"Never Give Up, Never Surrender"

I love that line from the movie, Galaxy Quest. If you’ve never seen a good “spoof” movie, then take a Whirl with this one. I think it applies to bloggers just as easily as it does to goofy star ship crews.

Speaking of Whirl, I was reading an interesting blog from Instapundit ( for some reason I cannot quietly link to Instapundit so I will uncover it.)http://instapundit.com/archives/021196.php who had linked to Batesline, (which also will not link the way I wanted to.) http://www.batesline.com/archives/001274.html

The blog was all about the Tulsa World threatening a blogger for quoting and linking directly to their web site. I followed the links in the blog and found the the legal president which pulls the teeth out of such a threat. I took the time to save that articulation for future reference.
( link for legal president found in title line )
“By Grampa’s Hammer…I shall avenge you.!”. If you can’t have some fun with your blogs then why bother. I may link to the “Tulsa Whirl” some time soon just so I can get a nasty letter too.

Its not as much fun writing a blog when the tools for linking don't function properly.

A Little Time for Reading

I had some time on my hands and was able to
post a few more chapters of my novel,
Pecaw's Gift

An Ode to America

My thanks to Uncle Jim for sending this to my email. I had read this once before; it had the same effect on me then. To all the fans of Michael Moore, the Hollywood crowd who have forgotten who we are and to the jelly fish backboned quivering in the shadows; I place this before you to your shame and to your cowardice. Thank God most Americans are worth the effort. I took the liberty of removing all the email tags and have left the document exactly as it came to me.

"We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA. Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii, meaning "Ode To America" on September 24, 2002, in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei ("The Daily Event" or "News of the Day").

~An Ode to America~

Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.

Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.

After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.

On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America"! I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours, listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.

How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.

What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.

I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion...only freedom can work such miracles.

Cornel Nistorescu"

Backbone or Bonehead

The Unrepentant Individual blog "Time for a Strike” reminded me of an incident that happened while I was working as a night shift patrolman. The Houston Police Department had, at that time, implemented a “new” policy regarding hot pursuit car chases. There had been several high speed chases in the news and the editorial pages were brimming with public fears and talk about how much the City would have to pay out for damages caused by them.

The tone set by the new policy was fairly straight forward; in the event of any damages caused by a police chase, the officer/officers involved in that chase would be held accountable for those damages; regardless of circumstances for the chase. If the suspect’s vehicle ran a red light, collided with another citizen’s vehicle and there were injuries or death, it would be the officer’s responsibility. Somehow that didn’t sit well with me, shifting the responsibility from the criminal who was fleeing the law onto the shoulders of the police officer attempting to enforce those laws. The Department did build a “way out” clause into the policy to make it look like “hot pursuit” chases were permissible and leave it up to the line officer to determine the point at which a chase had become “too dangerous” to continue.

I had answered a burglary alarm call and upon arrival to a large automotive parts warehouse, met the bad guys as they were leaving. They were in a stolen pick up truck that was loaded with those fancy chrome wheel rims stolen from the warehouse. There were two bad guys in the back of the truck throwing those stolen rims at my patrol car as the chase began. I was a one man unit because the City didn’t have enough money to hire enough officers; but that is an entire blog unto itself.

I put the chase out over the radio while increasing speed through a neighborhood with stop signs, still dodging those boxes with the wheel rims. I could see that the suspects were not stopping and the speed was getting ever higher as they approached a major intersection that was controlled by a traffic light system. Even at night the idea of busting through a major intersection at those speeds would be hazardous. A light bulb went off in my mind and the “new” chase policy, complete with judge, jury and lawyer fees flashed past me. The best part was that I had sense enough to advise the dispatcher that the chase had become too hazardous and that I was “dropping back”. I guess the suspects hadn’t read the policy as they were so busy watching me in the rear view mirror when they crashed and all fled into the night on foot, leaving the stolen truck which was now only half full of stolen goods.

It took severl hours to clean up the mess, write the reports and go over the Department’s recording of the chase. I was so glad that I had timed my observation and had documentation on the record absolving me of any damages or I would have been responsible for the destroyed stolen truck and any injuries to the suspects because of my actions.

This is what your local law enforcement officer is up against, and I retired back in 1992. I haven’t had to read any of the newer SOP’s that have been written to save the City and the Department from new litigation issues. I never was one to support such a thing as a Strike by police officers. It seemed anti-american or something at the time; mostly because those calling for such a Strike were blowing smoke about salary issues and labor union efforts. That kind of Strike violated my sense of right and wrong. The idea of an entire Department walking away from a City that has no sense of right or wrong, not having enough backbone to support their officers, even when it might get expensive in litigation, now that kind of Strike I could support.

