Be The Change

Wow, has it really been a year since I posted a blog entry?  Doesn't seem like it's been that long, but that's what the date on my last one tells me.  Many things have happened since my last post, some deserving their own entry, but tonight I wanted to write about something that's been weighing heavily on my heart since yesterday.  I know I'm going to get a lot of flack from this, possibly some hurt feelings and negative comments, but I hope that most of you will understand my view point even if you don't accept it.  If you don't accept it, you can do like I spent part of yesterday doing on all my various social media outlets:  hide posts, unfollow, and even unfriending (in very rare cases).

After the inauguration took place on Friday, the sights of the world were set on various cities throughout the world (mostly this country, though) where women gathered to march.  Depending on what you watched, read, or who you asked, the reason was different.  I'm sure most had their own personal purposes, but the main original reason supposedly was to march to support the rights of women.  Now I, as a straight white male, can never claim to know what it's like to be anything but that.  That doesn't mean that I can't be empathetic towards people, feelings, or causes.  But as I saw pictures, as I read posts and tweets, and as I heard broadcasts, I wondered more and more what the hell this whole movement was trying to accomplish yesterday.  Most were in support of women, but others were displaying completely different agendas.  Some wanted to display their thoughts on climate change.  Others wanted to call our new president names.  Yet others unbelievably dressed up in hats or costumes that looked female anatomy.  I wanted to laugh and smash my head with a brick at the same time.  The thought occurred to me that if any aliens were monitoring our transmissions here on this planet, yesterday was not the day we'd want them to have as a snapshot for representation of our people.

At what point does a protest or movement do more harm to their cause than good?  It's one thing for a group of black Americans to link arms and stage a sit-in at a restaurant where they were not allowed to eat.  It's yet a totally different thing for a woman to wear a "pussy hat" (their words, not mine) while yelling that no one has rights over her uterus.  Last time I checked, I don't want any rights over a uterus.  I've seen how much problems women can have with theirs and I wouldn't have any idea what to do with the rights to one.  I will say that I was glad there were no arrests, which is extremely positive compared to the protests that took place on Inauguration Day.  But "pussy hats"??  Come on!  Before you start sending me comments saying, "Shaun, that wasn't the majority of the people.  Most were there peacefully with tasteful signs.", I know that not everyone acted in the garish manner that was being shown all over media.  However, if I'm with a group of people and one of them starts acting like a complete fool, if I don't say anything that makes me look bad by association.  The women there who were trying to be a positive influence and call attention to their cause should have sent those other women packing.

Most of you know that I have a seven-year-old daughter.  She is beautiful, bright, and has a huge future ahead of her.  It is my job to support her, to encourage her, and love her no matter what she chooses to do.  As long as she applies herself, works hard, and stays confident, she can achieve anything.  I am so grateful for her to be alive in the United States in 2017.  There has been no better time in history and no better country ever in existence for her to be growing up.  I look at other countries around the world today and so many women are suffering.  They're forced into marriages from a young age, forced to wear garments from head to toe that cover them up, treated as second or third class citizens.  In some countries, they look favorably upon allowing spouses to beat them as a form of control.  The United States is not a perfect utopia by any means, but it's still the greatest nation on Earth.  We have some work to do to make it even better, but try living in another country anywhere else in the world and have the same rights you do now.  You'll find it's way more difficult elsewhere.  In America, my daughter has an opportunity at a great life.  After a great education, she can go into any field she chooses.  In no other country can you find as many women in high-ranking positions of authority or held in reverence.  My daughter can be a teacher, a lawyer, a self-employed businesswoman, a CEO of a huge company, she can run for AND BECOME President of the United States...or she can be a *gasp* housewife and mom, if she so chooses.  My wife and I are instilling that confidence in her to make her way and make her choices.  It's up to us to do that, not to rely on a movement to gain attention.  If we do our jobs correctly, there would be no need for feminism.  Self-empowerment, self-reliance, a sense of self-worth...those are truly ideals that should be gender-neutral.

I've had the opinion for a long time that one man (or woman) cannot change the world alone, but through being the change they wish to see they can be an example for others.  Eventually that example can lead to change in the world, but it has to start with making yourself the best person you can be.  It's teaching your children how to be the best they can be, too.  It's telling them that their life can be what they want it to be, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks or does.  The chorus from a song called "The Change" by Garth Brooks has been going through my head the whole time while I've been writing this.  "It's not the world that I am changing.  I do this so this world will know that it will not change me."  Gathering with like-minded individuals who share your thoughts, opinions and agendas to call attention to issues in your neighborhoods, towns, states, country, or world can be a great thing, but I'd rather see one person who stands apart from the crowd, working hard to make a difference and not caring what anyone else thinks, just wanting to do the right thing for themselves, their family and friends, and others.  To me, that's REAL movement.  That's REAL strength.  That's REAL change.

Conservatism Works

I heard a quote a while back that has always stuck with me.  The great Winston Churchill once said,

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." 

I believe the same could be said for conservatism as a philosophy.  One of my friends on social media posted this link:
https://themarshallreport.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/the-conservative-party-has-failed-its-time-to-be-american/
While I agree that we all need to be American and remember why this is so great, we who identify as conservatives cannot abandon conservatism.  In response to my friend's posting, here is the comment I left:

There is no "Conservative Party" but there should be.  The Republican Party has conservatives in it, but is mostly dominated in Washington by fence-riding middle-of-the-road moderates and liberal-lite leaners.  Conservatism hasn't failed because it's never been allowed to be 100% implemented.  The progressive RINOs always manage to gain control and work to compromise with the other side of the aisle, which translates to abandoning conservative principles in favor of liberal-friendly policies.  This article even proves what I'm saying, noting that most conservatives fall in line to join the lobbyists and progressives once in office.  Conservatism didn't fail the people in that case...those turncoats failed conservatism.  If conservatives in Washington would stick to their principles, gain momentum & not compromise, you'd see unparalleled success in this country.

I truly believe this.  While I'm still not sure which candidate is going to get the GOP nomination, I think the best one would be the person who proudly, boldly, and unashamedly carries the conservative banner from the very first to the very last second.

More Debate Thoughts

Against my better judgment, I decided to turn on the Democratic Candidates Debate while I'm checking out various social media outlets.  At first I was just shaking my head here and there at a couple of statements, but eventually I reached the "head explosion" stage.  I'm still viewing but I almost have to disconnect myself from what's being said in order to fully tolerate it.  The same can be said for friends of mine on social media, as well as some of the random tweets I'm seeing.  Every day I find something that makes me shake my head in disbelief.  As I'm watching these three candidates state their opinions to answer (or avoid) the questions proposed by the moderators, I see where they have their differences that make their campaigns unique.  They each have their own agendas that have gained them supporters.  But, at the end of the day, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, there will only be one nominee by the Democrats to run for President.  This is where the Republicans can learn something from the Democrats, as I have said for many, many years.  When it is time for a decision to be made, the voters that identify with the Democrat party will back whomever gets the nomination.  I can't say the Republicans have done or will do the same.  So, having watched the Republican debates and now with watching the Democrat debate tonight while I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and others, I would like to offer some opinions.  Take them as you will, but as they are opinions, I am entitled to them.  I will discuss or debate them as long as the discussions and debates are fact-driven and civil.

To my friends voting for Donald Trump:  please be careful.  I have not yet picked one candidate that I want more than others and I'm not against voting for Trump, but I have my reservations.  He has tapped into a frustration that we, as Republicans, have all been feeling.  We're ready for someone to lead who is not an "establishment" candidate, someone who doesn't need the money from the special interests to get the job done.  Why I'm so cautious about Trump is his willingness to change with the wind.  He's used his own money to back political campaigns on both sides of the aisle depending on who he thought would do the best for his business.  I'm hoping that as president he would see "his business" as the country and do whatever it takes to prosper, but I don't want that to be at the cost of losing our values or by going against those who will vote him in office just because he feels he knows best.  We currently have a president who does what he feels is best for America without listening to the majority and it's getting us nowhere.  I need to see more of a commitment from Mr. Trump to stick to the positions on the issues and policies that have gotten him the lead in the polls thus far.

Fans of Ted Cruz:  I like what I see, but I'm also worried here.  The die-hard Cruz fans I'm friends with or I follow on social media are steadfast against Donald Trump.  Please realize that the main election isn't against Donald Trump.  Yes, Ted Cruz will have to get past Trump at this point to become the nominee based on the polls, but enough of this in-fighting is going to create more problems than it solves.  I'm glad to see Sen. Cruz take the high road when it has come to the shots fired by Mr. Trump, but the rabid fans Mr. Trump has amassed are eating it up, which eggs on the shots even more.  On social media, the Ted Cruz supporters have become almost as angry as the Trump supporters have.  Every day I see a Cruz vs. Trump post and, again, I just shake my head.  I don't see any Sanders vs. Clinton posts because the Democrats realize they have to work together and not tear each other down.  As a side note, I would suggest that you not back down fighting against the "natural born citizen" argument.  If John McCain could run, as well as others in history, Ted Cruz should have the same chance.  I'm not one to play the race card, either, but isn't it odd how someone can call out Ted Cruz in a "birther" scenario for being born in Canada to two US citizen parents but anyone questioning the validity of the questionable Obama birth certificate was an automatic racist?  Seems to me that there's a deep double standard here.

