My Right Perspective

What's in My Wallet?

2007-05-16T10:36:00.000-04:00

You've seen the commercials on tv and the ads in magazines. With that catchy phrase, "What's in your wallet?". It is suppose to make you think that unless you have a Capital One card in there, then you are pretty much doomed to nothing but trouble and heartburn when it comes time to pay the piper.

Well, I can confirm that the now household concept is absolutely true! It really does matter what is in your wallet. And it will pay for ALL to be very aware of what is in your wallet and which card you decide to pull out for your next dinner date, or your next business purchase.

Unfortunately we all seem to have them and we all seem to use them for things that we may not need to, but they are very convenient, even now at fast food chains. That little plastic card that seems to make every payday feel a little less painful. By using it, we have what appears to be endless streams of cash available. But have you ever max'd out one of those baby's? And then had to face the next months bill and not have quite enough to cover it?

But.....I must interject here that it isn't all the credit card companies fault for those double sized payments, OR IS IT?

"People are now in a revolving debt cycle that they'll never escape," says Adam Brauer, a debtor advocate and in-house counsel for Debt Settlement USA in Scottsdale, Ariz. "So the government nudged credit card companies into saying, 'This isn't working.'"

Specifically, regulators with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency began pressuring credit card companies to raise minimum payments. Another incentive for change: The newly enacted Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which requires credit card companies to post a kind of Surgeon General's warning on monthly statements that notifies consumers about how long they'll be in debt if they make minimum payments.

This is where most people find themselves today. If you had the cards reaching their limit when all the rules were changed, you found yourself in a very bad situation, and for most, with no way to come up with the extra funds to cover the now double sized payments necessary to keep the account current.

So now what? Exactly! This is exactly where I found myself.

I had leveraged a few cards to help extend the life of a business that was tetering on the brink of either making it good, or losing forever. The hope was in the former, that a little extra help would see it through and then the proverbial light would appear at the end of the tunnel. Then the reform! It was as though the system had sealed off the end of the tunnel and I was stuck inside and no way to get the train turned around or slowed down. Not to mention the price of driving that train just grew over-night to extremes I in no way could afford at the time. That was that! No parachute, no light, no help. The business stopped, the income ceased and all the bills piled up where a dream used to be.

But that was my fault. It was my decision to use the funds in that manner. I leveraged on what appeared to be a solid business. I have no one to blame but myself. But in my own defense the plan did not include the restructuring of the credit system in the world. I never imagined in the beginning that at the very brink of possible success, the whole financial system would change and pull the legs out from underneath me.

But that brings me back to my opening. The damage was done and there is nothing I can do to change it or fight it. I had to pick up the pieces and try to pay off what I owe, no matter how long it takes. But I also didn't expect what happened next.

The credit I had used included Bank of America, Citibank and Capital One.

Can you pick the cards in your wallet against the three I just listed here? Well you need to and plan accordingly because one of them does not have any program what-so-ever to help you if you happen to find yourself in the same situation I did. I was paying minimum payments at the time of about $120.00 each card. When the rate changes were implemented those payments were raised on average to $349.00 which now included increased percentage rates which went as high as 30%, late fees, etc.

I had decided that I was in big trouble and I didn't have a clue what to do or how to it. I knew only one thing, I didn't have enough money coming in to cover all of those payments. I was barely making the lower payments, but the key was, I was making them. And with a little luck and good fortune business would have excelled and I would have been able to pay them off in short order. But that was then. This is now.

Of course the phone calls started and before long every credit card company I owed was calling. Then I found out something interesting. There is help and there is hope, from some. Just not from all! I was being hammered, starting at 8am every day but Sunday, till 9pm every night. And I was making payments. I would answer the phone and the voice on the other end would dutifully tell me the obvious, that I was delinquent and that I needed to pay more and I just as masterfully explained to them that if I had more I would surely give it to them. Then one day a nice lady from Citibank called me and asked me if I knew about their customer help program that would allow me to stop the calls, the interest, the late fees and everything else for 12 full months while paying a minimum payment. This was all designed to help me get back on my feet, for 12 months, then I would resume normal payment schedules. I was elated. I asked why it had to coem to this to find out about it. But I was so excited, I don't even remember what her response was. But I signed up right away. They automatically withdraw a set amount from your account every month and in turn you get relieve to try and get yourself back on track.

I had two cards from Citibank and got both of them signed up on the system. Then came a call from a Bank of America representative with the same offer. It had to be a miracle. Of course I signed up. It has been a wonderful relief. But the story does not end. Guess what? The calls are still coming from guess who?

You got it. Capital One. They have no in-house system to help customers who, like myself, find themselves in a bit of a jam and can't afford to pay the new incresed payment amounts. I have talked with nearly every collector they have, because they have all called me, and they apologize for not being able to help. They just simply have no recourse to help. They want your account brought current or they want the full pay-off amount. Of course, if I had the full pay-off amount, I could surely pay the full payment of $349.00 per month, but I don't, so I continue to pay the $100.00 per month, every month, till I am able to pay more. Well it has now progressed to their in-house attorney services. Something called "NCO Financial", who is the employer of the collectors that have been calling me from California. I have told them all that I need a little help for a little while, but there is none available.

Obviously I am not alone in my credit misery.
I actually found a site where others speak out about their problems. I have not posted to this site and do not anticipate doing so, but it makes you wonder.

There is a new player in the collection process at "NCO Financial", which is called the "Attorney Network" and a young man named Anthony Capollo. They need 30% down, which is about $3600.00 and $500.00 a month thereafter. That's the only arrangement they can offer at this time and according to the voice mail left by Mr. Capollo,
.........."he has seen Capital One sue people for a mere $500.00 and get their money".
The next step if I do not agree to their terms is they are sending my account to an attorney in my area which will result in judgement and subsequent leins against personal property, bank accounts and whatever else they can find to take.

