Life After Midterms

If you're reading this, you survived the 2018 midterm elections. I had my doubts. It has been ugly. Really. Ugly. I've never seen our country so divided. It's disgusting to tell you the truth. I suppose that's why the steam had gone out of my blogging. Looking at everything day to day was making me feel like isolating myself from social media. Can you blame me? Most of it is cancer. Sometimes I get sucked into it. It's hard not to. I'm not proud of that. I'm just being honest. It's the realization that I was getting upset about it way too much that made me take a step back. Life's too short to get upset about politics when there's only so much I can do about it anyway. I voted. Did my part. That's it. Otherwise, I can talk to people who want to listen to my viewpoint, and let go of arguing with those that don't. I've had to do some of that in my own home as well. My wife and I don't always see eye to eye politically. And that's okay. I love her, and she loves me. That's more important. We all would do well to remember that. Even toward the stranger on the street. I've already seen this spill over into our church group. That's pretty sad, isn't it?

Speaking of church. So... we found a new church. I say "we" as if I had anything to do with it. Really it was my wife that talked (nagged) me into going. I wish now that I had listened to her in the beginning. It would have saved us some time at a different church that we never fit into. There was nothing wrong with the first one, we just never found our groove there. The people were nice and all, but just not the right chemistry for us. We're a little... "rough around the edges"... I suppose you could say. Not your typical suburban Christians. We're pretty screwed up if you want to know the truth. We found a church that seems to be pretty accepting of messes like us. We aren't even the most screwed up there, so we got that going for us. And my wife like's the choir. So that's cool.

So why am I blogging now after basically ditching it for so long? I guess a part of me feels like it's important. Not to the world as a whole or anything grandiose like that. I'm not that full of myself. I just want to leave a little piece of myself out there in the ether of the internet I'd probably do better to put it down on paper, but I like the ease and wider distribution possibilities of the internet. Anyways, I guess the reason I'm doing this and why it matters to me is for my kids more than anything. I can hope that someday after I'm dead and gone that these words will still be floating around in the archives of the internet. So they can look back and get a glimpse into the mind of their crazy old dad, grandfather, great ancestor, or whatever. I think it would have been really cool to have had such an opportunity. I don't know much about my ancestors, other that some of the basics of the history of the family lineage. I have never seen any writings from any of my family's past. It would have been nice to have known what they were thinking or experiencing. I'm rambling. You get the idea. I realize that they may never even look at this blog, but at least I did my part at created it. So there's a chance it may mean something to someone in the future. That's good enough for me. It makes me feel good to do it.

What else is going on? Well, work has been going as planned. I had my bumps and bruises in the beginning but it's smoothed out. If thinks continue on, I'll have my truck paid off by this time next year. I am SO looking forward to that. It would be a huge accomplishment for me. A milestone in fact. I don't remember if I blogged about it before, but the account I got hauling loads out of East Texas has been a huge blessing. I get to see mom and dad at least twice a week usually. I've seen them more in the last year that the previous 15 years before. They appreciate it and I enjoy it knowing my time with them grows shorter by the day. Such is the way of things. So I cherish every moment, as much as I can. The same account has now expanded and we've got loads our of a second facility that will hopefully push us through into a profitable year in 2019. I'm cautiously optimistic.

That's about all I feel like discussing in this post for now. I'll try to update more in the coming days. Writing feels good again. I'll need to catch you up on the goings on with the kids and such. It's been a battle of it's own. That's okay though. It's part of being a parent. It's tough sometimes, but also rewarding. I love them deeply. They bring much more joy than pain into my life.

Love and peace to all who stumble into these ramblings of mine.

Donald Trump Protests

Some of the people protesting are nothing but rabble-rousers. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some Muslims want to do harm to our nation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the BLM movement are actually racists themselves and want to stir racial tensions. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the MOGAI people do not just want equality, but submission by all who do not share the same orientation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some immigrants came here in defiance of our laws and only seek to exploit our nation's riches and generosity. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the women in the feminist movement also do not want equality, but dominance and segregation from men. I am not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message.