To the supporters of the rest of the Republican candidates:  you're fighting the good fight, but it will ultimately be a losing battle.  I see something I like about everyone that stands on the stage for the Republican debates, but unless something BIG happens that causes the bottom to fall out for Cruz or Trump, those are the two the Republicans will have the best chance with to get in the White House.  I've heard many on talk radio say that when it comes to the primaries and the general election, you should still vote with your conscience, even if it means to write-in someone.  While you can feel better walking out of the polling place, it will be a short victory when you wake up in the morning to see "Sanders Elected President" or "Clinton in the White House Again".  Both of those outcomes will be far worse to deal with than swallowing some disagreements you may have with the Republican nominee to vote for that person.  And before you just decide to stay home and not vote, please remember that's how we ended up with a Barack Obama second term.  God knows I didn't really want Mitt Romney as my candidate out of all that were running, but I agreed with him much more than I did President Obama.  If those who had stayed home had come out and voted for Romney, we may not be in some of the messes we have today.

My friends who are voting for the Democratic nominee:  choose carefully.  Up until I watched this debate, I had only gone off of what I have seen on the news, read on the Internet, etc... Now I get to see first-hand how these candidates are and I am worried for our future, especially for my friends in the Democrat party.  Senator Sanders is very knowledgeable on every topic and speaks with conviction.  The problem is that he's throwing his support behind a failed ideology that has proven time and time again to not work.  He wants to be Santa Claus for every man, woman, and child without realizing that the money has to come from somewhere.  The gap between the poor and the rich has lessened over the years due to the hard work of the lower and middle class trying to raise themselves up.  To have the government step in to "help" that along would be to work against those lower and middle class Americans helping themselves.  It would be taking away the credit they deserve for the hard work they've put in.  I'm not against providing assistance to those less fortunate, but let me make this absolutely clear:  I will NOT let someone in the federal, state, or local government tell me that I have to forfeit my hard earned money to help others because THEY know better where the money should go.  I have a brain and a heart.  Between those two, I think I can decide where my charity funds can be best put to use.  Secretary Clinton is just to the right of Senator Sanders, but she's not far behind on the road to socialism.  One thing she does have that Senator Sanders doesn't have:  a noticeable and very real penchant for lies and borderline criminal activity.  All of the distractions casting doubt on her truthfulness should be enough for anyone to discount her as a candidate.  While Senator Sanders is the "cool" choice of the moment, though, Hillary Clinton is the choice for the beltway insiders that have a (D) next to their name.  They will continue to back her because they feel she has the best shot at pulling the party together for a run at the White House.  Who they should be looking at right now is Martin O'Malley.  I live close enough to Maryland and have heard enough about his taxes to know that I definitely don't agree with everything he does or says.  However, watching this debate I can see that he appears to be the most level-headed of all three candidates.  While he still might have the radical viewpoints they do, he sounds as if he can still be reached via a friendly discussion or debate.  Democrats always talk about someone that can reach across the aisle to get things done.  From where I'm looking, Martin O'Malley would be that guy.  Unfortunately, those in the DNC are too blinded by the fanfare surrounding Sanders or the strong-arming of the Clinton mafia to see it.

I'm hoping that blogs like this will get a good dialogue going, one that's full of facts and has none of the name-calling that so often happens with disagreement.  Most of the time, though, all I usually get is ignored or completely raked over the coals.   It's one extreme of the spectrum or the other.  Regardless of what happens, I'm glad to have the freedom to get my opinion out there.  In some countries, this would be a cause for arrest and punishment.  Here in America, I'm hoping that my voice can be a voice of reason.  I want to be someone that brings up points to make people think, not blindly follow.  Don't automatically believe what the media wants you to hear.  Do some research for yourself and form your own opinions.  We were given a brain to think and make sense out of information we take in.  Hopefully we haven't let that muscle atrophy to the point where we expect someone else to do it for us.

No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Thumbing through Twitter this morning I came across an article from Vogue magazine in a tweet that I couldn't help but read because the title was so astounding...

Here's How To Solve the Student Debt Crisis: Make College Free

I read the entire article, trying to keep an open mind, but I can't believe my head didn't explode at many points throughout.  I don't have any student loans myself, but my wife does, so I know what this writer was discussing.  They aren't fun to pay back...but we still are paying them back and the reasons for doing so (besides the obvious legal one) are easy to understand.

When she agreed to accept the loans and take on the debt in exchange for a great education, she knew what she was doing.  She wasn't duped or hornswoggled.  All of the information was laid out before her and she still chose to accept the responsibility because she knew that having that education would give her a better chance at a better career for a better paycheck.  When I married her, that meant that I agreed to share in her debt as much as I would share in her profit.  There are many my age and younger that don't understand that, which is where this article came from, in my opinion.  Our country has developed a culture of entitlement to where some expect that they are entitled to anything and everything...all except the invoice when it comes to paying for it.  It's easy for someone to say that college should be free, but anyone with a mind knows that for something like a college to operate it requires funds.  Those funds have to come from somewhere.

Astra Taylor, the author of the article, predictably points out that Republicans have not made this a campaign issue, but I'd say that's with good reason:  that's because it shouldn't be a campaign issue.  The only reason the Democrats make this an issue is that they want to intervene so the government has yet another way the American people can be dependent.  Every time Bernie Sanders tries to do his best performance as Larry David portraying Ebenezer Scrooge just after his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Future, he is deliberately trying to deceive the American people.  You cannot provide education for free to someone and not expect the money to come from someone else or to just write off the amount.

Basically, it boils down to responsibility.  If you went into a restaurant and ate a meal, you wouldn't expect to walk out of the restaurant, letting the bill for the booth next to you.  Same thing goes with college.  If you're going to get an education, you need to pay for that education.  You shouldn't expect your fellow Americans to pay that for you, nor should you expect the American government to bail you out and just make the debt vanish.  If it's how much a college charges for the education that has you upset, there's a way to fix that.  Again, it's not up to the government to make that adjustment.  Instead, shop around.  Find a college with courses that are affordable.  Once other colleges start seeing enrollment drop due to their high costs, they'll soon get the hint.  If they don't get the hint, they'll eventually find themselves in financial trouble and be forced out of business.  It's the free market system at work.

I'm hoping that one day our society wakes up to realize that we can't get anywhere by expecting someone else to get us there.  WE have to do it ourselves.  I applaud anyone who works multiple jobs to support their families or to pay for an education in order to seek a better life.  It's those people who will appreciate that education even more because they earned it.  Rejecting the drugged air of entitlement and the enablers in Washington to breathe in the air of freedom and self-reliance is what we should all strive to do.

My Response to Mandy Patinkin

I had thought about making a YouTube video or a Periscope to give my response to actor Mandy Patinkin concerning his comments on ISIS and Ted Cruz, but this is probably my better forum.  Public speaking has never been my strongest area, so I know I could never hope to speak as eloquently as Mr. Patinkin did in his video clip, nor would my goatee match up to the awesome beard he is expertly sporting, so keeping myself off-camera is probably a good move.  For those of you who may not have seen the clip to which I am referring, I will link to it here: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/mandy-patinkin-suggests-a-princess-bride-quote-for-ted-cruz/ and I will also retweet the link on my Twitter page (follow me @nBoEnforcer).

I am a fan of Mr. Patinkin's, especially his role as Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride", and I would be lying if I said I was shocked at his comments (Hollywood is well-known for its left-leaning liberal bias).  But I will say that the video was well done.  None of it was inflammatory by any means.  In fact, it was very respectful.  But the views it contains are seen through rose-colored glasses, a vision we unfortunately can't afford at this time.

No one (not even those of us on the evil conservative right) wants an unnecessary war despite what the left and the news media would have you believe.  The problem is that war has been declared on us by ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other organizations that fall under the umbrella of radical Islam.  We didn't ask for it, yet it is here.  As much as we would like to believe it hasn't reached our shores, we know from intelligence that our country is already infiltrated with operatives ready to strike when the time is right.  Those who have been recruited by these organizations and have not grown up knowing the greatness that is America will not be won over by extending a hand of friendship.  They've been raised to believe that we are infidels, that we are Satan and that we must be converted or destroyed.  Hundreds of years of aggression towards anyone who does not follow this brand of Islam has been ingrained in these people to levels that are impossible to reverse by having a conversation.  It's been tried and it has failed.  I wish there was another way, but, as I've said before in other blogs, we are at a point of "us or them".  My family and friends are too important to me to risk being on the losing side of this issue.  I'm sure, Mr. Patinkin, you have friends and family that you would stop at nothing to protect in much the same way.

For those who have joined ISIS that were once American citizens, it becomes an even sadder case.  As Mr. Patinkin mentioned, I wish it was as simple as providing these people with a better opportunity or showing them another way, but I don't think that can help these individuals.  We've become immersed in a culture of entitlement where everyone feels that they're owed something.  To simply GIVE these people a better education, a better job, and a better life would not be doing them any service.  America has always been about the success stories that happen through hard work.  Entitlements ruin that sense of accomplishment and self-worth which accompany the success.  The old adage about teaching a man to fish most definitely applies in this situation.  Those who join ISIS thinking they are accomplishing something or are getting back at someone because life isn't fair just don't understand how this country is supposed to work.  They obviously didn't have anyone along the way to guide them, to show them that there is no such thing as a free ride, and to stress the importance in a job well done by your own two hands.  If these deserters cannot see the error of their ways, they will unfortunately fall into the same category as the other radical Islamists.  We simply cannot let our guard down to the point where we get the rug pulled out from underneath us.