Well........... and all because they don't have a customer relations help program available to their customers that found themselves in a bind when the rates were changed, without asking me if I agreed to the rate changes. Yes, I know it was my fault for getting into debt. And I accept that. But where is the spirit of americans, helping americans. I have not refused to pay my debt. The credit company is in the business of extending credit. I am paying as I previously agreed. I didn't change the rules! But I am being shacken down to comply with their demands. And all the while they scour the electronic score boards looking for more potential victims. I found this interesting article while looking around the web. Capital One Blitzes Credit Reports Looking For New Prey

Did I mention that I also have a separate Capital One account that is current and up to date and paid as agreed? Makes you wonder who is running the place? Who sees thier tactics as good for business? I am positive that I am not the only one caught in this situation without recourse. I am not the only one that found themselves unable to pay. I am sure a good portion of the others decided to file Bankruptcy. Ever notice that the bankruptcy laws changed at the same time the credit rules changed? It became harder to file bankruptcy? Hmmmm.... Curious huh?

So now I find myself in the curious situation of what to do next. I definately did not want to file bankruptcy, but if Capital One continues to pursue this to a court of law to get a judgement and then continue to levy everything that I am already barely hanging onto, then I may not have a choice. I may have to file bankruptcy just to make sure I am protected and able to pay everyone. This is the point that makes it hard for those who actually do want to do what is right and pay their obligations and not try to scam others. One company want to move to the head of the line and take everything right now, instead of waiting patiently and accepting payments.

Well, we shall see. I feel for the guy at I Am Facing Forclosure.Com.
He admits to his mistakes and is struggling to pay his bills but when there is no good outcome what are we left with? He doesn't want to file for bankruptcy, at least I don't think. I know I don't. But what choice will I be left with? One of the points that Mr. Capollo left on a previous voice mail was that he had been in contact with someone and found that I still had the ability to get credit and hinted that I should get more credit to take care of his credit bill. Is that insame or what? I don't get it.

All I want is a chance to make it all good. What I'm getting from Capital One, believe me, will never fit in my wallet!

Daddy's Got Rights Too?

2007-04-28T16:04:00.000-04:00

I remember very well the sinking feeling and the dread when I realized I wasn't going to be seeing my kids faces every morning and that I would no longer be laying in the floor playing with them every evening or laying on the couch with them watching their favorite cartoon. I also remember the incredible pain in my guts as I was forced to walk away from my son who was barely 8 months old, knowing I may never see him again. Sad huh? Not nearly as sad reading as it was to actually live those moments.

Today, it seems like a life time ago. But the casualty of it all is very real and very lasting. It was seven (7) years nearly before I saw my son again. Nothing I could say or do seemed to change matters at the time. My ex-wife even refused support. She figured that if she refused help she could justify her desire to never let me have contact with him. Not sure how the courts overlook this type of thing and it amazes me that it can even be allowed. If I had it to do all over again, I know that I would do things a little different. AT the time, I felt like I had no choices and therefore no rights. Today I know better, and it seems the legislation, at least in Michigan, is trying to change this as well.

Dad's need help. It's just plain and simple. Women have always had the upper hand when it came to marriages being dissolved. Women got custody and the men got the bill. That's just not fair. Children need their parents. Both of them! And they need the courts to act on their behalf, not on behalf of just one spouse over another. Fair and equal punishment under the law, should be the mainstay of treatment in marriage disputes as well. Fair and equal treatment in divorce. Equal representation under the law and equal and fair settlements.

I am not blind to the fact that some parents are not deserving of equal custody and in those instances the court needs to always ensure that the well-being of the child is placed above all other factors. Parents who are known abusers, addicts or other types of offenders should be evaluated prior to decisions being made on their behalf. Despite a parents rights, child safety has to be the priority. But such allegations cannot and should not be based on the word of the ex-spouse alone. I know of a case recently where a couple separated and the wife informed the day-care that the husband was not to be allowed to pick up the children because he was mentally and physically unstable. I know the guy. He is neither. It was an out-right lie, that not only punished the children, but caused hurt and suffering to the husband who loved his kids more than anything.

If I had been able to have equal custody of my children as they grew, I am positive that some of the problems that they have dealt with through the years would not have come about. There have been many emotional problems that have had to be worked through and many mixed feelings on their part as to their role and their acceptance by me. All of this could have been avoided if shared custody was the mandate instead of the exception.

I love my children very much and I have missed them and cried for them on too many occasions, when all I ever needed was to be able to share their lives on more than just a weekend, or a few weeks out of the year. This is not only unfair and devastating to the father, but it is detrimental and life changing for the child. Children need both parents, preferably in one household, but if the marriage is lost the best thing for all members of the family is for both parents to suck it up and do what's right for the child, by sharing responsibility for every aspect of the child's development and seeing that the welfare of the child is placed above the petty pride and ambivalence of the parting parents. "Can't we all just get along"?

On August 11, 2007 there is going to be a bike ride from Lansing, Michigan to Washington DC, to raise awareness of this situation and to try and get the word out that Daddy's need equal time with their children. Check out Daddy's Blog.

Mom's, love your children and let them spend time with their dads. It's the best thing you can do for your children. Dad's, don't turn away from marital counseling as something you see as pointless. The first thing is to try and save the marriage. It can be done if both parties will step out from behind the mask of pride, selfishness and self righteousness. There is no greater gift you can give to your children than dedication, commitment and and a strong sense of character brought to your relationship with your spouse. But if it doesn't work out, remember it isn't about you! Our differences with our spouses need to take a backseat to the needs of our children and our children need us both. Equal time and shared responsibility. Make it work.

When a friend isn't !!!

2006-11-19T16:56:00.000-05:00

When you think of a "Friend", what comes to mind?

Is it your boyfriend? Your girlfriend? Someone you've known forever? Someone you may have just met? Who is it that listens to your problems or helps to meet your needs when you are having a problem, or is there with you through thick and thin? Someone who parties with you or works side-by-side with you even though it is not their project. You are together because you enjoy the other persons problems.

Does that person go out of their way to help when really needed? Do they bring you chicken soup when you are sick, or drop off aspirins when you have none? Are they willing to stop what they are doing to come to your aid or are they always too busy. Do they answer the phone no matter when you call or do they wait and let you leave a message? Does your friend hear you when you are speaking or do they always dominate the conversation with things about them.

I have had many friends through the years and always wonder what happened to them. How is it that when you make a friend, they end up disappearing? Are they really to be considered friends? Is life truly so busy in everyone's world that they have absolutely no time any longer to share themselves even for a short conversation with those they counted as, friend?