To all of you who are legitimately afraid of what may happen now that Donald Trump has been elected, I have a message. I'm speaking directly to you. I'm speaking to the Muslim woman who is afraid to cover her head in public. I'm speaking to the young black man who has to drive a broken down car across town for a minimum wage job, struggling to better himself, who trembles in fear when a police officer pulls him over for a broken tail light. I'm speaking to the young Asian boy in a rural high school who is thinking about cutting his wrists because he gets called a fag. I'm speaking to the elderly Latino man working three jobs to send money back home to take care of his sick daughter. I'm speaking to the middle aged overweight lady who has no sense of self worth because of the men who abused her. To anyone who I haven't specifically mentioned but has the same sense of trepidation, I'm speaking to you.

I'm a white, Christian male, over 40, who voted for Trump. I'm the picture perfect demographic of what you probably are angry at right now. I'm an old white guy. (Wish I could say rich, but I'm not.) And do you know what? I'm afraid too. I'm afraid of what my vote for Trump may turn into. It may turn into regret. But do you know what it is right now? It's hope. I truly hope he makes America great again. And do you know what else? If he fails to deliver, if his policies harm us, and by us I mean ALL of us, including you, I will oppose him also. I will stand with you in protest. Why? Because I love you. You are my fellow Americans. You want what I want. You want a life where we are free to pursue our American Dream, in whatever flavor it may be served. I am with you. 

Now here comes the hard truth. The problems we have right now, aren't Donald Trump's fault. They aren't Obama's fault. They aren't George Bush's fault. They aren't the fault of any one president or administration. Look it the mirror. It's our fault. We've been duped. We've bought into a narrative fed to us via an education system and a media machine, and we've been consumed by it. 

Donald Trump isn't going to make America great again. He can't. It starts with us. We have to change. We have to change our hearts. We have to start loving each other again as Americans and we have to grasp onto what it was that made us great in the first place. Remember 9/11? Remember how we united after that? It sucks, it really sucks that we've gotten so far off track from that. But we don't have to be. We can come together again. So now we had 11/9. And for a lot of us, it was just as traumatic. But my message is to you that I love you, and I stand with you. Donald Trump is a catalyst. It can be for evil, or for good, but the choice is going to be up to each and every one of us. 

#ItStartsWithTheHeart 

I hope you will help me share this message of love and respect all through our land. Especially to your friends who are protesting. Talk to those who have an open mind and will listen. Share my message. Share this hash tag. Be the light in the darkness. We are better than this. We are smarter than this. 

Let's make this happen for the good of our nation, and the prosperity of each of us. 

I love you all, my beautiful and broken fellow Americans.

America the Divided

Forgive me for not posting in awhile. I've been a little busy. I'll post an update about personal stuff a little later but for now I want to comment on other things. Part of the reason I haven't been posting, besides just being busy, is that I get so furious with the current state of affairs in our nation. So I would like to state my feelings/opinions on some of the current issues. Agree, disagree. Upvote, downvote. Share or unfollow. I don't care. I just need to get this off my chest. Feel free to comment below.

1) I don't like Hillary Clinton. She's a crook and a liar and I don't trust her. She should be in prison. 

2) I don't like Donald Trump either. He is too unpredictable and crude. He is too easily swayed. 

3) I am supremely disappointed that this is the best we could come up with. Our voters are ignorant. 

4) Bernie Sanders and/or Gary Johnson would not have been any better options. They are both kooky.

5) Yes, All Lives Matter. 

6) Yes, some Black Lives Matter people are pieces of garbage. 

7) Yes, some Black Lives Matter people have a legitimate complaint. Sometimes white people have made them feel less important or inferior. Some white people (KKK, neo-Nazis) are racist. 

8) Some black people can be racist also. (Black Panthers)

9) Despite the media hype and the propaganda from our (black) President, this is largely exaggerated and not a systematic problem.

