I think the title says it all, don't you?
Where to begin? I've been listening to this man for years now. Well, that is not true either. I read more about what he says than actually sitting there listening to his rhetoric. As soon as I hear him, it reminds me of listening to someone pulling a record album off the player without moving the arm and you get that loud scratch against the needle. He makes a vein appear in my forehead.
This is supposed to be a man of the cloth. He is supposed to be preaching God's Word. What does he do? He gets out there and he politicizes everything but his main focus is the tyranny of the white caucasians against African-Americans. He looks for every possible incident and blames the white race. Now, who is prejudice against whom?
This man should be arrested for inciting riots. This man should be arrested for putting his nose in places where his nose has no right to be. This man should not be a representative for anyone. How diplomatic is he? How righteous is he? Do you really want him to negotiate for you? You may get what you want but you won't gain any new friends out of it.
If that man has a non-profit organization it better not be tax exempt. He is so political and so inciteful, he should be taxed for any donation he ever receives.
No, I am not an African-American. No, I was not born in the 1800s. No, I never owned any slaves and I never would. Would I give a job to an African-American? The real question is would I give a job to anyone? Yes, I would but with the condition that they are qualified, trained and able to do the job properly. There is no free ticket. There should be no free ticket. If someone told you, "Oh, your grades are not up to par and you have not really been trained in this but we have to make our diversity quota so you have the job.", would you want to work for someone who doesn't think that you are capable? Don't you think you should be capable?
What happens if someone was to work on your car that doesn't know how to do it but got the job because of a diversity quota. Well, your car may not get repaired properly. It may get repaired properly but over a long period of time. It may get repaired properly but it takes two people to do it, one to assist and the other to actually do the work. Is any of this efficient? Is any of this good customer service? I bet you Al Sharpton would want his car, whatever he drives, to be in perfect working order and complete in a certain amount of time. Of course, he deserves special treatment because he is Al Sharpton.
When are we going to realize that people like this are seeking attention so that they can make money. They are not out to help you. They are out to help themselves. The by product of their goal may be helping you but their real goal and their real intention is fame, fortune and power. The media eats this up. The media dives right on this because somehow this guy became famous. Somewhere he became an expert on something. As far as I am concerned he is an expert of spittle coming out of his mouth from yelling so much.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Struggling for Tomorrow
Today, Sunday, I went through my normal routine. I woke early enough to be prepared for the coming day. I showered, dressed, packed my crates in the vehicle and set up for Mass at 11 AM. After Mass, we pack the car and I head off for breakfast at a local restaurant. This is my normal routine almost every Sunday.
This morning I arrived at said local restaurant and order my "normal" breakfast: two scrambled eggs, bacon and a side of wheat toast and coffee with cream and sugar, of course. The normal conversations occurred. The normal people showed up and sat with me and spoke with me. However, today became different. Today became something new to me. A new awareness occurred. Today, I realized, I needed to say something about two things that were said to me.
The first was that two people were either fired or quit from the evening staff that I knew. The reason this occurred was, and this is second-hand information, that a racist individual or individuals came into the restaurant and did not want certain staff to wait upon them. This is unfortunate in America today. This should not be an issue. However, it was and so another staff member was going to take the table. This all sounds fine so far in the sense that customer service was working.
Unfortunately, the staff member who was treated with prejudice was upset. They had every right to be upset, however there is a time and a place for it. In your place of employment, where customer service is primary, it is best for the management to handle the situation at hand. Step away, keep your job and do not blame the other staff around you for the unfortunate racist people that still exist today.
Given the times, it was a difficult situation. The staff member in question is Egyptian, looking of Middle Eastern descent. There are people that are not fond of the Middle East in America right now. I am not fond of Al Qaeda or certain Islamic militants that do not believe in freedom but rather believe in death and destruction. However, I believe in freedom for those Middle Easterners that are here and are trying to live a life of freedom as Americans. I also believe in all immigrants who come into this country legally, enduring the governmental system. They have every right to be called Americans. They have earned that right and they also have earned a place to work in this country. They should have also earned a place in our hearts to be able to wait a table, to earn a living and to receive respect from their fellow Americans whether they were born here or not. Whoever that customer was, I would gladly take his or her food and dump it on their lap or over top of their head as a fellow customer who believes in the freedom that America offers.
