Firearms Friday: Another Mass Murder!

Once again, the headline told of another mass shooting this time in Oklahoma. Based on the initial reports there were four dead and thirty wounded. However, the president as well as the usual roster of politicians and activists remained silent. And the reason for this was quite simple… it wasn’t a shooting. Ah, media bias at its finest. What actually happened was reported by CNN:

A woman suspected of drunken driving crashed a car into a crowd of spectators at Oklahoma State University's homecoming parade, killing four people -- including a 2-year-old -- authorities in Stillwater said Saturday.

Three adults were pronounced dead at the scene, while the fourth victim, the young boy, died from his injuries at OU Medical Center Children's Hospital, according to a Stillwater police statement. 

Spokesman Capt. Kyle Gibbs said Saturday night that 44 people had been injured, an uptick from previous reports.

Still no words have been spoken about the dangers of cars, the inanimate object this woman used to carry out the mass slaughter of innocent people. That’s right, liberals drive cars. They don’t fear these potential weapons so there is no uproar to be found despite the loss of innocent lives. What happened to the “if we can just save on life” line of thinking?

If the woman had used a firearm the reaction would have been much different although the headline would have been the same. If the vehicle in question was a police cruiser the story would have been different. Those details would have provided a means for the left to vilify something and someone else beside the criminal whether it be firearms, gun owners, or law enforcement. But it was a drunk woman driving Hyundai and no one is calling for prohibition or the banning of cars.

And here lies the crux of our problem and why the ills of society are getting worse and not better. The individual is the one at fault… evil lies in black hearts not in inanimate objects and groups of people cannot be blamed for the evil actions carried out by that individual. When we finally come to accept this, to make people responsible for their own actions, then we will make progress and see fewer reports of such heinous acts.

Personal responsibility is too often associated with dirt words. We have to be self-sufficient and be held accountable, as individuals, for what we do in life. We can’t rely on the support of others, especially the federal government, and we can’t keep feeding the viral sense of entitlement to our children. We need to return to a mentality of self-reliance, self-support, and self-defense. This is the kind of “me” generation that I can stand behind!

WHO: Everything Will Kill You!

Yes, this is a real billboard outside of Las Vegas. 

Every couple of years, some university, health organization, lobbying group, or research body releases results stating that something causes cancer. Sometimes those finding are reversed or amended but lately the list seems to just keep getting longer and longer. Today, there were a number of things added to that ‘confirmed’ cancer list when the United Nations World Health Organization released their findings which stated that processed meats cause cancer. The Associated Press summed up the announcement pretty succinctly by stating the following:

The World Health Organization threw its global weight behind years of experts' warnings and declared Monday that processed meats raise the risk of colon and stomach cancer and that red meat is probably harmful, too.

Meat producers are angry, vegetarians are feeling vindicated, and cancer experts are welcoming the most comprehensive pronouncement yet on the relation between our modern meat-eating lifestyles and cancer.

The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, analyzed decades of research and for the first time put processed meats in the same danger category as smoking or asbestos. That doesn't mean salami is as bad as cigarettes, only that there's a confirmed link to cancer. And even then, the risk is small.

Of course, as I originally stated, these are only the most recent additions to a long list of things found in everyday life that will give you cancer. While many of the obvious chemicals and addictive habits are listed, there are also items that we encounter every day that would have a hypochondriac hyperventilating each morning when they open their eyes. Basically, if you are a smoker who eats red meat and works in the automotive, construction, wood working, or tanning industry (or does any of those as a hobby) you should be dead in about 48 hours. Heck, pretty soon they will probably find that laying down while sleeping causes cancer.

And things are only going to get worse as was reported today by Bloomberg Business:

Next year the WHO is likely to make headlines again. In addition to evaluating several industrial chemicals, it is revisiting two beverages that, like meat, are dietary staples for millions: Hot mate, a traditional caffeinated drink popular in Latin America, and—brace yourself—coffee.

So, how can we sum up these findings? What would give a full picture of the hazards found in modern day life? I think it is best put by saying that living will kill you. Sure, you can avoid all the things that the WHO lists and that doctors try to steer you away from but if you do that what kind of life are you going to live. We can’t avoid everything that the “experts” say will cause cancer, the only thing we can do is live. Does that mean that everyone should run out the door and light up? Heck no. But we can’t be afraid to live life and not worry about all the dangers that are, literally, floating around us.

Leave it to the UN to try and shift our focus away from the real world and the things that are truly important to living a full and meaningful life. Our focus should be avoiding the drunk driver heading straight at us rather than on the person driving next to us smoking a cigarette. There are other things in this world that require our attention, our focus, and our energy. This applies to both the dangers and the beauty that surrounds us. The one inevitability in life is death so enjoy the time that you have and live!

Looking Back On Back To The Future Day

It seems as though it is a requirement that all bloggers write a post on this subject so here is my attempt…

Yesterday was kind of odd for many of us that grew up in the 1980’s. I remember that there were a few movies when I was younger that I would watch over and over again. Three of those movies were the Back to the Future trilogy. These movies are not just representative of my movie watching habits from my youth but also many others including my wife. It is actually something that we have in common from when we were growing up.

