Keep Things Spinning

.
Spinning is the best way to maintain balance and direction. And having balance and direction is always the best way to be fair. But as a gyroscope or toy top's spin slows, so it begins to wobble and lose direction.

So it goes when you have only 3 full days to visit everyone that you would like to, without offending those that don't get the pleasure of your presence. I think you've all been there a time or two and know what I mean.

Our primary reason for the trip was to meet our new grand daughter, so everything else was scheduled around that. Even that didn't go so well. At only three weeks old, she was crying while anticipating our arrival, and cried when we had to leave each day. But what a joy she was when we were there. So beautiful and innocent. Truly an example of God's love.

Now, we had the wheeled manor filled with the 5 critters, and the grand daughter demanding that we stay in her neighborhood. But, at the same time, the mother-in-law insisting we travel another hour to stay with her. Nana won and that we did. The manor was parked and plugged in at the storage area, while we slept on the floor at her house. Pleased her, but rough on my back.

Time never slowed, but our spin did as we tried to visit as many as possible. A few hours with my sister in laws, then 20 minutes with an old neighbor, and an hour or so with a good friend. With every visit the spin slowed as no one could understand the reason for such short visits. I felt the wobble setting in.

No time to visit my daughter 60 miles north. No time for my sista and her daughters only a few miles off the path on the way home. Never a time left for an afternoon nap, dinner out, or shopping. Not even time to make a good look for a hero. It's likely that we hurt more people with no visits, or short visits, than we pleased with our presence. To those that I hurt, I know that you won't understand, but I ask for your forgiveness.

It was a wonderful time, though way too short. So, as the wobble set deeper, but before we capsized, we headed home to the safety of the Thought Dock.
.

Tripping South

.
One of my avid Followers commented to a previous post not long ago, asking whether I saw any good in this world, and whether I ever had a hero. So, I kept a sharp eye during our road trip south and deeper into this Land of Honalee.

One hundred miles, then two, along the coast, taking my time, all the time, but staying on time. No Jackie Paper, or the Magic Puff could I find. Winding roads, but without toads. Gorgeous ocean views, lots of elk and deer, and a few smaller critters of unknown species that didn't quite make it across the road.

Then turned east and through the Redwood Forrest. How enchanting it was. 12 foot wide at the base, and hundreds of feet tall. The trunk, encroaching to within a few inches of the edge of the 2-lane road, bore signs of several car accidents. I wondered how many travellers would have to die before they will remove the tree, but the ecologists disagree.

Then, into the majestic wine country of the Napa Valley. Drink to that. Raise the price of grapes so that no one can afford to buy a home because the vineyards are worth their weight in gold. Now three hundred, then four hundred miles, and into the Interstate 5 corridor.

Stretching yet another 300 miles south from the Sacramento delta, to the base of the Tehachapi mountains, where once great farms sprawled as far as the eyes could see. Given way to oil derricks now rusting after having gone dry, because the ecologist hammered out the dangers of nuclear reactors. That's OK, we'll just buy our oil from our friends in Iran. But our friends in Iran changed once the reactors were dismantled. Oil is now 20 times more expensive than it was when I attended high school.

The fields in the valley are all by dry now as the waters have been diverted to quench the thirst of Southern California. Why not? We can buy all our produce from South America anyway. What a concept! Maybe all the illegal migrant farm workers will re-migrate home to their own fields.

Nearly gone are the huge cattle ranches. Driven away by ecologists demanding that cows be happy and have shade before they are sent to slaughter for food. Driven away to other states and countries while driving the price of burgers up. No mas Dollar Menu.

Now, up and over. The final 150 and to the Valley. We arrived safely, but unable to chant the tunes of "This Land is My Land. This Land is Your Land. From the ........"

And, I still can't find that darn dragon.
.

And that was Yesterday; and Yesterday is Gone..

.
Goodbye Michael..

Goodbye Farrah..

Like Anna Nicole Smith, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, John Kennedy, Princess Di, and everyone in between, you once were, but are no more.

You are gone and I really don't care how or why you died. Anal cancer, drug overdose, an assassin's bullet, old age, or an accident; it makes no difference to me.

I'll remember you for what you were, but I'll not join the media blitz of speculation as to how you came to pass, who will raise your children, or who will lay claim to your fortunes. Because, I know that it will all work out. Someone will care for the kids, and someone will spend your money, and someone will stand trial if you were murdered.

Well. I'm back!! Are you thirsty? I'll feed your body and quench your thirst, but first I have to rest up a bit from the reality of a SoCal visit. So, let me know what you want. I'm just here for you. Want humor? Want to see pictures and hear about my family? Want politics? Want more about me? Want my philosophy? I can stimulate your mind in so many ways. You tell me. But, keep in mind that what you might want, might not be what I think is best for you. And how many of you fell for that invitation to visit the Love Porch? Bet that was fun.. Ho! Ho! Ho! Let's learn about scrap booking while we sing along with PP&M to Puff the.......

I'm heading to the Thought Dock.

You're Gonna Miss This..

.
By the time most of you read this, you've missed the train I'm on, and you'll know that I am gone. I'll be 500 miles away from home. No, I'm not really taking the train, but I will be gone, and will be about half way to my vacation destination.

Although I will have this communicator with me, I don't know whether I will be able to establish a link to the great Internet in the sky. So, I might not be able to satisfy your thirst for Thought as often as you need.

But it seems that I have filled your brains with enough mind boggling crap, with spin on it, to keep you thinking on your own for the next week or so while I'm gone. If that is not the case just turn in to Fox News to get back to speed.

But, maybe the lack of recent Thought Comments indicates that I've been too deep with your education and that you are suffering from Thought Dock Burnout Syndrome (TDBS).

I can diagnose TDBS because I created it. But you can too. If you have self diagnosed yourself with TDBS, the antidote is listening to PPM. That's Peter, Paul, and Mary for those of us that really know them. Or is it Peter, Paul, and Mamma? Mamma Obama. That'll mellow you out.

So, relax and smoke your socks. I'll be back in a week or so to get you back on track from the Thought Dock.
.

OK, Let's All Line Up

.
I'm sure you've seen those videos of China and North Korea. You know, the ones where everyone is dressed the same? The ones where the school children are marching in mass to their next class? The ones where a whole sports stadium is acting in unison, flashing paper plates while singing some sort of national song. The ones where the soldiers march in the streets like little Hitlers while clinging to their 1960 era weapons.

I'm sure some of you think that is quite incredible. Is that what you really want for America? But, China and North Korea are communist countries, you say. Well, socialism is but a small click away from communism.

Our President is now controlling our banks, car manufacturers, and moving in for the greatest prize, health care. Soon it will be the schools and universities. He has all ready proclaimed that he is the only one that can save America from doom.

So. let's all line up to see a doctor, line up at the bank and line up to buy the car he thinks you should buy. Get in line at school and at college. There, they will have a special long line for the White Americans.

He says he knows it all, because he was raised by a Muslim father, and had the struggles of being a half-breed. He knows how to shake hands with our Muslim terrorist enemies. He knows all about health care because of his mother's death because of her inability to afford the best treatment. So, why didn't he help her pay for a good doctor rather than give fault to Medicare?

If Barrack Hussein Obummer continues on his path, he will soon rule with an iron fist as he proclaims himself as the Messiah. It's all in the Book.

Think about it folks. Very scary.

The Great Sugar Daddy

.
Some one very dear to me watched a local news clip today about workers also losing their health insurance when they get laid off. It was asked, "Why can't there be sort of a slush fund held by the insurance companies to allow for continued (free) medical care during these hard times?"

I asked, "So where would this slush fund come from?" I was told that a small part of every one's premiums could be set aside by the insurance companies for the hard times. Yeah, just tax me more (raise my premiums) to support the less fortunate ones.

Holy Crap! The Thought Dock is now in danger of being conquered by the over whelming and ever growing liberal socialists in my very dear family. It seems America is rap­idly approaching the position that most Americans are entitled to be sup­ported by those who work, and pay for their welfare and desires while doing nothing to earn anything (I borrowed this sentence from another published article).

I need that cannon now more than ever, or at least a 50 caliber gattling gun. I'll hold them off as long as I can. Never Surrender!!
.

Pass the Candy, Please

.
I don't know anyone who doesn't like candy. My absolute favorite is See's Dark Chocolates. I always choose a box of them when ever the opportunity presents itself, and they never go to waste.

Think about an assorted box of chocolates or nuts for a moment. The candies look similar on the outside, but they are drastically different inside. It's natural for all of us to have personal preferences, whether it is for the taste of chocolates or nuts, what neighborhood you live in, who you're friends are, or the music you like. There is certainly plenty of choices.