Unfortunately for us, we've been experiencing years of a president who cannot make the tough decisions.  Instead of acknowledging the enemy and doing what it takes to ensure we survive, we have been made more vulnerable and have been demonized in the process.  There are plenty of presidential candidates who understand what is at stake and what must be done to give us a victory in this unfortunate war, but one of the most outspoken and determined of those is Ted Cruz.  He has been unafraid to mention radical Islamists as foes that must be eliminated and what he would do to make that happen, which is what we need if we are to make it out of this mess alive.  We do not need someone that constantly apologizes to the world for what makes us a great country.  Instead, we need a president that points out our strengths and how the rest of the world can follow our lead towards prosperity.  I'm not saying Ted Cruz is necessarily THE person, but he's at least closer than what we have in office now.

A quote from "The Princess Bride" was mentioned at the end of the Mandy Patinkin clip which he uses to point out to Ted Cruz that maybe it's best if we step back from the war business and find another way to deal with ISIS.  I would have chosen a different quote to be highlighted.  To consider dealing with radicalized Islam in any way other than from a position of strength or without a desire to survive is "INCONCEIVABLE!"  And yes, Inigo, it does mean what I think it means.

Us or Them

I know that I'm going to get a lot of grief for this post, but at this point I don't care.  When I write a blog post, I write from my heart and I trust my brain to translate it to words that make sense.  Everything that I write has some sort of significance to me or else I wouldn't take the time to discuss it.  This post is being written because I feel I have a responsibility to myself, my family and friends, and my country to speak up in hopes that others feel the same way.

What happened in Paris a few days ago is something that I think we all saw coming eventually, but we just didn't know where or how soon.  It saddens me that any group exists on this Earth whose sole purpose for existence is to exterminate all who are not like them and to bring about the end of the world.  This kind of thinking is archaic.  Living now in the 21st century, we should all have figured out a place to exist where we don't have to interfere in anyone else's lives, yet groups like this continue to survive.  Fighting in the Middle East has been going on ever since the beginning of recorded history, so it's nothing that surprises us.  Most people here in the West will tell you that it's upsetting that violence continues, but as long as it doesn't affect them and stays "over there", they don't feel they have to get involved.  Well, I'm pretty sure the time for that way of thinking is over.  These barbarians have seen fit to move to other countries to spread their chaos and we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is going on.

ISIS is our generation's version of the Nazis.  Let that sink in for a minute.  Since World War II, we have not seen a group on this planet that has committed as many atrocities.  The reports I've seen about the mass graves, the beheadings, the crucifixions, the other countless gruesome killings...this is not a group that should be taken lightly.  Now they're on the move and starting to bomb in highly populated areas, bringing that destruction to areas outside of the Middle East.  It's only a matter of time before we see it again here on our soil.  We must act.

Now, I'm not saying that immediately overnight we need to take every troop in every branch of the military, ship them over to ISIS-controlled areas, and just mow everything down, but we do need to set some plans in motion that will ultimately end their reign of terror.  The United States has long been the world leader in just about every military operation, but the last seven years has seen that role diminished.  Budget cuts, setting time tables that become known to the public, and ridicule/scorn against soldiers from within the current administration are just some of the obstacles our military has gone through in recent years.  We still have the world's most powerful military, but we're a bit battered and bruised.  An effort against ISIS will take coordination with other powerful militaries, but we must be sure that our country's leaders will not undermine that effort with their apologetic kowtowing and the need to be transparent about operations when nothing else about them is transparent except their own personal agendas and motives.  France has already started without us by bombing some strongholds.  We need to join them and show the world that ISIS will not be allowed to continue.

Another thing that needs to be done is something that France has already done in the wake of the bombings.  It was announced that they have closed their borders until everything can be sorted and security can be more assured.  After all that we've seen and experienced ourselves, why is it so difficult for our country to do the same?  Instead our borders to the north and south remain open to anyone with a will to find an opening to slip through.  In some cases, they don't even need to work that hard.  All that has to be done is join a group of refugees from Syria and you'll be welcomed in to a sanctuary city with open arms.  Many stories are starting to emerge (like this one:  http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-passports/ ) that prove these waves of people are not being properly vetted.  We cannot allow this to happen on our soil.  "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" can still apply to the US, but not without proper processes to ensure who we're letting in.  Back when those words were written there wasn't a threat of radicalized Muslims strapping C4 to their bodies and walking into a crowded square to become a human firework.

I'm sure by writing all of this, I'll be considered a racist, a warmonger, an "Islamophobe", but I assure you none of this is the case.  I wish that none of this was necessary.  The fact is that ISIS is not an organization that will listen to reason.  They want nothing else except for us to either convert to Islam or die.  In most cases, I think option #1 is even off the table for them.  How can you reason with a group like that?  I wish we could.  I wish there was another way so that no one had to die.  I truly wish that if there are actually such people as "moderate Muslims", that they would do everything in their power to denounce these acts and move far, far away from the people committing them, but I know if they do exist that some of them won't survive.  I hate to be in an "us or them" scenario as it pertains to us or ISIS, but I really don't think we have a choice and I know which side I'm pulling for to win.  I've got too much at stake in my life and in this country for us to not put everything behind surviving.

Go Forth for Goforth

As I sat on the stationary bike at the gym this afternoon, breaking news came across the channel I was watching.  Rarely ever an indication of a GOOD news story, I listened more intently and discovered it was even worse than I thought it would be.  I watched the entire press conference as the Harris Co., TX sheriff and district attorney informed us all of the senseless assassination of one of their deputies outside a gas station last night.  Deputy Darren Goforth was killed in cold blood, seemingly just because he was wearing his uniform.  There appears, at this time, to be no other motive.

Stories like this affect me more than they might affect others and they are, unfortunately, happening all too often.  Those of you who know me are probably aware that my father was a Carlisle, PA police officer and my grandmother was a Cumberland Co., PA deputy sheriff.  Although they are both retired now, I can still remember when both were active in those professions.  Thank God we didn't seem to have these types of news stories happening back then or I would have been terrified.  I could easily have been in the position that Deputy Goforth's five-year-old & twelve-year-old children woke up to find themselves in this morning.  I'm glad to hear that the non-profit 100 Club will be providing those children and Deputy Goforth's widow with all the assistance they need, but nothing will replace that missing part of their family.

If there is anything positive that I could find about the news conference, it's in something that the district attorney said and the sheriff reiterated.  "It's time for the silent majority in this country to support law enforcement," Devon Anderson, the Harris County DA, emotionally pleaded.  I couldn't agree more.  I completely understand outrage when a few crooked rogue cops unjustly break the laws they are sworn to uphold, but those are few and far between.  By all accounts I've seen, this deputy was not one of those people.  He was a veteran police officer, loved by family and friends and a credit to the force.  He did not deserve to be executed like this.

Our media and our own speech are protected by the First Amendment and I am a HUGE proponent of it, as well as the rest of our rights, but there is a line of decency that must be drawn.  News shows seemingly thrive on sensationalizing the stories of bad officers, so much so that the good officers in our country are tarnished and become targets of individuals out for vigilante justice and blood.  I'm not saying that the media should be censored, but there needs to be judgment calls of decorum made at some level to say "We will report this as a news item, but we will not augment with opinion, nor will we continue to ram it down the throats of the American public".  Taking this very simple stance across the board, whether it be TV, newspapers, magazines, or online, would go a LONG way to ensure that other officers like Deputy Goforth don't lose their lives.

The shooter is still at-large in the Houston area and as such, I can't comment further on the individual's motive or state of mind, but this does lead me to another issue.  If we do, in fact, find that this person is mentally ill or has a history of mental illness, it would be just another in the growing list of cases that suggest we are WAY overdue for a real dialogue on combating mental illness in this country.  We can legislate all day and pledge to ban as many weapons as exist, but a mentally ill person intent on doing harm to another person will find a way to do it, no matter what you try to ban.  Eliminating all objects from their grasp, they would still probably try to choke someone with their bare hands or stomp them to death with their feet.  Again, I don't know if this shooter was mentally ill, but I would suggest that anyone who commits a violent act like this IS mentally ill to some extent, regardless if they have a history of it or not.  Fighting mental illness may not be able to rehabilitate this person, but it can prevent others from BECOMING this person.