While I was always partial to the third installment I was also intrigued even at a young age by the second movie which showed a prophetic glimpse into what at the time was the future. Well, yesterday the “future” became the present and while there are many things that are still far beyond the realm of everyday reality there are some interesting things that were actually pretty accurate. The movie and our current reality both demonstrate a number of commonalities which include a black man in a position of political power, instant news, drones, google glass, flat screen televisions, silent cars, voice activated lights, fingerprint identification and security, a baseball team in Miami, and a Cubs team that isn’t dwelling at the bottom of the standings. Oddly enough, the first version of reality also showed Michael J. Fox having issues with his hand which is a strange coincidence.

Of course there are also things that have yet to come to fruition such as the National Weather Service, hover boards, flying cars, rehydrating dinner, and a few other things that were seen as fictional conveniences. However, there have also been some things that have been developed since the time that the movie was made that far exceeded any predictions that could have been made such as digital music, smart phones, and, most importantly, the internet (although these things could be seen as having been implied by the immediate availability of news, payments made via card swipe at home, and officers immediately checking identification through a handheld device.

What might be the most important aspect to all of the movies is the simple fact that the human dynamic remains the same regardless of the year and what technology (or lack thereof) exists. There are always pleasant and not so pleasant people, the strong and the weak, the confident and the meek, the passive and the aggressive, the predator and the pray, the mental and the physical. People will remain the same contrary to the utopian and antiutopian worlds displayed in Demolition Man and Idiocracy (just to name a couple “recent” films). There will always be a Marty and a Biff no matter where or when you are. Just do us all a favor and stop asking Tom Wilson, a fellow Radnor High School Alum, about the movies.

Snow Falling Short

Um... No!

So far the season has been as mild as we could have hoped for with little snow and reasonable temperatures. There have been a few questionable days when the ice caught everyone off guard but nothing in comparison to the frozen deluges that we experienced last year. This has been the story of the season up to this point.

However, beginning late last week the story that dominated the nightly news has been that of the storm that was making its way across the country set to veer northward as if in a sudden drunken rage. We all knew that the dry time that we have been enjoying would have to come to an end at some point but it is still an unwelcome shift in the seasonal demeanor. Of course, that is a rather mild summary of the predictions that dominate the television, internet, and radio.

Just like every other instance of any significant precipitation, it is cast as though Armageddon will be bearing down on us. The stores were bombarded yesterday leaving my wife and me to change our plans and head to an alternative place to shop. Snow removal supplies were dwindling all across the region. It was the usual effect stemming from the worst case scenarios that have been promoted for days.

Because of the ominous sky and the preacher-like warnings broadcast throughout the previous evening and early morning, the roads were a little lighter than usual allowing me to make good time to the office in the morning. During the day we heard much of the same from the various media outlets with an additional suggestion to purchase supplies for the specific purpose of making life sustaining French toast. An interesting suggestion given the warnings of possible power outages.

I managed to leave the office a little earlier than usual but still later than most. We put off plans and appointments earlier in the day so I was able to get on the highway and enjoy the sparse traffic all the way home. There were a few slightly slick spots along the course of my commute and the snow picked up here and there but nothing like the blizzard conditions that were being called for.  

By the time my wife headed off to bed this evening the snow had nearly stopped with a little more than a dusting falling from the sky less intense than Ally Sheedy’s artistic flair in The Breakfast Club. As I finish this post the night is nearly clear with a forecast now predicting nothing more than cold air and a white landscape. I guess Armageddon isn’t that bad after all.

Double D’Oh!

On my way to the office on Tuesday morning the radio was full of both local and national discussions as we would see a new Governor take office in Pennsylvania around lunch time and the President was set to address the nation in his State of the Union speech in the evening. It should be no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I wasn’t looking forward to either of these speeches. Two meals ruined by the double d’oh!

The morning flew by as I as jumping from project to project trying to make sure things were lined up for what was going to be a scattered afternoon. As I walked out of my office to head to a meeting Tom Wolf (in sheep’s clothing) was being sworn in as the 47^th Governor of the Commonwealth. While his speech was innocuous there are too many questions still unanswered stemming from his previously stated views from the campaign. While by no means all encompassing, this was pointed out later in the evening by 6 ABC (a local Philadelphia news station) when they reported the following:

“Wolf outlined his goals in positive, general terms - creating good-paying jobs, equalizing educational opportunity in public schools and providing "a government that works." He did not mention a projected $2 billion-plus revenue gap for the fiscal year that starts July 1 or his proposals that include levying a new tax on the natural gas industry, overhauling the state income tax and increasing public school funding.”

Basically we are all just waiting for the state and local taxes to go up along with the federal taxes that are certain to be on the rise as well. Having a greater chunk taken out of our pay is a near certainty heading into the final two years of the Obama administration. Some will say that it will only be imposed on the top 1% but those are not the ones that are going to feel it. Trickle down taxation is something that is not discussed as much as it should be but simply put the ripple from top to bottom is certain and, in the end, we are all going to have lighter wallets.

By the way, Business Insider has a great state by state chart of how much you would have to make to be considered part of the 1%. The Atlantic has another chart that breaks it down by age. While still high compared to what many of us take home each year, it is takes far less than a million dollar annually to be considered part of the 1%. In fact, when you think about it, nearly every politician that you vote for would fall into this top echelon.