I have lost track of many friends that I never wanted to lose. I have also left messages for many friends that I have never received a call back from. That part I truly don't understand. I try to respond to all of my calls and when a friend calls I am always eager to take it. I am not needy, and I don't require anything from anyone so I find it odd that a friend would not return a phone message. And I find it even more odd when a friend really needs something that no one is willing to reach out and at least try to help. Being realistic, we cannot always help. We do not always have the resources to do everything that comes along, but there are many times when all someone needs is a friend to listen or just a hand with a heavy object.

Today I had a friend who was feeling under the weather and just needed a couple of aspirin. He phoned a mutual friend whom he had recently done some things for, as a friend, and asked if they could drop some by on their way home. The friend responded that they did not have anything with them, nor did they have anything at their house. BUT, they were currently at their parents house and could have easily obtained a few aspirins there and dropped them off. (How many of your mothers don't have some form of pain reliever in the house? -- Exactly !) But they refused to return favor by doing the good deed and bringing some relief to a friend. What kind of friend is that? I offered to bring something immediately but the friend said they were already going out for something but would stop over to get it, rather than going to the store. I gave them extra for later.

I am no hero. I am no different than what anyone should be. I didn't go out, but I offered and I would have. That is the difference.

My friend got what he needed, but will the other friend get what they need when it comes back around? We should all take inventory of the list of people we consider friends. Are they really? How good a friend are they?

I am, in no way, perfect. But I do appreciate my friends. I have some pretty good ones right now and I pray I never lose them. I have some previous ones that I would like to have back. But I do not know what the problem is to begin with so I guess we wait.

There is an old saying: "If you want a friend........Be One !"

Who's In Charge Anyway

2006-11-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

It's the end of a busy week for what seems like the whole world.

When we have an election it tends to reverberate around the globe with mixed emotions. This one happens to have the radicals excited and gleeful that the democrats took over control. If you think about that idea for one minute and let it sink in, can you understand the impact this has? The fact that the democrats won control of both houses of congress and this makes our enemy happy. It makes them jump for joy! Can no one else see the irony in this picture? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the implication that if this is something that they are happy about, then we all should be very nervous and afraid.

The thing that many americans continually forget is that our enemy; communism and radical islamists, never forget that they are at war. When we think that we are in the midst of peace, they are at war. Their idealism does not sleep and it does not die. It grows and spreads like a cancerous disease. Those that are fighting this war on our behalf, the men and women in uniform, know full well that we must never become complacent or we will die. But we vote and we go about our daily lives as though we are safe and content. But what we must never forget is that our enemy wants us to drop our guard. They want us to decide to go home. The want us to cut and run. They want very much to be able to come to our country and wage this war, the same way they did on 9/11/2001.

People blame Bush for this war and for everything that has happened since 9/11/2001. But if people would remember their history correctly, there was an attempt at a 9/11 style attack years before while Clinton was President! The enemy bombed the World Trade Center, but they didn't use enough explosives to cause the damage they wanted. They realized from that error that they would need much more to inflict the kind of hurt they wanted to impose on us. There were many other attacks against us that we never did anything about because of the democratic President and leadership we had, such as the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, the bombing of our embassy's in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 and our marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Our democratic government never did anything about those attacks and it emboldened our enemy. They wanted to do more.

On 9/11/2001 we wanted our government to protect us and to push back this enemy from our borders. Unfortunately in order to do that, you have to take the battle to their borders. It's sort of like the saying, ("if you build it they will come"), well if you create a battle the enemy will show up. They honestly believe that they can beat us merely by killing a few of our people. Because the democrats are not militarily endowed. They think you should be able to talk about it and fix it. Our enemy does not believe that way. Our President did the right thing by taking the war to their borders. And we repay him by cutting the legs out from under him before the battle is even half way over. It just shows that the majority of the American people are exactly what the enemy say we are. Cowards! At the sight of blood, we want to cut and run. Yet at the sight of blood, our enemy gets stronger.

Anyone ever heard of Bosnia?

The following is a short recitation about the Bosnian conflict that President Clinton got us into and guess what? Yes, we are STILL there! I, personally, have a nephew that returned from a tour there this year.

The Yugoslav Wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that took place between 1991 and 2001. They comprised two sets of successive wars affecting all of the six former Yugoslav republics. Alternative terms in use include the "War in the Balkans", or "War in (the former) Yugoslavia", "Wars of Yugoslav Secession", and the "Third Balkan War" (a short-lived term coined by British journalist Misha Glenny, alluding to the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913).

They were characterised by bitter ethnic conflicts between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between the Serbs on the one side and Croats, Bosniaks or Albanians on the other; but also between Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Macedonians and Albanians in Republic of Macedonia. The conflict had its roots in various underlying political, economic and cultural problems, as well as long-standing ethnic and religious tensions.

The wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty, massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the territories where the worst fighting occurred. The wars were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II. They were also the first conflicts since World War II to have been formally judged genocidal in character and many key individual participants were subsequently charged with war crimes. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by United Nations to prosecute these crimes.

We are at a point in the world of conflicts that we have to take a very serious look at the state of affairs, not just in our country but in all the world. Radical Islam, is not going away. They have one goal and that is to kill those they oppose. One of those happens to be us, US.

Anis Shorrosh, author of "Islam Revealed" and "The True Furqan", is a Christian Arab-American who emigrated from Arab-controlled Jerusalem in January 1967.

"The following is my analysis of Islamic invasion of America, the agenda of Islamists and visible methods to take over America by the year 2020", Shorrosh says. "Will Americans continue to sleep through this invasion as they did when we were attacked on 9/11?"

We need to be proactive in our position, not reactionary. If we chose the later, we will be too late. If you don't believe it just see the documentary Obsession, Radical Islam's War Against The West . This is truly an eye opening movie and every American should see it.

But what do I know? I'm just one of you.
The only difference is, I know, and you are wondering, is he right?

How safe is safe, and how do we achieve it?

2006-09-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

There is very little that the average person on the street really knows about how our government keeps us safe, and actually it is a subject that really has no bearing on how we feel about our safety. The average citizen assumes that our police and military are doing what they do, and that is about the extent of it. We assume we are safe, because we have a police structure in place and that the various branches of the military are where ever they are doing what they do and we don't have to worry about anything except the hoodlum in our own neighborhood or the thieves and weirdo's of our own cities.