Once the shooter is found...and trust me, the shooter will be found...I hope that the justice system processes the individual swiftly and fairly.  When that person is found guilty, I hope that he (video points to it being a "he") receives the maximum penalty allowed by law, which should be the death penalty in Texas, and that the sentence not be dragged out for months or years.  It amazes me that the same people in our society who wish to abolish the death penalty as a maximum sentence for the most heinous of crimes don't hold the same sanctity for life for unborn children.  Obviously you can infer from that comment that I am pro-life, but some of you probably feel I'm hypocritical for being pro-capital punishment.  You may think that if you wish, but I have a simple explanation.  Unborn children haven't had the opportunity to let us know who they are or who they will become.  They are born into this world with the same choices everyone else has of being who they want to be.  Unfortunately, some like this shooter have made the choice to be a criminal, and not just any criminal, but one who has committed cold-blooded murder.  If there is any shadow of a doubt that this was a premeditated act and not the result of his complete loss of mental faculties, this shooter deserves to be put to death.  This will assure that the person will no longer be able to commit any further acts like this and will also not be stuck for the rest of his life in a cell with no possibility of rehabilitation while being a drain on the penal system paid for by a public that does not feel he is worthy of any sympathy whatsoever.

Not only do I continue to pray that the shooter is found without further incident and that Deputy Goforth's family and friends find a way through this heartache to heal and move on, but I also pray for this country.  An incident like this needs to be a wake-up call that we are headed down the wrong path.  Even if you are not someone who is religious, you see an overwhelming amount of evidence every day that we are losing not only common sense, but a sense of right and wrong.  You don't have to pray to any God to know that going up to an unsuspecting deputy sheriff at a gas pump and unloading multiple shots into him to end his life is wrong under ANY circumstance.  Whether we are witnessing a devolution of humanity or we're just seeing the decline of the Roman empire in its last days repeated here in America, those of us with pulses, brains, and hearts who can see the writing on the wall need to band together and try to reverse it.  It starts with us.

Sometime after you read this, hug your wife, your husband, your children, your grandchildren, a pet, or someone you love and do it memory of Deputy Darren Goforth, who is no longer here on Earth to do so with his loved ones.  Send up a prayer or a positive thought for his family and friends, for police officers in Harris Co., TX and around the world, then give one for the rest of us.  We can use as many as we can get.

Debate Thoughts

We had two separate debates for the Republican nominee for President today, but this post will be primarily be about the debate that happened at 9pm tonight with the top 10 in the polls.  I did get to see about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes of the first debate at 5pm, but not enough to make a full analysis.  Carly Fiorina was doing a great job, but some of the other candidates had great answers as well.  I do think, however, that the later debate was the better one.  Here's my brief overview.

Donald Trump:  Some great reactions, a few great answers, but mostly intriguing for his shoot-from-the-hip non-politician attitude.

Ted Cruz, Rand Paul & Marco Rubio:  These three were equal in my eyes.  Overall great opinions and presented very well with a forceful, biting tone, but feeling more like Vice Presidential material.  Gun-to-head, if I had to pick one of these three, I'd take Cruz.

Jeb Bush:  You can tell he's been prepped well for his answers and I agreed with some of what he said, but he's less conservative than what he portrays himself to be. 

Chris Christie:  See my above response for Jeb, but his answers weren't as well-prepped and he's even LESS of a conservative.  I don't look for him to be around long.

Dr. Ben Carson:  Possibly the most intelligent man on the stage.  I loved a lot of his answers, but you could tell he was really thinking through them before he spoke.  I think that will end up hurting him.  But maybe he'd be great as Surgeon General??

Scott Walker:  I think he will end up being the disappointment of the debates.  Everyone was expecting him to do well and carry on the mantle of Ronald Reagan, but I just don't think he was as polished as he could have been.  He will stick around for the next round, but he needs to come out guns a-blazing if he wants to hang in with Cruz, Paul, or Rubio, which is where I see him fitting in.

John Kasich:  A lot of great reaction from the home state crowd, but name recognition is what will be his downfall.  Good points, just not well known enough to be memorable.

Mike Huckabee:  To me, he is the surprise of the debate.  Since he's been in debates before, he has the posture, the delivery, the knowledge, and he answers every question directly, not avoiding the issue or going to a previous one.  I wouldn't be shocked to see his poll numbers rise.  If he keeps this up, he could be a really serious contender.  The establishment would be more inclined to give him the nod than Trump, in my opinion.

So there you have it.  Did you watch any of the debates?  Do you care?  If you don't, why not?  I'm looking for any comments, opinions, questions, etc... that you might have.  Feel free to reach me here or on Twitter (@nBoEnforcer).

A Day in the Life

This journey that we're all taking is so many different adjectives all at once.  Just pick one and it fits.  We are all headed towards an ending, just all on a different timeline, and we all don't agree on how it will end, why it ends, or even if it is the actual "end".  What makes the trip worthwhile are the stops we make along the way, the side streets we take to see where they lead, and the errands we run when the opportunities present themselves.  Sometimes those events are so much of a juxtaposition that they can't possibly make sense together, but if we just look at the big picture like stepping away from a Magic Eye poster, we eventually see that everything does find a way of falling into place.  Today was one of those days for me.

--An unusually benign workday
--A traditional visit to a festival
--Thinking of two friends that buried grandparents today
--Losing a childhood pop culture hero
--Being thankful for the continued health of my friends' child
--Finding out I'm gaining a wonderful niece "in-law"

These are just some of the items that ended up on my itinerary today, some of which I expected and others I didn't.  Somehow they all worked together for one big roller coaster ride, allowing me to experience highs and lows.  Tomorrow I may not as easily be able to process the same kinds of emotional information, but tonight I've been able to handle it.  I feel I should share this because tonight, even if just for tonight, I feel as if life makes sense.  It's not all good, it's not all bad.  "It is what it is", he asserts, knowing the over-used cliché is like nails on a chalkboard to many but feeling it's the only proper phrase.  Not sure if this what you call a "normal" life, but at least tonight it sort of seems like it.

As always, feel free to comment, question, or criticize as you deem necessary or appropriate.

Don't Lose Sight of What's Important

When I first started writing this post this morning, I had planned on making it about the whole argument surrounding the perceived racism of the Confederate flag.  I personally have no ties to that flag, other than enjoying the country music and southern rock that have used it quite often, plus looking pretty sharp on the General Lee when I used to watch the Dukes of Hazzard.  Whether or not states or buildings choose to fly that flag really has no effect on me because I know anyone with racist thoughts or actions will continue on doing so regardless of what perceived racist symbols get banned.  It's the loving actions of good, kind people that are the key to ridding racism from this planet, not ridding Walmart of white linens because the KKK uses them for uniforms, which I'm sure will be someone's next big brainstorm.

The loss of life in Charleston, SC was a complete tragedy. I pray for the families and friends of those who were lost and I feel anger every time I see a picture of that shooter, knowing he committed such a heinous crime against innocent people. But what continues to bother me additionally is that the situation was morphed into a discussion about a flag, which deflects from the real important topics.  I had to stop writing this morning because I had to go to work, but the time in between then and now gave me opportunity to think even more about something else I had seen just before I left the house this morning.  While the entire country debates about a flag, mass genocide is occuring on the other side of the world.  I looked at the photographs and was shocked by what I saw.  I'm glad I didn't see the extremely graphic ones, but the descriptions of what happened were enough.  It was enough to keep me somewhat rattled all day. 

We are so wrapped up about subjects that would seem frivolous to those living in ISIS-controlled areas of the Middle East.  While we debate gay marriage and Bruce Jenner's transformation into Caitlyn, there would be no debate with ISIS; homosexuals and transgenders would be thrown off rooftops as I've seen in pictures.  Children in this country have to worry about Common Core, an obesity problem, and eventually what college they will attend; in the Middle East, Christian children are being crucified and some, if they're female, are being used as sex slaves.  Today I saw that men were drowned in cages, blown up in cars by grenade launchers, and forced to wear explosive decapitating necklaces under the oppressive, evil grip of ISIS, but the top story in this country was the Confederate flag.

The shooting that occured shows that we are not without our own type of terrorism here domestically.  Racism is a cancer in our country that we have definitely made progress in eliminating, especially in the last 50 years, but it still exists.  I mentioned earlier that I thought good, kind, loving people are the key to continuing that eradication, but there could be another impetus for that change.  If we would actually give attention to those ISIS stories instead of burying them somewhere in the newspaper or attributing them to a political party trying to employ fear tactics by trumping up the violence, maybe we would realize that survival is just as important as love.  It's only a matter of time before the operatives ISIS has in this country rear their ugly heads to bring their level of terror to our cities and towns unless we realize we're all in this together and fight back.  White, black, male, female, old, young, gay, straight, Christian, atheist...we are all infidels to ISIS & we are all in danger unless we unite.

These were some heavy topics here and I hope that I've articulated my points well enough for you, the reader, to know how passionate I am about this.  Years ago, I heard Glenn Beck say that we as people need to find the areas where we agree and build on those instead of dwelling on the points where we can't agree.  That idea has resonated with me ever since and I believe strongly that we can make it happen.  I believe it's more imperative now than ever.

Effect then Cause?

Before you read any of what I'm about to write, you first need to visit this link and read the article to know where I'm coming from.  Don't worry...I'll wait for you.

 

http://secondnexus.com/technology-and-innovation/physicists-demonstrate-how-time-can-seem-to-run-backward-and-the-future-can-affect-the-past/

 

If your head hurts after reading that, I completely understand.  Apparently it has that effect on some people.  For others, like me, all it did was create more questions.