Now, I'm sure that at some time, someone has passed a box of those assorted chocolates to you, and you realized someone else has all ready selected your favorite. And sometimes, someone has actually taken a bite from one or two, then put them back after realizing they didn't like them. Ever get passed that tray of mixed nuts only to find that all the cashews are missing?

"How disgusting." You've chastised you kids putting back that candy after tasting it. Maybe you even forced the child to eat it anyway. Maybe you've even forced yourself to eat a nasty one just to be polite. I've been there myself a time or two. "Such a waste," you might say when you find the bitten ones that no one else will eat because they know those taste like crap. That's what happens when you believe every piece of candy in that assorted box has the same great taste. Now, that's being foolish. I think it's only natural to spit something out you don't like and try something else.

Well, I don't buy into the assorted theory (socialism) anymore. I only eat what I like, live where I like, and choose friends that I have something in common with. And there is nothing wrong with that. It's not to say that I won't go out on the limb to taste something new, or meet new people. But, after I try it and find I don't like it, I don't keep on forcing things to work. If you fix me dinner, and I don't like it (actually that seldom happens), I won't eat it just to be nice. I'm not a bigot, but I know what I like and what I don't.

Our government has made us all into a box of assorted cholcolates. They tell us everyone is all the same, neighborhoods are the same, and that we should all be able to adapt to one another, for the greater cause. In a sense, one would agree that we all look kind of the same, speak similar, dress the same, and share the same dreams. But inside, we all know that is not true. We are all different. Not necessarily better, but just different. Now if you admit that, the liberals call you a bigot.

Employers are forced to draw blindly from the box because the government tells them that everyone in the box is the same. But they are not. They are individuals and each have their own strengths. And if you peek into the box before selecting, they call that discrimination. Or, after making your selection and finding out first hand the person was unqualified, and terminate him, you get sued.

If you select a neighborhood to live in because most of the residents are like you, or share your values, the socialists call you a bigot. They encourage you to voluntary desegregate and integrate into a new neighborhood. They actually give cash incentives to those that do. And they bus the children of proud parents who built top notch schools, into areas where even the locals won't stay. They insist that makes things equal.

Well come to the Thought Dock and share a chocolate with me. Now, you won't have much of a choice because all I have here are dark chocolates. Don't fret. It's Ok with me if you spit one out, but next time bring your own. I'll try one of yours, but I will spit it out, if I don't like it.
.

I've Sat The Bench With Some Of The Best

.
In Those Days, not everyone always got to play in the game, because games were meant to be won, and the coach always played their best. And often, I didn't get to play. Actually, in the early days, I really sucked, and hardly ever played at all. But, every once in a while, the coach would put me in when we were ahead 22-2 in the last inning, although he told me not to swing because he said I'd just strike out. One time, I thought I'd prove him wrong and swing. He was right. I struck out.

I used to cry in private after those games, just wishing that I could be not as good as the best kids, but just good enough to play. I worked harder and practiced more, and as I matured, I got better. Better enough to play first string at most any sport I tried.

And then it happened. Youth sports became socialism. Rules were created mandating that every one had to play. Some leagues didn't even keep score during the game for fear of demoralizing the losing players. But what about the players that would have won? No, "Hip, hip, hoorays" allowed. Player were only allowed to shake hands and say, "Good game" to their rivals. Everyone got the identical trophy at the end of the season, no matter how they played.

And it goes beyond sports today. Most every school student elevates to the next grade level regardless of his performance, because it is too embarrassing for them to be held back a grade. It's all about giving praise and treating everyone equal.

And it's into parenting. We're all into this socialism crap so deep that we can't even see what it is. Many parents and grandparents (sometimes even me) treat the kids equally no matter what. They each get the same dollar value for gifts without consideration of the the age or need of the kid. They are often given the same weekly allowance regardless of their behavior, or how well they did their chores. The kids are seldom held accountable for their bad decisions.

Well, things don't seem to be working. While there are lots of hugs and praise going on, kids suffering from low self esteem, now more than ever, go to campus and kill their classmates and teachers. Some kill their parents, and many just kill themselves.

Should we be giving more trophies and hugs, or have we been going off in the wrong direction for the last two decades?

You decide. I'll be at the Thought Dock.
.

Making The Grade

.
A Follower in Texas sent me this and I thought I'd pass it on. I did shorten it up a bit, hopefully without distorting the message.

An economics class at Texas Tech told their professor that they believed socialism works because it ensures that no one would be rich and no one would be poor. The professor, as an experiment, applied socialism to his teaching method to show the class the effects of socialism.

The professor then told the class that all grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade. No one would fail and no one would receive an A.

The grades from the first test were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.
.
On the second test, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

The 3rd test average was an F. All failed, to their great surprise. The professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when reward is taken away; no one will try or want to succeed. Could not be any simpler than that.
.
Well, maybe there is more to Texas than beautiful women, country music, Nascar, and bow legged cowboys!
.

Blowing In The Wind

.
Can someone help a brudda out? These questions have troubled me for most of my life. They might have simple answers, perhaps too simple for my mind.

So, why does a carton of orange juice cost less than the bag of oranges needed to make it yourself? And why is canned corn cheaper than the four ears it takes to fill it?

Why do wood chips and sawdust cost more by weight compared to a nice straight two by four? Aren't the chips just waste from processing the board?

Or, how can a huge public bus bellowing a plume of black smoke to carry it's 36 passengers be greener than 6 smaller cars carrying six passengers each? Or, how can a gigantic diesel locomotive pulling a few commuter cars with 50 passengers each be efficient?

Why does deisel cost more than premium gasoline when it is easier to refine?

And, would the headlights from a plane travelling at the speed of light illuminate another plane in front of it that was also travelling at the speed of light?

For me, the answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind.
.

Peter, Paul, Mary,and Tied Dyed Clothing

.
I always thought the Kennedy's states on the Right Coast were liberal, second only to San Francisco. But I think this beach is right in there with them.

Oregon has it's very own PBS Station and last week aired four full hours of Peter, Paul, and Mary. I never realized they had sung so many songs. You probably have heard them all, and likely liked most of them, but I was never their fan. They are at the top of the liberal list, and this State loves them.

This Land of Honolee loves President Obummer. He was an overwhelming favorite by an incredible 87%. We have Martin Luther King Boulevards everywhere even though we have only a 1% Black population. And we celebrated Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez' birthdays.

Few here drive foreign cars, wear make up, brush their teeth, or shave. A saying here is that the police have difficulty identifying corpses due to the lack of dental records. Many of the 65 and older crowd are stuck in '65 and still smoke dope, and wear tied dyed clothing of all sorts. Folk music seems to prevail, with Country a distant second. Weekend street fairs are eveywhere selling home made jewelry, musical instruments, home raised veggies, and Quail eggs.

One of the biggest funerals ever in Eugene occurred when a homeless person died in his sleep on a chilly night a few months ago. And at a town hall meeting that I attended last month, most people seemed to favor additional funding of homeless shelters over funding the jail system.

And during the construction of our home, twice a heavy equipment operator stopped his $350hr excavator to rescue a lizard from the shovel and hand carry him to the safety of the lake.

Finally, with tonight's local news, I learned that this State does not believe a human life begins until the newborn takes it's first breath. Therefore, the lady that lured a pregnant woman to her home through Craigslist, killed her, then cut her unborn child from her womb to keep it for herself, only to have both mother and child die, can not be tried for the double murder.

Where have all the flowers gone? So far, I am safe at the Thought Dock. But if any of you know where I can get a used cannon from Army surplus, I'd surely be interested. I have just the place for it.
.

A Different Beach

.
People here are mostly retired. The population has stayed about 10k for the last ten years, and I don't think it will grow much in the next ten. There is little work here, and most of those that do work are in the service fields.

The are few youth (111 graduating high school this year), and jobs for them are nill. Most of them just move to another city where the salaries and opportunities are better when they finish school, leaving behind the Golden Aged ones. On the weekends and through the summer, the young people return in droves to play at the beach, ride the dunes in buggies, and to fish the many lakes and rivers. I like that.

I've hung with the older crowd throughout my life. But here, most of our friends are much older than us, not by just a few years, but some by decades. And that takes a bit getting used to.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love this place and the friends that we have made. But rather than conversations about work and play, our social conversations now seem to be centered on the financial or medical issues facing us. I know, that's actually good for me as it will help to prepare us for the inevitable, but it is different for me.