But do we really know what the real mechanism is that actually keeps us safe around the country? Is it really the police? Is it really the military? Yes, they do have their individual roles, but they are extremely limited in scope. Where our real protections come in is behind the scenes of what we assume to be truth.

It is our system of secret intelligence that has the front line of safety in our world. Not just our country, but our world. It is the efforts of secret agents that go into places we often never know about to learn about people and efforts around the world that seek to kill us. In their efforts, they are left with few remedies in which to "get information" from known terrorists. The ways that do work and the methods that are necessary are not always thought of as "proper", but let me pose a question to you. IF A CRIMINAL WAS IN YOUR HOUSE ABOUT TO HARM YOUR FAMILY AND YOU HAD THE MEANS TO STOP THEM, WOULD YOU? Even though, after the fact, everyone may question your means? Did you have to use such force? Was there another way to do what needed to be done? Maybe? The problem with most Americans is that you never know what you would do until you were placed in that very situation and had to make the split decision of whether to take drastic and lethal action, or stand by and let the police handle the matter when they arrive.

All scenarios are not the same. Not all victims end up the same and not all criminals are violent. A thief may not take anyone's life, but when you are the victim, you don't know that. You want to protect yourself and all you know is someone is there that doesn't belong. What do you do? Well, depending on what part of the country your in, you may get differing answers. You may also get differing answers from people with differing religious beliefs. And you will even get different answers from people with differing political beliefs.

However when it comes to our secret agencies and their mission they have one agenda and that is to gather intelligence, regardless of the means, that will help defer attacks by known enemies, foreign or domestic. And we do have both. We cannot afford to tie the hands of these people who put their own lives on the line in an effort to try and save ours.

When I think of the efforts of our own elected officials, (not elected by me), such as Senator. John McCain, it makes me just downright sick. We have enough problems in the world without our own legislature trying to purposely tie the hands of the very people we count on to try and save us from attack. The lame and pathetic excuses used in their efforts are as weak as they are as legislators. Who are they trying to kid? Anyone that has half a brain knows there is no link between what we believe in and what other countries and our religions believe in. Trying to say that we do not want to change the meaning of the Geneva Convention articles is ludicrous. The communists never followed the Geneva Convention, the Nazis never followed the Geneva Convention, and the radical Terrorists that we are fighting today do not and never will follow the Geneva Convention and thinking that we can play on their level and follow every rule to the letter and treat them as we would expect them to treat us is not only foolish, it is plain stupid and anyone that thinks not, needs to open their eyes and get a glimpse of reality.

And to prove the point in Senator. McCain's case here is an excerpt, written about him and his imprisonment while serving in the Vietnam war. Please read this and ask yourself why the Vietnamese did not follow the Geneva Convention rules. They were in effect at that time and because those captors were a military force, they were obligated to follow it to the letter. Yet they did not. Why? Read on!!!

----------------------------------------------------
On October 26, 1967, McCain was shot down in his A-4 Skyhawk over Vietnam, by a Soviet-made anti-aircraft missile, landing in Truc Bach Lake. McCain was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for five-and-a-half years, mostly in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He suffered two broken arms and a broken leg after ejecting from his plane. After he regained consciousness, a mob gathered around him and stripped him of his clothing. He was then tortured by Vietnamese soldiers who bayoneted him in his left foot and groin. His shoulder was crushed by another soldier's rifle butt. He was then transported to the Hanoi Hilton, also known as Hoa Lo Prison.
Once McCain arrived at the Hanoi Hilton, he was placed in a cell and interrogated daily. When McCain refused to provide any information to his captors, he was beaten until he lost consciousness.

When the North Vietnamese discovered his father was the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, (CINCPAC), in charge of all US forces in Vietnam, he was offered a chance to go home, in an effort to embarrass the American military. Senior POWs had ordered there would be no return home unless all POWs were permitted to, and McCain, as did most POWs, followed orders, and refused to be repatriated back to the United States.
McCain signed an anti-American propaganda message which was written in Vietnamese, but did so only as a result of torture (to this day, he cannot raise his arms above his head, due to his two broken shoulders from the severe beatings administered by the North Vietnamese). It is that period during his capture that he most regrets. After McCain signed the initial statement, the Vietnamese decided they could not use it. They tried to force him to sign a second statement. This time, he refused. He received two to three beatings per week because he refused to sign any more statements for his captors.
He was released from captivity in 1973. (used from info. on "Wikipedia")
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Now, does this sound as though Senator. McCain was treated under the rules of the Geneva Convention? No, of course not. There are very few countries that actually follow the old rules governing the treatment of prisoners during a time of war. Today's terrorist is no exception. How many be-heading have you read or heard about on news? Not just military personnel, but reporters, aide workers, civilians. They all meet the same fate and there is no regard for their rights as human being, nor for the rules of engagement according tot he Geneva Convention.

I am not an advocate against the use of the Geneva Convention. I was in the military and I would have hoped that if I had been captured, that my captors would have treated me humanely, but the fact remains that today's terrorists do not and will never abide by anything that is not a part of their fanatic beliefs. They want to kill Americans. They do not care who or what our status is, as long as we are dead. And that includes you and me. We need our secret agencies to be able to use every means at their disposal to obtain information from captives as to what may be planned and or how and where to prevent further attacks or killings.

There is no nice way to fight this war. And there is no gain to think we can right a wrong by trying to allow our terrorist enemy the same rights we are afforded under OUR constitution and laws. These are enemy combatants and trying to make them anything other than what they are, (terrorists), is a crime against our own sensibilities. We have a right to expect our government to do everything in it's power to try and protect us from foreign enemies and we expect them to fight for us, NOT fight for the rights of the enemy.

In my book, Sen. John McCain and his other leftist thinking friends are not doing us any favors, but actually inflicting great harm and danger, not only to us but to those who are working on the front lines on our behalf.

