people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day
if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do
was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the
eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself
after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer
was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and
would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for"heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective,
or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids'
school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can
happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often
their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog
quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with
yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there
helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically
destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is
counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and
horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth
when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't
train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy.
Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you
are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at
your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11
book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to
terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an
insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it
isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more
unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in
small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some
level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of
his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes.
If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you
step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that
the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime.
Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you
walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to
yourself...
"Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no
dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees,
a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on
the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the
other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America
took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps
toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started
taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that
continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.
I feel we have lost the war.
Original post date: April 15, 2006
People are right that we needed more security in Iraq at the beginning of the invasion. We need more troops in there now, but I fear it is too late. Support for the war is low and will never recover. The media biased against any good news coming out of Iraq. Because of the media, people have no idea that out of the 18 provinences in Iraq, 75% casulaties come from 4 of them (Al Anbar, Baghdad, Salah ad Din and Ninawa) which are basically the Sunni Triangle and the stronghold of US resistance by both former Baath and Al Zaquwi loyalists.
My solution is to put 25,000 more troops in each of the above four provinences and focus on training the Iraqi military in those areas. Like it or not we turned Iraq in the frontlines on the War on Terrorism. We need to win or Iraq will turn into a complete safehaven for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Which is exactly what Al Qaeda wants, to drive us out and put us on the defensive. They know from our recent past conflicts and deployment of troops ( Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia, and not invading Iraqi during the first Gulf War) that American's achilles heal is it's population and how it reacts to casulaties. Once they hit the magical number of US casulaties, Americans will pull out of the war. They know ,with the war's approval rating down to 35%, that the time is near and all they need to do is keep picking at us with IED's, mortars and such killing one or two at a time. They aren't gaining any ground and the only resistance they have a cowardly hit and run tactics or targeting innocent civilians to cause fear in the Iraqi people and to get it reported on the news.
That is why America won WW2 and lost Vietnam. In WW2 we lost over 400,000 American servicemen and women and we still were united against Germany and Japan. In Vietnam our enemy saw the protests and political corruption and knew it was only a matter of time before American would pull out. The TET offensive was a major defeat against the North Vietnamese. They didn't gain any new ground, but the American press made it out like it was a major defeat for the US. To the North Vietnamese their best propaganda tool was our media.
So I don't just blame our population for not showing a united front against our enemies. I also blame our government for not doing the same and having bad policies that hasn't help the situation in Iraq.
Personally I am sad, not for Bush ( I can give a rats ass), but for our troops and the dwindling support for our mission over there.
People are right that we needed more security in Iraq at the beginning of the invasion. We need more troops in there now, but I fear it is too late. Support for the war is low and will never recover. The media biased against any good news coming out of Iraq. Because of the media, people have no idea that out of the 18 provinences in Iraq, 75% casulaties come from 4 of them (Al Anbar, Baghdad, Salah ad Din and Ninawa) which are basically the Sunni Triangle and the stronghold of US resistance by both former Baath and Al Zaquwi loyalists.
My solution is to put 25,000 more troops in each of the above four provinences and focus on training the Iraqi military in those areas. Like it or not we turned Iraq in the frontlines on the War on Terrorism. We need to win or Iraq will turn into a complete safehaven for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Which is exactly what Al Qaeda wants, to drive us out and put us on the defensive. They know from our recent past conflicts and deployment of troops ( Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia, and not invading Iraqi during the first Gulf War) that American's achilles heal is it's population and how it reacts to casulaties. Once they hit the magical number of US casulaties, Americans will pull out of the war. They know ,with the war's approval rating down to 35%, that the time is near and all they need to do is keep picking at us with IED's, mortars and such killing one or two at a time. They aren't gaining any ground and the only resistance they have a cowardly hit and run tactics or targeting innocent civilians to cause fear in the Iraqi people and to get it reported on the news.
That is why America won WW2 and lost Vietnam. In WW2 we lost over 400,000 American servicemen and women and we still were united against Germany and Japan. In Vietnam our enemy saw the protests and political corruption and knew it was only a matter of time before American would pull out. The TET offensive was a major defeat against the North Vietnamese. They didn't gain any new ground, but the American press made it out like it was a major defeat for the US. To the North Vietnamese their best propaganda tool was our media.
