I almost didn't go to church that evening. It was a hot August day and I had already worked 9 hours out in the brutal heat, doing construction. It wasn't going to be a traditional service but a work night where they prepared the building for the coming school season. I went anyway.
After several hours of work I asked my cousin if he could give me a ride home because my wife and 11mo old daughter had left earlier. He told me he could. We were both talking and carrying tools to his truck, probably talking about the upcoming deer season. Although the church was only a few miles from Detroit, it was relatively rare to have any violence from the city come up that far. That was the last thing on our minds.
As we loaded into his little Ford Ranger, five squad cars carrying two officers a peice, pulled up and blocked us in. What happened next was a blur. Officers, all yelling with weapons already drawn came rushing towards our vehicle. There was so much shouting and coomotion I couldn't really make out the commands they were shouting. One was telling me to "Roll down your window!!" and the other was saying "Let me see your hands!!" I decided to go with keeping my hands held high so they could at least see I had nothing dangerous in them.
Everyone talks about your life flashing before your eyes in a moment like that but for me all it did was flash to the little life that had just started. I was going to be shot for who knows what and my little girl would have been fatherless at less then one year old.
The officer finally, quickly opened my door and told me to unbuckle my seat belt. If there was ever a time I was intently listening it was then. He kept asking me, "Do you have guns in the car?!" To which I replied, "I don't know!" This seemed to only infuriate him but the truth was I wasn't sure. It wasn't my vehicle and my cousin was a gun collector.
I was yanked from the truck and slammed up against the hood. I remember wanting to fight at that point. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and I had done nothing wrong. All the pistols pointed at me and a inner trust that although the officers were in the wrong here they were good men and would shortly figure out there were no laws being broken here, kept me from reacting. My cousin was getting it a little rougher then I because it was his vehicle. They were not being gentle I can promise you that.
After several minutes I was cuffed and thrown, not gently placed in a squad car where I sat for about 20 minutes.
I was confident at this point I wasn't going to be shot but was still in shock of what had just transpired.By this time my uncle, the Pastor of the church came out with several other men to speak with the police and told them we had been working in the building for the last three hours and we couldn't have been involved in anything.
At this point the officers told us that a neighbor had called and reported two grown men, one white and one black man carrying assault weapons through the alley way. We explained to the officers that we had walked out with long tools that were possibly incorrectly identified as weapons but we had no firearms of any kind, and clearly neither of us were black.
I remember thinking, "when I find out who called they are going to need the police." How could you mistake a tool for a weapon and then throw the token black guy in there to make it more believable? I was still shaking from the adrenaline and fear but now I was getting angry.
In the after math I started to get a little mouthy with the police. How could you pull up like that and come out with weapons drawn? What was the point of roughing us up and holding us for 30 minutes without letting us know what was going on? The officers graciously apologized and told us they were trying to keep everyone, themselves included safe. I wasn't pleased with the answers because I was the one the weapons were pointed at but in fairness I could tell they were genuinely apologetic. They got into their squad cars and left.
Now the rest of the story.
About five minutes after the officers left, my youngest cousin who was about 14-15 and the size of a grown man stepped out of one of the church buildings with is black friend that was as big or bigger. They were holding two BB guns and one looked identical to an M-16 assault weapon. If you were a boy growing up in the late 80s and early 90s you wanted that BB gun. They had went into the building to get a squirrel that had moved in and was doing damage to the building. The neighbors had been right in what they witnessed...
There was no way of knowing the firearms the boys were carrying were not the real deal. The hadn't just thrown the "token black guy" into the mix to make the situation more inflammatory because there in front of me was a very large black young man who just happened to be from a wonderful black home in inner city Detroit. The cops reacted to this information correctly. They rolled up in force ready to possibly exchange fire with two armed suspects carrying "assault weapons." There adrenaline level was at 100 the second they showed up and rightfully so. So how did this not end in two men shot?
The outcome of that evening laid in the hands of two men that literally had no business being involved, myself and my cousin who was giving me a ride home. We were just a couple of young dads looking to get home after a long day.
First is we obeyed the cops. We were innocent and had done nothing wrong. If there was ever a time to be belligerent it was then. Yet we took the false accusation and temporary discomfort in stride. If I had done nothing wrong what did I have to fear. I know this is the point that some blacks would say it was because we were white, that we got off and didn't get shot. Remember the eye witness account. The officers thought one of us was black and there was no way of knowing we weren't until they were right on top of the vehicle.
Second we didn't resist arrest. I can tell you I was as compliant as I could possibly be. I made no threatening movements and even though extremely angry kept it respectful. I got my chance to say my piece but once the inflammatory situation was under control.
If two cops are required to hold you down you are resisting arrest, its really that simple. I have never been an officer but I have detained people over seas. When someone is compliant they will lay down on their stomach, kneel with their hands on their heads or whatever you ask. When they are not compliant they will fight. If two armed men have to hold you down then you are resisting and all bets are off as to what happens next.
Try to put yourself in the position of an officer of the law. You are wrestling with a man that is possibly bigger and stronger then you so back up arrives. You are trying to hold his arm down to get him cuffed but in muggy sweaty Louisiana your hand slips and you lose control of his arm. How do you know he isn't going for the gun he is illegally carrying in his pocket? How do you know if the next thing you will feel is a slug ripping through you? Are you willing to take the chance? The truth is you can't answer that unless you are there so maybe refrain from bombastic, Monday morning quarterbacking on social media. Our peace officers are put in lose, lose situations everyday with attorneys and someone with a camera looking to bring them down, that is of course until they need them. Then at that point watch the critics complain about how long it took for an officer to show up and assist. It amazes me that anyone would want to protect and serve anymore.