However, what really struck me about the evening speech by the President is the combative tone which he used throughout the night including the record threat to veto four separate initiatives expected to be passed by Congress. This is particularly striking when paired with his other pleas for understanding and cooperation. With an economy that is still lagging and national security in question, might we consider the fact that there are other ways to go about doing business. Of course that wouldn’t work. Instead we are going to keep paying more and more money to support failed and flawed policies because the best way to fix a problem is to throw money at it and the best way to get people to accept something is to give it to them for free (you just get taxed for shipping, handling, and processing). The state of disillusion is strong indeed!

Ferguson Fallout

Throughout the day, the media has been hinting at and downright promoting the news that a verdict would be reached as to whether or not charges will be brought up on Officer Darren Wilson. For months, riots, race baiting, and allegations have been regular occurrences since the shooting occurred in August. Every time news was leaked from Ferguson, the same cycle repeated itself: judgments, accusations, and race baiting.

While there was some speculation to the contrary, the decision not to indict was not a surprise. Given the fact that they knew what was going to happen, I give the people in charge of making that decision a lot of credit for sticking to the facts that were presented. They know that while we cannot say with 100% certainty what happened during the altercation, there is simply not enough evidence to support an indictment.

That is something that seems to be lost on those taking to the streets this evening… no one knows exactly what happened and no one has been able to come forth with evidence that would secure and indictment. Even the eye witness testimonies contradicted one another. Like many things, we were not there so we can’t say for certain what exactly happened.

However, there are more disturbing undercurrents to this whole situation. The contempt that many people feel toward law enforcement that has been on display is itself contemptible. People refuse to acknowledge the nature of the job and the risks that each officer takes on a daily basis. These men and women risk their lives putting themselves in the middle of chaos and are asked to make split second decisions in those moments. They should be praised for the work that they do not chastised for not acting fast or slow enough.

While there are undoubtedly ‘bad apples’ here and there that doesn’t mean that entire departments or law enforcement as a whole should be put on trial in the media. And, when it comes down to it, very few people are willing to put themselves in that position. These people are trained to take the best course of action to ensure public safety and to subdue or eliminate threats to that safety when necessary.

But, honestly, all these riots and protesters aren’t really looking for justice. They were searching for an excuse to violently vent their frustrations with the world. Unfortunately, Darren Wilson, law enforcement, their own community, and, as it turns out, Israel are the ones that have already been convicted of causing their lives to be less than utopian.

Waking Up To Terrorism

Don't believe everything you read!

This morning I woke up to an all too familiar stream of posts on Facebook as there were ‘news’ reports and updates from friends in Israel letting me know of the terrorist attack that had taken place while I was sleeping. Some reports were accurate while others were, at the very least, skewed. After reading through many of the comments and condolences, I finally pulled up the Reuters article which summarized the events that took place within the first sentence, “Two Palestinians armed with a meat cleaver and a gun killed four worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday before being shot dead by police, the deadliest such incident in six years in the holy city.”

Reuters reported the news while other agencies made their attempts at relaying the ‘news’ to their audiences. CNN was the first to demonstrate a lack of judgment and proper editorial oversight by including a headline that inferred that the terrorists were also victims during the attack. Later in the morning they also referred to the Orthodox synagogue where the murders took place as a mosque. I understand the rush to deliver the story but these kinds of things are not acceptable.

While over the top, one friend in Israel asked how people would have reacted had the 19 terrorists been included as killed during 9/11. Again, he took it a little too far but the message was clear. Also, I give him a lot of leeway as he was one of the first responders at the twin towers.

Of course, over in the UK, The Guardian decided to omit the mention of Palestinians altogether. They took the Reuters story and omitted all evidence of Palestinian involvement. This would be understandable if there were still some questions revolving around what had happened but events did not leave anything to interpretation. This was simply a means of not entering into the debate and placing blame on those who deserve it.

Even with all those ‘stories’ rife with inaccuracies, misleading statements, and omissions, what really bothered me once I finished reading through all of the articles was the Reuters story. In it, the publication included a quote from a statement released by President Obama in which he stated, "I strongly condemn today's terrorist attack on worshippers at a synagogue in Jerusalem, which killed four innocent people, including U.S. citizens Aryeh Kupinsky, Cary William Levine and Mosheh Twersky, and injured several more." There is nothing to disagree with here, the President said what needed to be said and condemned the actions of the terrorists.

However, when speaking to reporters, the President’s words fell far short of reason. On a day when innocent Israelis were slain in their own place of worship, their own sanctuary, the President called for “both sides to lower tensions.” Really? During a time when Israel is the victim of heinous acts of terrorism (there have been a lot recently this is just the latest), Israel is put on equal footing as the cause of these horrendous events? That is, by far, a greater insult than that which was misrepresented in the media.

It’s Freaking Snowing!

This is what we saw on the news!

When I opened the door to my office at the end of the workday there was no one to be found in the building. The bitter rain had driven everyone from the warm confines of work and the only car in the parking lot responded to my remote. It was darker than I had seen in a long time at this hour and the echo of the heavy rain nearly drown out the traffic just on the other side of the embankment.

