The Breaking of a Moral Compass

During WWII, Americans were called upon to aid in the war effort. By sacrificing here, “The boys in Europe won’t go without!” When asked “What are YOU doing to fight the enemy?”, average Americans could point to their ‘Victory Garden’. That helps keep our boys fed ‘over there’! It made the war’s end seem achievable with a point of unity. Together, we can see this through. No doubt that helped win the war.

After September 11, 2001, the public ached from the sudden loss, just as at the beginning of WWII. As our anger and grief turned to concern and support for our troops in a new war, average Americans again asked what they could do to contribute to the effort, to bring closure to such a deep wound.

George W. Bush told us that we should continue our lives like before. Go buy a car. Spend money. The goal of the enemy is to disrupt your daily life. In essence… Go shopping or the Terrorists win.

THAT has improperly closed a MASSIVE wound in the Nation’s collective mindset. By the account of most observers, GWB had cute ‘mannerisms’, and that the go shopping statement was a kinda joke…. ha ha. But average Americans did as told. Having faith in the system of justice and our moral high ground seeming to be on secure footing, we did just as he asked, hoping that THIS might sooner bring an end to the pain we felt from that day’s loss.

A seemingly unending war on an idea. An idea being fought with ignorance. In order to secure ourselves, we must push away those who would only seek to help and strengthen your position. In order to fight this anger and hate, we must unite in anger and hate toward our enemy- An idea that fear and anger are the winners in a discussion of ideas.

… are you confused yet?

The enemies of Our Country are fighting this battle RIGHT NOW. The Russian attempt to influence US Elections was successful. They INFLUENCED Americans, motivated people to ACTION here in the USA, to go to demonstrations, and executed it all from OUTSIDE the US.

This was Round #1. They are ONLY getting started.

Most of us aren’t even AWARE there is a war going on.

To be Blunt for a moment…. All Americans consume a steady diet of news from an obviously deeply interested corporate media titan of one type or another. It is a fact, even if you were not fully aware of it. And no matter who you are, or what color your favorite Kool-Aid is, we ALL recognize ONE THING:

ALL of them are full of it.

Weather you consume yours with ‘red sauce’, or you prefer ‘blue sauce’, in the middle, under all that ‘sauce’… is still a big pile of it. But we are still not fully aware of the magnitude of the battle.

The problem is our bullshit is being compromised.

PROPOGANDA designed to invoke a feeling. Our enemy knows what makes us ‘tick’, and can be sneaky. There is a BATTLE going on on your smart phone, in your email box, and even on your Facebook page. You are in the crossfire everyday you participate in the virtual world. Every American, and every citizen on this planet who values free speech, is in a war.

“What can Americans do to help win the war? We Want to Help!”

This Battle will require us all to secure our individual identities. To make ourselves digitally secure. It also requires EVERYONE of us to become computer literate. To become masters of our own identities. Just as one would with a social security number and driver’s license, etc. Your virtual digital identity is even more important. So, the “Call to Arms” for the citizens of THIS moment is a simple one. The MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON against the bad actor with bad intentions is still the same-

“Arm yourselves with KNOWLEDGE.”

Keep your head UP!!

Addiction is a Treatable Disease.

“Good Person, Bad disease.”

That’s how it was explained to me when I sought treatment for alcoholism over ten years ago. The human mind, each as varied and unique as stars in the sky, have the same ability to succumb to disease. When we live in a world that the human mind has created, and imagine now what will be manifest tomorrow, we can forget sometimes, the incredible ability of the human mind to deceive itself.

The treatment of underlying mental problems with a doctor can help bring to an end the problems surrounding the addiction, but as part of successful on going recovery from addiction, knowledge is the strongest medicine anyone can receive. Knowing why one continues to engage in reckless behavior, arms that person with the ability to keep the mind in check.

Treatment of Disease vs. Criminal Offense

By treating a disease as a violation of law, we ask our police and first responders to assume a task, they were NOT interested in pursuing- psychologist. Instead of treating diseases of the mind as they should be, with trained medical professionals and support from others, we arrest people who repeatedly go back to their addictions after “time served” or “sentence fulfilled”. More cops to ‘treat’ more ‘victims’ of an epidemic.

“This Man needs Emergency surgery! I’ll call the Police…”

No! And that’s not who should be taking care of people who are dealing with the disease of substance abuse. Support, education, opportunities, and regular contact with a professional who can advise and prescribe whatever is needed to treat this disease of the mind.

IF we turned our attention to this topic, it would relieve a HUGE amount of stress from the back of law enforcement. It would save lives. BUT we must give those who seek it, the ability to succeed. Addiction cannot be solved in prison, yet criminals can be addicts as well. Let us find the Wisdom to know the difference.

Keep your head UP!!

Saturday

My Saturday usually starts by being kicked out of bed at 0900 when Jessie (my wife) comes home. Sometimes I get lucky and she lets me sleep longer, but being a night shift nurse, her sleep pattern can be easily disrupted. If you’ve worked night shift or lived with someone who has, then you understand. Some days it’s hard to come home after a 13 hour shift and try to sleep as the birds are singing and the sun is burning off the dew.

Matt and Garrett (my sons, 12 and 10 respectively) spend Friday night binging online games with their friends since they can’t play on school nights. So either they wake up super early or sleep in from being up late. Usually they rotate who plays first and trade off who sleeps in on Saturday and Sunday. My wife is a gamer girl, so when she wakes up in the afternoon, she will jump in and play Fallout 4 on xBox as they find something else to pass the time.