It is tough sometimes to deal with those issues all the time. Just since we moved here, two neighbors, and a good friend have passed away. That's something that I'm not accustomed to. I know that as I age further, it will become more and more frequent though.

This place is a lifestyle change for us. I'm now more patient while waiting for the food to be served promptly or correctly while dining out. My driving has become even more defensive now with so many older persons on the street. Well, at least I never hear the other driver's ghetto blaster wailing out some rap music.

My blood pressure is normal now, anf I'm a lot fatter. Naps are getting common, but I laugh a bit more. Even the Thought Dock is so very different, but that's what really keeps me going.
.

Don't Tread On Me

.
You know? I've really changed after having been an enforcer for 33 years. Here is my new attitude.

I really don't care what you do as long as you are old enough to make a conscience decision, and what you do doesn't affect me. So, if you are capable of making a decision, do what you want, but don't bother me.

You see, I no longer care if you drink yourself to sleep every night, or if you load up on dope. I don't care if you won't wear a seatbelt or a helmet, jump from a cliff tethered by a rubber band, or just jump to your death. I don't care if you are Gay, or wear tie dyed T-shirts, or if you beg on the streets; just don't rub these things in my face. If you worship Buddah, or are a Muslim, that's OK, but just don't push your crap on me.

Now, as a Christian, If I'm in a position to help with your vices, I will. But if I can't get through to you, I'll let go. My life will go on, but yours might not, and I won't care. It's your choice.

I wouldn't care if the government made dope free. Just pile it out on the corner, and let the fools come and get it. That would quickly sove the dope problem because all those fools would soon die. And we'd be better off.

We don't need laws to force people from doing their thing, in their own house. We don't need to tax cigarettes and liquor, or use those taxes to save those same idiots. We only need laws to keep those idiots away from those of us that live respectfully. We only need laws to protect us from the idiots and creeps, like Speeding, DUI, Robbery, and such.

I've come to realize all this because I have found myself at the Thought Dock. All alone, away from all of those creeps doing their thing. All alone and finally at peace.
.

Well - Since You Asked

.
Thank you all for participating in last week's discussions and posting your vote in the poll. Actually, the results of the poll were not quite what I thought they would be. Did any of you change your mind as the postings and comments progressed? It was a really debatable subject and many views were discussed.

OK, since some have asked, and I know you all are wondering, I'll put my personal views on record.

Three decades ago, when Equal Opportunity evolved into Affirmative Action, I was easily convinced that it was the right way to go. It appeared then, that many minorities were not being hired or promoted simply because they were not White. And to me, that had to be discrimination. So, I bought into it all.

Now, after seeing the issue from the employer's point of view as a manager during my last 10 years, I see things quite differently. Any employer wants to hire what he believes to be the best possible employee, because the employee is a critical ingredient to his success. I really don't think the employer really cares whether he hires a Black, Jew, Female, or anything else, as long as he/she is best for the company.

I believe an employer has the absolute right to hire who he wants, without any forced mandates. After all, it is his business, and he should have the right to run it however he pleases. Imagine what would occur if Major League baseball were forced to hire 44% women, or professional basketball was forced to reduce their Black stars to 18% to be more in line with American demographics. Or a landscape company in LA forced to hire Blacks, when many people think Asians make the best gardeners. What about hiring that White cook for a Chinese diner, or for a Louisiana Barbecue? Would you like a doctor to treat your cancer if he/she were not the best, but given the job only because of their color or gender?

Let's face it. We are all not equal. We each have our own individual strengths and weaknesses.
Affirmative Action attempts to make us all equal. Just a bunch of drones. Why have a selection process at all? Why not just a lottery system? Well, that's what AA is and does. And that is socialism.

Have you ever compared the efficiency of a small business, not governed by AA, to most any civil service entity in your area? You can bet your butt, that if my wife and I ever get that small business we've often talked about, we will hire only the best available, even if he/she were a minority.
.
And that's my Thought from the Dock.
.

Welcome To This World

.

Who:..Isabella Sophia G.
.
What:..Our Sixth Grandchild-The 3rd Grand Daughter
.
Compliments Of:..Michael and Lara G.
.
When:..June 03, 2009
.
Where:.. Tarzana, California

Well, isn't she beautiful? My wife seems to think she looks like her. Well, then she must be beautiful! Actually, I think she looks like me...But that can't be. But, after I get her to the Thought Dock, she will think just like me! I do see the father's line in her nose, but I see Mom most everywhere else. Look at her hair. So thick and full. No Daddy there!

Truly a gift from God. Congrats Mike and Lara!

.

Summin' Things Up - Vote Now

.
Well, that was fun. I enjoyed sharing the LAPD stories with you along the subject of Affirmative Action. I also enjoyed your comments! I knew it was a sensitive issue when I began, but honestly, I didn't expect so much discussion from the Followers. I hope you all enjoyed the posts as much as I did. I did try very hard to describe the actual incidents factually, and without a bias or spin, although you all know, I do have bias and spin, and I've got my own opinion that will reflect in the poll. Rest assured, I'll only vote one time like every one else.

In conclusion, I leave you with this last tidbit. Several White New Your City Firefighters have taken their grievances to the Supreme Court. They claim, that although they tested highest on a promotional exam, the City passed them over in favor of Black candidates. Initially, they won their case in State Court, but recently Judge Sonia Sotomayor, reversed that decision. Perhaps some of you know that President Obumer has appointed Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court and she is awaiting confirmation. The confirmation hearings are what prompted the discussion about Affirmative Action this past week. So, Sotomayor might get to hear the case again if she gets confirmed.

Please review the prior posts and the discussions that followed as comments. I would then like you to take the poll. I know a few of you have all ready voted, but I can't change that. If, you are one that voted prematurely, and after reading the entire week's posts and comments, you want to change your vote, please let me know,and I will find a way to let you do that, even if I have to create a new poll. I am very interested in determining how you guys really feel about the subject.

Thanks to everyone that contributed. I'll give you a break for a while and return to a less serious topic for a bit. While you are waiting for the controversial stuff to reurn, be sure to watch Fox News every moment that you can. Doing so will keep your Bp up while you wait for me.

Just another idea from the Thought Dock..
.

Out of Reach

.
In 1973, at just under 5ft-9in, I was the shortest police officer to ever be assigned to the now infamous Rampart Division. Although 5-8 was the minimum height then, all the Rampart cops were giants because that was the toughest police precinct in the world. Many times I thought I'd never survive the fight while I wished I was 2 feet taller.

In about 1978, after transferring to a slower division, I met Tina. She had just graduated from the academy and was assigned to work with my old partner, Tim. Some of you have met him, although not by that name.

Well, Affirmative Action had been in place for several years by then. And unknown to me, they had reduced the height/weight requirement for hiring. Tina was a very cute and personable person, but I don't think she was five feet tall or even weighed 90 pounds. She was the tinyist police officer I had ever seen. As a side note, I realized that she could not reach the officer's message clip board, and there was a note hanging there for her. So, being the helpful person that I am, I attached a long string leading downward from the note with a sign attached to the end reading, "Pull here to remove." Got chewed out for that one.

Tina forced change to the LAPD. Due to her petite size, she would move the seat in the police car all the way forward in order to reach the pedals. That would cause Tim to ride shotgun with his knees against his chest. Tom asked for help and the LAPD purchased it's first police cruiser with bucket seats. From that day forward, we had bucket seats.

One night Tim and Tina encountered an obnoxious homeless wino in an alley. He was just the typical wino type, usually drunk, but harmless. Tim had dealt with him before many times. But this time, the wino went berserk and attacked Tim, knocking him to the ground. The wino pinned Tim on his back and beat him repeatedly. Tina, tried to pull him off, but couldn't. She called for assistance, then began hitting the wino with her baton, to no avail. The wino ripped Tim's gun from his holster and Tim begged him not to shoot. Tina ended the near tragedy with a single gunshot to the wino's head.

It was the first shooting involving a female police officer in LAPD history. Tina was hailed as a hero for saving Tim's life. Tim didn't quite see it that way and was troubled by the killing for the rest of his career. Tim told me as he teared up while drinking a beer, that although the wino was about to shoot him, there was no reason that the incident progressed to that state. He believed that had Tina had sufficient size and strength, the wino would have never had to die. Tim never returned to working the streets, but Tina went on to achieve new heights in rank with the Department.