10) Listening to the media and propaganda is making this become a problem (again) and I am concerned about our nation's future. 

11) I respect the police and can't imagine what they must be feeling right now. 

12) I respect our military. 

13) I have a deep distrust of our government and a seething hatred for D.C. politics/bureaucracy. 

14) I'm not an anarchist/extremist and I realize that a civilized society needs governance. 

15) I believe people should have the right to refuse to make a cake for a gay person if it conflicts with their religion and they own the business that makes said cakes. 

16) I think gays should have the right to get married if they want. Is it a free country or not? 

17) I think a person who works in a public office has the right to refuse to issue a marriage license to a gay person if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. 

18) I think the same office should still issue the marriage license albeit by another staff member. 

19) I don't think the person who refused should lose their job. 

20) I think there should be some supervisory discussions about how to handle this issue without a media circus. It's not that difficult. I can think of dozens of ways to handle this and I am certain most rational people could have done the same. 

21) Mainstream media is not about telling the truth and is about dividing us. That's the only reason this got so much attention. 

22) We need to stop falling for it. We are better than this. 

23) The bathroom law story is proof of media distortion. Do your homework. We were lied to. 

24) I believe that most people know what bathroom they should use and even if they are transitioning genders, they know. 

25) I think this debacle is more about the federal government seizing control over the states than it is about the rights of transgender. They were pawns in this mess, and have been used. 

26) Now that the hole has been dug, the only solution is going to be a third bathroom for transgender.

27) Even this would not make everyone happen. 

28) Sensible solutions won't happen and laws will be passed that will create more division and chaos. 

29) Federalism would squash these types of issues entirely but most people have no idea what that is. 

30) Our education system is failing us and we are becoming dumber as a nation.

31) This is either on purpose or coincidental depending on what conspiracy theory you believe. 

32) Regardless, we are able to change course and we don't have to fall into this pit. It's our choice.

33) I support your right to trash talk my country and not stand during the national anthem.

34) I'm going to call you a piece of shit and refuse to support you in every way I possibly can. 

35) Both are examples of freedom. 

36) I believe that people have done terrible things in the name of religion.

37) I believe that people have done some incredibly kind things in the name of religion.

38) I don't believe all Muslims are terrorists. 

39) I believe (most) terrorists are Muslim. 

40) I don't think it's unreasonable to halt immigration until a better vetting process is established.

41) Despite propaganda, this isn't "anti-American" and in fact has historical precedent. 

42) I don't believe there is a job in existence that an American "won't do." 

43) We don't need immigration anyway, unless we need to fill jobs. Skilled workers. Doctors. Scientists. Engineers. Teachers. Etc. Immigration is supposed to enrich our culture, not import one. 

44) There's a job shortage. We have an immigrant surplus. Time to shut off the supply. 

45) Nothing about this position is racist or unkind. It's pro-American. 

46) I care about my fellow citizens first and foremost. If you don't love America, then leave. At the very least shut up and enjoy the bounty of tremendous opportunity you have here and be respectful of the rest of us that love our country.

47) It's insanity to bring in massive numbers of refugees from countries where terrorists have embedded themselves and declared they will exploit this process.

48) I believe we can still provide humanitarian support to the refugees, albeit in their own countries by creating "safe zones" protected by our military forces along with coalition support. 

49) If you are in college and think you need a "safe zone" because your feelings are hurt or you are "triggered" by something someone said, you should be sent to Syria for a few days to see what the need for a safe place really looks like. For crying out loud, grow a set.

50) I support the second amendment. Yes, I am angry at the senseless shootings. Know how to stop them? Arm yourselves. The bad guys are always going to get guns. Learn to shoot back. Gun free zones don't work. Police can't be everywhere. To the kids at UT protesting campus carry with sex toys, which would you rather have if a shooter came to your classroom? A dildo or a handgun? 

God help us. 