As with all unfavorable weather conditions, the commute home was slow with the glare of headlights screaming from the wet pavement. So, like many nights, I pulled onto the highway, slowly accelerated, and waited for the blaring of brake lights to fill the horizon. As I fluttered the gas pedal, the rain began getting heavier, the mist from the trucks denser, and the pace of travel much slower.

Nearly halfway home and I was making pretty good time given the weather around me. Around this time the straight streaks of condensation that I had become accompanied to this evening began slowing their descent and hovering above the road before melting on my windshield. Not even midway through November and the frigid temperatures were already providing us with a wintry mix.

It took me a little longer to get home from that point as the roads remained cocooned with fall leaves forcing us all to slow down significantly on the back roads. Thankfully I was able to find a spot in the parking lot as another day of work was just completely on the perpetual maintenance project in which we live. With the sleet pattering all around me I was finally able to walk through the front door and spend the evening with my wife.

Not long after we finished our dinner we saw the news previews pop up on the screen showing the flurries falling across the region. That was when we noticed that things had grown silent just beyond the windows. Curious, we walked over to the door, cracked it open, and glanced at the light accumulation already coating the cars.

While not a significant weather event and nothing that would hinder our commute in the morning the fact is that we’re not even halfway through November and it is already freaking snowing! Surprised, I couldn’t help but venture out into the sloppy slush so I grabbed my hat, put on my shoes, and stuffed my mail in my pocket. Might as well enjoy the change in the weather before we get tired of it because based on the predictions that is not going to take very long.

You Don’t Know Jack… Actually, We Do!

Earlier this week I was scanning through the news seeing what kind of interesting things were going on the world when I came across an article that really got my attention. As it turns out, an amateur investigator and historian, Russell Edwards, has seemingly solved the Jack the Ripper case through the use of DNA evidence found on a shawl at the murder scene of Catherine Eddowes nearly 126 years ago. In the end, it was determined that the killer was not royalty, a surgeon, or a barber but rather a Polish immigrant who lived a mere 200 yards from one of the five (or more) crime scenes in London.

After a number of years that had led to countless dead ends, Edwards was made aware of the shawl heading to the auction block in 2007. After hearing the story of where it was found and how it had survived in such remarkable condition, the real investigative work began. As was written in The Mail on Sunday (UK):

I reasoned that it made no sense for Eddowes to have owned the expensive shawl herself; this was a woman so poor she had pawned her shoes the day before her murder. But could the Ripper have brought the shawl with him and left it as an obscure clue about when he was planning to strike next? It was just a hunch, and far from proof of anything, but it set me off on my journey.

Before buying it, I spoke to Alan McCormack, the officer in charge of the Crime Museum, also known as the Black Museum. He told me the police had always believed they knew the identity of the Ripper. Chief Inspector Donald Swanson, the officer in charge of the investigation, had named him in his notes: Aaron Kosminski, a Polish Jew who had fled to London with his family, escaping the Russian pogroms, in the early 1880s.

Kosminski has always been one of the three most credible suspects. He is often described as having been a hairdresser in Whitechapel, the occupation written on his admission papers to the workhouse in 1890. What is certain is he was seriously mentally ill, probably a paranoid schizophrenic who suffered auditory hallucinations and described as a misogynist prone to ‘self-abuse’ – a euphemism for masturbation.

McCormack said police did not have enough evidence to convict Kosminski, despite identification by a witness, but kept him under 24-hour surveillance until he was committed to mental asylums for the rest of his life. I became convinced Kosminski was our man, and I was excited at the prospect of proving it. I felt sure that modern science would be able to produce real evidence from the stains on the shawl. After a few false starts, I found a scientist I hoped could help.

However, even with the DNA now recovered, it was another monumental task to find a current member of the family who was willing to potentially admit their relation to one of the most famous and heinous murderers in history. Like many of us research every day, the genealogical research was the key to finding the results and bringing this century old case into the 21^st century. The decade long search finally came to a head as samples were recovered and compared to the prime suspect.

Kosminski was 23 when the murders took place, and living with his two brothers and a sister in Greenfield Street, just 200 yards from where the third victim, Elizabeth Stride, was killed. As a key suspect, his life story has long been known, but I also researched his family. Eventually, we tracked down a young woman whose identity I am protecting – a British descendant of Kosminski’s sister, Matilda, who would share his mitochondrial DNA. She provided me with swabs from the inside of her mouth.
 

Further on in the testing, a descendant of the victim, Karen Miller, the three times great granddaughter of Eddowes provided the DNA sample for cross reference with the blood on the shawl which had since been proven to be eastern European in origin. Needless to say, all samples recovered were a perfect match. All of the pieces have come together to paint a complete picture, confirming what the police could not prove at the time, and providing answers not just to the questions of the general public but of the families connected to those dark moments in history.  

Israel Under Fire (From More Than Rockets)

So, while under rocket attack from Hamas, Israel negotiated a cease fire. But, honestly, let’s call this what it really is… giving in to the mounting international pressure (especially from the anti-Israel UN) so that you can have a few days of silence before Hamas launches more rockets, you retaliate, and Israel is deemed the aggressor. Basically, a giant Middle Eastern circle jerk.

What happened to the hard line that Bibi seemed so proud to be walking? What happened to the putting an end to this conflict once and for all? Where did the common sense go?

Honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised. This is basically what has happened every time ever since Israeli politicians began giving up land fought for and earned by the blood of their fellow Israelis. This is a dangerous trend that seems to have no end and that, at best, Israel comes out of the conflict a little worse off in the eyes of the media and the gullible public. Of course, this brings up another interesting story that was making the media rounds today.

A former AP correspondent, Motti Friedman, published a story in Tablet magazine about the failings of the main stream media in reporting the war in Israel and reporting on Israel in general. This is a tremendous read and one that should be noted as one of the few, if not the only, honest account of the world media and their treatment of the Jewish state. Unfortunately, this kind of reporting is not new as Freidman writes:

“The lasting importance of this summer’s war, I believe, doesn’t lie in the war itself. It lies instead in the way the war has been described and responded to abroad, and the way this has laid bare the resurgence of an old, twisted pattern of thought and its migration from the margins to the mainstream of Western discourse—namely, a hostile obsession with Jews. The key to understanding this resurgence is not to be found among jihadi webmasters, basement conspiracy theorists, or radical activists. It is instead to be found first among the educated and respectable people who populate the international news industry; decent people, many of them, and some of them my former colleagues.”

While reporters face tremendous danger, death threats, and, as we have seen recently, death, there is still little criticism surrounding those who are making these threats, posing these dangers, and taking innocent lives. Not only has it prevented reporting of the facts from actually occurring, it has prevented the truth from being told on more than one occasion. This is best explained when Freidman writes:

“There has been much discussion recently of Hamas attempts to intimidate reporters. Any veteran of the press corps here knows the intimidation is real, and I saw it in action myself as an editor on the AP news desk. During the 2008-2009 Gaza fighting I personally erased a key detail—that Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians and being counted as civilians in the death toll—because of a threat to our reporter in Gaza. (The policy was then, and remains, not to inform readers that the story is censored unless the censorship is Israeli. Earlier this month, the AP’s Jerusalem news editor reported and submitted a story on Hamas intimidation; the story was shunted into deep freeze by his superiors and has not been published.)”

This is particularly startling when taken into account the means by which Hamas is reported. Actually, it’s more about how much is not written and how focused the media wolves are on every aspect of Israeli politics, culture, etc. It is not about wanting to better understand, it is all about finding the minute failings (this is a term applied by the outsider) in individuals and groups and applying them to Israel as a whole. This is not reporting, this is find a way to paint a picture, frame a story, box a topic that fits the views of the reporter and the media outlet. As Freidman explains:

“Israeli actions are analyzed and criticized, and every flaw in Israeli society is aggressively reported. In one seven-week period, from Nov. 8 to Dec. 16, 2011, I decided to count the stories coming out of our bureau on the various moral failings of Israeli society—proposed legislation meant to suppress the media, the rising influence of Orthodox Jews, unauthorized settlement outposts, gender segregation, and so forth. I counted 27 separate articles, an average of a story every two days. In a very conservative estimate, this seven-week tally was higher than the total number of significantly critical stories about Palestinian government and society, including the totalitarian Islamists of Hamas, that our bureau had published in the preceding three years.”

For those of us who have been paying attention to the media, listening to what is actually being said, and talking to those living in Israel we have been aware of this massacre of the truth perpetuated by the media. I am grateful for the honesty that has been so succinctly reported in this piece and I hold out hope that, one day, actual reporting will return to the Middle East and Israel in particular. Maybe we can have a few honest voices on the ground when this current ceasefire is shattered by the sound of rocket fire.

Someone Needs A Time Out!

In the midst of the Ebola news that was swirling around last week and dominating all the nightly news programs there were countless statements made, ‘experts’ interviewed, and reports made of possible cases. There was also a variety of social media posts both attempting to find any possible, badly timed, humor and also the never fail conspiracies.

It should come as no surprise that one of the most controversial pieces that has been circulating throughout the main stream media comes from, no surprise, Ann Coulter. While I do give her credit for unflinchingly sharing her opinion with the world it really isn’t helping anyone and it is probably doing more harm than good… especially for my party. Frankly, this woman needs to come to terms with the fact that she is the flashpoint for anti-conservatism amongst the liberal media and learn how to shut the heck up.

Contrary to the earlier paragraphs in Coulter’s article, I don’t believe in criticizing those who are using their talents to help people throughout the world. Those people are dedicating their lives to better the world and that is an admirable calling and they should be respected for that. To attempt to lay waste to their life’s work is indeed in poor taste and it makes one wonder, what has Ann Coulter done to better this world? I would argue that she has done nothing but prance like a peacock in the field trying to call attention to herself while providing the Democratic Party with all the ammunition they need to misguide the public. In Fact, she may be the Ebola of the Republican Party.

However, just like the study of such horrendous outbreaks there is always something fascinating that can be found in the chaos. While poorly phrased, there were a few lines that did stand out to me as having some semblance of sanity: “America is the most consequential nation on Earth, and in desperate need of God at the moment. If America falls, it will be a thousand years of darkness for the entire planet. / Not only that, but it's our country. Your country is like your family. We're supposed to take care of our own first.”

While grandiose in language, the underlying idea behind those words make tremendous sense. While world causes need our attention, we can’t lose sight of what is happening here at home and the problems that permeate society. Both may be equally important but if the choice has to be made dedicate your life to making your home just a little better, improve your community in some small way, make the effort to help your neighbor. Set the example at home first. If we work on solving the problems around us now we will be able to better serve each other and the world in the future.