With a Little Luck...

Two Short blurbs from Neil Boortz got me going this morning:

“Astronomers are telling us that a giant asteroid, over 300 yards wide, will narrowly miss the earth on April 13, 2029. That's 24 years from now. April 13, 2029, by the way, is a Friday the 13th. Democrats are already protesting the possibility of a preemptive strike on the asteroid.”

Scientist have not determined, at least nothing for certain, that the asteroid’s path; calculated along with the Earth’s rotation, placed California as its primary target. Place your feet into a pair of brown shoes at this time. This will match up perfectly with the 9th Circuit Court’s review of a heterosexual couple’s suit claiming that the State of California should not have annulled their union simply because they were of a different sexual orientation. Put that date on your calendar, April 13, 2029; maybe we will get lucky.

“California lawmakers are upset by hybrid automobiles. They don't use enough gas, which means they don't pay enough in gasoline taxes. So ... they're considering a "tax by the mile" system. You charge drivers for how many miles they use the roads. On the one hand it seems fair. On the other hand, it's just proof that there is no limit to the desire that politicians have to get their hands in your pockets.”

“With a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck when they come around you won’t be home”, is the line from My Fair Lady. The politicians still don’t understand that the money you take home from your labors is your money, not the government’s money. All the BS about making the air safe to breathe was a smoke screen. The Beatles had it right in their song, “Put rubber pennies on your eyes”, because they will tax you even when you die.

I pay my income tax quarterly since I am self employed. I have to estimate my profits and pay income taxes based on the negative assumption that I will not produce more than my predictions or else I have to pay a penalty on top of the tax. There is something fundamentally wrong with that philosophy. It would make much more sense to pay me a bonus for producing more; but when did government ever do anything logical?

Thanks to The Unrepentant Individual and A Red Mind in a Blue State for keeping this item in front of us. Did you know that when this country was founded that about 95% of all workers were self employed? Things have changed quite a bit, haven’t they? Glad I work for myself and have to keep track of how much the government takes from me on a regular basis.

This isn't the droid you're looking for either…

Neil Boortz must have been on the same page as me when he wrote his piece, “THE LATEST FROM THE TSA”.

I don't want to identify the airport ... but here's my latest TSA adventure. It happened over the weekend. As I approached the screening machine I was wearing a colored t-shirt (t-shirt of color, if you will) with an unbuttoned long sleeve sports shirt. The lady shoving the luggage into the machine told me I had to remove my jacket.

"It isn't a jacket. It's my shirt."

"Well you have something on under it."

"That's my undershirt."

"Well, you're wearing it like a jacket, so you'll have to take it off."

"What if I just button it?"

"That would be OK".

So .. I buttoned it up and went on through .... wondering just where they get some of these people, During that flight I couldn't help but think that my safety was dependent on a woman who couldn't tell a sports shirt from a jacket and who thought that by somehow buttoning it up all threats were removed.

The old Jedi mind trick, “This isn’t the terrorist we are looking for…. Move along”, works at other airports.

In a similar blurb coming out of the A/P, “Airport screener misses butcher knife in purse”.

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) -- A security screener at Newark Liberty International Airport failed to spot a butcher knife in a passenger's pocketbook and was removed from the said.

The screener was removed from the checkpoint and will undergo remedial training, TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

The Jedi had this thought for the sleeping storm trooper, “This was the knife we were supposed to be looking for… move along”

Pecaw's Gift.... continued

Check out Stern's Stories were I
have placed several more chapters
of the novel.

This isn't the droid you're looking for. . .

Once a week I have the honor of picking my daughter up at the airport when she gets in from her business travels. I make every attempt to smile and pretend to be courteous to the security Gestapo posted to prevent terrorist, like myself, from parking anywhere on the airport property. The idea being that someone might park a bomb close to one of the terminals.

I see no point in driving around the terminal complex like a hamster for their amusement and so I have found a few inconspicuous nooks. One of them is a reserved parking place for employees. I was enjoying my music with the windows down on my green Z coupe when one of our Gestapo drove up, on my passenger side, and motioned for me to move along. I ignored him and looked the other direction; forcing him to exit his vehicle and actually carry on a conversation with me.

"Are you an employee?"

"Yes Sir, I am" It was a true statement, under the wide scope of the given question. I didn't say for whom I was employed.

"I need to see your ID badge."

"I no longer wear a badge, Sir. I keep my ID in my pocket." It were as if he had explained that the badge was what he wanted to see. I pulled out my wallet, thumbed to my retired Houston Police Department ID card and "flashed" it in his direction; making sure that my thumb covered the red ink stamped "retired".

"Do you work here often?"