Here is a quote from Senator McCain during an interview to Newsweek

"While some enemies, and Al Qaida surely, will never be bound
by the principle of reciprocity, we should have concern for those
Americans captured by more traditional enemies, if not in this
war then in the next." (Nov. 21, 2005 issue)

Sen. McCain knows full well that this enemy will never follow the rules of engagement that we set forth and we cannot expect them to. He is trying to use this as a political edge that will get some of the democratic vote. But I think he is stepping onto the proverbial limb that will be his undoing and rightly so. Just as Bill Clinton "loathed" the military, Sen. McCain's efforts here shows that he loathes the current administration and will do anything just to be president. Hopefully the majority of Republicans have seen through his thin facade and want nothing to do with him in 2008. He has proven himself to be exactly what this country does NOT need in a leader. Someone that has more concern for the feelings and respectability of our enemies than he does in the safety of the citizens. He is exactly what is wrong with the politicians of the day. Even in time of war, the politics are foremost on their agenda, and the people are subjugated to a place at the back of the political bus.

Mind you, I am not advocating torture as it were. None of this has anything to do with torture. I know that Sen. McCain was tortured, which is meant by the Geneva Convention analogy, but his actions serve to remove the available tools used by current operatives and leave the door open to allowing enemy prisoners rights equal to our own. We need to be able to use sophisticated, technological and possibly psychological surveillance and interrogation. And I am sure there are plenty reading this that even include physical torture to be okay, which I do not. Once we have the prisoner, we have him and we are not obligated to let him go. However, we do not need to stoop to giving him protections covered under our own American laws. He needs to be handled by the military system using military tribunals and let them never be included into our system of police rights.

This is a problem people and we need to take a stand and back our President and the measures he has been using to date in order to keep us safe, or we may find ourselves in 2 years wishing we had. Our safety in our country is crucial and the person leading that effort needs to be on the same page as our current president. If not, we are in for big problems following the 2008 elections and it may a problem we will regret for many years to come.

Protect us from all Evil

2006-06-27T07:21:00.000-04:00

I am always amazed at the constant argument of who has the right to do and say what they want, based on their 1st. Amendment rights to a free press. What is a free press anyhow? And who gets to say what is free?

I have the right to sit here and voice my opinion on what I think is the truth. But where does opinion become inflammatory? And where does a free press which we all enjoy, become dangerous to others? There is a line that is becoming far too often crossed and the reasons for crossing it do not seem to have the best interest of ANYONE at heart.

I am, of course, speaking of the New York Times most recent outing of the governments most secret efforts of checking foreign, (off-shore) banking transactions in the search for enemy activity. Where in the constitution or the free press rights do we glean the assumption that we have the right to purposely endanger the lives of millions of Americans as well as our allies in the pursuit of a "hot scoop"? Do we really have the right to know EVERYTHING?

It is my personal opinion that the New York Times and those employees involved should be prosecuted for treason to the fullest extent possible. Our country is at war. This is not a game and it is not a test of what we can or should be able to get away with under our so called freedoms. We do not have the right to undermine the efforts of our government who is desperately trying to thwart the efforts of a dangerous enemy that is using every means at their disposal to try and do great harm to our country and our men and women in uniform.

There has been a saying in use for many years that was taught to us when I was in the Navy, that "loose lips sink ships". This is a very true and real situation that holds true in everything we do regarding national security. During times of war, there are very real laws that apply to those that work against our government and cause harm to our ability to wage war, and that offer aid and comfort to our enemies, which is exactly what the New York times has done.

Funny thing though, this is not the first time this so called "news" paper has gone out of it's way to try and undermine the efforts of our government by revealing secret information that has been highly classified. There was the phone records program that was reported and many others. This banking information is just the latest in a long line of efforts to try and embarrass the President and his Administration. But these efforts are purely political in nature and have no place being exposed. The damage done by this type of reporting will undoubtedly be felt for many years to come and the repercussions will be wide spread.

Treason is an ugly and damaging label to wear, but it is time for the government to step up and put a stop to this type of damaging reporting. And their efforts need to include finding those officials inside the government that gave the classified information to the press. They need to be put away and never see the light of day again. And if the reporters refuse to give up the names of those treasonous government employees, then the reporters should be held in contempt of court and the key thrown away, in addition to the charges they face.

This is a serious situation and it is this writers hope that our government flexes it's muscle and weeds out those who would dare to put their ratings above the lives of those who willingly volunteer to serve and protect the lives and rights of all Americans, here in our own country and those serving abroad.

A Long Hard Road

2006-05-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

The time has past far too quickly since I last posted and I really don't like when that happens. And boy oh boy has a lot happened in the world since then. It would be futile to try and recap anything about then and now for it would take too long and far too much space to try.

So I will suffice it to apologize for my negligence here and try to do better at this.

One thing that I would like to say about the current events of the day is that we seem to slip further and further into stupidity and arrogance the more politicians try to please "everyone" and the more they try to legislate based on moronic polls. Polls that are not even a true reflection of the country. How can you get a measure of what anyone thinks, via a poll, when the questions asked are not asked in a way that an honest answer can be given. There are many ways to ask a question about a certain subject. By the wording and emphasis, the answer can reflect either a positive outcome or a negative one, regardless of what the person answering the question really thinks or understands about the subject.

Take for instance the average Americans perception about the war in Iraq. Say we posed a question as follows.

1. Do you know that the intel available on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was the same intel that was gathered by the intelligence community during Clinton's Presidency and that all of the Senators and Congressmen and women knew all of the same information for over 10 years and that all of them including democrats and republicans alike agreed that Iraq was an imminent threat and something needed to be done? Yes or No ?

2. Do you know that all of the Senators and Congressmen and women voted for our President to take the action taken prior to going to war and prior to the Presidents speech laying out the plan? Yes or No ?

3. Given the true information in questions 1. and 2. do you agree that the Congress and the Senate are equally responsible for the actions in Iraq? Yes or No ?

4. Given the fact that the President was given authority by the Congress and Senate to wage war on our behalf, do you agree that all current and past politicians are more or less responsible than the President? More or Less ?

5. Given the facts as stated, do you believe the senate and congress are doing their best to protect our nation? Yes or No?

6. Do you approve or disapprove of the job the Senate and Congress are doing in their support of our troops and their mission? Disapprove or Approve ?

7. Given the understanding we have that the Democratic party of political congressmen and senators and the previous President all had the same intelligence information that our current President had and they never implemented any plan of action to protect us from attacks such as 9-11, even though we had suffered previous attacks by the same terrorists, do you feel more safe today under the current Administration that has implemented safeguards, or the previous administrations that had the information and did nothing? Safer Now or Safer then ?