As more and more protected classes found their way on the job, more things changed. And I won't say that any of those things were bad. Bucket seats, power steering, and air conditioning were great changed that everyone benefited, although they didn't contribute to the car's safety, or performance during a pursuit, which is what's really important. So were new, separate locker rooms, weight rooms, showers, and toilets for the protected class. But gone were the days of mandating physical fitness and self defence training. Instead, pepper spray, and more powerful guns were issued, as the job got more dangerous. Rodney King resulted not from a bunch of racist cops, but by under trained cops not proficient with their weapons at hand, or their wrestling skills.

What say you? Can we post some blame for the death of that wino, or the beating of Rodney King, on Affirmative Action? Now, don't give up on this subject. There is only one more post related to this series to follow. And don't forget to vote when it's all said and done.
.

Entry Level Orals

.
The first step toward becoming a police officer in Los Angeles is to pass a written examination. The second was an oral interview, the only portion of the process that the candidate is given a weighted score, as all the other sectors are pass/fail. Next comes a background check, physical ability test, and a mental evaluation, but not necessarily in that order. Once a month for the last 10 years of my career, I sat on the interview board for new police officer candidates.

I chaired a three member interview board for entry level oral interviews once a month during my last 10 years of service. The remaining board members were professional civilians selected from the community.

Now, it used to be that a candidate was ranked for hiring by the score he/she obtained in the oral interview process, highest first, providing they passed the other screening tests. But that changed with Affirmative Action. Since AA, protected classes of candidates can be selected for employment, regardless of their interview score (as long as they achieve a 70% or better), in any order, if the LAPD is still behind on achieving their parity goal. In essence, that means a non-protected class with a higher interview score, may have to wait while protected classes with lower scores are hired. And this concept carried into promotions and specialized assignments as well.

Well even this couldn't provide enough protected class hiring. It was determined that many of the protected class applicants could not pass a background check, the physical ability test, or show adequate work experience. So, LAPD reduced or eliminated these requirements all together. You can now be accepted as an officer if you have a prior history of narcotic use, been involved with gangs, had theft, DUI, and misdemeanor assault convictions. The mental (ink blot) test was eliminated and the physical ability test was lowered so that most anyone that could breathe without a wheezing while walking would qualify. And bonuses were awarded for things like speaking a foreign language, so some candidates that couldn't score a 70 in their interview because they didn't speak English well enough, actually were raised to the qualification level because of the bonus. You no longer have to show a history of applicable work experience, so selling chocolate dipped bananas from your unlicensed food cart in the park, is good enough.

So how does this affect the overall big picture? Your comments are welcome. Still blurry for you. I've given a few real examples with the prior post, but some more will be detailed in the next. Some of you like this crap, others think I'm full of crap. But all this crap provokes Thought from the Dock.
.

The Protected Class

.
The court actually coined the term "Protected Class" and defined who would be a part of of that category. And the term truly meant "Hands Off" or "King's X" as it pertained disqualifying applicant for hire. The LAPD was ordered to bring their labor force into parity with the LA demographics fast, no matter what. But, it went even deeper. To retain those protected classes that were hired, LAPD did everything they could to promote them, not discipline them, never assign them to less desirable assignments, and keep them happy at all costs.

Before the days of Affirmative Action, in 1976, Officer McCreedy, a White male, would snag a 25-cent newspaper from a lawn on his beat to take with him to the donut shop to read most every morning. When a resident complained, he was fired. It all had to do with what LAPD called a violation of Moral Turpitude. The Moral Turpitude list included, any theft, any sex crime, any lie, no matter how petty, and anything else that embarrassed the City.

In 1998, an officer's boots disappeared from the locker room. Posters were placed in the hall ways of the station, and announcements were read aloud about the missing boots at roll call for several weeks. The facts that the boots had custom soles and the officer's name inside were not released. Several weeks later, the officer recognized footprints from his boots left on a wet sidewalk by a peer, Officer Williamson. Williamson was summoned to the station, but insisted the boots he wore were his. When he was ordered to take the boots off to allow further inspection, he refused. A search warrant was obtained and the boots were removed revealing that they in fact were the stolen boots. Following an investigation, the Captain recommended that Williamson be terminated. However, the Chief reduced that penalty to a written reprimand. Williamson was a "Protected Class" and was retained, despite the still written policy about Moral Turpitude. It was also revealed that Williamson had convictions for theft and marijuana use, prior to his appointment to LAPD. But those, once automatic disqualifiers had been removed when AA began to take hold.

About the same time, Sergeant Smitson, a protected class employee, performed a strip tease routine in a male only tavern while wearing his police uniform. He was terminated, but the court ordered his reinstatement with back pay. Although the LAPD had rules regarding wearing a uniform while off duty, the court ruled that because Smitson didn't wear his pistol during the routine, it was not a uniform. In 2001, Officer Turndale, another protected class employee, posed nude for Playboy wearing only an LAPD uniform shirt and badge. The LAPD didn't even pursue that one.

Your comments.. How do you think these actual incidents affected the quality of law enforcement in Los Angeles? Please keep in mind that the names that have been used in this, and all posts, have been changed to protect the protected.

Tomorrow.. More things from the Thought Dock about what the LAPD did to comply with AA.
.

Meeting Court Quotas

.
During the late 70's, the LAPD lost several court battles related to the hiring of police officers. Back then there was only the Equal Employment Opportunity law, which was very vague. I'm not certain, but I believe Affirmative Action (AA) came as a result of the LAPD lawsuits.

In essense, the court created AA and stated that when ever two "equally" qualified canditates applied for a single position, weight would be given to the minority candidate. AA applied to gender and minority races, and most everyone supported the logic of AA, including myself.

As the years passed (now over 20), new cases were brought before the court claiming that the LAPD was still not hiring minorities in sufficient numbers. The LAPD argued that there were not enough minorities even applying for a position, and not enough of those that did, could meet backgound, education, and experience requirements; therefore, the LAPD could not comply.

The court responded by further defining and expanding the "protected classes" to include, sexual preference, religion, national origion, and almost anything else. Left out was the White Male class. The court also ordered that the ultimate goal of AA was to bring the LAPD into parity with the people it served, no matter what. That meant within the timeline set by the court, LAPD would have to be comprised of 44% women, 18% Black, 27% Hispanic, and the rest divided among gays, immigrants, and White males. The court put on record that there would be no acceptable reasons for the LAPD not to reach the goals within the timeline.

In order to comply, the LAPD realized that they would have to level the playing field to ensure that almost anyone qualified for employment. Since short and unfit people could not climb a wall, or carry a weight, most physical requirements were removed. Since a large portion of LA residents were criminals and gang members, the LAPD reduced it's background requirents. Since most women applicants seldom had any work experience related to police work, work experience was elliminated. And immigrants speaking a foreigh language were bonus applicants, even though they could barely speak English.

So how has Affirmative Action affected the LAPD? In the following posts during the week, I'll give you only first hand experiences in the matter. Please comment with your thoughts. I have placed a Poll near the top of this page, but ask you not to cast your vote until after reading the final post and comments on the subject which will conclude this Friday. The poll is anonymous, but you can vote only once. I don't care about the results, but I thought it would be fun and inlightening. I only want to promote a Thought for the Dock.
.

It Was Me Who Got Beat

.
A young female police officer, whom I'll call Judy, was on patrol in Los Angeles. It was March 3, 1991, and Judy's third day on the street with her Trainer after graduating from the academy. Judy and her partner responded to an Officer Needs Help call (the Department's highest priority call) and subsequently stood by and watched the beating of Rodney King. Remember him?

LAPD policy, at that time, and as it is today, requires a new police officer to complete six months of academy training, then an additional 12 months of field training before becoming a permanent officer. But, Judy was taken from the streets the day following the beating, and was assigned to work the desk in the Station where I worked until the conclusion of the trial against the officers, nearly two years later. Coincidental, Judy was the State's star witness and her testimony helped send two of the officers to prison, and a third to the unemployment line.

I lost track of Judy, until the Spring of 1995. It was then that I competed for a promotional assignment to Detective. Judy, having only three years seniority, never having completed her formal required training, and with only a few months working some bicycle patrol at Venice Beach, was awarded the position. Now I wondered, how could someone with her limited background be selected over a 20 year veteran, having years of training officer experience, traffic, gangs, narcotics, and even an undercover detective assignment of for 5 years? Was it a reward for her testimony? But I let it go, until....

A week later, I was summoned to meet with one of the three Board members that conducted the promotional interview. I had never met the guy before the interview and he was of significant rank within the LAPD. He explained that he was troubled over Judy's selection and showed me the original score cards of the three Board members. Each member scored me 100% and recommended that the Chief promote me. Of the 30 or so candidates for the job, none had scores of 85% or higher, and Judy's score was 77.5%, the lowest of all. He told me that he would retain that evidence and would testify in my behalf if it went further.