"Only about three or four times a month, Sir", and then I threw in, "From now on when you see my little green Z you'll know its okay." It's an old Jedi mind trick, "This isn't the droid you're looking for. . .park as long as you need to, Sir."

I should feel terrible for having "badge'd" a parking place; except I don't. I also know that the Gestapo are too easily horns waggled.

Remote Viewing to Spy

I thought “Sci-fi” the first time I read this story’s headline. Remote Viewing, the stuff that you see at 7pm on Monday where the pretty lady with blond hair can see the bad guy stuff the dead body into the trunk of a car folded up in the red carpet, that kind of Remote Viewing; turns out that its for real. The government actually had a "black operation" that was using it to spy on the world. The old phrases, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and “a penny for your thoughts”, take on new meaning.

Maybe I should participate in that course, take a look at the Indian reservation where Ward Churchill grew up. “I see a large pile of manure, a pair of brown shoes, no wigwams yet, I see the American flag in a trash can next to a blackboard, now its on fire…are you getting all this?”, but I could see that long before I closed my eyes.

While on this Sci-fi binge, here’s part two of today’s reality installment:

The Ascent of the Robotic Attack Jet

“Last April, a low-slung aircraft, about the size of a sport utility vehicle but with batlike wings similar to those of the B-2 stealth bomber, took off, flew at 10,500 meters and then dropped a 110-kilogram inert precision bomb while zipping along at 700 kilometers per hour. Four months later, a pair of the aircraft took off and flew together. These were modest stunts, to be sure, except for this fact: the jets have no pilots. They are the future of warfare, the first working models of networked autonomous attack jets, and the U.S. Department of Defense would like to start building them by 2010.”

Now lets see if the fellow in room number one can target the robot plane from his joy stick so that it hits the target. Oh, come on, where’s your sense of fun?

Standing for Something

I found that the information in the following quote to stand on its own:

"In our day those found in dishonesty aren't put to death, but something within them dies. Conscience chokes, character withers, self-respect vanishes, integrity dies. How cheaply some men and women sell their good names!" -
Gordon B. Hinkley - Standing for Something p. 13

In his blog, One Man Against the World, alt – ctrl – del, points out that Evil is at war with Good. That war has been going on since before the first man, Adam, was placed on this Earth. ( I suppose that with a line such as that I can forget mending fences with the evolutionist sector. ) Those forces which fuel the war between Evil and Good are all part of the Great Deceiver’s war chest and will continue to redouble their efforts until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The victory, which has already been written of in the scriptures, goes to those who are able to follow the teachings of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Those who choose to ignore the important lessons taught therein, those who are so filled with hatred have been blinded and cannot see that they are following Satan down the path unto their own destruction. Unfortunately our public schools are no longer permitted to reinforce the basic teachings found in the scriptures and the courts of the land are still under the mistaken interpretation of Justice Black who introduced the idea of separation of church and state. My fear is that the academia of the liberal left has such powerful hatred and contempt for the conservative religious right; that along with their position that they may and will convince so many innocents along the way.

The issue is not weather George W. Bush or The Pope is the target of those Evil Forces; rather, it is Anyone who chooses to stand for something good. The forces of Evil have been aimed at individuals from the beginning, even though individuals tend to form groups. The first recorded was with Adam and Eve in the Garden; but you won’t hear about that one in any of the public schools, now will we? We are all being attacked on a moment to moment on going battle. The divisive tactics that seem to blur more individuals are employed, Blacks versus Whites has been very effective, Rich folks versus Poor folks, Serb/Croat and so on until we are all brought down to some level of forming an attitude of hatred.

There is a defense that works against the forces of Evil; choose to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, do what he would do by setting the standard of human interaction. Go to church, teach the basics to your family and make your own homes safe havens from the Evil that is all around us. Simple, not easy to do; but simple.

Can You Say, “Flip Flop”

The University of Colorado reversed itself this afternoon, and is allowing Ward Churchill to give a speech tonight on campus. ( I had gone back to check my “links” to make sure they were all working and I noticed that the original story from World Net Daily had changed. )

"Ron Stump, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said, according to the Rocky Mountain News. "Today, we met again with students who retracted their earlier reports of death threats and urged us to allow the event to go forward."

I think they crumbled when the letters "ACLU" came up; you bunch of wimps ( The new "fight song" at the University of Colorado will have to be changed. "Oh I wish I were and Oscar Meyer Weiner...)

I still contend that the University has left itself wide open for major litigation in the event that the “phantom death threat” is ever carried out by some of the “wackos” previously mentioned.

In the words of some other insignificant statesman, “I voted for it; just before I voted against it.”, or something like that….

9-11 Professor Sues Over Canceled Speech

Thanks to PowerPundit for his link to this article. I thought all the brouhaha about Ward Churchill had died out for at least another day or two; guess I was wrong.