8. Knowing the truth that the previous democratic party of politicians had information and did nothing to protect us or defend us, would you be more inclined or less inclined to trust them in the future with the security of our nation and your family? More inclined or Less Inclined ?

Okay, hopefully you get the picture.

The people that are getting asked questions generally know nothing about the truth. Some of them can't even name the members of the current Administration or their own Congress and senate members. They have one idea and that is that war seems bad and we should not be there. However, if those people asked were to be informed and educated about the truth of what has been and is now taking place, they would be able to answer questions and make more informed responses.

But as long as the questions are tainted and asked in a manner that gets the results that the pollsters want, then the polls mean absolutely nothing and intelligent people will not make decisions based on their results.

I love this country and it pains me to see the mainstream media work so hard to try and make it a socialist wasteland. There is so much mis-information and lies being told and it is just amazing how so many people are duped by it all.

GOD help us and forgive us because that is the only help we may have left.

To Die or Not To Die

2005-12-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

The day was all a buzz with the news of Stanley "Tookie" Williams execution. It pretty much dominated the radio talk shows, newspapers and TV. I only picked up the story a week or so ago while reading a blog out of Sacramento, CA. In fact I went to about a dozen different local California blogs that day and most of the sentiment seemed to favor clemency.

My personal feelings on the matter did not agree, but I tend to be more dogmatic when it comes to the law. We all make choices in life. Some choose to live life free of conflict and others choose conflict as life. I have made my own bad decisions in life and I still deal with the consequences of my actions from back then. No one is an island when it comes to right and wrong unless they truly are suffering from dementia. The law is very clear when it comes to violence. The consequences are also well known.

Did Mr. Williams find redemption for his past life? I don't know, and apart from GOD, I doubt that any one but Mr. Williams really knew. He never let it be known publicly of any remorse, but then again he may have been innocent. Only God and Mr. Williams knows for sure, except if there was someone else who was guilty for the crimes Mr. Williams went to prison for. But again, I doubt we will ever know.

I have not read any of the works that Mr. Williams wrote, but I pray they have and will reach the lives of many children who might be influenced by violence and change their minds. At least what Mr. Williams has left behind has more potential for good than his own personal past.

Whatever the truth is, GOD knows and I presume that Mr. Williams has already had a chance to address the issue with Him. One thing I am very sure of, if Mr. Williams was guilty and he did find redemption, he is far more content in his current surroundings with GOD than here on earth, and if he was innocent, then the LORD already promised vengeance on our behalf so either way once he passed to the other side, there is no way he would want to be back here if given the choice.

We have a system based on Biblical principles which dictates that anyone who kills another should be put to death. Second guessing the Bible is what has caused most of the problems that we are dealing with in our country today. Our entire system of government is based on Biblical principle and when you deviate from the truths intertwined therein then chaos enters the picture. The alternative is socialism and that has failed every time it is tried.

There are plenty of opinions on the subject and there are plenty of hearts and minds that are torn about the decisions to put to death inmates legally convicted. But the law is there and sometimes it doesn't seem fair. But who comforts the victims? Where is the law and the justice for the victims of those who face death row?

I don't have all the answers and neither does anyone else. But we have the law and if we follow it we can at least be sure that we have done our best with what we have to work with. It won't please every one, but it will help us keep from making greater mistakes, trying to make individual decisions based on emotions.

May GOD have mercy on Mr. Williams and may his soul be at rest.

House Cleaning

2005-12-11T21:22:00.000-05:00

I sat down at this keyboard nearly a dozen times this weekend to put a few thoughts together and every time something came up that drew me away from my thoughts. So far this weekend I have changed the entire layout of this site three times. Each time having to rebuild the sidebars by hand. That's the price you pay for a little autonomy.

Approximately an hour ago I sat down and was about two paragraphs into a piece on torture and the current free-for-all that the Dems. are having trying to tie the hands of our intelligence community. Of course, just as I was actually getting into it, a "Fatal Exception" occurred in my Operating System and I lost everything I was working on. That was about the time I decided to take a break.

Oh well. The week-end is nearly a memory and I am sure that my wife is deeply immersed in the latest episode of "Desperate Housewives". It isn't one of my favorite shows. Far too many gratuitous scenes of total depravity.

So rather than sit here and try to postulate on something my mind is not interested in at the moment, I think I will call it quits for the day and go snuggle up next to my loving wife and who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and not fall asleep before the news comes on.

Liar, Liar

2005-12-10T23:44:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what possesses us to lie. Why we assume that no one will ever find out and how we arrogantly let ourselves believe that we are above reproach because our lie is so much smaller than anyone else's. Why do we even think that who we are will be so much more perfect if we only embellish a little to make the edges seem not so sharp?

I remember long ago being constantly afraid that someone was going to catch me in a lie. I don't have a clue about the things I know I must have lied about but I am sure that I did on more than a few occasions. But I do remember that I was always afraid of someone, anyone finding out that I had lied. I guess I assumed I would be in real trouble, which of course I would have been. For the most part I don't recall getting in trouble for lying, but I know I did. Even as an adult I have told
a few whoppers, but I also know that there came a time when I realized that lying was no longer the sport it was. It wasn't cool and it wasn't easy enough to make it worth the trouble.

Okay, I know I'm not much different from the average "Joe", and I do not consider myself better than anyone else, except if there are points in life for not lying. Personally I come to really dislike people who lie. On a religious level I know it is a sin. However I know that not everyone is inclined to profess a religion but there are those that are not devout in any religious persuasion who do not lie. So why is it that people can reach a certain age and they stop doing things like lying, and others can not? What is so appealing about lying that makes people continue to do it no matter what age they are and yet still expect that everyone will just simply believe every word? Or better yet, what is so un-appealing about being honest with everyone?

Typically there is no real benefit to lying. Yes, you may get ahead for a short time, but nearly all lies are eventually found out and there is no excuse, nor is there an easy way to face those you have lied to. I assume I am allowed to have this opinion because of being a past liar. It's been more than eleven years for me, and in those years I have learned a lot about the lives that are changed, the hearts that are broken and the people who are truly hurt by liars. And there is no good liar.