So I don't just blame our population for not showing a united front against our enemies. I also blame our government for not doing the same and having bad policies that hasn't help the situation in Iraq.
Personally I am sad, not for Bush ( I can give a rats ass), but for our troops and the dwindling support for our mission over there.
Beat the Monkey
Original post date: November 21, 2005
Right now I am waiting for the garage door guy to come. Also, I am waiting for my uniform to dry so I can starch and iron before I go to work. I am so tired and only got about one hour of sleep. So I thought I would post the story that I give to all the young airman when they asked me "Sarge why the fuck do we have to do this?" They only answer this when I have time to answer. In some situations you shouldn't ask and just do. People depend on you to follow orders. I personally feel that when I give an order that was given to me I won't pass the buck and tell the airman, "Hey I don't want you to do this, but the lieutenant says we have too." That just breaks down the military system. Well enough of my rant, here is the story.
There was this experiment that involved five monkeys in a two story cage. On the second story there were all these bananas, berries and all sorts of fruits monkeys like to eat. When the monkeys found out about the food on the second floor. They tried to go up the stairs to get to the food. The scientists would then spray the whole cage with painfully ice cold water. Sooner or later if a monkey tried to go up the stairs the other monkeys would throw him down and beat the tar out of the poor monkey. That went on until no monkeys tried to go up to the fruit. Then the scientists replaced one of the original five monkeys with a new one. This monkey had no idea about the water and when he saw the fruit he tried to go up the stairs. The remaining original monkeys dragged him down and beat the tar out of him. The new monkey had no idea why he was getting his ass kicked, but he was getting his ass kicked. Finally the new monkey didn't try to go up the stars.
Then the scientists took another one of the original monkeys out and put a new one. Again the brand new monkey tried to go up the stars and again the rest of the other monkeys including the first new monkey beat the tar out of him. The first new monkey had no idea why we was kicking the brand new monkeys ass, but he was following the crowd and kicked the monkeys ass anyways. Scientists kept replacing monkeys until only one of the original five monkeys was left. Then they replace that original monkey with a new monkey. When that brand new monkey tried to go up the stair to get some fruit. The rest of the monkeys started to beat the shit out of the new monkey. Keep in mind that all the monkeys that are in the cage now have never been sprayed by water and have no idea why they are beating up this monkey trying to go up the stairs, but they are still beating up the brand new monkey. And that my friends is the beginnings of Air Force policy. You do not understand why this is the way you are supposed to do it. Nobody remembers why a particular procedure started. However, you still have to do it.
So now when a young airman asks me "Sarge why the hell do we have to do this?" They understand when I tell them. "Airman just beat the monkey." If you don't get my story. I apologize I tell stories better than I right them...
Right now I am waiting for the garage door guy to come. Also, I am waiting for my uniform to dry so I can starch and iron before I go to work. I am so tired and only got about one hour of sleep. So I thought I would post the story that I give to all the young airman when they asked me "Sarge why the fuck do we have to do this?" They only answer this when I have time to answer. In some situations you shouldn't ask and just do. People depend on you to follow orders. I personally feel that when I give an order that was given to me I won't pass the buck and tell the airman, "Hey I don't want you to do this, but the lieutenant says we have too." That just breaks down the military system. Well enough of my rant, here is the story.
There was this experiment that involved five monkeys in a two story cage. On the second story there were all these bananas, berries and all sorts of fruits monkeys like to eat. When the monkeys found out about the food on the second floor. They tried to go up the stairs to get to the food. The scientists would then spray the whole cage with painfully ice cold water. Sooner or later if a monkey tried to go up the stairs the other monkeys would throw him down and beat the tar out of the poor monkey. That went on until no monkeys tried to go up to the fruit. Then the scientists replaced one of the original five monkeys with a new one. This monkey had no idea about the water and when he saw the fruit he tried to go up the stairs. The remaining original monkeys dragged him down and beat the tar out of him. The new monkey had no idea why he was getting his ass kicked, but he was getting his ass kicked. Finally the new monkey didn't try to go up the stars.