“On Monday, CU administrators announced they had canceled Churchill's planned speech because of security concerns, reported the Denver Post. Earlier this month, Hamilton College in upstate New York canceled a speech by Churchill because of death threats against the professor and its administrators.”

David Lane, an ( ACLU ) attorney for a pro-Churchill student group, told Denver station KDVR-TV: "The university ... is obligated to provide security for Ward Churchill. They simply can't put a gag in his mouth by telling him, 'Well, there are these violent wackos out there that want kill you so we're not going to let you give your speech.'"

(This is the same David Lane who is serving as co-counsel on the case in which the ACLU filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the constitutionality of a new law that requires teachers and students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day in all Colorado public schools.)

The most important reason given for canceling the speech was a concern for the safety and well being of Professor Churchill; whose life had been threatened, along with those who might be in close proximity of him. The American Civil Liberties Union has defended Churchill, calling on regents, legislators and the governor "to stop threatening Mr. Churchill's job because of the content of his opinions." In other words they are attempting to link all of Churchill’s woes to the First Amendment and his right to free speech. Either that or they suspect that the regents, the legislators and the governor are the primary suspects in the threats on Churchill’s life. (They might have to get in line)

Unfortunately for us all; Mr. Churchill's speech isn’t free. He’s a paid representative of the University of Colorado and when he is on loan to other “establishments of higher learning” he is paid a fee on top of his teaching salary. I see nothing “Free” about it.

Maybe a refresher course in First Amendment is in order:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Look at what it says, “Congress shall make no laws…”, it says nothing about the private sector being able to regulate its own affairs, nothing. This has been abused for so long that kids think they can talk back to their parents, that they can talk back to teachers, that employees can say whatever they want and so on until there is no accountability for ones actions. This was never the intent of the First Amendment.

Take a giant leap forward into the litigation industry; what kind of damage lawsuits would be filed if the university had permitted the speech to go on? Even had additional security measures been taken, even had the university done everything humanly possible; if anyone were injured or killed there would be no way to defend themselves. The only way to avoid that particular lawsuit was to wash their hands of the gathering altogether.

The next step for the University of Colorado is to terminate Churchill’s employment altogether. The same security risks will continue for anyone who is about him when he teaches. If only one student were to be injured as a result of some “wacko’s” attempt to silence Churchill it could bankrupt the university due to their negligence to take proper precautions.

“It’s not personal, its only business.”, as they say.

*** Here is an interesting PS: You will have to read my very next blog to believe it.***

Texas is Running Out of Prison Cells – Again

I was listening to a news blurb while driving on the way to a job. It came down the fact that there are so many people in our Texas Prison System that there is no room for new offenders. There was some comment regarding what kind of tax increase would be needed to build more prisons or if there would be some relief created with some early parole of the less violent prisoners.

Ben Danmytt, wrote an article about "Tolerance" back on November 17, 2004 and brought up something interesting,

”In 2002 Oregon was struggling with their budget, not enough money for schools nor enough for prison. The great Oregon legislators came up with a brilliant plan to solve this. In the voters pamphlet for that year I read something that still shocks me today. They called it a temporay income tax increase. The Oregon legislators thought (wrongly) that the people of the state would vote for this tax to save their schools even though they had wasted all the moneys we had already given them. However, just as a side bar to help ensure the voters voted "Yes" they added a threat: should this temporay tax not be passed the drastic cuts that would have to be made would force them (the OR gov.) to release 1400 prisoners that they could no longer afford to imprison. Naturally the already highly taxed citizens wouldn't hear of another tax hike, temporary or not. So when it came time to vote the measure failed as did our trust in the government when they came through on thier threat to release the prisoners they promised. The kicker here is the criminals they put back on the streets not the harmless but stupid pot heads, but hardened, violent criminals including rapest and child molesters. It gets better, and more horrorfing, the people of my home state tolerated this.”

I have a better idea; actually its not my idea at all, read about it a while back. There was some place, here in the good ole’ USA, where they had a similar problem. Rather than raise taxes and further burden the citizens this one fellow, I think it was a county sheriff, decided that it would be very inexpensive to start housing the inmate populaiton in tents. There would be a secured perimeter just as with a standard prison with walls except that the cells would cost a mere fraction of what brick and cement walls cost. There would be, needless to say, a much more limited comfort zone for prisonersl; but no more so than what our Soldiers have to put up with. I know, the ACLU, is chomping at the bit to have a “prisoner’s rights” case. I say let’s throw them a bone.

Ten extra credit points to the first blogger to come up with the sheriff’s name and the original news story I couldn’t find.