I currently have an individual which has been working with me that has an apparent lying problem. I am not sure what they have to cover up and I am not really sure I want to know. I suppose I would like to be able to help them understand that they don't have to lie. That they would be accepted without the embellishments. That they would be allowed to remain if they could only tell the truth, but alas it seems that they are not interested in truth, except as they assume it. But who does it really hurt?

I, on one hand will lose a little money. I don't particularly like or appreciate that, but it is actually a small price to pay considering the loss the other person will endure. It will mean the loss of a possible friendship. It will mean the loss of income for them. It will mean the expense of their reputation in the eyes of others that know us. But more importantly, what will be the true cost to that person, if they do not recognize the problem and they continue the lying pattern for years to come? I always wonder if their family realizes how bad it is or do they just not care? Or do they even know at all? But how could they not? How long will they go from place to place pointing the finger at others?

There is no reason for anyone to lie! Some will say that it is better than hurting someone else. That is so far from true. Anyone will be much more hurt in the end if they find out they have been lied to. The truth is far more easy to live with. It's easier to remember than a lie and you don't have to worry about making anything up to go with the truth. If you lie, you will have to tell another one in order to cover up the first one and it becomes a stupid, endless cycle. You will just have to believe me when I say that people really do not like liars. Not even little ones. The truth allows people to function normally in the real world. And the truth does have a way of keeping you free from guilt and shame. And remember, there is no room for liars, not in the hearts of people and not even in Heaven.

Where Has The Time Gone

2005-12-10T23:38:00.000-05:00

I am in total disbelief that this week is half over and tomorrow begins the last month of the year. There are 25 days till Christmas and I haven't bought a single thing and frankly I have no ideas yet. My wife doesn't appreciate this particular
aspect of my personality but I look at it like this, if this is the worst thing about me, then everything else can only get better right?

I had every plan to set down here this evening and hammer out something about the days events, cause Heaven knows there has been a basket full. The President's speech was awesome. And in true democrat fashion, they hated every syllable of it and rushed out to make total horse's behinds of themselves trying to paint their way out of the picture the President accurately painted of them. The dem's would have done better just to keep their mouths shut and they would have actually suffered less at the hands of us who see them for what they really are.

Nevertheless I will save my rantings for another day. Although I will touch on something that I was thinking about today that may be of help to others. I have a friend who went to Louisianna to help some of the victim's of hurricane Katrina
get their homes and properties back in shape and I found that I was really missing him. We typically get together on a weekly basis and talk nearly everyday. His wife and children get together with my wife and I and we usually go out to dinner
or just sit around and enjoy a little conversation.

I was rather struck by my feelings and wondered why. Not that there really has to be a reason. He is my very best friend and he has been gone for weeks. Though I am sure that I don't miss him nearly as much as his wife and children do nevertheless my feelings are what they are. Actually if you listen to my wife, she thinks I'm a rather mushy hearted guy. Be that as it may, I realized that there was a principle to emotions such as these. I saw it much the same as our heart. It pumps blood to every portion of our bodies, then it is routed back, filtered, and the pumping process continues forever, till you die. If for some reason the heart pumped, but nothing was ever returned, it would only take seconds for the process to end and the body would cease to function.

Love works the same way. Emotions are real and in some people emotions are as real as the nose on their face. It is ever present and they live by them. I do not live by my emotions but we all need and expect love (and/or friendship, and kindness) to be returned in the same way that we offer it. When we do good deeds for others, whether we admit it or not, we expect something good in return. Not necessarily from the person we were good to, but maybe from someone else at another time or even Spiritually in Heaven.

In a nutshell, As we give and express love for others, our love tank, (if you will), can be depleated. Not that we ever run out of love, but as with the theory of relativity, as we give, we need to receive in return. As we empty our love tank
on behalf of others, we need to have that tank refilled. Typically this is done through those we are closest to, our spouse's, boyfriend/girlfriend or just our friends. Missing someone, as I have been missing my friend, is a sign that my tank is nearing empty and it needs to be refilled. Usually this isn't a problem, my wife is wonderful and she bestows upon me more Love and Kindness than any one man deserves, and even though she is really my best friend, there is no replacement
for simple, innocent, male bonding, (If you doubt it, try and do some of the activities you enjoy most with someone other than one of the guys).

I am sure there will be plenty of guys that see this who turn up their nose and snarl at the idea of expressing emotions, but if honesty can prevail, we all want it and we all need it. So allow yourself to think about it carefully and honestly
and don't worry that it might seem a little weird. Love is a wonderful thing. I love my friends and I want them to know it. So go call your friend or your spouse and let them know how much you really care about them and how they make you feel like a million bucks. Let some of that Love get pumped out and see how good it feels when it gets poured back on you by heaps and bounds. Now that's livin.

Is it really almost Christmas?

Sport Shorts

2005-12-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to say something. And I want to admit right up front that sports are not my forte. In fact I know less about sports than I do physics and I don't know squat about physics. But there is something I do know a little about and it is this;
Chopping off your head will do absolutely nothing to ease the problem of being overweight. Of course you will ask "what does that have to do with football"? Well let me explain.

Currently living in Michigan, I have tried to keep up with things that are happening around me. Now sports is not something I care one whit about and frankly I don't get what others see in it, but we all have our vices and/or hobbies, and I accept
the fact that there are in fact a vast majority of those around me that virtually live and breath sports. I prefer fresh air and what I see in the sports world, well..... sort of leaves the air smelling a bit foul.

Last week the Detroit Lions lost to the Atlanta Falcons 27 - 7. You can read about it here: Falcons rout Lions.
Now, whether they lose or win makes no difference to me, except that it tends to determine the mood of some of those I have to come in contact with. But... Today they fired the head coach, Steve Mariucci.
If you haven't heard about it, you can read it here; "The Mooch"

So here is where I offer my advice:
The coach was never in any of the plays except to maybe tell the players which ones to use and when. He never ran the ball and he never threw a pass. Now I understand that the coach is responsible for trying to whip a bunch of guys into shape and make winners out of them. But if I may ask a stupid question, who is in charge of hiring those players? The Coach didn't hire them. Seems to me there is someone else in the mix that may also be a whole lot more responsible for the loses than the coach. It is my understanding as well that President and CEO Matt Millen is the one actually responsible for the procurement of the players on the team. Why doesn't he get fired? Mr. William Clay Ford should be taking a step back and asking himself a few more questions about what might be wrong. It's going to cost Mr Ford about 11 million dollars over the next few years for today's decision. If it were me, I think I would be asking myself why?

