I'm In!

I have been and always will be in "the game."

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. of Milwaukee, WI. 

"In the battle of life, it is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

We Are The Obama Nation

The teachings of Thomas Aquinas tell us that all men are created equal with regard to their God given right to be free. That is, we have the right to live freely; free to seek what is good for us. We are even free to turn away from God.

However, he also notes that men are NOT equal with regard to their God given talents. Those talents vary from person to person; they are what make us individuals. Our talents are what we use to pursue what is good in our own unique way (hopefully in alignment with God’s will.) If we are tracking with God’s notion of the good, then this means serving others too in way that is concomitant with our talents.

Our nation’s founders knew this.  Our current President, Barack Hussein Obama does not.  Actually, I think he does. He just wants to turn his back on it for his own vision.

In his article, Obama’s Declaration of Collectivism, Larry Kudlow makes this distinction clear. We are not intended to be equal in terms of results, only in opportunity.

Obama’s notion of America is the absolute opposite of what our founders had in mind. I would also argue he runs in a direction that is counter to our nature as created by God.

I fear that we, as a nation, have made that Tytlerian turn from the Republic once known as the United States of America to the "Collective States of America." It will be a place where we will add our uniqueness to the collective.

And where eventually, resistance will be futile.

Our Rights, Our Government

In his blog post, David McElroy, echoes clearly what I stated in my posts Getting Ourselves Off the Hook. Our God given rights are not conferred on us by the government. They are intrinsic with our being. Any attempt to limit or take them is a threat to our dignity as human beings.

A must read.

Governments can recognize rights, but no government creates rights.

Good Grief Charlie Brown! Busted for Stalking?

The man who did the voice for Charlie Brown has been arrested for stalking. What’s next?

If we imagine Peanuts as real people, let me see if I can predict what might become of a few members of the Peanuts gang:

Serving The Law that Serves Us Best

When I think back on my career as a police officer, it was not uncommon to say or think, “I served the law.” While I knew there were reasons for the law, the phrase, “I serve the law,” never seemed problematic. I always knew I served the people and didn’t get too hung up on the phraseology.

Even outside the vocation of policing, we often think in those terms. We serve our boss, we serve our company, we serve our stockholders, we serve our nation, etc.

Heck, we even service our cars.

We say these things without too much thought; we sort of understand and believe its all good. I wonder, however, how often we consider what’s behind that service.

Getting Ourselves Off the Hook Pt 5

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense

Go to the Introduction

Go to Part 2 The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being

Go to Part 3 The Militia. An Antiquated Term?

Go to Part 4 The Problem with Governments

Part 5 -Ignorance from Firearms

For those who know little about firearms, self-defense, and use of force dynamics, it’s easy to see the assault rifle as excessive; but, they are far from it. The term “assault rifle” itself is a misnomer in any case.

Getting Ourselves Off the Hook Pt 4

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense

Go to the Introduction

Go to Part 2 The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being

Go to Part 3 The Militia. An Antiquated Term?

Part 4 -The Problem with Governments

We must be honest. Governments do go bad. In fact, our nation was born from this sad fact. We shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking this can’t happen in the U.S.

The founders of our Republic were sending a message to future generations when they penned our nation’s founding documents.

This message is the clearest. I fear it has been clearly forgotten. For clarity’s sake, I will be clear here:

The history of man is MORE a story of governments gone bad than those that have not.

Getting Ourselves Off the Hook Pt 3

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense

Go to the Introduction

Go to Part 2 The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being

Part 3 - The Militia. An Antiquated Term?

For the average American, it’s generally inconceivable to consider ourselves vulnerable to foreign invasion or attack. We think our military can never be defeated.

Think again. Historically speaking, no nation has ever been able to make that claim ex post facto. Although, many have certainly believed that pre facto. We are fools if we think we are an exception in this sense.

If our military was ever defeated, who will be left protect us from the horror and genocide that may follow?

Getting Ourselves Off the Hook Pt. 2

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense

Go to the Introduction

Part 2 -The Common Good and the Dignity of the Human Being

Governments are created to serve the common good of man.

But, the common good must be held in balance with the dignity of the human being, which is its foundation.  The common good should never crush that. When it does, the human being is deprived of its truer nature.  The common good, which seeks the best for all men, is no longer attainable because the fundamental aspects of humanity are undermined.

Getting Ourselves Off the Hook

The Right Firearms and the Right to Self Defense.

Introduction

Perhaps too much time has passed since the horror of Newtown was seared into our memories. Anyone could see what would come of this. Rather than recognize this as a terrible and unexplainable tragedy, those in power, those with dark agendas, would seize this as an opportunity for Americans to vote away their freedom for a greater level of perceived security.

This is occurring now- “Let’s take another look at that troublesome 2^nd amendment.”

Bath Salts: This Is Not Your Grandpa’s Epsom Salts

In talking with some friends recently, I learned of a new drug that could have serious unintended consequences. In fact, it could be deadly.

 

While I realize I may be behind the curve of pop culture and “what’s going down” on the street as it were, I felt strongly compelled to spread the news about this threat.

What I’m talking about here are “Bath Salts.”

That’s right. But, this is not the mineral bath salts we add to our bath water to simulate the positive effects of bathing in a hot spring. Nope. This drug is a synthetic designer drug that has similar effects to those of cocaine or methamphetamine.

2012: Apocalypse Interrupted

or, 2012: The Year We Make Confetti

I was on an errand for my mother when I first found out.

Purchase a loaf of bread and bring it home – that was all I had to do. When I think back on those occasional grocery missions, they were neither necessary nor urgent tasks. I used to think it was her way to make me stop pestering her about wanting  to ride my bike somewhere, anywhere.

But, I think she was trying to teach me some responsibility and independence…”and don’t forget the change!” 

But, education is about more than the 3R’s as this event bore out.

The B.A.R.T. Files: Just Finish One - The Art of Earning

It’s the noon train out of Concord.  Stepping into the car, I settle into my bedbug-ridden urine stained seat.  The car, typically empty at this end of the line, does not begin to fill up until Lafayette and Orinda.

I open my backpack trying to decide which book is up for rotation. It had been a week or so since I spent some time trying to unravel the monomyth as drawn out by Joseph Campbell’s, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces.” So, I open up where I left off.

Thus, this day’s journey begins.

What of Facebook…?

As a little kid, I remember begging my grandmother for candy. She would always cater to the needs of my sister and me in this way. One day, I asked what her favorite candy was. She replied, “A Love Nest.”

A what nest?

The B.A.R.T. Files: Is this the Twilight Zone or Should I Just Change the Channel?

It was late on a Thursday night with no baseball game; no game means no baseball idiots would grace us with their obnoxious presence.

I was to be spared the mean mugging (the express threat,) the anxiety over the colors of my apparel (the implied threat,) and the certainty of standing in a cramped car with dozens of rowdy fans who smell of body odor, alcohol, and cannabis.

After working the last 48 with less than 6 hours combined sleep, I was looking forward to a peaceful ride home. It looked like the stars were moving into conjunction.

I get a bonus surprise when the train arrives at Embarcadero Station, a very light crowd with plenty of seating. As a settle into my bed bug-ridden, urine stained seat; I survey my fellow riders.