Then the scientists took another one of the original monkeys out and put a new one. Again the brand new monkey tried to go up the stars and again the rest of the other monkeys including the first new monkey beat the tar out of him. The first new monkey had no idea why we was kicking the brand new monkeys ass, but he was following the crowd and kicked the monkeys ass anyways. Scientists kept replacing monkeys until only one of the original five monkeys was left. Then they replace that original monkey with a new monkey. When that brand new monkey tried to go up the stair to get some fruit. The rest of the monkeys started to beat the shit out of the new monkey. Keep in mind that all the monkeys that are in the cage now have never been sprayed by water and have no idea why they are beating up this monkey trying to go up the stairs, but they are still beating up the brand new monkey. And that my friends is the beginnings of Air Force policy. You do not understand why this is the way you are supposed to do it. Nobody remembers why a particular procedure started. However, you still have to do it.
So now when a young airman asks me "Sarge why the hell do we have to do this?" They understand when I tell them. "Airman just beat the monkey." If you don't get my story. I apologize I tell stories better than I right them...
I don't get Democrats
Original post date: November 19, 2005
After watching all the Democrats talking about how we need to bring the troops home and with the backing of Sen. Murtha. Then seeing it fail in Congress by only getting there 3 votes. I am never going to vote for any of these democrats that are in office. I know the Republicans put the notion on the floor, but still out of principal they should have voted for it. These people don't have any backbone. Personally I believe we can't leave leave Iraq. If you read any of my previous blogs you can see my view on that. I just don't get the democrats, right now the war is at 38% approval rating and still the democrats didn't stand up for what they believe. I try never to personally attack people and their views, but I was irritated that after all the "support" Sen. Murtha was getting about withdrawing troops, It was being aired on almost every major newspaper including Al Jazerra saying Murtha wanted to pull our troops out of Iraq. They let the issue die like that. I know the democrats will still being saying they want to troops to come home and how Bush "misled" them into voting for the war, but they should have put their money where their mouth is.
After watching all the Democrats talking about how we need to bring the troops home and with the backing of Sen. Murtha. Then seeing it fail in Congress by only getting there 3 votes. I am never going to vote for any of these democrats that are in office. I know the Republicans put the notion on the floor, but still out of principal they should have voted for it. These people don't have any backbone. Personally I believe we can't leave leave Iraq. If you read any of my previous blogs you can see my view on that. I just don't get the democrats, right now the war is at 38% approval rating and still the democrats didn't stand up for what they believe. I try never to personally attack people and their views, but I was irritated that after all the "support" Sen. Murtha was getting about withdrawing troops, It was being aired on almost every major newspaper including Al Jazerra saying Murtha wanted to pull our troops out of Iraq. They let the issue die like that. I know the democrats will still being saying they want to troops to come home and how Bush "misled" them into voting for the war, but they should have put their money where their mouth is.
You can be patriotic and still don't support the war
Original Post Date: Oct 22, 2005
I posted this on one of the group sites, I liked what I wrote, so I thought to make a blog for it.
You can protest the war and still be patriotic. I believe a lot of people that is against the war are still for the troops. To ones are impatient on us winning the war and establishing democracy. I tell them be patient, let us do our job. I just see that a lot of people seem to find satisfaction in when they hear that there is a set back in Iraq. Because in their opinion that is making the Bush Administration look bad. Overall everyone should want us to win the war. I can understand if people want the war to end, not because they want the Bush Adm to fail, but because the think that the cost is to high for the results. However, if you ONLY want us to lose this war to make our current government look bad there is something wrong with you. In Iraq there is a lot more at stake than that. To the post saying that all troops should put down there guns and not fight. I took an oath that said "I do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and domestic: that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That I will obey the orders of the President of the US and the orders of the officers appointed over me. according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. SO HELP ME GOD."