Well, after thinking about things, and obtaining legal advice, I filed suit in Federal Court alleging reverse discrimination. During the investigative stage mandated by the court, a recent Federal Court Ruling was uncovered from a similar case. In that case, the Court ruled that to support a discrimination charge, an "Unqualified" candidate had to be selected over a "Qualified" one. Since each one of the candidates had scores of 70% or above, all were qualified. Therefore, the court ruled that there was no discrimination in my case, and it was dismissed.

As a side note, Judy, after giving her new job a try, surrendered it and went back to the bike detail. And I obtained my promotion on my next attempt.

What is now referred to as Affirmative Action actually got it's roots in Los Angeles. And I've always supported the intent of the law, even though I knew it would never benefit me. In many instances I can see the positive results that has been accomplished. But over the years, the law has been changed, and it might be time to go.

In the days following, I intend to discuss this Affirmative Action further, only because it is a concern of the upcoming Senate confirmation to the Supreme Court. I'll warn you in advance that I will be frank, but I'll speak only about incidents that I know of first hand. Some of you will likely be offended because it is a sensitive subject, especially if you have been touched by it directly. Feel free to comment appropriately if you want, or not read my blog if you choose.

Or wait for the next post from the Thought Dock.
.

At the Top, but I Can't See Down

.
Long before computers and the Internet, the Sears catalog was my biggest source of information to the outside world (outside of my world anyway). In Those Days, Sears sold everything from socks to boats. I would dwell for hours at a time in that catalog. My Mother would laugh and say I was dreaming. Well, a dream which one pursues is a plan, and I was planning. From my early teens, I've always had a plan.


Long before the days of Easy Rider, my plan was to explore this Country in a free spirited way, alone, on a motorcycle. Only then, my plan was to ride the newly imported Honda-50 moped, and I didn't care if it's top speed was only 28mph.


I planned to get a motor boat someday, something my Dad had only dreamed of. I planned to be an auto mechanic and to own a junkyard or a hardware store, to join the Army for the fight in Vietnam, and to have a family of my own. But I knew, even then, to have back up plans. Many of my plans were modified or eliminated, but many more were realized.


Now, for me, the Thought Dock is the top of my world. It's not the highest peak, nor is it near the artic circle. But, if you rotate your globe to the right, the Thought Dock is at the top. And that is the way my world is - to the right.

As I look across the water from the Thought Dock, the memories of just how I came to be me appear as visions. My mistakes. My successes. It wasn't easy at times. I guess I could have taken the easy way to fame just by selling autographed portraits of myself (extra for the nude ones), or charging people for my wisdom. But, in my own eyes, I'm proud of how I came to be me.

But, when I look down into the water from the Thought Dock, my visions are only reflected to the Heaven above. And I realize that I didn't achieve this all by myself. I am incapable to understand why, but the Lord has blessed me in so many ways, and many I've yet to recognize. He has blessed me with family, with friends, with teachers and mentors, with good health and sound wisdom, and even with enemies. All of which have been instrumental to me being me.

So, I strive to look up from the Thought Dock. Into the blue skies by day, and into the vastness of the stars at night. I'm really not sure where Heaven actually is. But I sure feel better looking up where I believe it waits for me.


Ok... Ok...Enough...With my next post, I'll take a break from the recent recipes and mushy stuff. I had to go there because some of my Followers couldn't take it and felt like crying, while others have Teflon coated brains and my wisdom just slides off if I serve them too much at a time. But, I know there are others that yearn for the real, thought provoking and stimulating crap produced from the Thought Dock. So, stand by..

Enjoy your weekend!

Razor Clamming

.
In Those Days, my father would pick up a bucket of claims from the pier at Sheeps Head Bay, on the Right Coast. I'm sure he would have preferred the lobster and crab, but he got the clams most of the time because they were the cheapest things around then. Sometimes he would slice them open and slide the goo into his mouth because he just couldn't wait while my mother steamed them. I really never cared for them and would only venture for a bowl of chowder every now or then.

Now that I have returned to coastal living (although it's the left coast), clams are a very popular choice in the local diners. So I tried a bite of a deep fried Razor clam from the plate of Lisa G a while back, and it was very, very good. And that got my interest up.

I've seen many people digging for clams in the estuary near my house. For you landlockers, an estuary is where a fresh water river meets the ocean. Sometimes, like around here, the ocean tide actually flows 15 miles inland, and up stream. Anyway, that's where Razor clams come from, but I think they are also on the ocean's beaches away from the estuary.

So the other day, I tried it. After waiting for low tide, I climbed down the river bank, and sunk a few inches into the muck. Actually, it's the same crap that I bought a few weeks ago for topsoil, but at the garden supply, they call it loom. I realized this wasn't going to work, so I returned home and got my boots (about 12" tall) and tried it a gain. This time I wandered out about 50 feet and sunk about 8 inches. The river is about a half mile wide there and I needed to go another 200 feet to where I had saw people clamming on a previous day.

But, with each step, I sunk even further. The hardest part was to pull your foot out of the sticky yucky muck without leaving the boot behind, and before your other foot sunk even deeper. You'd think that someone would invent a snow shoe type gadget for this.

How could a clam even taste good after living in this yucky muck? And, the yucky muck stinks as well. I soon feared that the muck would devour me and my body would never be found. I tried to run back to the river bank, but after nearly falling into the yucky muck face first, I realized that wouldn't work and I'd have to take it slow, step by step. So it took me about a half hour to walk the 50 steps back to the bank. I was pooped.

I learned I'm not a crabber, and I could just buy them at the local market, without risking my life. So, I'll just do that. Might even tweek my recipe and whip up a Clam and Snow Pea Pasta.

But now, I got to check out the kayakers on the Lake with my Stargazor - Wildlife spotting telescope that my udda sista got me for Christmas. Could be just tourists or vacationers, or they could be terrorists or illegal aliens. I'll get to the bottom of it.

I'll be back with some more wisdom from the Thought Dock another time.
.

Fresh Seafood Pasta in Heavy Cheese Sauce

.
My wife works late at the clinic every Wednesday. So that means, in addition to all the things I do around the house every other day, I have to feed the five pet critters as well as myself.

So, I'm always looking for ways to lessen my load, and try new things that she would not likely take a liking to if she were here. And last night, I think I outdid my previous best food creation. I only dirtied one sauce pan and one fork while doing it. Since doing the dishes is not my chore. I'm sure my wife will be grateful for that.

So, I'd like to share my easy 12 minute gourmet recipe with you that would cost less than a dollar a serving:

Follow the directions to boil up the pasta in the cheapest store brand box of Macaroni & Cheese (or even better yet, the military combat pack version). Drain and stir in the powdered cheese mix, but instead of using milk, use extra butter. Then stir in the previous night's scraps (some call them left overs) of meat. In my creation I used a several day old piece scrap salmon, which was moistened up by the steaming pasta. Top it all off with a squirt of honey mustard, or I even like Ketchup. Eat it directly from the pan to save on dishes. Don't worry that the box says it makes 4-6 servings, because you'll eat it all yourself. It's meant to be a single serving for a stay at home husband. And you wake up promptly the following morning for your duty. Ahhh..

Yummy...Yummy!!

The Fishy Beggar

.
Well, this morning I ventured away from the safety of the Thought Dock and went into town. After taking care of some routine banking business, I grabbed a burger combination from an unspecified business, and went to the dock for a vehicle picnic (That's where you park and eat your food in your truck).

The dock, is the public dock on the river in Old Town of this Central Oregon Coast community, and is far different than the Thought Dock that I'm used to. Different, but not in a bad way. There, away from the solitude of the Thought Dock, I find more real world things to watch and think about.

Like today, I saw a man clad in fishing garb, complete from the black boots with red soles and the yellow heavy weather rain suit. Just like they wear on Deadliest Catch! He was carrying a fishing pole and his skin was leathery. Actually, he belonged in a museum.

I'd seen him before in the area, but never really gave him much Thought. Not today. Today, I realized something more about him. Today was a beautifully clear and calm day, and no need to wear that heavy rain coat. And there were no commercial fishing boats docked, or puddles in the streets, so there was no need for the boots. And even if he were going fishing on a commercial boat, he would have no use for a fishing pole designed to catch trout. And, I've never even seen anyone fish the river from the dock outside of Salmon season (which it is not yet). And then he disappeared among the maze of tourists eating their ice cream cones while strolling Old Town.