Unfortunately the incident escalated. Now there are two staff members gone. Both the staff member accosted and the staff member who attempted to handle the situation have been either let go or quit. The story is still pending. But, the point that concerns me is that, because of the nature of a single individual, the racist attitude that permeates this individual, two people lost their jobs. Two people no longer are working, earning pay. This individual ignited something that did not need to occur. This individual managed to cause pain and hatred to come into the lives of two people who probably did not need this in their lives right now.
The second thing that occurred today at my brunch at Noon directly affected me. This is a "friend" of mine who happens to be a liberal. I sat with two of my so-called "friends" who implied that I have taken an interest in some of the younger staff of the feminine persuasion. While I compliment them and give them decent tips, there has never been any intention on my part to ever engage in anything else with the waitstaff other than conversation. These young girls could be my daughters at the age that I am and the age that they are. With that cleared, I explained this to my two "friends", who have such a high opinion of me I might add, and followed this up with the words, "I care about what happens to them. I even care about you two."
Here was the kicker to me. My liberal friend said, "You are not their father. You can not control what they do or do not do. Why do you even care. You are just going to stress yourself out on something that is out of your control." In response I said, "I care because I know what mistakes they are making and I don't want these kids to hurt themselves." He pressed the issue indicating that they are old enough to take care of themselves and I should just let them do what they want.
These "young adults" are doing drugs. These young adults are seeing men or going out with men that are at least ten years older than them. These young adults are drinking alcohol when they are with their friends and when they are with these older men. These young adults are making mistakes that their parents should be correcting but for whatever reason are not able to do so. They are having sex outside of wedlock, think they are in love and getting their hearts torn out by these older men. Their self-esteem takes a hit every day. I've even heard that they have been pregnant and have had abortions. Now, do I know which of them are doing what. No, I do not know each and every detail. But, am I not going to care what happens to them? Hell, no! I am going to care because if I don't who will? No, it is not my responsibility in technical terms but the life of a human being is each of our responsibility. We need to take action when we can if we truly care about life.
So, yes, I care about these young ladies. I care what happens to them. I do not want to see them living in a women's shelter, on the streets or with individuals who will take full advantage of them. I want to see these girls go to college or succeed at doing something that they love and learn responsibility. I want them to have self-respect and be able to hold their heads up high. Yes, they need to go through the pain of dating and learning about life through experience but do they need to go through it blindly and in an adult relationship? No! They need someone to listen to them. They need someone to bounce ideas off of and who genuinely cares for their well-being. They don't need someone to listen to them only with the ulterior motive, "to get in their pants".
There are so many people out there that are letting themselves go because they do not think that they are loved. Life is easier when they have friends who think they are wonderful. You have the wrong friends when all they are doing is sharing their drugs and alcohol with you and taking advantage of you. You have the wrong friends when they are not willing to tell you, "I care about you. I don't want you to hurt yourself any more. Please, please stop taking the drugs. Stop drinking the alcohol. Stop dating men who are almost twice your age and don't really care about you for you; they only care about satisfying themselves." A true friend who truly cares about you will do the difficult thing and say to you, "I want to help. I am here for you. How can I help?"
The silly part of all this is that these two men are in their 60s. I hadn't seen the one in a while and got concerned. I had heard that he had lost his job and wasn't feeling too good. I emailed him and said, "Where have you been? Is everything OK?" He let me know his situation and thanked me. So, when is it OK to care for someone? When is it OK to be concerned for other people's well-being?
My answer is simple: ALWAYS!
This morning I arrived at said local restaurant and order my "normal" breakfast: two scrambled eggs, bacon and a side of wheat toast and coffee with cream and sugar, of course. The normal conversations occurred. The normal people showed up and sat with me and spoke with me. However, today became different. Today became something new to me. A new awareness occurred. Today, I realized, I needed to say something about two things that were said to me.
The first was that two people were either fired or quit from the evening staff that I knew. The reason this occurred was, and this is second-hand information, that a racist individual or individuals came into the restaurant and did not want certain staff to wait upon them. This is unfortunate in America today. This should not be an issue. However, it was and so another staff member was going to take the table. This all sounds fine so far in the sense that customer service was working.
Unfortunately, the staff member who was treated with prejudice was upset. They had every right to be upset, however there is a time and a place for it. In your place of employment, where customer service is primary, it is best for the management to handle the situation at hand. Step away, keep your job and do not blame the other staff around you for the unfortunate racist people that still exist today.