Ring Around the Rosie

*breath in*

It's good to pause sometimes. How often do we lose ourselves in the daily routine? I know I've lost at least 15 years to it. Time. It's all we have. Evaluate every second. What you DO is what matters. Not what you HAVE. It's taken me a while to learn that. It's terribly true though. As for all rest of the chaos in the world? Yes, we have race issues again. Yes we have religious wars. Yes we have genocides. Yes we have economic problems. Yes we have every despicable moral issue under the sun.

Does this change anything? Do what YOU can do. Forget the rest of the world. It's out of your control; beyond your scope of influence. That pretty much sums up the political scene these days.

As for the personal world:

1) Trying and succeeding in starting my own business.
2) Becoming a better version of me.
3) Remain humble. I almost lost someone very dear to me. I'd rather it have been me.

Life is precious.

Those are my goals/current life statements.

<3 you all.

Thoughts in Space.

Thoughts. That's the golden nugget. You know? The thing that's like "My Precious." That thing you hold on to. I mean, people can dig into every part of your life nowadays. The internet means no more privacy. Just accept it. You will stand before God... but I digress. The point is, that thoughts cannot be contained. You can't stop Human Thought. That's the one thing. They can definitely silence you. That's a given. Yet they can never really get inside your head. That's what makes true friendship something special. It's when you know someone is in your head with you, in that space. You're not alone. That's the revolution. That's the "anonymous" spirit that's out there. You can argue it's means and methods, but you have to understand it's goal and ambitions. Same can be true for every sect or belief system. You'll know if it's good or bad by it's fruit. They say not to choose sides in this world today, but really there's only one or the other. I choose life. Freedom. Even if by death. Why was Robin Williams death so significant? Was it because we couldn't believe he was dead at such a young age? Uh. No. Hell no. Robin Williams was a Hollywood wackadoo party guy. He was hilarious. He made jokes that hit at the heart of every aspect of that era's pop culture. He was a comic genius. He also partied a lot. He did a lot of drugs. We always kind of were surprised to see he was doing so well in spite of it all. He was famous.It was the fact that he took his own life. Joan Rivers just died. I am hardly as struck. It's that Robin Williams was supposed to be one of the people that had it all together, but he didn't He fell apart in the golden years, when it should have been about legacy. Same can be said for a lot of the Hollywood crowd. So all that fame? What's it worth? Absolutely nothing besides what the crowd remembers of it. Whitney Houston? Crack whore. Do they remember her music? Some do. Will "THEY" remember it forever? Nope. It'll be forgotten completely. They'll just remember she died as a druggie. Eventually even Kurt will suffer the same. It doesn't matter, what matters to me is the "time" of my life that it was. The friends I made. The lives I touched.

I love you all.

Devon, happy birthday Son. I love you. I miss you.

Jim, bro. So glad we ran into each other again. Much love, may this banter never end.

Patriots and Tyrants

"What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Though I rarely comment at length on politics on this blog, I feel today, I must. I have as of this moment lost all hope in our current government of restoring the republic as established by our founders, and cemented in our constitution. For a brief moment I had faith that the few remaining patriots in our congress would manage to hold the line and refute the tyrannical leadership that has passed this act known as "Obamacare" by defunding it. Sadly, they were outnumbered and our leadership has relinquished what little grip of control it had protecting American freedoms.

It is a miserable state that we the people have allowed ourselves to drift into. We are completely ignorant of our own political system and our rights. The majority do not understand that we have witnessed a coup. We have a president who swore an oath to uphold the constitution, but who has through executive fiat, stolen the purse of the entire wealth of America.

Those that have supported this movement are traitors and have acted against the good, if not direct will, of the American people. If you do not understand how this was an act of treason, then you are part of the problem. Educate yourselves. Know this, war is coming. We who are aware of what has transpired will not sit idle as we watch the future of our children erode into poverty, if not slavery. We have been oppressed long enough. We have been taxed and regulated to the point of choking out the very lifeblood which funds the government's exorbitant and wasteful spending. Now they are demanding we purchase "healthcare" through law. This is unconstitutional and unconscionable. The government has no right to demand I purchase ANY product, let alone something as important as healthcare. We have over the last few weeks, watched the police state at work abusing our veterans and war heroes. Normal everyday hardworking people were harassed and coerced out of their homes, business, and public recreational areas. This will not stand!