Just about the time I finished my last sweet potato french fry (really yummy), he approached my window and asked me for a few bucks. I didn't even answer him. I guess he saw my eyes roll back just a bit and left on his own. Either that, or he was scared of the ketchup dripping from my chin.

Now, I had never seen a Fishing Beggar, and actually I think his pole never gets used. But he had a great costume that I'm sure does him well. If he had any motivation he could simply pose among the tourist for a photo and really take in the dough.

Just thinking about the dock from the Thought Dock.
.

The Enforcer

.
Seems everyone today questions authority. And everyone questions the Enforcer's use of force to enforce their authority.

Many moons ago, the people ruled that Enforcers could not use a fire hose to quell a street riot. It was actually the court that made that decision but I use the term "people" because the court represent the people. So the Enforcers employed tear gas, which the people also thought was excessive. So the people gave the Enforcers helmets, shields, and night sticks to defend against the bricks and fire bombs thrown at them. And the people charged the Enforcers with brutality when they beat the aggressors with their sticks. Sound funny?

In LA, a bank robber took a teller hostage and placed a gun to her head as he attempted to leave the bank. An Enforcer shot the gun from the robber's hand and took him into custody. The people gave lots of money to the hostage because fragments from the Enforcer's bullet penetrated her cheek. And later that year, a burglar being chased from a victim's home by an Enforcer, ran through a closed sliding glass door, and nearly cut his head off. The people that guy money too, ruling it was the Enforcer's fault. Sound crazy?

A few years later, in Texas, a bank robber shot an Enforcer that was chasing him though an alley. The robber claimed self defence and was exonerated of the attempted murder charge because the people said that the Enforcer would shot the robber first if he had the chance. But he was convicted of the robbery. Believe it?

A suicidal man fell to his death when an Enforcer used a taser to try and save him from jumping off a roof. And another man that was threatening suicide with a gun to his temple, was injured when an Enforcer tried to save his life by shooting the gun out of his hand. The people chastised each of these Enforcers. Comical?

An Enforcer was sent to prison for beating Rodney King into submission after chasing him all over the SoCal freeways. And another time, LA Enforcers were brought to trial because the felons that they were chasing crashed into an innocent's car. Really?

And in Iraq, a military Enforcer was tried for shooting a 12-year old kid that was levelling an AK in his direction. The people expected to let the kid shoot first. And many more are now facing prosecution for interviewing their prisoners too harshly. Pretty nuts?

You might find these stories to be funny, crazy, unbelievable, comical, and nuts. But our Enforcers don't think so. Enforcing is not what it was when I was one. Now days many Enforcers worry more about losing their jobs, or going to prison, than they do about being injured or even killed. And I don't blame them.

What would an Enforcer have to lose if he/she just let the idiots burn their own city, let a deranged person kill himself, or let a felon escape rather that involving an innocent in a car crash. Why not just let Rodney go? Why volunteer for Iraq? Why bother to even question your prisiner? Is this what the people want? I am so glad that I don't make these kinds of decisions any longer, and I pray very often for those that do.

Now, I'd rather be lost on the Lake than found at home.
.

Is that Right?

.
Last summer our County placed an initiative on the ballot to increase taxes specifically to preserve the then mostly free parks system. The County threatened to close about half of the parks and lay off workers if the initiative failed. Well, it failed. Nobody got laid off, and none of the parks closed, but the County did put usage fees on every park. Is that right?

Like everywhere, there is a huge push to conserve energy. But in our State, now that people are buying hybrids and stuff to save fuel, the State collects less money from the gasoline tax. Now the State wants to put a use fee, based upon the miles you drive, in addition to the gas tax. And they threaten to double our motor vehicle registration fees if we don't agree. Is that right?

Our State also added a deposit on water bottles. (Seems odd that there is no deposit on all the other plastic bottles like Windex, or liquid soaps). The deposit, which is about ten times greater than the value of the bottle, can only be refunded at the place of sale. The bar code prevents you from trying to get the refund anywhere else. So if you're travelling, forget about the deposit. We have mandatory recycling for our rubbish collection. So, even if you separate the stuff for them, they keep the recycle deposits and value of the scrap. It's all planned as a means to turn the deposits into an outright tax for the State. Is that right?

Our published City budget revealed that a significant portion of their income was derived through traffic fines. In looking at the yearly comparisons, as the City budget grew, so did the traffic fines. Is that right?

I'm sure that each of you can site similar examples of this in your government. Here is my point:
Fees enacted by our government are not identified as "Taxes" and do not need the approval of the people. Fees can be collected by the City, County, or State administrator, pretty much at their will. Fees are actually worse than taxes because most of the time you can't even write them off as income. Is that Right?

Times are tough. Unemployment is above 12% nationwide with some areas double that. Those figure are based upon unemployment claims, and do not include Welfare or unemployment claims that have run out. Yet there are very few layoffs in government. The government, to ensure their jobs, just continues to tax us more.

Is that right, or am I right? Good day from the Thought Dock.

You're a Guest in my House

.
Since many of you are new to this blog, and some of you haven't review the older posts, I thought I'd just recap a few things. Most of which that follows here should not be news to you, because I've written about it before. But it seems I must say it again.

I designed this blog first and foremost as a means for me to learn who I am, and how I came to be me. Secondly, I made it a place for you and I to discuss our Thoughts. As some of you know, I frequently present sensative subjects in order to promote further discussions through comments. Although I have made remarks regarding the numbers of my followers, I really don't care if anyone reads my blog. Writing is simply a tool that I've found to explore my inner Thoughts.

That said, let me help you understand how things work here. You see, I am the author of this blog, and you have chosen to be a reader. I make the rules and moderate the blog. You are here because you chose to come. But you will remain here only at my discretion. I really do have the authority to do that.

I'll be blunt. If you don't like what you read here, then read somewhere else. If I offend you, then leave if you like. But if you offend me, you will leave. That's the rules folks. You are a guest of my Thought Dock, and that is what it is.

So stick around a bit if you like. I actually enjoy hearing your views if they at least have some basis. Most of your comments have been great. Although I've not always agreed, I've not yet X'd anyone. Or should it be, I've not X'd anyone yet?

That said, I hope you can find this blog interesting and will continue to visit. Enjoy your weekend!
.

1907

.
My youngest brudda, whom I call "My Binkie Bro", passed this on to me. So, Ill share it with you.

Roosevelt 's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907. The caption reads:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American....There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt 1907

It was about the time of this photo, that my grandparents arrived at Ellis Island. It didn't take them long to become the Americans President Roosevelt was talking about. They learned English as best they could, and never really passed along their native language to their own children. The raised a large family and soon their sons were off at war fighting the very country that they immigrated from.

How things have changed. Most immigrants no longer give up their language or sacrafice their culture to blend in and become Americans. Some Americans even take on the culture and fly the flags of their of their ancestors from 200 years ago, a culture and a country none have ever even seen.

So, where are we going from here? I'm heading for the Thought Dock! Come with me, so you can see.

Prices

.
A long while ago as a young cop, I taught a junior high school class entitled, "Rights and Responsabilities." The class was designed to illustrate that the Rights we have as Americans are not free, but have Responsabilities attached. And I always closed the class by repeating some one else's saying, "But our hard earned Rights will be the very thing that destroys us."

The Rights we have were not free. My father, and each of his brothers fought to preserve the Rights that were given to us by past generations. Close to 20% of my high school male friends, and one brother-in-law died while at war, not to mention my other brother-in-law, and my many other friends that returned from war with less than what they had taken. Our son, our nephew, and many of our friend's sons and nephews, are or have served in the armed forces overseas. Some have completed their tours and returned home, some have not yet, and some will never. Those that serve do so because it is their responsability.

So many have paid the price to win and preserve the Rights and Freedoms that we seem to take forgranted. The war is not over, and will likely not ever be over. We complain that over 4000 of our loved ones have paid our price in Iraq. Not to minimize their lives, but we lost that many soldiers on the beaches of Normandy in the first 3 hours! Today, Americans are complaining that our troops in Afghanistan killed 27 civillians during a firefight with the Taliban. What about the 50,000 we killed in a split second at Hiroshima?

Now, I'm not a war lover. But I believe in what Americans have fought for. From our Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, to World Wars, Vietnam, the Middle East, and all the ones in between, there was a price. And I believe they were all worth that price, what ever it was. But I always pray for peace.

In the beginning, our Fathers fought and paid the price for religious freedom, which we are about to lose. Our Fathers fought to end slavery, have equal rights for women and minorities, and to protect our homeland, which were are about to lose. With a Half-White President that has benefitted dearly by the prices our forefathers paid, now giving away our National secrets, shaking hands with terrorists, and de-emphasizing Christianity and it's values, I feel very concerned for the future of my grand children, and their children. The very Rights which were fought for are being used from within and against us.