 

So, basically, in a nutshell, what scientists discovered was that when observing a helium atom passing through a slit, the atom could behave like a particle or a wave as it then passed through one grate towards a wall.  But as it became possible to randomly drop a second grate behind the first one, the atom would behave like a wave every time the second grate was dropped.  The mind-blowing part about all of this is that the atom didn't change as the second grate was dropped...it changed seemingly in anticipation of the dropping of that second grate.  More simplified:  it's as if the atom KNEW that the second grate would be there, so the atom changed immediately into a wave upon its release.  Quantum physicists believe this is an example of a future event affecting the past, but they're not sure how or why it happens.

 

After reading this, I began to formulate my own questions.  The article brought up the experiments done in the large particle accelerators, like the Hadron super collider, and I wondered if this new information could be applied to this situation.  When particles are sent around the super collider, energy is given off in different forms by the traveling particles.  I'm wondering if the same can be said for atoms traveling in wave form.  In wave form under conditions of a vacuum, would two atoms in wave form be fluid enough to pass through each other or would they collide in the same way particles do?  If they do, indeed, slip by as two people passing on the street, is there any friction inside that vacuum which would cause the waves to slow?  If they didn't slow by any type of friction force and if they gave off energy as they traveled the accelerator, would that energy be able to be harnessed for usage?  Saying all that is possible, we could be looking at a sustainable form of energy yet to be explored.  Obviously, we'd have to weigh the cost factor involved with building accelerators, as well as investigating possible health risks, but it would be worth a try.

 

The article also brought up Schroedinger's cat, one of my favorite quantum quandaries.  As some of you may know, the theory of Schroedinger's cat states that in a box exists a cat that is possibly alive or dead.  Until we actually open the box to see which statement is true, both statements coexist and are true.  I'm sure others have already thought of this, but I suggest that there are more than just those two possibilities.  If the box is never opened, how are we sure that what's inside is actually a cat?  Could it be some other sort of animal or inanimate object?  Could there be NOTHING in the box?  Being that this is a quantum physics issue, could a tiny black hole have opened in the box, causing all matter inside to be sucked in, thus leaving nothing there?  Perhaps my favorite one of all, though, is this one.  What if we opened the box and immediately we found ourselves inside the box looking out?  Is there a possibility we are already in the box, waiting for it to be opened, or would the act of opening the box cause us to switch inside?  Maybe when the box is opened and we're inside, we'll see Schroedinger's cat on the outside observing us.

 

So, yeah, I'm sure a lot of you will just pass this off as an over-active imagination trying to find something to do while performing repetitive tasks at work, but others of you might take my questions and try to answer them or maybe come up with questions of your own.  To me, this is what science should be:  people coming up with the whys and why-nots and discussing them.  With this type of science, even the greatest minds still don't have the answers, so in a lot of ways they are in the same boat (or box) as us.  That should give you a vote of confidence to use your brain on issues like this and not feel as if you need a degree in quantum physics to join the conversation. 

 

As you come up with your own ideas, please feel free to comment here or on one of my various forms of social media.  I look forward to see what you think...or is it backward?  Seems we may have to revisit the order of how things happen from here on out.

Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining

"There's two ways of lookin'

at them holes in your shoes.

You can dig the ventilation

or sing the blues."

-- "Rainbows Colored in Blue", Sanford Townsend Band

 

 

Everyone loves Mondays, don't they?  Mondays for me aren't as bad as they can be for some people, but they still aren't my favorite day.  I find it tough to get back in the swing of things after a weekend and everyone else seems to, as well.  Because it was sunny outside and there was a nice breeze, I decided to take a walk at lunch, as I have been trying to do when the weather cooperates.  Today, my walk was almost three miles round trip, with a stop at the Dollar Tree in the middle for some water.  As I'm checking out, the cashier noticed the bracelets on my right wrist & said "That one with 'Hope' is pretty".  I wear two bracelets, both related to cancer.  The green one that says "Accelerate the Cure" was for my uncle Marlin, who passed away from multiple myeloma.  I've worn it every since they gave it to me and I haven't taken it off.  The second is a purple one that my mom was handing out when I was going through Hodgkin's Lymphoma and it says "Faith, Hope, & Love".  I explained to the cashier what they were for and she held up her hand for a high-five, saying that she, too, had gone through Hodgkin's.  Seven years she had been healthy, but still kept her hair short as a reminder.  The customer behind me then told us that her father-in-law passed away from NON-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to which I gave my sympathy for her loss.  I paid for my items and went on my way, but I thought about that brief exchange the entire way back.

 

I struggle every day of every week to find a reason to want to get up and face my job.  I know it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it's what I have to do for now.  That conversation made me realize that although my cancer was one of the most curable you can have, I was blessed to be standing there talking to that cashier, who shared in the same blessing.  I could just have easily been the customer's father-in-law, who left behind a family that obviously still feels the pain of his loss. 

 

The lyrics I quoted above eloquently but simply state that there are two sides to every situation and it's how you choose to look at it that makes the difference.  Can we control every situation that is thrown at us?  No.  Other people have wills as strong as you and some of them seem to be set on making life tougher.  What we can do is attempt to change how we look at the situation.  Yes, Mondays can suck and so can our jobs, but nowhere near as much as going through a life-threatening disease or the loss of a loved one.  When you can say you have a job, that you get an hour lunch break at that job, that you have enough money to buy some food and drink, and you can enjoy a walk in the sunshine without any difficulty or discomfort, that should be considered a good day.

 

So this is me verbalizing my attempt at changing myself for the better.  I'm not saying that I won't still grumble, because it's human nature to do so and it's difficult to modify that.  But what I am going to try to do is to consider my thoughts before they come words and actions so that hopefully I can become more positive and from that, only good things should come.  If you agree, I encourage you to do the same.  We'll support each other and try to keep each other on the right track.  Feel free to send me a message, public or private, to let me know you're on board.

Superheroes, Time Travel, & All Things Nerdy

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of television.  I have been for years and probably always will be.  This time of year is always one of the toughest as season and series finales happen.  For those shows that aren't returning, you hopefully get closure that makes sense.  But for those that are coming back in the fall, we should get a great cliffhanger.  Tuesday night, we got a great season finale from The Flash.  I'm late to the party when it comes to superheroes.  Yeah, I've always known about them and have loved what I had seen, but I had never been a typical comic book nerd.  I still don't buy comic books, but the influx of Marvel and DC information into popular culture has begun to feed the curiosity I've always had.

So, as I mentioned, this season finale was amazing.  It had everything I had hoped for:  an awesome superhero pitted against a fantastic super-villain, closure to a season-long story line, that aforementioned cliffhanger, and unexpected twists.  But there was also time travel, another topic of which I've always had interest (see some of my previous blog posts).  I always like to see how different authors, writers, etc... do interpretations of time travel.  Because it's still all theoretical at this point (and some would say impossible), there is plenty of room for artistic license.  Most of the time, I try to take the information and rationally prove or disprove it in my own mind.  Tuesday night was no exception.  In order to explain it, I'll have to give you a synopsis of this season.

Barry Allen is a forensic scientist for the Central City Police Department that was exposed to the effects of a particle collider malfunction at S.T.A.R. Labs.  Dr. Harrison Wells, the scientist who founded the laboratory, nursed Barry back to health but discovered that the explosion gave him the power of super speed.  During the season of catching other gifted "meta-humans" that turned to lives of crime, Barry moves fast enough to travel briefly back in time to not only see his mother's murder, which his father was blamed & jailed for supposedly doing, but finds that another speedster (which they dubbed the Reverse Flash) had been the actual murderer.  **Please note that if you haven't watched the season and plan to, there will be spoilers in the rest of this synopsis.**  Barry learns that Dr. Wells, his wheelchair-bound mentor, actually is Eobard Thawne, a criminal from the future that traveled back to the past to kill Barry's mother to demoralize him from becoming the Flash naturally.  After killing Nora Allen, Thawne finds himself trapped in that time period with no way of getting home.  He then arranges the death of the real Dr. Wells, assumes his full identity (complete with facial features), and sets up future events that result in the particle accelerator accident to help Barry become the Flash sooner than happened in his original timeline.  Barry finally is able to capture Thawne, but is presented with a proposition.  Another particle accelerator Thawne built is the key to Barry being able to return to the past once again.  By running fast enough and colliding with the particle, it would open a wormhole that would allow a window of traveling to the past in order to prevent Nora Allen's murder.  In exchange for this information, Thawne asks to be allowed to return to his own time.  Barry finally agrees, creates the wormhole and returns to his childhood home.  Instead of preventing the murder, though, and possibly changing his entire timeline, Barry uses the opportunity to say goodbye to his mom, then returns to present time to stop Thawne from returning home.  A battle ensues with Thawne gaining the upper hand and is about to kill Barry, when an unexpected twist happens.  One of Barry's friends and coworkers is Eddie Thawne, who also happens to be Eobard Thawne's ancestor.  Just before Barry is about to be killed, Eddie shoots himself, causing Eobard to be erased from existence.  As the show goes off the air, we see the Flash attempting to stop the wormhole from becoming a full-fledged singularity that destroys the entire Earth.

