Monday, August 29, 2016

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. 




Sunday, November 22, 2015

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.




Friday, May 29, 2015

Laid. Off.

Laid. Off. Such funny words. Fucked off. Just call it that. Same thing. Question is, now what?

Well. We'll see. Promises made. Can promises be kept? Time will tell. And the bell tolls.

I like music. Have you heard?

Bye Felicia!


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Sometimes it's not so easy...

Family. I know some people have really messed up families. A lot of people do. They never get to know what it is to have a strong family. For those people, my heart aches. That is a great sadness, and a reflection of how broken our world really is. For others, it is better. I don't want to paint a picture that there's some sort of utopian ideal family image that we should all strive for. No. Far from it. Even the best and strongest of us have to struggle and fight for every breath. Life is hard. It's just that when families work like they are supposed to, even if for a brief minute, they are beautiful. For that, I am grateful for my family working like it should, in the moments I need it most. I just experienced one of those moments. On the surface it seemed like I was the one doing the counselling. To an extent, I suppose I was. Really though, upon reflection, I think I just did myself a lot of good. I had a family member that was struggling with some real issues about what it is to be married. A father. A husband. Sometimes, it's not so easy. There are times you say things you don't mean. Sometimes you say things that are really hard to take back. But the truth is, you can. Apologize. Love the other person. Move on. Remember why you got together in the first place. Will it matter in 20 years? No? Then it doesn't matter now. Will it matter in 20 years? Yes? Then find a way to work through it. If YOU are the one saying "no" then ask yourself why. Is "no" the safe answer? The wise answer? If not, then get out of the way. Are you saying "yes" and your spouse saying "no" to whatever the issue is? Apply the same rule. Is your answer the safe answer? The wise answer? Does it serve you both or just your selfish wants or ambitions? These are hard questions. I'm grateful that I have a family & friends to help me work through things when I need help. I'm glad to be there when I can help someone else. So the point of this all? I realized that being married is a lot of work. It is a commitment. Being a father is also hard. It means giving up a lot of things. I poured gasoline on my dreams and threw a match on them long ago. Sometimes in the valleys of life, when things are hard to deal with, I think I made the wrong decision. I wonder what it would have been like to have chased my dreams and left my (now) wife behind. Then I realize that even if I had all of the wealth and the toys that I could ever want, it would be completely pointless and unsatisfying. I'm so much more happy having a wife that loves me and is there to weather the real storms with me. Sure, we fight. Everyone does. The thing is that at the end of the day, those fights make us better as a couple. Never are either of us 100% right or wrong. It's always a gray area, and working through those gray areas is what makes us grow. It makes us better as individuals. In the end, it makes us a stronger couple. It's just not always easy. I don't think it was supposed to be. Nothing worth fighting for ever is. 

That's why it's called a fight...




Saturday, September 6, 2014

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.