I post this now, as Memorial Day nears, to encourage you to plan time to thank those that you can for paying our price, and for those that you can't thank, thank their parents, or just say a prayer.

I'll be praying for those, and for America, from the solitude of the Thought Dock.
.

Seventh Inning Stretch

.
At every Dodger game in Los Angeles, "Take me out to the ball game" is played at the start of the 7th inning to give the fans a chance to stretch their legs. That's what we all ought to do right about now.

The State of California is at the brink of brokeness because it can not meet it's budget obligation. The State claims that because so many have lost their income, it takes in less income taxes.

Ask Manny Ramirez how that works. He lost 3.3 million in wages for his 50-game suspension, which calculates to a 1.5 million dollar loss of income taxes to our government (of course that is a combined state and federal tax estimate).

Ask Vice President Biden about his brother's and maybe even his son's federal investigation of a 86 million dollar investment fraud scheme in California. That's a big loss of California income tax owed not only by the Biden company, but by the individual investor's earnings.

As more and more of those California millionaires lose their earnings, whether derived through corruption, fraud, or the raping of the real estate and financial sectors, the State receives less and less income. So now California is asking the Federal government to bail them out.

Stretch your legs folks! California voters themselves defeated several tax initiatives today, refusing to pay any more money to their State, and saying "Enough is enough." So we, (everybody living outside of California) are supposed to support their lifestyle, which they refuse to pay for? Give me a break!

This Country is well beyond the Seventh Inning Stretch! Come take a stretch with me at the Thought Dock.
.

One Finished - Another Coming

.
The Rhododendron Festival has passed. It was a mad house, so I understand. I have to go on second hand reports because I was not there for most of it.

My brudda, and his wife Kathy, joined me, Jim G, and his wife Lisa, Jerry, Don B, and his wife Becky, and Don M, and we all left town on our motorcycles. Unfortunately, my wife stayed in town to man the food booth at the Festival to raise money through hotdog and hamburger sales for her favorite charity.

The ride was a loop of about 200 miles through the inland wine country and farm lands. Just beautiful, and the weather was perfect. It consumed most of the day as we just had to stop and eat, stop and drink, and just stop to take in the views.

Following the ride, my wife and I hosted an unplanned barbecue from the deck over looking the Thought Dock. It was our first shindig ever on the deck. Jerry's wife, Dianna, and my brudda in law, Jim, joined in pushing the total to about a dozen. It went well for something spur of the moment. I creamed the burgers, but the whole sockeye salmon that my brudda brought, and the dogs and sausage were great. That went well into the evening and I was pooped out.

Sunday was the finale of the Festival. My wife marched in the parade in support of her charity. It was her first time ever to be a part of a parade. She was excited and did well. I watched from the sidewalk. And then it ended and we took naps.

And now, the Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and a 4-day ride is in the works. So now I've got to get to the Thought Dock to figure that out.

Dinosaurs, Oil, Coal 'n' Diamonds

.

I really don't know much about Dinosaurs or Diamonds, and how they relate to oil and coal.

I do remember learning in school that coal comes from plant material that has been under great pressure over long periods of time. And, when coal is compressed even more, a diamond is formed. And I know that diamonds can be created by man by duplicating what it took nature thousands of years to do.

And I remember watching Exxon commercials on TV in the 70's where a giant boot thumped the ground to locate dinosaurs that had been trapped beneath the surface many years before and somehow were turned into oil. So, I've heard that oil is formed by decaying animal matter under pressure, and since dinosaurs were the biggest animals around, they got all the credit for being turned into crude. But I suppose any animal's matter would work.

So, if I were to agree with the scientists about the age of the earth, and the existence of dinosaurs and such, I could be convinced that plant matter turns into coal, which then turns into diamonds. The natural ones we wear on our fingers and necks, and the man made ones are used to build tools and machinery, or if you like wearing imitation (cheap) crap, you can wear those also.

But the dinosaurs to crude concept is a bit harder for me to understand. Now, we've been pumping crude out of the ground for a hundred years. I wonder how many rotten dinosaurs trapped beneath the surface to fill just one of those gigantic oil tankers that traverse the globe by the hundreds every day. Were there really that many dinosaurs around? And some of the largest oil field lie in Russia and Alaska in very cold climates where I didn't think dinosaurs ever roamed. And, why isn't there man made crude? All we'd have to do is grow some animals, then cook them down under pressure and Whaalaa, Presto, we should have crude. Sure would need a lot of animals though.

So, I'll visit the Thought Dock again for these answers, but it might be a lot easier if you (in particular my oldest daughter's only son) could help me out here.

Enjoy the weekend!
.

Rhododendron Days

For those of you who don't know, pictured at the right is a Rhododendron bush in bloom. My research has revealed that there are over 1000 species of this plant, so this one might not look exactly like the ones you've seen. I guess they grow most everywhere, except in the drier regions.

Our Central Oregon Coast town is the Rhododendron Capital of the World. So, we are having our Rhody Days Festival this weekend.

Now most every small town has some type of a gig. We went to the Corn Festival in Northern Colorado, and the Strawberry Festival on the Coast of California, and the Apple Festival in the Tehachapi Mountains, and a Peach Festival and an Almond Festival in the SoCal desert. Been to a bunch of them, and I don't want to take away from any of them, but the Rhody Festival is the best.

My youngest brother, and his wife, will visit me and my wife, and my other sister, and her husband, right here in this town. Many more will gather in the like and this town's population will increase from the normal 8,500 to over 40k for the weekend.

There will be a parade complete with the Rhody Queen, and most of the prior Queens dating back 40 years. A car show, a carnival, scores of dances and other presentations by the youth and various organizations from around the community, marching bands from all over, motorcycle clubs from everywhere, will be non stop. The 3 traffic signals in town will be overwhelmed, the diners packed, the hotels booked, our Manor full, and the casino popping. The weather is forecast to be clear and near 70's.

So what better time to visit the Thought Dock than now? So come on, hope a flight, and have some fun with me and 40k other people just like me.

.

Must be a Colore Condition

.
During some of my visits to Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, I've encountered times where the Skies were bright blue clear, and the wind calm. Then almost with out warning, near gale force winds emerge, the sky darkens, and it rains like heck for 20 or 30 minutes before the still, sunny, blue skies return. It's really pretty weird I think.

Well, that is how the weather has been today on the Central Oregon Coast. We've had several bouts of it, and each time according to my weather station we get almost a quarter inch of rain.

Pretty strange for this area, so I've come up with a name for this weather phenomena, "Colore Condition." (That was taken by combining 3 letters each from Colorado and Oregon, if you hadn't noticed) Pretty crafty, eh? Maybe it should be The Coloreutaona Condition now that I think about it more.

Silly me, you say? No, it's straight forward wisdom from the Thought Dock.

Mom's Missings

.
You know, I never really thought much about my Mom until her latter years, and now I find myself thinking about her more than ever.

She taught me so much. The little things that I do almost daily; Like how to mix a can of tuna, sharpen a knife or whittle a stick without cutting myself, shoot an arrow and fire a rifle, catch a ball or a fish, ride a bike and drive a car. She taught it all to me.

More than that, she taught values; Values I try to use every day; Like mean what you say, stand up for what you believe, help those that you can, be proud of America, pay your taxes, and repay what you borrow. She was always there for me.

But I was not always there for her and I regret that now. I could make excuses, but it simply boiled down to selfishness on my part. Too selfish to call her on her birthday, too busy to tell her I love her on Mother's Day, and too selfish to take time from my life to visit with her more often and share my children with her.

I know all that now, but I am glad to have had the opportunity to recognize my errs and to make ammends with her before it was too late.

I'm sorry to bore you guys with this stuff. I'm sure that most of you loved your mothers as well. But on this Mother's Day, I only wish I would have loved my Mom more when I had the chance.

I love you Mom!
.

I got Mine for Free!!

.
While watching the morning news (Fox News with the beautiful Megyn Kelly of course!), two consecutive commercials came on.

The first depicted a man who had apparently over indulged in a life time of potato chips and Fat Burgers and developed diabetes. He was happy to say that he got a new blood glucose machine that was provided to him for free by Medicare.

The second commercial had a woman sitting on an electric wheel chair while she folded her laundry. Her thighs smothered the contraption to the point that I couldn't even tell what color it was. But the nearly flat tires looked like they were white walls. She was excited to tell me about how the machine had changed her life and exclaimed, "And I got mine for free!"