Confused?  I hope not.  Intrigued?  I definitely hope so.  Of all the events in that episode, the erasure from existence of Eobard Thawne was what piqued my curiosity.  Follow me on this.  If Eobard Thawne had never existed, the following items would have changed:  Nora Allen would not have been murdered, Barry Allen might never have followed his guardian Joe West's footsteps in working with the police department, he possibly wouldn't have met Dr. Wells (the real one), a particle accelerator accident would never have occurred, Barry wouldn't have become the Flash until much later...the list goes on and on.  But the only thing that seemingly changed was Eobard never existing.  The rest of that current universe apparently continued on as if nothing had happened.  My initial reaction was "this does not make sense".  We should have seen immediate differences that would  have reverted everything back to the way the timeline would have been had Eobard not existed.    Then I started thinking about the situation with an emphasis on alternate universes.  Eobard time traveling to kill Nora Allen set about a chain of events that changed major points along a timeline...or did they?  Could the act of time travel have also been enough to jump to an alternate timeline, the points of which we saw played out this season?  If so, did the blanking from existence of Eobard Thawne only affect him because he was from a different timeline?  Only way I could see that happening was if somehow Eddie Thawne came from the same timeline as his descendant, Eobard, and his suicide would then have the effect we saw.  In some time travel and alternate universe theories I've read, even the simple acts of making a decision (going left instead of right, eating a sandwich instead of soup, etc...) can be what causes alternate universes to be created.  Theoretically, an infinite number of universes exist to cover every single possibility of events that could occur.  So the act of killing Nora Allen could even have created this alternate timeline/universe.

Clearly I've put too much thought into all of this and have spent more time on it than I probably should have, but these are the things that play out in my mind while I am performing other daily menial tasks.  I look forward to seeing how the writers handle this, if they even do.  They could just gloss over it with an "it is what it is" view.  For the sake of entertainment, I'm okay with that but Analytical Me is having issues with it.  Did any of you watch The Flash at all this season?  If so, did you have similar thoughts?  Or are you now reading about this for the first time and are gathering opinions?  I'd love to hear your opinions on The Flash, time travel, alternate universes, superheroes...whatever thoughts this blog has stirred up inside you.  As an extra bonus question:  if you could go back in time to prevent a completely awful event in your life, knowing full-well that changing that event could alter everything else that happened to you after that (including even really great events), would you do it?    Feel free to comment here or you can hit me up by e-mail, text, Twitter, or Facebook.  The ways to reach me are almost as numerous as the number of alternate universes that may or may not exist. 

Until my next blog, I wish all of you Godspeed.  (Get it?  The Flash?  Speed?  Very punny...)

What a Difference a Year Makes

One year ago today I was doing something I never thought I'd be doing:  receiving the sixth out of six chemo treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  It was a situation that I am grateful that I went through, but I pray that I, nor anyone else reading this, have to go through it again.

Fast forward to today and again I did something I never thought I'd do:  I joined a gym.  Don't worry, I'll pause here to allow you to regain consciousness from passing out.

**pause**

Okay, yes, I joined a gym.  The same guy who has stated many times that round is a shape.  The person who you only see running when someone or something is chasing him.  I wouldn't have believed it myself if I didn't actually see myself doing it.  Physically exerting myself to the point of profuse sweating and/or exhaustion never seemed as good of a time as watching a favorite movie or TV show.  But as I'm watching one of the many Planet Fitness commercials that aired between Christmas and New Year's Eve/Day, I thought to myself that the $1 down & $10/month deal sounded pretty good.  Well, it sounded good if you're a person that enjoys that sort of thing.  It seemed to me that anyone who said they enjoyed exercise was either deranged or was seriously trying to convince themselves of it in hopes that they might enjoy it eventually. 

I can't say that I fall into either of those two categories yet.  I'm still not convinced that I actually will like working out, but I'm at least willing to give it a shot.  No one probably gave me a second look as I went from one piece of equipment to the other, getting an idea of what it does, but I felt slightly out of place.  To paraphrase a quote I heard years and years ago, I felt like I was at a black tie party and I was the pair of brown shoes.  Even those who didn't appear to be in the running for Mr. Universe still looked like they had an idea of what was going on.  One good thing about the membership is that it gives you some time with a personal trainer to custom fit a workout for you based on what you hope to accomplish, as well as working around any physical issues or health problems.  Hopefully I'm a quick study and will start looking as if I belong soon.

Perhaps it's just the feeling of needing to accomplish something great for a new year that's moved me to do this, but I just feel that if there's ever going to be a right time, this is it.  Financially it may not be the best time, but even at $20 a month for the Black Card membership, that's relatively cheap for the benefits you receive.  Plus, how am I going to enjoy eventually getting myself out of debt if I don't get myself healthy to be around for it?  I've been stressed out for quite some time because of work, finances, the pressure of trying to be a good husband and father...oh yeah, HEALTH (see my first sentence in this blog)...and from what I've been reading, exercise is a great stress reliever.  I'm hoping that this helps me not only physically, but mentally as well.

So, why am I telling you all of this?  Well, there are actually several reasons.  One, I thought it would make an interesting blog entry and I haven't written one since before Christmas.  Two, I'm going to need your help somewhere along the way.  Encouragement and accountability are a must when it comes to things like this, especially if you're not a person who can self-motivate.  I don't expect any of you to follow me with pom-poms, cheering on every step, but a line telling me to keep it up would be extremely welcome.  Some of you already do this for me and I appreciate every bit of it.  I'm not saying I'm going to be the perfect fitness nut through all of this.  Next door to the gym is a decent Chinese buffet, so I'm not going to always deny the teachings of one of my mentors, the late great John Pinette.  Three, I want you to all know that I'm here for you to provide the same encouragement.  It's always been easier for me to build up others because, as much as I like to grumble about people (hey, I'm allowed because I work with the public), I still like to see the best in everyone and be that crutch they need to stay standing.  So if you're facing a challenge, no matter what kind, and you need some moral support, I'm here to help.  I'm only a phone call, e-mail, text message, FB message, tweet, or blog comment away.

2015 will hopefully be full of great things for all of us and I hope this is one thing I'm doing to help it become of my best years in a while.  I've been due for a good one.  I think we all are due.  Let me know if I can help you with that.  I hope you all had a great Christmas, a great New Year's Eve and Day, and I wish you nothing but positives for the rest of the year!

Hall of Fame Thoughts

Once again we have an announcement from the great city of Cleveland that a new class will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2015.  Accompanied with that are my feelings of complete satisfaction with some of the choices and bewilderment at others.  I won't dissect each inductee, but I will touch briefly on them.

--Kudos to the Hall for finally recognizing Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble as worthy.  While definitely deeply rooted in blues, the rock element can't be denied.

--I'm not a huge fan of Lou Reed or Joan Jett, but many acts that followed them claimed them as major influences.  For that reason, I'm not going to dispute their induction.

--Though I'm not sure why the Hall started allowing R&B acts to be eligible, I'm glad to see the accomplishments of Bill Withers acknowledged.  I'm not familiar with the 5 Royales, but many of the early R&B acts that were the foundation of rock & roll before it was a phrase deserve a nod.

--I don't know who the Paul Butterfield Blues Band is.  I have heard of them but can honestly say I don't know anything by them.  This calls for a YouTube search.

--Ringo Starr gets the Award for Musical Excellence.  If I had to rank my favorite Beatles, Ringo would be a distant fourth.  Not sure what else he did to deserve this award, but I won't fight it.  Besides, I'd be lying if I said I haven't rocked out to "It Don't Come Easy".

-- My "What the hell??" moment goes to Green Day.  I'm only 34 and these guys were big when I was in high school.  How is it possible that they're eligible?  Shouldn't there be a longer time requirement?  I'm sure this will be the one that I get the most hate mail about, but I'm entitled to my opinion.  I just don't see their contribution to be as influential as Nirvana, who were inducted last year.  But wait... they were also big when I was in school.  Am I really getting old??

Overall, this class doesn't interest me as much as last year's did.  I was thrilled that Hall and Oates made it in 2014 after all these years and though I'm not a huge fan, it was great to see KISS become HoF'ers.  Something still sticks in my mind every year, though, that won't fully allow me to assign the HOF the legitimacy it should have.  No matter what grudge Jann Wenner has, the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine and influential higher-up of the HOF should agree with millions across the world and allow the Monkees to be inducted.  THEY ARE WORTHY.

Who would you like to see inducted in the next class?  Give me some of your choices.  As always, I look forward to your opinions.  \m/

Quantum Physics for Dummies

Most of the time when my mind wanders, it finds its way to dead ends.  The random problems that my brain thinks up work themselves out when I realize that the answer was either so obvious or I decide that the problems weren't worth the time to solve.  But then there are the rarities where I ask myself a question that I can't answer and it just leads to more questions.  That's when, if I'm feeling ambitious enough, I start scouring the Net for the answers.

 

About a week ago, I started thinking about parallel universes.  I know, that's not really a light subject to just conjure up out of thin air.  I'm not sure how it came up, but I'm sure it was because of a TV show or something I had been watching.  Being a sci-fi geek, this happens quite often.  So here was the multi-tiered question that occured to me:  Has a parallel universe, if it exists, always existed or is it created because of some event?  If created by an event, does all history prior to that creation cease to exist for the parallel world, does it use the history of the universe from which it was spawned, or does a completely new history get assumed by the people living in it and recorded as if it had actually happened?