Measured Communication

Most work days I am on the phone, writing emails, and scanning the recent trade and general news sources constantly from the time I arrive to the time I depart the office. Occasionally, I will switch things up and work on something different but that seems to be a rare occurrence recently. However, there are moments when I am able to take a break, relax, and just have a casual moment.

In fact, those times just before a phone interview or when I am reaching out to a reporter/editor that I know particularly well are some of the best times of the day for me because we are able to talk, see how things are going, and today talk about any plans that they might have for the weekend. It is a glimpse into life rather than a constant focus on work. Heck, I am downright pleasant during those brief interludes.

Of course, there are certain days, like earlier this week, when I have to just keep to the business at hand. Not because of the long list of things to do that is hanging over my head, although that does have an impact, it is simply because there are certain days when I am not in a good mood. I might even be downright pissed on some days. Those days, while sometimes difficult, I have to work to remain positive. Obviously something had previously gone awry but I can’t let that come across to those with which I am corresponding.

The other part of those task oriented days and communications is the fact that I takes a considerable amount of effort to remain even keeled. Those are the days when I find myself exhausted when I shut down the computer and struggling to get just about anything done at night when I get home. It’s a simply fact that being negative and/or angry just takes too much effort. I know some people that are always negative regardless of the situation and I honestly don't know how they get out of bed every day.

While I am certain that weeks like this one will come and go and there will be times when my stress levels will gain force me to that angry and loud place, they are just moments in life and none of those inconveniences will last forever. After all, things could always be worse (the leak could have been above or bed) and there are much better things to focus our energy on and be positive about (our little, probably will become a big and hairy, baby). So I may have a few bad days here and there and different stresses may pop up now and again, I really can’t complain about much (but you have to give me some leeway on that).

Throwing Around The F Word!

There is a certain four letter word that keeps getting thrown around and few people are taking note of the vulgarity that is behind its usage. To be completely honest, I use that word on a daily basis and while it has never caused any problems I am always cognizant of the company around me because there are certain people that will throw a tantrum when those four letters fly from my mouth. Ironically, those same people use the term, most of them more frequently than I do, but I guess it is all about perception.

The word ‘fact’ frequently makes me cringe upon it initially reaching my ears. All too often the usage doesn’t fit the definition or is stretched so thin that the meaning becomes frayed and almost unintelligible. Opinion is being crammed into the public perception of the word and the culprits of this bastardization are all around us. The most glaring misuse of the word stems from the processes that are employed to tailor statistics to fit the needs of a group, political party, or publication.

Recently, CNN conducted a poll asking the following question: “Does the United States need stricter gun control laws?” At first glance this seems to be a valid survey question to be asking the American people. After all, it would provide insight into the breakdown in the US population of those who support the second amendment and those choose not to honor the constitution (you know me, I had to phrase it that way). However, the question is not being asked of the US population. The poll can only be found on the CNN International site. No mention is made on the US edition. Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself:

• CNN: International Edition (scroll down to the bottom right of the webpage).
• CNN: US Edition (that’s right, nowhere to be found).

Seems like it would be more appropriate to have those in the United States casting their votes rather than those in other parts of the world weighing in on our rights. While most things I really don’t mind if the entire world voices their yes or no opinion but the poll itself is exclusionary in where they have decided to post it. This is particularly problematic when you consider the fact that the ‘results’ are not going to be used internationally, they are to be leveraged domestically for the purpose of promoting a certain point of view which I clearly do not share.

Of course, this may be a moot point as the poll I currently in my favor even with the “news” agency not counting all the votes. So, and I am speaking to everyone, stop throwing around the F word when most of the things reported as such need at least two words to describe them. And, in this instance, focus on the real threat and make fists, knives, and hammers illegal (or at least make people pass a background check before using them). After all, if it’s good enough for the UK its good enough for us. Right?

I Think I Agreed With Obama And I Feel Sick!

Yes, I said it. I agree with the President. It occurred a month ago and it felt a little odd, like I was getting sick or passing a stone. I wasn’t sure at the time what to make of the feeling but then I realized that the nauseated feeling churning in the pot of my stomach was caused by me agreeing with one simple statement uttered by Obama at the national prayer breakfast in Washington, DC. During that event he uttered the words "around the world, freedom of religion is under threat."

Obviously, I wasn’t motivated at the time to blog about this strange feeling but certain actions by the Department of Justice have motivated me to finally sit down and write about this one moment when the hell was buried by a blizzard. Actually, it was something I read this week, a local news story that has gone international that served as the catalyst for this post. As was reported at United Press International (UPI), the DOJ is doing wonders for the public school budget in Philadelphia:

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court alleging that the School District of Philadelphia’s grooming policy is discriminatory.

The federal lawsuit claims that the policy discriminates against employees who don’t trim their beards because of religious reasons. District rules currently prevent school police and security officers from having beards that are more than a quarter of an inch long.

According to the suit, school police officer Siddiq Abu-Bakr’s Islamic faith requires him to allow his beard to grow. He had allowed his beard to grow uncut for 27 years while working for the district before being informed that he had to trim it via a written reprimand. Abu-Bakr was told continuing to violate the policy would result in “further disciplinary action.”