Given the times, it was a difficult situation. The staff member in question is Egyptian, looking of Middle Eastern descent. There are people that are not fond of the Middle East in America right now. I am not fond of Al Qaeda or certain Islamic militants that do not believe in freedom but rather believe in death and destruction. However, I believe in freedom for those Middle Easterners that are here and are trying to live a life of freedom as Americans. I also believe in all immigrants who come into this country legally, enduring the governmental system. They have every right to be called Americans. They have earned that right and they also have earned a place to work in this country. They should have also earned a place in our hearts to be able to wait a table, to earn a living and to receive respect from their fellow Americans whether they were born here or not. Whoever that customer was, I would gladly take his or her food and dump it on their lap or over top of their head as a fellow customer who believes in the freedom that America offers.
Unfortunately the incident escalated. Now there are two staff members gone. Both the staff member accosted and the staff member who attempted to handle the situation have been either let go or quit. The story is still pending. But, the point that concerns me is that, because of the nature of a single individual, the racist attitude that permeates this individual, two people lost their jobs. Two people no longer are working, earning pay. This individual ignited something that did not need to occur. This individual managed to cause pain and hatred to come into the lives of two people who probably did not need this in their lives right now.
The second thing that occurred today at my brunch at Noon directly affected me. This is a "friend" of mine who happens to be a liberal. I sat with two of my so-called "friends" who implied that I have taken an interest in some of the younger staff of the feminine persuasion. While I compliment them and give them decent tips, there has never been any intention on my part to ever engage in anything else with the waitstaff other than conversation. These young girls could be my daughters at the age that I am and the age that they are. With that cleared, I explained this to my two "friends", who have such a high opinion of me I might add, and followed this up with the words, "I care about what happens to them. I even care about you two."
Here was the kicker to me. My liberal friend said, "You are not their father. You can not control what they do or do not do. Why do you even care. You are just going to stress yourself out on something that is out of your control." In response I said, "I care because I know what mistakes they are making and I don't want these kids to hurt themselves." He pressed the issue indicating that they are old enough to take care of themselves and I should just let them do what they want.
These "young adults" are doing drugs. These young adults are seeing men or going out with men that are at least ten years older than them. These young adults are drinking alcohol when they are with their friends and when they are with these older men. These young adults are making mistakes that their parents should be correcting but for whatever reason are not able to do so. They are having sex outside of wedlock, think they are in love and getting their hearts torn out by these older men. Their self-esteem takes a hit every day. I've even heard that they have been pregnant and have had abortions. Now, do I know which of them are doing what. No, I do not know each and every detail. But, am I not going to care what happens to them? Hell, no! I am going to care because if I don't who will? No, it is not my responsibility in technical terms but the life of a human being is each of our responsibility. We need to take action when we can if we truly care about life.
So, yes, I care about these young ladies. I care what happens to them. I do not want to see them living in a women's shelter, on the streets or with individuals who will take full advantage of them. I want to see these girls go to college or succeed at doing something that they love and learn responsibility. I want them to have self-respect and be able to hold their heads up high. Yes, they need to go through the pain of dating and learning about life through experience but do they need to go through it blindly and in an adult relationship? No! They need someone to listen to them. They need someone to bounce ideas off of and who genuinely cares for their well-being. They don't need someone to listen to them only with the ulterior motive, "to get in their pants".
There are so many people out there that are letting themselves go because they do not think that they are loved. Life is easier when they have friends who think they are wonderful. You have the wrong friends when all they are doing is sharing their drugs and alcohol with you and taking advantage of you. You have the wrong friends when they are not willing to tell you, "I care about you. I don't want you to hurt yourself any more. Please, please stop taking the drugs. Stop drinking the alcohol. Stop dating men who are almost twice your age and don't really care about you for you; they only care about satisfying themselves." A true friend who truly cares about you will do the difficult thing and say to you, "I want to help. I am here for you. How can I help?"
The silly part of all this is that these two men are in their 60s. I hadn't seen the one in a while and got concerned. I had heard that he had lost his job and wasn't feeling too good. I emailed him and said, "Where have you been? Is everything OK?" He let me know his situation and thanked me. So, when is it OK to care for someone? When is it OK to be concerned for other people's well-being?