 

Right now you're probably thinking one of a couple of possible responses.  "Huh?"  "Are you on drugs?"  "This is completely stupid."  "That just blew my mind."  There probably are a few more I didn't account for, but to answer those:  no, I'm not on drugs and yes, it may be completely stupid, but then again, it may be mind-blowing,  In preparation for writing this, I did a Google search for "Albert Einstein parallel universe" and clicked on the first link I found that looked like it would have some interesting information.  http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/parallel-universe.htm was very short in length, but rich in information about theories concerning parallel universes.  My questions still haven't been answered, but at least it's a start.  Basically, Albert Einstein believed that alternate universes are altogether possible, but was never able to prove it.  Other scientists in the years following his death, like Hugh Everett III & Dr. Michio Kaku have picked up the torch to prove he wasn't off his rocker and some have gotten closer, but still no concrete proof.  Their individual theories like "Many-Worlds", "Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle", and "String Theory" sound impressive and that's because they are, but no one can confirm them.  That's why they're still theories.  But with every day that passes, we're getting closer to some confirmation.

From what I'm reading, some theories, like the Many-Worlds or Heisenberg Uncertaintly Principle,  hinge on some sort of event that actually creates the parallel universe, such as a scientist simply observing the state of a quantum object (whether in wave or particle form, wave vibration, etc...) or even by making the decision to not make a determination at all.  Such an event can cause the split of the universe to accomodate for all possible outcomes of the observation.  What a powerful thing to consider:  that even the THOUGHT of multiple outcomes could create those multiple outcomes somewhere.  If we'd ever find this to be true, the human mind should be considered the greatest object ever created.  Sort of makes you reconsider trying to discuss Schroedinger's cat (Google it).  Using this information to my question, my question still remains unanswered; we could still share history, there could be no history prior to the event for the alternate world, or they could create a history from shared thought-pooling once it is established.  If we follow the theory of Dr. Kaku, which is called String Theory, it's much easier to believe that the universes have their own histories different from each other.  His theory states that all objects in the universe, even on down to the smallest particles known currently as quarks, are made up of tinier building blocks that resemble rubber bands and what matter they create depends on these bands and how they vibrate.  This creation happens across eleven separate dimensions.  Because of how it's created, our universe is therefore separated by itself inside of a "bubble", which exists along side of the other parallel universes in their own "bubbles".  It's theorized that they can interact with each other by sharing gravity, but that would create an explosion similar to what some scientists believe happened at the Big Bang.  Probably not a good idea for this to happen.  BUT, this string theory would then, as I said, give credence to the idea that any alternate worlds would have a unique history, some being just slightly out-of-phase from each other, but definitely unique to that "bubble".

These theories are just the most prominent; we've barely scratched the surface.  Plenty of other scientists have their own ideas on if any of this is possible.  The truth could be a combination of a couple or all of them, it could be one singular idea, or another possibility is that none of these can actually occur.  Possibly by considering these in this blog, we've created some alternate realities of our own.  Maybe some day we'll know...or in another reality, we already know.  One thing I do know:  I'm not anywhere even CLOSE to answering my own questions.  But I think it's fun to keep trying! 

If I haven't driven you nuts by this discussion, I invite you to join in.  Any of your own theories?  Questions that you think I or someone else that reads this may be able to answer?  Post them here!

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

I'd like to think that the group of friends that I have in real life and in social media is a diverse one.  We come from all different backgrounds with different likes and dislikes, varied viewpoints and beliefs.  In my opinion, that's the only way to stay true to yourself. If you don't reevaluate your positions based on new information from trusted sources (like friends and family), you really have no room to speak your mind because you're going off of history only instead of current fact.  This makes things that much more frustrating when a person I normally agree with refuses to hear my point of view if mine varies from theirs, which actually happened to me today.

A contact of mine on Facebook posted an opinion in their status, along with a link to an article.  The opinion was stated as absolute with no exceptions, but I saw another viewpoint that I considered to be well thought out and valid.  Instead of welcoming a new vantage point to enter into the discussion, my comment was immediately dismissed as incorrect.   This is from a person who shares my same conservative values, so normally we agree.   But the more I thought, the more I could recall times where I found her viewpoints to be closed-minded and abrasive.  They were based in truth, yet did not come across in a way that invited me to hear more.

Unfortunately, this is why I feel the conservative message falls on so many deaf ears.  Often times the only conservative voices people hear to base an opinion on are the ones who are yelling the loudest.  They don't hear the soft-spoken, level-headed thinkers who prefer to discuss in smaller groups or on a blog that only a few will read.  I'm not saying that some topics don't require a raised voice with a passionate delivery, but for the most part I believe people would rather enter into discussion rather than being scolded.  The old saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar definitely applies.

To me, this definitely applies to my conservative brothers and sisters who identify themseIves as Christians.  I, myself, am far from perfect (as most who really know me will agree) and I don't really expect anyone else to be either.  But it seems that there are some like my Facebook friend who find it easy to sit behind their golden keyboard and pass judgment, rather than hear something that could slightly alter their thinking.  I'm not suggesting an abandonment of values or ignoring of Christian teachings.  If you see the title of this blog entry, you'll know where I'm headed with this.  My opinion:  God did not put us here to be judges of one another.  He gave us minds to think, voices to speak, hands to hold, and hearts to love.  We should act as examples for others, but not place ourselves on a pedestal so high that others feel it is unattainable.  When we try so hard to preach why we are right, we are doing something wrong by not listening.  If we just took the time to hear someone out, we might just find something that will strengthen our own ideas, beliefs, and thoughts.

Conservatives, liberals, independents, and everything in between, take my advice under consideration.  There are places we can find to agree, but the minute you start acting as if you know better than everyone else and shout your beliefs instead of inviting dialogue, you close the ears of those you're trying to reach.  Try stepping down from behind the bench, Your Honor, and let the judging to someone more suited to slam the gavel.

Totally unrelated side note:  Tomorrow is Father's Day.  A happy one to my dad, stepdad, grandfather, + father-in-law, all of whom are trying every day to show me more about being a good father to my daughter.

Amateur Sociology in the Workplace

I've been out in the workforce now for basically sixteen years now.  Compared to those older than me, unless they spent a considerable amount of time being unemployed, that's not a lot of time.  But compared to those who spent time in college, I'm at least four to six years up on them in work experience.  Sure they've got the degree, the higher salary, more vacation, a bigger house...wait, there was a positive for me somewhere...oh yeah, more time on the job.  I guess that's a positive.  But what I'm not getting in 0's at the end of my paycheck or in time spent traveling to an exotic location, I'm getting in the form of an education.  I seriously should have taken up sociology because examining the different types of co-workers has been absolutely fascinating.  Note:  I'm not actually studying anything.  This is more of a realization I've come to over time and just decided to blog about tonight.  I've discovered a few typical types of co-worker that seem to be universal.  Everyone who reads this will know someone or a few someones that fit into these categories.  There may be more categories than this or people that fit into more than one category depending on the situation, but these are what I consider to be the main ones, at least in my experiences.  (Please note:  anyone who takes any of this seriously obviously has no idea who I am or what I'm about and should probably quit reading at this point.  I am no more an expert in any of this than I am qualified to be a rocket scientist.)

1. The Moron - A category that's pretty much self-explanatory and the kind that is most prevalent.  Some are born this way, some cause themselves to be this way due to chemical influence, and some actually choose to be this way to avoid responsibility and conflict.  These are the co-workers that ask questions after months or years of service about things they should remember from the first week.  Generally, you just wonder why these people are gainfully employed, let alone being in a position that requires them to know something more than alternating inhaling and exhaling.  As long as you don't have to directly interact with them, they can be a great source of entertainment as they interact with others.
2. The Constantly Apathetic Person - Plain and simple, this one just doesn't care.  As long as they can earn a paycheck and get through the day, whatever happens just happens.  This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the situation.  If you're needing people to stay out of your way so you can complete your job, this kind will be glad to oblige.  But if part of your job is relying on them to complete theirs, this is where a problem can arise.
3. The Partially Apathetic Person - Also known as the "situationally apathetic person", this is one of the more frustrating types.  This is a person who generally cares about doing their job, but can all of a sudden decide that it's no use.  At that point, they become useless until their own frustration passes and they return to caring again.
4. The Complete A-hole - Hopefully you can avoid contact with this one, but usually it's unavoidable somewhere in the day.  This one will sabotage a good mood for no apparent reason or will ruin work-related plans in some way, shape, or form just because they can.  Again, you wonder why someone like this continues to be employed.  My theory is that they were a Constantly Apathetic Person in a position so long that they've become bitter and bored, transitioning into the Complete A-hole.
5. The Pleasant Placeholder -  A ray of sunshine that brightens up the whole office!  Generally an agreeable person who will be happy to help in any way.  Unfortunately, if you don't know how to spot it, this could be a disguise for type 1, The Moron, and you can get horribly fooled.  But a genuine Pleasant Placeholder is usually a good thing.  They're happy where they are, they do their job, and they don't get in your way.
6. Management - Simply put, everyone has to deal with this at some time, unless you're as high up the ladder as you can get.  If so, you're in this category.  You can be Management and be another of these categories, but the reason I broke them out separately is that there is nothing you can do about them.  Management knows better than you do...about everything.  There is no fighting them or trying to change their mind, especially if it's Ownership/Management.  At this point, it's best to keep your mouth shut, nod your head, listen until they stop talking, and walk away.  Even better than that, avoid them altogether.
7. The Caring -  Someone who knows what they have to do, attacks it like it is their own business and gets frustrated easily when it can't be accomplished.  And the usual reasons why it can't be accomplished?  See numbers 1-4 & 6.  Simply put:  if you're a 1-4 or a 6, get out of this person's way and let them do the job.  If it's screwed up, then you can blame them.  At that point, though, at least you can say that someone tried, which is more than most of the other types would ever dream of attempting.  Give them a chance.  This, as you might be able to guess, is the rarest of all of the categories.  This is the one I try to be.