And they all deserve the respite. She spend 12 to 13 hours in an ICU setting dealing with children with cardiac issues. Some of the hardest stories you’d ever heard. Some of the hardest stories I wish I’d never heard. So, she likes to destroy DIGITAL ghouls and build settlements and dress the settlers in each community in various themes. One settlement is all formal wear, another is all lab coats, one is dedicated to making donuts.

And the boys, if they make it through a week of school focused and doing what they are supposed to, then they can spend as much time as they want (within reason) learning and executing the various gaming platforms. That’s what they want their profession to be, digital design, et al. Then they are doing both relaxing and educating. Plus, it’s not like it was “back in MY day…” (Oh no… Here we go…) when we played video games for hours on end we were seen as antisocial or reclusive. Now, players are interacting with people from all parts of the globe, team building, executing prepared strategies, and completing various objectives cooperatively!

As Matt points out, “why can’t we play during the week?” Good question…

Yet, me… I don’t get a weekend off. I am “on call” 24/7. I am “Johnny-On-The-Spot” when things need to be done. When someone gets sick, when something comes up, when we need toilet paper, “Come, Captain Greenback. To the Grocery-getter… AWAY!”

The dishes don’t clean themselves on the weekend. (sadly…) The floors still get dog fur all over them on Saturdays. And allergy attacks in the middle of the night still happen on Saturday. Though not as much as when they were younger, they still need some assistance. We are lucky to have one parent at home. Not everyone can have that.

And we do it a great cost. No doubt. It is hard to make ends meet, let alone get above water with one person at home. It can lead to some heated arguments about money. It’s not easy, for a guy, to be a “housewife” in our society. It is becoming more acceptable. But the stereotypes persist. It can take a toll on a person mentally. It demands self sacrifice that not everyone knows. My needs have to be the needs of the family. Even if my needs are the most important focus of the day, I cannot plan on anything concrete, because I can be called to pick up a kid with a fever from school, asked to get snacks for an ICU full of nurses that someone forgot that it was today and needs it in 2 hours before she has to go to work.

And all of that can be upended by the weather. It is Springtime in Kansas. No one here doubts for a second that, at any time, the sky could decide your game is over. It ads a bit of urgency to your day when black clouds roll off the prairie. It forces a person to take note of what matters most. And to work toward protecting that as best as you can.

As my wife and I struggle to keep it together, financially, as we put so much time, money, and effort into making our house a “net zero” house, with self sufficiency and climate change preparedness our priority, doing the “right” thing over the “wanted” thing is hard. As I sit here writing, and hear a “baby boomer” roar down the street on Harley-Davidson, I wonder if I should have not spent money on the granite we put on the outside of our home, the R30 insulation in the walls and attic, and the wind turbines I still need to install.

All of my time, effort, and money is invested in a future outcome. Gambling, in a sence. With such high stakes, I hope I get it right. Granite’s not as fun to ride as is a Harley-Davidson! It will last a bit longer, though.

Keep your head UP!!

Stand, Before That Right is Taken Away.

Yesterday, I lost my ability to use Twitter. I was shocked. Not exactly sure why, have not been contacted by anyone. But I understand that it is not a platform I can use when I choose. I am ALLOWED to use it as SOMEONE ELSE chooses. I believed that was the case when I started, and as I have spoken out, I have noticed certain “glitches in the Matrix”, that show there are ‘eyes’. THAT IS ONE POINT OF MY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

1.) Can this be done?

2.) IF this CAN be done, WHO CAN DO THIS?

3.) WHO IS THE GATEKEEPER?

3a.) who SHOULD be the gatekeeper?

VIRTUAL IDENTIFICATION

…is a brand new idea, and our digital lives are a REAL thing that will exist, potentially, forever. We are ALL currently engaged in a World War. It has been discussed in vague terms, veiled in ‘virtual’ and ‘in-essence’ descriptors, but no one has addressed HOW this fight is fought.

IF we are ALL the SOLIDERS, SHOULDN’T WE BE ARMED??

And, as an ALLEGORICAL call to arms, this is so unreal. The answer is simple-

EDUCATE. FIGHT THE TROLLS. Critical thought. Honest open debate shows where BAD ACTORS hide. As Citizens, we know other citizens. The cracks in the digital warfront lie in the inability of our enemies to BE in an American Community. To be living and socializing, and interacting, and contributing, and KNOWING what’s going on, on a daily basis, SHOWS clearly when people are not afraid to discuss hard subject matters.

Knowing we are SUPPORTED and ENCOURAGED to contribute to the NATIONAL CONVERSATION, whether our ideas are deemed ridiculous or genius, is necessary. Be CONFIDENT… I want to hear the TROLLS loud and clear! So I know where I can stand on firm ground, next to people from the home of the free.

I am hopeful I will be allowed do this. If so, who do I have to thank? Hmmm… I think I like that. I’ll leave it right there.

Keep your head UP!!

So Here I Sit…

Facebook closed my account in the first three days of starting it. (back in February)

Today, Twitter says something is “technically wrong”… but Twitter is up.

I guess every Presidential campaign has it’s setbacks. Some are huge. Some are bumps in the road. Overcoming obstacles shows what a person is made of. HOW that happens displays either courage or incompetence. How someone reacts can show what their motivations truly are. It can also stand as a ‘great filter’ of sorts. Keeping elements segregated. Sorting the wheat from the chafe.

At this moment, I feel scared. Yes, for my Presidential chances, obviously. But I fear more for the future of the First Amendment. IS it an illusion? When one acts in ‘good faith’, with pure motives, OPEN and HONEST, and not be allowed to voice their opinion, to be debated in an open and honest manner, do we really have freedom to speak? I cannot even find out what or why, as both Facebook and Twitter have not contacted me further.

“You can do it your own way, If it’s done just how I say.” -Metallica

keep your head up.