It might take all of a month or two tops, to set aside some area for tents and port-a-johns, put up some tents with cots or sleeping bags, fill up the moat with hungry crocks … you get the picture. Think how much money would be saved if the prisoners had to sew their own tents and sleeping bags before they were able to enjoy the safety those items provide from the elements. Our Soldiers have to endure the elements with a lot more danger involved; why should prisoners be permitted to have “work out areas”, “entertainment systems” and all the comforts of home?

After putting all the prisoners into tents, that would leave the prisons free to use for something better. Maybe the taxpayers would be happier if those prisons were turned into public schools. It would give the students a better comprehension of the choices in front of them and at the same time get the most bang for the buck. The homeless who live under bridges or behind the 7 -11 stores could be sheltered in the evening and at night to make even more use of the same buildings.

Knowledge Comes With a Price Tag

I am not a talk show host or some kind of celebrity who gets perks on the side. ( That’s not entirely true; last week I got some complimentary tickets from Munday Chevrolet, to see the Auto Show just because I was their locksmith. My wife, both of my daughters and even my grandson had a wonderful time and saved some money.)

I was listening to the afternoon talk show, a brief interview with Mark Levin. He was given a chance to hype his new book, “Men In Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America”. It was one of those interviews that I wished I could have listened to from beginning to end; however, I still have to work for a living. The good thing is I was able to get some work done; great except that when the job I was doing was over, so was the interview.

It did get me hooked on the idea that I wanted a copy of his book. I do remember the talk show host going on about how neat it was that he had already read his “Free” copy and was more than excited about the information it had. I put my order in; should be about a week before I get to do some first hand digging into the book. It cost me $ 18.45 at Amazon.com, that was the reduced price since I bought some other books while I was there. Those are crafty folks and they know that book junkies can never eat just one.

Rules of Blogging

When I was a field training instructor (FTI) for the Houston Police Department I would instruct the probationary police (PPO) in the basic approach to his/her job. I had a printed set of instructions that would remind each PPO that anything he/she did, on or off duty, should fit within the guidelines of the Department’s Rules Manuel or some known State or Municipal law.

A simple rule of thumb was to think before acting; I know, some of you are pointing to that thick manila personnel folder with my name on it and wondering, “Isn’t this the same guy who…?” I will avoid that last question and move along.

Any answer, such as, “I saw it on TV”, or “That’s the way Harry Callahan did it in Dirty Harry.”, or “I don’t know why I did it.”, were all considered to be “Not well thought out”.
I would then continue by adding, “Never say anything to anyone, including another police officer, that you would not want printed on the front page of the Houston Chronicle.” I think this same general advice would serve anyone planning to blog.

I was reading a blog from Lorimer which he called “Another one bites the dust”. (Think I’ll put on the Queen album and …)

I like his words of caution, “The line dividing free speech and libelous remarks contained in blogs is still blurred.” He referred to a couple of different BBC articles which you can read if you link to Lorimer’s blog. In those articles I found some good information; two of which I will put here in my own blog.

One blogger was quoted with the following,

“I would say to potential bloggers that you should think carefully about what you reveal, so that it can't be traced back to you.” This is good common sense if you plan to keep yourself anonymous.

I am more tuned in with a different approach as stated by yet another blogger,

“I don't blog about anything, or share opinions, that I wouldn't feel happy talking about up on a stage in front of friends and strangers.”

Here are the 12 Rules of Blogging that are included in the BBC article.

1. Make it clear that the views expressed in the blog do not necessarily represent the views of the employer
2. Respect the company's confidentiality and proprietary information
3. Ask your manager if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in the blog
4. Be respectful to the company, employees, customers, partners, and competitors. Criticise but be balanced, give opportunity for feedback, and be justifiable.
5. Observe company requests that topics not be discussed for confidentiality or legal compliance reasons
6. Ensure that your blogging activity does not interfere with your work commitments or employee relations
7. Tell the truth and write with balance and accuracy. Acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly. Acknowledge conflicts of interest
8. Keep records of original posts and indicate where a message has been edited or summarised
9. Be prepared to delete inappropriate posts and spam or off-topic material
10. Reply to e-mails and comments promptly and be prepared to explain how complaints are being dealt with
11. Don't steal copyright material. Link to online references and original source materials directly
12. Keep private issues private and don't jeopardise the company's working relationships
Source: Nick Lockett, DL Legal

Now, "Go and do likewise".

Hoyle’s High Roller Club

TF is a member of Hoyle's
Virtual High Roller's Club.
Follow the link to read all
about one of my vices.

1400 Parking Tickets in One Day

In keeping with a promise I made to myself, blogs that I post on weekends will take on a more entertaining tone.