I'm sure there are more groups that I'm missing, but these tend to be the stand-outs.  Most of these categories aren't as cut and dry in most companies, as many of your co-workers can be two or more of these at the same time.  If you're anything like me, some of your day is spent figuring out who is what category on that given day.  Knowing that will affect how you go about your business, telling you who will be of help and who it would be best to avoid.

Disclaimer:  This wasn't really written to be of help to anyone but myself, just to air some frustrations I've had over the years over many jobs in a humorous way.  Any resemblance to any former or current co-workers is strictly coincidental...or is it? :)

I hope you've enjoyed reading this.  Did you come up with any other categories?  Have any funny stories about co-workers that pertains to this?  (Please omit names.)  Feel free to comment away!  Have a great day, everyone.

You Can't Go Home Again (But With Memories You Don't Need To)

My grandmother sent an e-mail out today, the subject line of which was an address:  54 Fairfield Street.  That was my address in Carlisle, PA where I grew up, where we lived until October 1990 when we moved to another part of Carlisle.  Curious as to what it was about, I read further & found that the house is, once again, up for sale.  More intriguing, pictures of the house are included on the realtor's website.  She encouraged us to take a look, noting that my uncle had looked & had seen nothing about the house that even remotely looked like when we had lived there.

With more curiousity than dread, I decided to check out the site after I finished paying some bills.  I typed the address into the search on the realtor's website & immediately the house came up.  Immediately I recognized the house & knew everything was loading properly, having been by the house dozens of times since we moved out & I knew what changes had been made to the exterior.  When we lived there, the house was white aluminum siding, but since had been replaced with a greyish vinyl siding.  They had also covered the nearby garage with it, enclosing the breezeway where we used to sit in the summertime.  No matter what time of day, it always seemed there was an actual breeze & actually felt cool.  Now, I'm sure, it's a bit more temperature controlled for year-round usage.  I moved on to the remainder of the pictures, recognizing some of the rooms, but with a different look.  Even though my grandfather spent countless hours painting before we moved out, fresh coats covered each wall in different colors than I remember.  The kitchen had modern appliances & different trim.  The rooms that had wooden floors looked to shine with a newness, far from the worn wooden floors we walked on.  The most recent owners had even built in a wall to separate the living room & the back room, something that just really stood out to me, but looked really good.  Shots of the backyard showed plenty of green grass & trees, but still seemed like an updated, newer version of what we had.  I let the slideshow play through until the end & just thought for a few minutes aftewards about everything.  It's when I realized that it wasn't about what they pictures showed, it's about what they DIDN'T show.

Just like my aforementioned memories of the breezeway, it seemed a lot I remembered about the old house had been covered up by new, modern advances, but if I looked close enough, I could see them in my mind's eye.  The front door was hardly ever used as that, only when unknowing mailman substitutes came to drop off bills or in the summertime when we'd leave the door open to let air in (as well as the busy sounds of Rte 81).  I saw nothing of the narrow hallway that led to my grandparents' bedroom, the bathroom, the door to the 2nd floor, & a small closet where an index card hung on the inside of the door with my birth date, time, height & weight (for what reason, I don't know).  One of the upstairs bedrooms, the one where my uncle stayed, looked different without an Air Force poster on the door.  I didn't even recognize the basement at first because it seemed to have more light in it, possibly because it wasn't full, as our basement had always been.  There were no Sir Walter Raleigh tobacco cans filled with nuts & bolts sitting on shelves or on the window sills.  I wondered if you still had to duck to walk down the steps to get into the basement because of the big wooden beam or if they had someone corrected that also.  The garage was much the same as the basement:  a lot of light & seemed far too empty.  Absolutely no cardboard boxes sat on the floor, filled with old, brittle records that we used to play as Pap & I tinkered around at his work bench.  No engine for an old Ford truck on a hoist, waiting to be dismantled & scrapped because it needed to go & we needed something to do.  The above-ground pool that we used every summer, listening to the Drifters or the Dirty Dancing soundtrack as we splashed around, was no longer there, apparently for more yard space.  I didn't even want to see what happened to the old shed in the backyard,  It was rickety when we used it, but we still used it.  The upper loft was a bit dangerous to explore, but I always liked walking around on the ground floor.  Every now & then I'd run across an old football card laying partially covered in dirt & chewed by mice at the corners.  If that had been a 13-14 year old me, I'd have been dismayed at finding them.  But to a 5 year old, it was like finding treasure, no matter what condition they were in.  I doubt the most recent owners were gardeners, but they had some great land for it behind the shed.  My Pap loved to raise all sorts of vegetables there & we ate pretty well because of it.  I'd sometimes watch him work there while I swung on the nearby tire swing.

So while all of these thoughts came back to me & I felt slightly annoyed that things had changed, I sighed & remembered that time marches on.  I couldn't expect the people who bought the house from us to leave things unchanged, just as those owners can't think whoever buys it next will not want to improve it.  But no matter how much paint or building materials they'd use or how much cleaning they'd do, they can't cover up the memories I had built in 10 years there.  I can see things there just as clearly now as I did actually living in it back then.  Time will probably make those memories fuzzier as I get older, but they'll still be in there, stored somewhere in the folds of grey matter.  As cool as it would be to own that place, knowing it's where I grew up, it's not necessary as long as I still own those memories & can revisit them from time to time.

Hope you guys (and gals) didn't mind my stroll down memory lane.  Do any of you have strong memories of the first house you lived in?  Feel free to share any of them in the comments below.  I look forward to reading them.

Keeping You In the Loop

Anytime I friend someone on Facebook or follow them on Twitter it's usually because we share some sort of connection, like we've known each other somewhere along the way & I want to stay in touch.  Because of this, I like to keep you updated if there's something going on that I would want to tell a friend or family member.  I appreciate each & every one of you.

That being said, it's time for a health update.  As most of you know, I've been dealing with something unknown for over a year.  It hasn't given me any symptoms, other than I've had some swelled lymph nodes.  In order to figure out once & for all what's going on, I had one removed from the left side of my neck & biopsied.  Last week, the information was handed down from the surgeon & confirmed this week by the oncologist I've been seeing for this year plus process:  I have Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

NOW, before any of you freak out & go crazy...yes, it is cancer BUT I'm assured by my oncologist that no matter what stage I'm in with this particular strain, it is curable.  Everything that I've been seeing is in the 90's percentage-wise for success rate.  This is a huge load off of my mind just knowing what we're dealing with & that it can be treated/cured.  Right now the toughest parts that I'm dealing with are all of the appointments leading up to the treatment.  I just had my bone marrow biopsy today (NOT FUN...this should be a Guantanamo torture tactic), then a PET scan tomorrow.  Next week is a pulmonary test & an EKG just to make sure I'll be able to handle treatments.  Once all of this info is in & I get a second opinion from either Johns Hopkins or Hershey Medical Center, then we can start treatment.  I'll be on chemo for probably about 6 months (once every two weeks for 12 treatments).  I may lose some of my hair & I may be tired some days, but it's what I have to do.  I'm a worrier, as most of you know, but with this, I'm not worried.  I realize that I worry about things I can control (money, jobs, elections...wait, I can't control those...), but this is something that I can't.  This is out of my hands.  I believe in God & I firmly believe that He is in control of this situation.  Just knowing that lifts the burden off of my shoulders & allows me to function where others may be flipping their lids.

The sentence that most comes out of peoples' mouths when I've been telling them what's going on is "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."  Honestly, this is one of the toughest questions to answer, yet it's also easy.  I'm a person who doesn't like to rely on others for anything.  I'd rather be the one to help if there's any needed.  So really I can't think of anything anyone can do at this time except to give me all of the prayers & positive thoughts you feel it in your heart to give.  I know the doctors are very positive, but if there's one thing I've learned over time, it's that there is no such thing as too much prayer...unless you're an atheist, then substitute "prayer" with "positive thoughts".  Both of those are extremely welcome & I'm very touched at those who have reached out & already given these for me.  On the days in the future when I will sometimes look at humanity with a stink-eye, I'll remember that there still are good people out there who come through in times of need.

So, with all of this being said, do I have any questions?  I'm happy to answer anything that you have & if I don't know, I will certainly find out for you.  From time to time I plan on making my blogs about what's going on with me through this process, but I won't make it all about the process.  To do that would be to give too much spotlight to it & frankly, I can't handle being serious all that often.  One thing I won't allow this to take away from me is my sense of humor, so don't expect that to go away any time soon :)  So keep checking here or check in with me on my other various forms of social media.  If you've made it this far in this blog, I'm hoping you will.  Thanks for reading & thanks for caring.  Love to all!