We are Americans. We will live as free men, or die fighting against this tyranny.

Who stands with me? If I must be a martyr, then so be it. If I can raise an army, then I will.

The legacy I leave for my children will not be one of cowardice.

Give me liberty, or give me death!

Sequestration

Here we are wrapping up the second month of the year. What a wild ride of insanity it has been! Politically we have gone off the deep end. Most Americans are so ignorant of their rights, they are  completely blind to how badly the  current government is stripping them away. Morally we have seen a former military service member and former police officer with an impeccable record suddenly go on what has been the most memorable shooting rampage of recent history. (Details of which remain murky at best. There are stories of the police opening fire on  civilians and implications that his rampage was due to the LAPD purposely destroying his record because he reported a superior for excessive force.)  We have seen a crazy man hold an autistic child hostage until he was finally killed by the police. North Korea tested another nuclear bomb. This time Iran was there. The world is watching and does nothing. Israel, prophetically, stands alone. In the midst of all this chaos, my wife and I are having another child. He will be born this summer. His name will be Jesse David Meineke. He will be a man of God. Call me crazy, but God told me this would be so. Godspeed little man. Godspeed.

American Media

A lot of discussion has gone on lately about the recent presidential election and how the decision of the American people to reelect Obama was impacted by the media. I found this old interview with Paul McCartney and thought it to be extremely relevant. Sir Paul does a very good job of pointing out who is responsible for what is reported. Listen to the interview.

We need to hold our media accountable for what they report, and how it is reported.

Election 2012

Barack Obama has been reelected as the president of the United States of America. This entire election cycle has been extremely nasty and divisive. I truly hope Americans will pull together and that our country will turn course and become the beacon to the world that it once was. I am not overly optimistic about it.

Hollywood and Politics

Today is election day in what is quite probably one of the most important elections in our nation's history. If that is an exaggeration, at the very least one must concede that it is pivotal. This election will be a course changer. It is the equivalent of a wind change to the ancient sea faring captain of old. Even if one does not like the direction the wind is blowing, it is an immutable force that must now be adapted to and is inevitably going to require work to steer the ship differently. Such is the scenario of this election. To put it mildly, it is important to the American people,  red and blue alike.

In light of the weight of this election, there is a phenomenon that happened in 2008 and is trying it's best to spill over into this year's cycle as well. That thing is the input and fanfare of Hollywood. Never have we seen such a tremendous outpouring of support for a single candidate from the entertainment industry as we did for Barack Obama in the last election. Every effort has been made to recreate the same level of enthusiasm this year. Seemingly it has not been so profound. You may even say it has sputtered out. Yes, the same crowd of entertainers has gathered this year, albeit to a much diminished audience.

I would like to send a message to Hollywood that may explain why this has dwindled this year. We don't care what you think. You are ENTERTAINERS. You amuse us. We don't give 2 red cents what you think politically. I don't care if you love Obama or Romney. You get your vote and I get mine. You may bathe in champagne and money, but guess what? In that voting booth, your opinion is no better than mine. We're all Americans. We all get to vote. Rich, poor, black, white, whatever. It's our right. You can't change that.

In 2008, people rallied around Obama, not Hollywood. Get over yourselves. It remains to be seen if we will send Barack back to the white house, or if we'll elect a new president. Regardless, we didn't vote because of you. Now go back to making some decent movies, and releasing some good music for us to listen to. Stick to the script, and shut up. Politics are for politicians, silly rabbit.

Now a word from The Presidents:

Well Said, Little Girl - Bronco Bamma

This is hilarious, and so perfect of a snapshot of our current environment here in the good old U.S. of A.