IT is up to the American people on how the government will use us. If you don't like this war write your congressman, vote vote vote, mail him everyday and have all your friends, family members, and anyone else you can do the same. Write to him that you will not vote for him or anyone else that doesn't support the proper strategy on winning the war or if you don't support the war, if you don't get our troops home as soon as possible. My personal opinion is the one from the person that started this post. If you want us home let us do our job and show the terrorists that you have our back on that. The terrorists are using the same play book as the N. Vietnamese did. The more public protesting the terrorists see the more they believe they are winning. The more "documentaries" like Fahrenheit 911 that comes out the more it emboldens the terrorists. Lets have the debate in Congress not on the street. If you still are going to protest I really hope you are still writing your congressman, because if you don't do that you are just an idiot holding a sign. Make the government work for you to bring social change.
I posted this on one of the group sites, I liked what I wrote, so I thought to make a blog for it.
You can protest the war and still be patriotic. I believe a lot of people that is against the war are still for the troops. To ones are impatient on us winning the war and establishing democracy. I tell them be patient, let us do our job. I just see that a lot of people seem to find satisfaction in when they hear that there is a set back in Iraq. Because in their opinion that is making the Bush Administration look bad. Overall everyone should want us to win the war. I can understand if people want the war to end, not because they want the Bush Adm to fail, but because the think that the cost is to high for the results. However, if you ONLY want us to lose this war to make our current government look bad there is something wrong with you. In Iraq there is a lot more at stake than that. To the post saying that all troops should put down there guns and not fight. I took an oath that said "I do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and domestic: that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That I will obey the orders of the President of the US and the orders of the officers appointed over me. according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. SO HELP ME GOD."
IT is up to the American people on how the government will use us. If you don't like this war write your congressman, vote vote vote, mail him everyday and have all your friends, family members, and anyone else you can do the same. Write to him that you will not vote for him or anyone else that doesn't support the proper strategy on winning the war or if you don't support the war, if you don't get our troops home as soon as possible. My personal opinion is the one from the person that started this post. If you want us home let us do our job and show the terrorists that you have our back on that. The terrorists are using the same play book as the N. Vietnamese did. The more public protesting the terrorists see the more they believe they are winning. The more "documentaries" like Fahrenheit 911 that comes out the more it emboldens the terrorists. Lets have the debate in Congress not on the street. If you still are going to protest I really hope you are still writing your congressman, because if you don't do that you are just an idiot holding a sign. Make the government work for you to bring social change.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
I hate the owner of this house...
Original Post Date: Dec 4, 2005
Right now my wife and I are living in this nice house in Tucson. She rented it when I was in Iraq back in April. Basically since the moment she started to live here the owner has had it out for us. When I was over in Iraq he was trying to make my wife get evicted, basically because he didn't like us having dogs even-though we put that we had dogs on our lease agreement. He came over in early June w/o our permission and didn't like how the backyard looked. My wife wasn't really good at taking care of all the plants in the yard and it was getting over grown. Also he didn't like how we had some dog shit in the backyard. So the rental company did a less than 24hrs notice on my wife for a house inspection. She passed thank god. Also during a meeting the rental company basically admitted the owner wanted us out, but wouldn't let us out of the lease w/o an eviction. During the next five months the owner has came over w/o our knowledge. Also someone was coming into our house and moved things around to freak out my wife because they knew I was over in Iraq.
I came home in September and since then the owner has came on to the property at least once since I been back. When he was here he turned off the sprinkler system w/o our knowledge and his plants started to die in the backyard. Know I hear he wants us to pay for the plants. Luckily we do have proof he turned off the sprinkler system. The bad thing I am going to Lackland for awhile to do training and my wife is going to be here all alone to deal with this mess. She doesn't deserve this mess. She is freaked out about being alone in the house because of the owner coming over without our permission. Luckily she has someone coming down while I am gone. I will be praying that this situation works out. Thank god we are moving on base. The sad thing is that if the owner was working with us and was being shady about the whole situation I would have done anything he needed to help take care of the plants.
Now fuck him. I rather pay thousands of dollars on a lawyer fighting this guy and pay him thousands for this stupid plants. I wish this was the old west. Back then if you had a problem with someone you just went out in the street and had a shootout.