The title alone should make you want to read more. A long time ago in a City just down the freeway…

(If your seeing a diminishing title roll into the blackness of space and hearing regal music then your in for more diminishing returns as this true story unfolds, or is that unravels.)

My partner, to remain un-named, and I had almost no seniority when we were working evening shift downtown. Neither of us had any part of a weekend off and so we had the honor of noticing that almost nothing happened in downtown Houston on Saturday. We would drive around and since nothing was doing, we did nothing too.

One particular Saturday we were sitting in roll call and the Sergeant in charge was noticeably perturbed about something. “I got chewed out because you guys are not writing any parking tickets on Saturday. This is going to change as of today!”

We never wrote parking tickets on Saturday, not ever. There was some kind of unwritten code not to make it hard for those who actually came downtown on the weekend so they wouldn’t have to worry about plugging the meters. ( I know that some of you from New York City are already laughing since I said this was a true story; street parking being a totally different animal on the Houston scene back then.)

After roll call all of us low seniority officer had a second roll call. We decided that the Sergeant should not have to worry about getting chewed out again, at least not for the same thing. We all checked out an additional ten books of parking tickets, some of us more, all twelve of us, and agreed to make it happen.

We went by every fifteen minutes to check on expired parking meters; often having to check the time of the last ticket to make sure we had waited long enough. At the end of shift we turned in all 1400 parking tickets that we had written to the docket clerk’s office. It was a few minutes after 10:00pm when we handed her a medium sized cardboard box with all the tickets and at first she thought it was a joke. Then when she realized that she would have to enter each and every one of those parking tickets, enter them before she would be permitted to go home; she began to cry uncontrollably.

We then made the short trip down the hall and around the corner to Point Control's office and turned in our work cards; a detailed accounting of what each officer had done “for the City” that day, or better stated, what we had done “to the City” that day. Upon reaching the office our not so friendly Sergeant was sitting at his desk with a very unhappy citizen. There in his hand was a stack of tickets that had accumulated under his windshield wiper, his fingers fanning them as if they were a stack of dollar bills being counted.

“What am I supposed to do with these?”, half pleading and half yelling.

“I suggest you pay them.”, he dead panned while looking over to the group of smiling officers lined up at the door.

It didn’t help that we all let loose with a collective horse laugh to punctuate what the Sergeant had said. We never again were told to write parking tickets on Saturday or any other day after that.

No Free Pass for Academia

Eugene Volokh wrote, responding to the idea that Ward Churchill should be fired for his remarks regarding the victims of 9/11, “University professors are supposed to do a good job by saying what they think is right, even when that’s offensive or alienating to people. Such an ability to express highly controversial views, even views that many people find deeply offensive, is critical for the effective functioning of universities as institutions. If university professors know that expressing controversial views about the war effort, about racial differences, about sex or sexual orientation, and so on will get them fired, then effective scholarship and public debate about these issues would be very much stifled. A “ don’t offend the customers” or “if its controversial, don’t say it” approach may be perfectly sensible for many kinds of business or even government agencies. But it would be awful for universities.”

I have pondered the essence of what Eugene Volokh and Stephen Bainbridge have placed before us; the idea that members of the academia should be exempted from any personal responsibility for what they say, and it comes up short. I can understand and even agree that the introduction of varied thoughts, ideas that run in conflict with those that are currently acceptable, need to be protected so that fresh ideas may have a chance to flourish in the world of free thought; however, can anyone believe that individuals, regardless of their affiliations or job description, be exempted from being responsible for what they say or do. In this regard mankind, more specifically, “those citizens who reside within the area of influence and power” are the “customers” and academia must be held accountable just as much, maybe more than someone selling a product at the local market.

“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”, from the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Section 121:39. While this particular verse was written down to remind priesthood holders of the responsibilities associated with that sacred office; it also is a general observation on all mankind. I fail to see “wings” that elevate any member of the academia above the rest of us; possibly a few “horns” every here and there; but definitely no wings.

We have seen the eroding effect on our culture from years of abuse, some of it as a direct result from seditious activity within the academic community; much of that erosion would seem to follow the agenda found within the writings of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto.

It might be a good time for us to ponder the idea that we all must be held accountable for our actions, to include those things that exit the mouth and land on the ear. Most universities accept support from governmental agencies, in the form of grants and/or tax advantages. It would seem only proper that a reciprocal responsibility be established to honor the gift giver. Standing at the lectern to provide a challenging or rousing set of ideas cannot be compared to treasonous contempt for national or religious values. This has nothing to do with First Amendment rights guaranteed to us; although that has been thrown out as a band aide to hide the sore; no, this has to do with basic accountability. I am one of the customers of the educational system and I want a refund or at the very least; fire that jerk Churchill so that he can’t poison anyone else with his words.