Say you're the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation and a few unmotivated employees, that are being paid very well to perform a certain job, find themselves feeling depressed and uninspired and just don't perform the tasks that they are
being paid to do. They show up and they dress in the proper uniform and they do go through the motions, but overall they just aren't performing up to expectations. Their actions in fact, cost you several jobs that you will never be able to get back.
What would you do? Me.... I'd fire them! So how come in the sports world, only the coach seems to ever get fired? Why not the players? They are the ones responsible to perform on the field. If they do not perform, then why keep them around? Is it the hope that another coach may be able to enspire them to turn around and do better? I'm really grasping here. Because this is something that has bothered me for a very long time.

I say again, I am not any kind of scholar on the game of football or any other sport, but I know that there are certain elements that are true no matter where they are applied. If someone is responsible for an action, then that person should
be held responsible. If someone is expected to do something or even not to do something, then it should be anticipated that the someone will do exactly as expected, or not, which ever is the case. It doesn't seem to me to serve any good purpose to punish someone else for the actions, or in this case, the inability to play the game well enough as a cohesive unit to even come close to winning the game.

Be it far from me to tell anyone who has been in the "know" of the game for any length of time what or how to do anything, but if it was my team, I think it would be lacking a few players. These players get paid very well for what they do. Playing is their job. It should not be the responsibility of the coach to have to motivate any one of these players to show up and do their jobs to the best of their physical ability. I say if they can't win then they are not living up to their responsibility as an employee of the franchise. As such, they should be fired. End of story. The coach shouldn't be the scapegoat for the failure of the players to do their job. It's a game for heaven's sake. If they can't keep up the pace then maybe they should take that supposed diploma from whatever college they came from and go find a job flippin hamburgers or making commercials. Something they can actually do.

Mother Sheehan In The Desert

2005-12-10T22:12:00.000-05:00

I think we all need to have a view and a willingness to speak out about what we believe even when it is typically the minority world view. The problem is, mine really isn't the minority view. My views are the same as millions of others around the country and the world, however to many are to embarrassed of their beliefs to state them openly.

Cindy Sheehan, in my opinion, is a political wanna be that has found glory in the press where they placed her in a false position of importance. Actually using her for their own means. The press no more cares about Cindy Sheehan, than Liberals care for our President. She is a pawn. And frankly she is an embarrassment to military personnel everywhere. I would be horrified if my mother had done something like this in my name.

Her son died a hero and she has tarnished his hero status. As a former military enlistee I am proud of what we are doing. As enlistees we take an oath to uphold and defend, not to back-down or turn and run because some of us die in combat.

Death is a terrible thing. No one in their right mind wants to see another person killed for any reason. But there are circumstances that call for extreme measures and someone has to answer that call. Not one person reading this would think twice about dialing 911 if an intruder came into their home and they had the chance to make the call. Not one of us would think twice in expecting the responding officer to place him/herself in harms way to protect our home or our life, even if it meant that the officer may in fact get killed. Does their comments mean we should NOT call 911 for protection? Of course not.

The firemen and policemen and/or women, that ran into the twin towers to help and to rescue people put their life on the line to help people they have never met and owed nothing to. BUT, they were and still are paid to perform a service that ALL of them know could lead to their death or injury. Does that mean we should not require police or firemen to put their lives in harm's way? Of course not, and there is not a person that would hesitate to call 911 if their house was on fire.

Policemen and Firemen die everyday in the line of duty. It is sad for the families and we owe them a debt of gratitude for what they do. We owe them the honor to not drag them through the dirt because some may feel that their death was in vain.

People who do these jobs, including the military, KNOW the risks involved. They do it because that is what who they are. They are heroes, mighty men and women of valor. Wherever they are serving for whatever reason, they know the risks and they choose to take them. I did and so have countless millions of others through the years who have willingly joined the military or the civil services
and served proudly.

War may not be pleasant, and it may not be the answer to every problem. But there are times when it just must be. Like it or not, there have been wars since the beginning of time. The Bible is filled with them and many times at the demand of GOD Himself. War is not pretty and it is not always popular, but war will be with us until the very last day. Armageddon! There is no way around it.

People don't have to like war and they don't have to agree with those who participate in war, but they should respect those who do and they should never create a situation that distracts from the mission or gives aid to the enemy against those we owe our very lives to. Our military is what keeps us free and we owe them our support and our respect. Public demonstrations that are carried by national news channels do nothing but disrespect our troops in the eyes of the enemy. It makes them even more vulnerable to continued threat.

People like Cindy Sheeham, and those that follow her around are not affecting the President in any way nor are they making an impact on what we do in the war or how long it will last. What they ARE doing is helping and aiding the enemy in their efforts to shape world opinion that our military and our government is evil, which is simply not true. The evil is shown in the cowardice of the enemy and it is empowered by the likes of Cindy Sheeham who in effect is rallying for the enemy against our troops.

I am not unsympathetic to her loss. I am truly sorry that any of our military has died or been harmed in this war. However I am more angry at people like Cindy Sheeham, Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sen. John Kerry, Congressman John Murtha, and the list goes on. They are reprehensible and a disgrace to our country and it is these people that feed the hatred of suicide bombers and those that seek to do us harm.

What these people always fail to remember is that we did nothing to provoke the bombings of 9-11. We did nothing to provoke the bombing of the USS Cole. We did nothing to provoke the bombing of our military barracks in numerous foreign cities that have been attacked. We have talked about these things until the blue on our flag is running.

Killing is awful. Whether it's abortion, (which the democrats seem to support), or the lives of our civil servants, (which everyone takes for granted), or our military, (which the democrats hate). There is no difference. If Cindy Sheeham and her ilk were truly appalled by the deaths of our military, she should be equally repulsed by any abortion clinic and should be willing to go protest regularly in front of them. I guarantee you, the day she does, there will not be any press coverage of it. They will abandon her the same way they did when she said something negative about the lefts "poster child", Hillary Clinton. Or maybe they already did, if her Crawford, TX. booksigning event was any guage!