My answer is simple: ALWAYS!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Man's Best Friend
Here is my beautiful dog. Yes, that is a stuffed animal. No animals were harmed in the making of this blog and any and all animals used in this blog are only here for entertainment purposes only.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, today was the day that I would head to the Poconos to enjoy my newest favorite past time, cigars. Unfortunately for me, my two $150 tickets to CigarFest would have to go to waste.
My dog whose name will also remain nameless, like me, had a bit of a problem with her teeth. About a week ago, she lost a molar. It was a big molar. It immediately concerned me and it also influenced us to contact our vet. Our vet was delighted that we cared so much about her teeth that we had to bring her in for an appointment, yesterday. Little did I know what would happen next.
So, her teeth were going to be cleaned and we would begin the new ritual of brushing her teeth not only on a daily basis but also twice a day. This is a good thing. What I didn't know was that two more teeth were going to come out during this visit in addition to her teeth getting thoroughly cleaned by the dentist. Not only that but they are concerned for infection and have given us antibiotics and pain medication for our little girl.
So, my furry friend whimpered all last evening. She found herself sleeping in our queen-size bed between my wife and I. She also managed to stretch her body out in such a way that my wife and I were on the outer fringes of what was left of the bed. Yes, my little girl was milking her pain and suffering for all it was worth. So, at 5 am the whimpering got louder and tore into the center of my heart. "We have to get up. She needs her pain medication now.", I said. My wife made her way to the kitchen and the medicine and our pug was cradled in my arms as she was carried into the dining room. We turned on the lights and got the medication ready. It was a liquid solution so we were able to give it to her without having to coax her to open her mouth or wrapping a pill in peanut butter. Still in pain, she whimpered all the more, not understanding that we had done all that we could do for her.
This morning went a bit better. There was whimpering and sadness but she still had not eaten anything in more than 36 hours. We told her that she is going for a ride, which gave her all the excitement in the world. She started wagging her tail and getting all excited. We needed a few things. She needed soft food, a pill crusher and some softer snacks. We purchased those minus the pill crusher in addition to a new bed and a new stuffed toy, Stripes. Yes, we name all of the toys. All of them are politically correct names and never use the name of the animal that they represent. We do not want her to ever go after any animal. So instead of "Get the raccoon", we tell her to "Go get Stripes!".
So, the two pathetically sad and tired humans continued their trek. We went in search of a pill crusher at CVS. We then finally thought of ourselves and got a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts and two large coffees. Did I mention that we were very tired from sleeping on our sides, balanced on the edge of the bed. It takes a lot of new muscles to poise yourself just right in that position without offending your sad, toothless, black pug who is in more pain than she ever felt before and doesn't understand why. ;-)
Besides all this, all I wanted to do was lay next to my dog and let her know that her family still loves her. I set up pillows the night she came home to lay on the floor next to her. I spent the morning with her instead of the CigarFest, giving up all of those wonderful cigars and the opportunity to enjoy myself. Instead, I laid next to my dog, petting her and whispering in her ear how sorry I am that I did not brush her teeth more. How sorry I am that she had to go through anesthesia and surgery. I blamed myself. How could I have allowed her to get to this point? This is a guy who brushes his own teeth at least three times a day and can't help but notice other people's teeth when they don't take care of their own mouthful of pearly whites. How could I let this happen to her?
Yes, I had my share of guilt last evening and today. She is doing much better now. The whimpering has subsided so I am assuming that the pain has lessened. She is thinking of grabbing her toys again so she seems to be feeling better now. Still, my guilt is there. I want to go back downstairs away from this computer and be there for man's best friend. She is always there for me when I come home from work. She greets me at the front door and she pulls me down to give her a hug and a kiss with her front paws. Immediately after this ritual, she runs for a toy because all she ever wants to do is play.
I can't wait for Monday. It's when the maintenance on her teeth begins full force. It's when she can probably eat solid food again. It's when she will most likely be done her medication and she will be herself again. It's when I return home from work and I'll be greeted by my little one at the front door and get a hug and kiss from my furry child and when all will be forgotten. Man's best friend is the most wonderful thing in the world. She loves unconditionally and forgets all wrongs to her unconditionally. She is always full of love. God bless. May God bless us all with best friends like the one I have in my little girl.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Time Will Tell
What can I say...? This is my first ever blog and, as would be expected, there is a little queasiness in my stomach. Well, we all have to start somewhere and so here we go.