Ward Churchill Is Only The Tip of an Iceberg

"Ward Churchill is the University of Colorado professor and far left activist whose inflammatory essay on the 9/11 terrorist act compared the victims thereof to "little Eichmanns”, taken from a blog written by Stephen Bainbridge.

I was reminded, through my various readings and comments regarding what Ward Churchill had said, of the line by Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Professor Stephen Bainbridge, corporate law professor at UCLA, wrote in his editorial blog,

“I stand by my view that the man is an ass. Unlike Churchill, however, I take a rather expansive view of the First Amendment. As one of those rare conservatives in the academy, moreover, it is in my self-interest to insist that tenure and academic freedom must be protected.”

I would have to part company with Professor Bainbridge when he stated that “tenure and academic freedom must be protected.” The right to free speech does not include the guarantee of employment, only that you have the right to make a fool of yourself. I’m not saying that the government should go after this fellow Churchill because he said some rather foolish remarks, only that there are limits to how foolish he can behave before his employer shows him the door.

I quote a line from Ezra Taft Benson, "These men of power, prestige, and great influence in the political structure of America have permitted the concept of `freedom of speech' to be expanded to include subversion, intimidation, sedition, and incitement to riot; they have condoned the distortion of `academic freedom' to encompass the adulteration of young minds with Communist doctrine and the disintegration of a well-disciplined educational system; they have allowed `freedom of assembly' to mushroom into disruption of peaceful activity, mob rule, riot, and insurrection.”

I was employed as a police officer by the City of Houston and during my twenty years as their employee it was understood that my actions and comments would be a reflection of the City of Houston. If at anytime it became apparent that my actions ran contrary to those considered to be acceptable my employment could be terminated under a general violation of a “common sense” clause that covered almost any non-specific that might come down the pike. Granted, “common sense” clauses make plenty of lawyers a full time income; the point being that the employer should always have the right to determine what image is to be presented to the public.

In the case of the University of Colorado having the right to terminate any of its employees, to include Ward Churchill, the same general “common sense” clause would have to be taken into consideration. I offer the following, “We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.”, from Section 134 of the Doctrines and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As governments have the right to protect their citizens, so it is with the private sector to protect themselves. Ward Churchill is not exempt from having to pay for the consequences of his own actions, to include the loss of his position as a teacher for an institution of higher learning. Whether or not he is guilty of treason or sedition is not the point of this article; however, it would seem that he clearly hates the United States of America and what we stand for. Is this the kind of person we want teaching young minds?

Edmund Burke, the great English statesman, explained that, "men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites,—in proportion as their love of justice is above their rapacity,—in proportion as their soundness and sobriety of understanding is above their vanity and presumption,—in proportion as they are more disposed to listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves. Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters." (The Writings and Speeches of Edmund Burke Vol. 4, pp. 51-52.)

I wouldn’t let Ward Churchill be a dog catcher, much less hold such the influential position of professor teaching at the University of Colorado. Show him the door!

We Need to Pay Attention

We Need to Pay Attention
Americans are Destroying America

During the State of the Union Address to the Nation, February 2, 2005, many interesting and important topics were highlighted. I will not attempt to share my thoughts on the entire address; limiting my focus to one area of that speech. After extolling the need to restructure Social Security, which I will leave alone for now, President Bush stated,

“Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.”

In his next sentence he continued,

“Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.”

This one part of the State of the Union Address is worthy of more than two sentences. I intend to expand those ideas. President Bush opened the door and the “loyal opposition” was given a chance to voice their message afterwards.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the new Democratic leader in the United States Senate in the Democratic Response to President Bush’s Address remarked,

“It's important that we succeed. It's time that America's government lived by the same values as America's families. It's time we invested in America's future and made sure our people have the skills to compete and thrive in a 21st century economy. That's what Democrats believe. That's where we stand. That's what we'll fight for.”

Senator Reid brought up the issue of morality and how it is perceived by our nation, its leaders and by the court system. There is a wide margin between what the “Liberal Left” has called “a family” and what the “Conservative “Right” calls a “family”. Senator Reid went on to tell a story,

“We were sitting down in a booth, when a young boy, about 10-years-old, named Devon walked up to us. Carrying a skateboard under his arm, he said, "Senator Reid, when I grow up I want to be just like you. Well, the truth is Devon could probably do a lot better. But the point still holds and it is this: no one ever had to tell young Devon to dream big dreams, no one ever had to teach him that America is a place of possibility. He knows those things because they are born deep in all Americans.”

I’m afraid that Senator Reid is missing the point, Little Devon does NOT know these things because they are NOT born deep in all Americans, and his line that no one ever had to teach him that America is a place of possibility is also off the mark.