Right now my wife and I are living in this nice house in Tucson. She rented it when I was in Iraq back in April. Basically since the moment she started to live here the owner has had it out for us. When I was over in Iraq he was trying to make my wife get evicted, basically because he didn't like us having dogs even-though we put that we had dogs on our lease agreement. He came over in early June w/o our permission and didn't like how the backyard looked. My wife wasn't really good at taking care of all the plants in the yard and it was getting over grown. Also he didn't like how we had some dog shit in the backyard. So the rental company did a less than 24hrs notice on my wife for a house inspection. She passed thank god. Also during a meeting the rental company basically admitted the owner wanted us out, but wouldn't let us out of the lease w/o an eviction. During the next five months the owner has came over w/o our knowledge. Also someone was coming into our house and moved things around to freak out my wife because they knew I was over in Iraq.
I came home in September and since then the owner has came on to the property at least once since I been back. When he was here he turned off the sprinkler system w/o our knowledge and his plants started to die in the backyard. Know I hear he wants us to pay for the plants. Luckily we do have proof he turned off the sprinkler system. The bad thing I am going to Lackland for awhile to do training and my wife is going to be here all alone to deal with this mess. She doesn't deserve this mess. She is freaked out about being alone in the house because of the owner coming over without our permission. Luckily she has someone coming down while I am gone. I will be praying that this situation works out. Thank god we are moving on base. The sad thing is that if the owner was working with us and was being shady about the whole situation I would have done anything he needed to help take care of the plants.
Now fuck him. I rather pay thousands of dollars on a lawyer fighting this guy and pay him thousands for this stupid plants. I wish this was the old west. Back then if you had a problem with someone you just went out in the street and had a shootout.
Animal Testing
Original Post Date: Nov 23, 2005
The majority of consumer products that are produced don't need to be tested. It is not even mandated by US law. Like I said in my previous post, Everything I buy isn't tested on animals. My toothpaste, deodorant, household cleaning supplies, soaps, etc...etc.... Even the cigarettes that my wife smokes aren't tested on animals. Testing on animals is a cruel and completely unnecessary in today's society. The Govn't only really mandates animal testing on medicines, and drugs.
As for eating animals, I really don't see that going away anytime soon. Even-though when I tried to be a vegetarian I felt healthier. My doctor said my cholesterol was the lowest he has seen in years. We don't however need to abuse and basically torture the animals we are going to consume. My past relatives in Indiana owned farms and had livestock. They treated the animals like a pet all the way up until it was time to kill them. There should be laws banning cruel torture to the animals we consume.
My wife is an animal rights activist and support humane treatment of ALL animals. No matter how "ugly" they are. Where people distance themselves from the killing part of eating animals. If you couldn't yourself kill an animal and watch it get slaughtered you really shouldn't eat animals. Also if you couldn't walk to a dog farm in China, or Korea you shouldn't wear Nike's, or any leather that is made in over in that region.
Like I said above. I do eat animals. My biggest problem are the way big corporations treat the animals before they kill them. Also the needless testing (and I used that world lightly, it's more like torture) animals for no reason in research labs for consumer products
The majority of consumer products that are produced don't need to be tested. It is not even mandated by US law. Like I said in my previous post, Everything I buy isn't tested on animals. My toothpaste, deodorant, household cleaning supplies, soaps, etc...etc.... Even the cigarettes that my wife smokes aren't tested on animals. Testing on animals is a cruel and completely unnecessary in today's society. The Govn't only really mandates animal testing on medicines, and drugs.
As for eating animals, I really don't see that going away anytime soon. Even-though when I tried to be a vegetarian I felt healthier. My doctor said my cholesterol was the lowest he has seen in years. We don't however need to abuse and basically torture the animals we are going to consume. My past relatives in Indiana owned farms and had livestock. They treated the animals like a pet all the way up until it was time to kill them. There should be laws banning cruel torture to the animals we consume.
My wife is an animal rights activist and support humane treatment of ALL animals. No matter how "ugly" they are. Where people distance themselves from the killing part of eating animals. If you couldn't yourself kill an animal and watch it get slaughtered you really shouldn't eat animals. Also if you couldn't walk to a dog farm in China, or Korea you shouldn't wear Nike's, or any leather that is made in over in that region.
Like I said above. I do eat animals. My biggest problem are the way big corporations treat the animals before they kill them. Also the needless testing (and I used that world lightly, it's more like torture) animals for no reason in research labs for consumer products
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