Abu-Bakr filed a religious discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the matter was referred to the DOJ.

“No employee should be forced to violate his religious beliefs in order to earn a living,” Spencer Lewis Jr., the director of the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office, said in a statement. “Modifying a dress or grooming code is a reasonable accommodation that enables employees to keep working without posing an undue hardship on the employer.”

While the beard policy is a bit questionable (remember this does apply to religious Jews and Muslims alike) should it really be part of the DOJ’s purview to sue the Philadelphia public schools. Seems more like a waste of time and money, tax payer money. But, in light of my recent revelation, I am moved to support this fight for religious freedom and the expression thereof. While we may not understand many religions it doesn’t mean we should limit them, right? It is a right protected by the first amendment and we know that, as someone who taught constitutional law, the President would do anything to fight for the rights affirmed in the constitution.

Certainly, the DOJ will continue to fight for the religious freedom that we all enjoy and have the full support of this current administration. They would never force someone to do something against their religious beliefs. They would fight for us to make sure those rights are not infringed.

Wait, what’s that? What did you just scream at the screen? Hobby what?  

Oh, that’s right. The DOJ, with the full support of this administration, selectively fights for the religious freedom of the people. Those they don’t agree with they tend to get very angry and judgmental and fight to quash there overly conservative, outdated ideals because if it is not something they believe then it can’t be true and must be suppressed. If that weren’t bad enough, throw in Obamacare and we really have a constitutional CF on our hands. As Ed Whelan write in The National Review:

The pertinent legal question under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Free Exercise Clause is whether the massive fines that an employer faces for providing an employee health plan that does not comply with the HHS mandate substantially burden the employer’s exercise of religion. As Hobby Lobby spells out (pp. 34-44 of its brief), the answer to that question is clearly “yes” under the Court’s precedents. Indeed, “‘a fine imposed for adherence to religious beliefs is as direct and obvious a burden as one could imagine.” (Brief at 36-37.)… But a victory for Hobby Lobby will not change the fact that the decision whether or not to use embryo-killing drugs or devices will remain entirely with the employees. What it will mean is that employers will not be dragooned to be complicit in conduct that violates their religious consciences.  

Oh, wait, that’s right, Obama doesn’t really care about our rights or the constitution. I am starting to feel much better now. It might have just been gas but I think the origination of the stench was from an external source. All it took was a reminder of how much the President enjoys lying to us all, liberal and conservative alike, as a means to further his own agenda. This is the reason why he picks and choses which amendments to support and which ones he tries to rip from the parchment. And the ones he does ‘support’ only apply to those with whom he agrees.

This is, at the very least, a disturbing stance which has been adopted by both the President and the Department of Justice. We must be vocal in our opposition to such hypocrisy and pay particularly close attention to those who promote ‘ideals’ that are supported by selective adherence to the Constitution! That is our responsibility to ourselves and to our country.

Unreasonable Expectations and Entitlement

Some of the news that I have heard on the radio on my way to and from work the past couple of weeks has really made me wonder about the mentality of the general population. Some of the many cases that are flowing into the legal system are downright appalling. The sad thing is that much of these insane stories aren’t even a few exceptions to the rule. But I won’t go any further without at least sharing some of the information on each story so let’s start with a lawsuit that has captured a worldwide audience. Here is the BBC News account of a New Jersey teenager suing her parents and, thankfully, losing:

IN ASSOCIATION

A teenager in the US who is suing her parents for cash after leaving home has lost the first round of her legal case.

Rachel Canning, 18, has demanded $650 (£390) in weekly child support from her parents at a court in New York.

The cheerleader also wanted her private school tuition fees, a college fund and her lawyers' fees paid.

Her parents said their daughter voluntarily left home because she did not like their house rules.

Retired police chief Sean Canning and his wife, Elizabeth, said they had asked their daughter to be respectful at home, keep curfews, help with chores and end her relationship with her boyfriend.

At a family court hearing in New York on Tuesday, Miss Canning, from New Jersey, was told her parents would not have to pay child support or her legal costs.

Judge Peter Bogaard warned that her suit could lead to a "slippery slope", asking: "Are we going to open the gates for 12-year-olds to sue for an Xbox? For 13-year-olds to sue for an iPhone?"

The next case is actually one that I don’t really have a problem with but the case speaks more of a problem in our internet based society. Trolling has become a serious issue with little repercussions during many cases. All you have to do is scroll down through the comments on most news stories and you will see a wide variety of comments from all different angles.

While I have no issue with someone having an opinion that they can back up, I do take issue with people that post anonymous comments with the simple purpose of attacking someone else. The question is whether the charges will stand, no matter how distasteful the comments and objectives of the poster really are. One such situation recently came to light on Philly.com which could prove to be an interesting case to follow over the next few months.

A warning to people who post comments online: Anonymous is not forever.

A Philadelphia judge has ordered the owners of Philly.com - who also own The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News - to disclose the identity of a person who posted a comment online.

The ruling came in a defamation suit filed by John J. Dougherty, the powerful head of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

In October 2012, Dougherty sued over a comment posted two months earlier on a Daily News blog that described a public feud involving Dougherty. The comment identified Dougherty by his well-known nickname, "Johnny Doc," and called him "the pedophile."