Quoting Ezra Taft Benson, former Secretary of Agriculture, in a speech which was entered into the Congressional Record on April 22, 1968,

“If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers—normally good Americans, but Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free—Americans who have been lulled away into a false security."

"Morality, integrity, law and order and other cherished principles of our great heritage are battling for survival in many communities today. They are under constant attack from degrading and corrupting influences which, if not halted, will sweep away every vestige of decency and order remaining in our society."

In other words, our children must be taught, line up line and precept upon precept until they come to a full knowledge of their heritage, their responsibilities and their own individual possibilities. There is no chromosome that can transfer American History from one generation to another or impress upon our youth the sacred nature of our founding documents, our Christian foundations; these have to be taught. The process of passing along common values has been entrusted to us as parents; however, I cannot overlook the fact that most children attend public schools which is where a large percentage of general “knowledge” is given them.


Ezra Taft Benson continued to elaborate on the state of chaos which has been introduced,

"These men of power, prestige, and great influence in the political structure of America have permitted the concept of `freedom of speech' to be expanded to include subversion, intimidation, sedition, and incitement to riot; they have condoned the distortion of `academic freedom' to encompass the adulteration of young minds with Communist doctrine and the disintegration of a well-disciplined educational system; they have allowed `freedom of assembly' to mushroom into disruption of peaceful activity, mob rule, riot, and insurrection.

"Unless those in authority in the United States can be influenced to abandon the suicidal course on which they have embarked—or unless they can be replaced by men who will—we cannot hope to restore in our nation the kind of domestic peace and order which has made our many generations proud to be Americans . . . living in a land of freedom, security, opportunity, and justice under law.

While Ezra Taft Benson’s talk is quite lengthy, it does have at least a couple of more worthy quotes,

“We can never survive unless our young people understand and appreciate our American system, which has given more of the good things of life than any other system in the world—unless they have a dedication that exceeds the dedication of the enemy. Character must become important in this country again. The old essentials of honesty, self-respect, loyalty, and support for law and order must be taught the younger generation.”

Fast forward to the present and what is being taught to our children and to the future, what will be taught to them and it becomes painfully clear that our country is at a cross roads in time. Will our children be taught about the history as it actually happened, complete with reference to God and the importance of faith to our Founding Fathers or will it continue to erode into a Cliff Notes version that glosses over those important reasons for action. Will the concept of the “natural” family, a male husband married to a female wife with children born into a home be the rule or will it be perverted to include the “new tolerance” toward homosexual unions? These concepts are taught in schools to our children; exactly who is in charge of determining the content of what is being taught?

The answer to all the above is that there are enough Activist Judges already in high places who have no intention of following the Constitution or the ideology which our Founding Fathers had intended. The original documentation of what our Founding Fathers wrote and thought about is a matter of record; except that with each passing day, those records are being pushed further away from the light of day.

Quoting from, Alexander Hamilton and the Founding of the Nation, p. 462,

“Our priceless heritage is threatened today as never before in our lifetime: from without by the forces of Godless Communism, and at home by our complacency and by the insidious forces of the Socialist-Communist conspiracy, with the help of those who would abandon the ancient landmarks set by our fathers and take us down the road to destruction. It was Alexander Hamilton who warned that "nothing is more common than for a free people, in times of heat and violence, to gratify momentary passions, by letting into the government, principles and precedents which afterwards prove fatal to themselves."

It’s a shame that Senator Reid’s Democratic Party has abandoned him. I truly believe that he is an honorable man; unfortunately for us all, the Democratic Party is only a name that is used to hide the agenda of the New Socialist/Communist Party. Think about what is called tolerable; “Woman’s Choice which is another name for murder, Sexual Preference which is nothing more than denying the perverse activity between homosexuals, “Separation of Church and State” which is a perversion of the true nature of the original wording never intended to eliminate God or our dependence upon Him from government, falsifying history in order to minimize to the point of eliminating any and all reference to God and Faith in any social setting and the list keeps growing.

I will close and take as my own, the same words that Ezra Taft Benson used,

“As American citizens who love freedom, we must return to a respect for national morality—respect for law and order. There is no other way of safety for us and our posterity. The hour is late; the time is short. We must begin now, in earnest, and invite God's blessings on our efforts.

The United States should be a bastion of real freedom. We should not support the world's greatest evil, the Godless, Socialist-Communist conspiracy that seeks to destroy all we hold dear as a great Christian nation and to promote insidiously the breakdown of law and order and the erosion of our morality.

With God's help we must return to those basic concepts, those eternal verities, the rule of law and order upon which this nation was established. With an aroused citizenry and the help of Almighty God it can be accomplished. God grant it may be so, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”