Let me tell you folks, "There ain't nothing for free!" But there is something called Socialism, and these are but just two examples of it. "There isn't anything wrong with spreading the wealth around." That's what Obummer said. And that's why those things are free for some people. They are not free for everyone.

So someone had to pay for those machines, and it was the someones like me and perhaps, you. Now, I am usually a very caring and giving person. Need help, just ask and I'll chip in more than my share for a good cause. But I don't like the government taking my money, without asking, to redistribute it as it pleases, especially to those that have created their own problems.

I just don't have much sympathy for those that have never contributed, or dug themselves into their own pit, and then expect help. It is free to them because they have never contributed anything. And these are just two people that I'm talking about. I won't go on. but just look around. And now they're even talking about giving the Gitmo terrorists welfare if they are not convicted and released into America.

Sorry, I need to get away from the TV and out to the Thought Dock. It's depressing in here!
.

National Prayer Day

.
This morning, bright and early (even before I collected my thoughts from the Thought Dock), I attended a community meeting on Natural Prayer Day. Several hundred Christians representing most of our area's churches attended. It was amazing to see the clergy of our community, not competing against one another, but united with each other toward one common goal; introducing God's love to people who don't know Him. Following a pancake/sausage breakfast, we prayed for the leaders of our great Country.

By Executive order, National Prayer Day, has all but been eliminated. Now how is it that President Obama, a man who says he is proud of his Christian faith, turn his back to those of us that pray for him? Does he not think he needs it? He says he prays privately; So what? He needs to remember the thousands of Christians who have been persecuted for spreading God's word, publicly.
.

Plant Your Garden

.
We live on the Central Oregon Coast. Gardens don't do very well here, I think in part because there seems to be a lack of sunlight and fertile soil. Yet, somehow pine trees do well. Just to get a few flowers planted, I had to buy mud. Actually, they call it river silt loam here, and it's imported from the Central Oregon Valley where there are many farms and gardens. I think that's because there is more sunlight and mud there.

Anyway, my favorite sister-in-law (K) lives along the Central Oregon Valley, and loves to garden (she gets the plug because she is my only living sister-in-law). She is quite good at it, and last year, she raised some squash that were as large as what ever was in those Spamelot dancer's tights!

Getting closer to the point now. Well, K sent me instructions for a garden that will thrive anywhere, even here, and even where you live. I'll share it with you now..

HOW TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN
First, come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. (I'll substitute Rhoddys in mine because the deer ate my roses that I had planted last year)...

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING
Plant Three rows of peas:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

Plant four rows of squash:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

Plant four rows of lettuce:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

No Garden is without turnips:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

To conclude your garden, ou must have thyme:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.
.

First Thought - Birthday

.
I think I was conducting some heavy duty Internet research a few days ago, when my wife announced that she was taking me to Spamelot for my birthday. I replied, "Uh OK," and simply returned to my work.

I was at the Thought Dock sometime later and I wondered Now, where did she say we were going? Sandlot? No, that was a baseball movie and I didn't think it was filmed in Oregon. Salem lot? No, although Salem is kinda close, I think that's something witchcrafty and that couldn't be. What did she say? Shamalot? No, that's the Sham Wow as seen on TV. I just couldn't remember.

So, on Birthday morning, I had to ask her what the agenda was. She said the plan was that after church, we were going to Eugene to see the matinee showing of Spamelot. "A movie?" I asked as I hadn't heard of it. "No," she said, "it's a play!" She described it as a musical comedy spoof about King Arthur and said that we were driving there with our friends, the G's.

Holy crap! Now, that's what I've always wanted to do for my birthday. A dream I thought that would never come true. But it had.

Actually, I enjoyed the costumes, sets, singing, and some of the dancing. The only thing is, was that all of the actors were dressed in their bright colorful leotards, with socks or such stuffed in their crotches, to give them an appearance of a manly and studly Knight of the Round Table. I just don't care for that crap.

Soon, it was over though, and we went to dinner. Now, that's what birthdays are for! It was great. And following dinner, we stopped at my favorite Do it Yourself store (aka Lowes). We could have just celebrated my birthday there!

All in all, it was a special day that I will not likely soon forget (or should it be forget soon). Sorry, I'm still got that song from the play, "I'm not yet dead," going through my head. Or was it, "I'm not dead yet?" Whatever it was.....

So, now that I know how to do special things for birthdays, I think I'll take my wife fishing for hers. I know she will just love it!

The Thought Dock.
.

What's in a Dock?

.
I never ever dreamed that I would ever, ever live in a place like this. A waterfront home on a quiet lake nestled in a forest.

But it was The Dock that intrigued me most. It was the icing on the cake. My very own private dock where I could fish from, launch a boat, or bake in the sun. Some of you know The Dock personally.

I believe The Dock was built many years ago from lumber harvested on the site. The wood was cut from heavy logs, which became water logged and springy. It extended only about 20 feet from the shoreline and the water was less than a few feet deep at the end. It seemed unsafe to even walk on, and there was no way I could get my ski boat to it. I couldn't even fish from it because the Lilly pads consumed the water just in front of The Dock. I thought it was rickety and just had to be rebuilt.

Now that the house is mostly finished, I've been spending more time on The Dock. I've learned that there is much more to The Dock. I've found how to cast over the Lillies to fish, and now have a flat bottomed fishing boat that will handle the shallow water. We also have a peddle boat to go out and watch the Ospreys fish. And I've realized I'm too old to water ski, so we'll likely trade that for some other toy.

I've enjoyed The Dock more lately even though I have not fished or boated from it recently. It has become my special place. A place where I can be alone, among the solitude of God's creations, just to think and thank. The drive to rebuild it is not so great now, because it is perfect to me just the way it is (but I still might fix it up some day).

I know some of you have learned as much about me as I have learned about me in the past few months. I owe the brilliance in me that you see to the "Thought Dock." Like Mount Sinai was to Moses, the Thought Dock is to me.
.

An Untold Benefit

.
There are many reasons to have frequent medical and dental visits.

And, I'm sure that most of you know most of the reasons.

But here is one that comes to my mind that you might not have thought of:

The absence of current and accurate medical and dental records make it very difficult for law enforcement to identify your remains in the advent of a natural disaster, murder, or just plain "lost in the woods."

Support your local Police. A reduction of the hours spent on your identification could result in a reduction of taxes for your heirs.

Meanwhile....Back to The Dock.
.

She is Back

.
That lovely, loving, funny, comforting, and cuddling wife of mine has returned home. Our home. I missed her, but she doesn't think so. She missed me even more, but won't admit it. And so things go. I didn't get a chance to thoroughly clean the house while she was gone. There were just too many movies and ball games to watch. But I did make a dent in it.

Aside from the ever growing annoyances of air travel, she had a nice time. Time with her old family, and time with our new family that was brought to us through her son's marriage. She said the visit itself was incredible and was the best ever. But she has come to realize that SoCal, aside from family, friends and memories, is no longer for her. I feel the same as well.

Anyway, she is gratefull to those that made her trip so nice, and regrets not having the time to spend time with more of our SoCal friends.

Now, she's back at work while it drizzles at The Dock.

Torture Poll

.
Well, the Torture Poll is closed and I want to thank you all very much for taking part in it by giving your honest answer. In case you did not see the results before I removed it, there were a total of 7 votes cast; 6 of which were in some form of the "yes" category.

Now, a yes is a yes, no matter how you condition it. So it came out that 86% of you would torture someone to save someone else's life. Now, at first glance, I thought my poll was flawed because it is nearly opposite of what the American people publicly express.

But it is not flawed. The fact is that when asked publicly for their opinion, by far most Americans condemn any kind of torture. But they all know, deep inside, that they would do it without hesitation to save a loved one, and most any other innocent human being.

But the same is true about so many other of our feelings. People cried out publicly when they saw the cops beat Rodney King into submission, but at their dinner table most said they would have shot him to death.

People cried out publicly when they heard about the teacher duct taping her out of control grade school student to his chair, but in their living room, they laughed about it and said the child probably deserved it.

People cry out publicly when they hear about a family of four that were killed by a drunken driver, but drive home in private after slurping their cocktails in a tavern.

People contribute publicly to the mentally ill lady begging for help in front of the grocery store, but sneer as they walk away and hope that she would just leave their neighborhood. And people are kind to the autistic child while in public, but know they would abort an ill fated birth of their own.

And so it goes. Not always is what one says in public is what they will do in private. You know I'm right. And I know I'm right because I've been there and have had the time to study my inner self from the privacy of The Dock.
.