Dougherty sued the anonymous poster, and his lawyers subpoenaed Philadelphia Media Network, Philly.com's parent company, to supply the person's identity.

Mark Block, a spokesman for Interstate General Media, corporate parent of PMN, referred all questions to Eli Segal, an attorney for the company.

Segal said that after receiving the subpoena, the company contacted the anonymous poster to make sure he or she got notice of the lawsuit and hired a lawyer. He said lawyers for Dougherty and the person who posted the comment presented their arguments to Common Pleas Court Judge Jacqueline F. Allen.

On Feb. 26, Allen ordered the news company to disclose the poster's identity, along with any comments he or she posted from Aug. 10, 2012, through this January.

And finally, the true WTF legal case of the past week that I will list in this post is a case out of Denver, Colorado. This is a case where the only explanation for the audacity of the lawsuit is the fact that marijuana is now legal because you have to be higher than a hippie on the International Space Station. The only other explanation is that the lawyer has a huge set but that can easily be ruled out by the fact that he is able to walk. The inevitable lawsuit is by a man who was saved from certain death during a flood back in September who is suing his rescuers.

This is a complete load of crap and is definitely in the running for WTF of the week. Without further delay, I leave you with this report from the Denver Post about the greed, self-centeredness, and entitlement that exists in the populous…

A Broomfield man who was rescued from his submerged car during the September floods has filed papers indicating he might sue his rescuers and first responders.

Roy Ortiz was rescued by North Metro Fire Rescue District and others who responded to the scene after his car was washed off the road on Sept. 12. He says crews took too long to respond to the accident after he became trapped in his upside-down car near the intersection of U.S. 287 and Dillon Road in Lafayette.

He also claims the road should have been closed, thus the accident that left him trapped in the submerged car would never have happened.

No lawsuit has yet been filed, but Ortiz's lawyer, Aurora attorney Ed Ferszt, has filed a legal document that is a typical precursor to filing a lawsuit against a government agency.

All of these things have to change but, unfortunately, this is not the worst problem that we face in the legal system. But that is another post for another day.

Thank You Huffington Post For Bastardizing The Word ‘Safety’

I came across an article today that really got me thinking about word selection. If you think about it, even the use of a term or sometimes a word in a title can frame the entire subject matter of the story. There are also the rare occurrences when the use of punctuation can achieve the same end but in this instance it is all about the words. Thanks to Matt over at The Bang Switch for bringing the following piece of fine media bias to my attention.

Usually when my eyes scan by an article from the Huffington Post, an Eloi favorite, I just keep moving and focus my attention on actual news. However, the title of this article happened to stop my glance. When I read “Man Accidentally Kills Self With Gun During Demonstration On Gun Safety” I was honestly a bit perplexed. If he was following the Four Rules of Gun Safety as created by Colonel Jeff Cooper this would be an impossibility. So, really, how could he possibly kill himself if he was honestly trying to demonstrate gun safety? The answer, you can’t kill yourself if you are following the simple rules outlined above.

So, what the heck is this ‘reporter’ talking about? Well, here is what the article said:

The 36-year-old, whose name has not been released, was showing his girlfriend how his three handguns are safe when they aren’t loaded, according to the Detroit Free Press. He was attempting to demonstrate the safety of the handguns by holding them to his head and pulling the trigger.

The third gun fired, and the man was struck in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Three children ages 7, 10, and 12 were in the home but did not witness the shooting, according to reports.  The man’s girlfriend told authorities he had been drinking most of the day before the incident took place. 

This isn’t the first time a gun safety demonstration has gone wrong. In January 2013, 18-year-old Florida resident Alexander Xavier Shaw died doing a similar demonstration. Richard M. McLean, a 22-year-old from Michigan, died in a similar fashion in June 2012. Missouri resident James Looney, 40, was also teaching his girlfriend about gun safety when he shot himself in the head in September 2009.

Notice something? That’s right, this really wasn’t a demonstration on gun safety. This was an act of stupidity by someone who was not following the rules that any responsible gun owner follows. We have rules for a reason. Unfortunately, as was unnecessarily cited, similar acts have taken place in the recent past. None of them were demonstrations of ‘gun safety’ as the article would like the reader to believe. Put it this way, this incident is on par with the movie The Deer Hunter when it comes to demonstrating gun safety.

The sad part, beyond the confines of the story itself, is that this article has a purpose unrelated to the acts described. This is a piece motivated by politics and the Eloi agenda. Thankfully he wasn’t doing a demonstration on wood shop safety or we would have to consider legislation to outlaw or, at the very least, heavily regulate the sale and use of power tools. Think about how ridiculous that headline would sound, “Man Accidentally Kills Self With Power Tool During Demonstration On Shop Safety”.

You know you will never read that headline even though I am certain that it has happened before because power tools don’t look scary (unless you paint them black and put on a collapsible stock). But here we are debating a Constitutionally protected right because people are scared by the way something looks, they don’t understand how it works, and they refuse to place the blame on people for their actions. Remember, the gun didn’t load itself, it didn’t jump on the table and point at the guy, and the gun didn’t pull the trigger. This was a tragedy caused by man NOT a collection of polymer and steel.