My pen name is Dignity. I chose this because what I want to talk about is integrity, justice and principles. These are things that don't seem to matter any more in today's society. Yes, that is a very broad statement and I am sure there are exceptions to this - maybe more than I would expect. However, this new blogger has been going through some tough times at his place of employment. Without going into too many details and revealing names, there were things going on that made me question the integrity of many around me.
Am I alone in this assessment? Probably not. There are a few that agree with me, the few that are bull-headed enough to actually say something. Did you ever notice that companies insist that you are empowered and that feedback is a good thing unless you happen to be pointing something out that they don't want you to reveal? The minute we speak up is the minute that we become troublemakers. We are told that we are negative and that we need to be re-educated. They immediately recommend some communication courses so that we can better assimilate to our environment. We need to then accept our punishment and remember to not question anything ever again. Welcome to the Hive!
It is so funny to think that I wanted to be the guy in the Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian. Remember the part where they are repeating the words, "We are all individuals!". I wanted to be the guy who said, "I'm not!" It is funny but as much as an individual that I actually am, and maybe even that we think that we are, we are truly not. We are not permitted that right to be an individual in the working world. They want you to say that "We are all individuals" but the minute you say "I'm not!", it is all over for you.
They tell us to think "out of the box". Isn't that a clever cliche? I am sure we have all heard it. It's wonderful to feel empowered, isn't it? The minute you think out of the box, it either becomes another person's idea or you are told that you are weird. Yes, I am daft. I have no clue why I came up with that idea. In fact, it is not my idea at all. It was your wonderful idea. How dare I even dream of thinking?!
So here I sit, typing my first blog. I am looking for shreds of dignity. I am seeking justice in an unjust world. I am searching for integrity and principles among a nation of people who may still have something to offer. Now, if only we can find some politicians who fit this bill as well!
So, I am asking you all out there to help me. Send me your examples. Give me positive examples of Dignity, Integrity, Principles and Justice. Can you find it in today's world? Do you believe and hope that it still exists? I know I do or I wouldn't be out here asking for it now.
Thank you for reading my first blog. Help me to keep it going. Give me hope!
My pen name is Dignity. I chose this because what I want to talk about is integrity, justice and principles. These are things that don't seem to matter any more in today's society. Yes, that is a very broad statement and I am sure there are exceptions to this - maybe more than I would expect. However, this new blogger has been going through some tough times at his place of employment. Without going into too many details and revealing names, there were things going on that made me question the integrity of many around me.
Am I alone in this assessment? Probably not. There are a few that agree with me, the few that are bull-headed enough to actually say something. Did you ever notice that companies insist that you are empowered and that feedback is a good thing unless you happen to be pointing something out that they don't want you to reveal? The minute we speak up is the minute that we become troublemakers. We are told that we are negative and that we need to be re-educated. They immediately recommend some communication courses so that we can better assimilate to our environment. We need to then accept our punishment and remember to not question anything ever again. Welcome to the Hive!
It is so funny to think that I wanted to be the guy in the Monty Python movie, The Life of Brian. Remember the part where they are repeating the words, "We are all individuals!". I wanted to be the guy who said, "I'm not!" It is funny but as much as an individual that I actually am, and maybe even that we think that we are, we are truly not. We are not permitted that right to be an individual in the working world. They want you to say that "We are all individuals" but the minute you say "I'm not!", it is all over for you.
They tell us to think "out of the box". Isn't that a clever cliche? I am sure we have all heard it. It's wonderful to feel empowered, isn't it? The minute you think out of the box, it either becomes another person's idea or you are told that you are weird. Yes, I am daft. I have no clue why I came up with that idea. In fact, it is not my idea at all. It was your wonderful idea. How dare I even dream of thinking?!
So here I sit, typing my first blog. I am looking for shreds of dignity. I am seeking justice in an unjust world. I am searching for integrity and principles among a nation of people who may still have something to offer. Now, if only we can find some politicians who fit this bill as well!
So, I am asking you all out there to help me. Send me your examples. Give me positive examples of Dignity, Integrity, Principles and Justice. Can you find it in today's world? Do you believe and hope that it still exists? I know I do or I wouldn't be out here asking for it now.
Thank you for reading my first blog. Help me to keep it going. Give me hope!
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