I am not implying that following these to points will stop all shootings because the truth is there are bad cops out there and some that could make a legitimate mistake. Remember my story. All the information that was witnessed and passed to the officers was correct. I can guarantee however, these two points will solve most of the "unnecessary shootings." I am genuinely sorry for those that will face racist or corrupt officers in the future. It is unfair and unjust. With that being said we have to stop the extremist mentality that all cops fit that bill.
Stop focusing on the outliers. Yes there are bad cops. There are bad priests. There are bad mechanics. There are bad moms and dads. There are bad politicians. There are bad whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians and mixed races. There are bad...fill in the blank. This world is full of bad people but to automatically assume in any of these situations that any one side is wrong because cops are bad or blacks are thugs is foolishness and ignorant.
I think it is very possible that the situation in Louisiana was a justifiable shooting where the shooting in Minnesota could possibly be racism, although it appears that it was a minority that was the shooter. However, blacks and whites aren't the only ones that can be racist so that is still very much on the table. It appears as of now it was, at a minimum bad policing and tragic. Can we not wait for all the facts before we demonize any one party?
I am ready to march for officer safety and against police brutality alike. I would gladly march with blacks for reform in the judicial system that targets them unfairly as Sen Rand Paul has pointed out many times over the last year and I would march for stricter penalties for those that attack peace officers. It doesn't have to be one or the other it can be both.
Steve
Friday, July 8, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
In Defense Of The Second Amendment
What do the shootings in San Bernardino (Work Place), Newton (School), Aurora (Theater) and Orlando (Night Club) all have in common? I am guessing that many will answer with the usual suspects, homegrown terrorism, radical Islam, there were no "good guys with guns" present or the crazy, wild eyed, privileged, white youth. Although the above suspects played a part in several or all of these shootings, the greatest common denominator was the weapon of choice. The guilty party is the Armalite Rifle built in the .223 caliber or better known as an AR-15. A military looking rifle that can handle high capacity magazines (Usually 30 rounds) and is beloved by combat soldiers that carried the military's version (M4) of this weapon overseas.
Before we get to deep into this debate let's dispel some of the lies and half truths that are used by both sides. First, the "AR" in AR-15 does not mean assault rifle. It stands for Armalite Rifle. Second, it is not a fully automatic weapon. Its is a semi-automatic weapon, which means it fires every time you pull the trigger. It does not shoot multiple rounds when the trigger is pulled. Third, it will not give you temporary PTSD or bruises when firing as was recently reported by New York Daily News reporter Gersh Kuntzman. Fourth, the AR-15 is a killing machine. It was designed for combat and all related endeavors. It is was not made for hunting. It was not made for casual shooting. That doesn't mean it can not be used for those purposes but that was not the intent for the design. Fifth, and most important is that my support for this weapon and the 2nd Amendment does not mean I am calloused to the pain and suffering of the victims of mass shootings or that I am indifferent to those still fighting to recover from their physical and emotional wounds.
As soon as news started breaking of the barbarous shooting in Orlando, liberal and even some conservative media outlets launched attacks on the AR-15 and the 2nd Amendment. Surprisingly homegrown terrorism was quickly swept under the rug. We were told not to jump to conclusions about the shooters ethnicity and motive even after it was reported the shooter was of Middle Eastern decent, had pledged devotion to the leader of ISIS and was yelling "allah akbar" during the shooting. The DC talking heads and politicians attacked the "evil weapon" and the 2nd Amendment.
Having spent the better part of the last four years working towards a degree in legal studies, I have had my fair share of Constitutional Law classes. To be honest they are my favorite but also the most frustrating as I see the government shredding this document. The public is being twisted into believing the fallacy that more restrictions and government control will keep us safe. We have traded our liberty for personal safety. I think Benjamin Franklin said it best when he stated, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." It is astounding to watch this once great country allow fear of evil to dictate our actions even if those fears destroy the Constitution.
I am now old enough to remember the efforts used by the left in the late 80's and early 90's as they sought more gun control. Back in those times the liberal agenda was to attack all guns. This meant handguns, hunting rifles, shotguns and of course assault rifles. The goal then was to remove firearms from this countries DNA. This agenda under the Clinton Administration achieved passage of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994. This ten year Ban was allowed to expire in 2004 under the Bush Administration. Why did the liberals finally settle their hatred for firearms on assault weapons? The answer is simple, money.
Billions of dollars are spent by sportsman and sportswomen around the country every year. As state and federal budgets get tighter, easy revenue is a harder to part with. Sportsman's firearms were saved, because states and the federal government needed that money. At this point the lefts angst turned towards assault weapons. In the last 7 years gun owners have endured the Obama Administration and the narrative has changed. President Obama and Vice-President Biden have both declared they, "don't want your hunting rifle or recreational firearms." They want to take assault weapons off the streets. It sounds noble and responsible.
I am sure there are well intention-ed people that are truly wondering why anyone would need an assault weapon and why can't gun enthusiasts and the NRA be happy with keeping hunting and recreational firearms? The answer is because the 2nd Amendment gives us the right to own them.
The Constitution is a document that has very few if any equals around the world. It is a guide that sets limits to how our government treats its citizens. The first ten amendments, The Bill of Rights, protect us from an over reaching government. I don't think any constitutional scholar would argue this. The 1st Amendment protects are freedom of religion, speech and of the press. Freedom from whom? A government that would look to control those freedoms. The 4th Amendment protects us against unconstitutional searches and seizures. Whom is doing the searching and seizing? The government. The 5th Amendment demands that due process be in place during prosecution. Whom must provide the due process? The government. All of the amendments making up our Bill of Rights are guidelines, outlining how we are to be treated by our government, well all except the 2nd Amendment which is about being able to go hunting or recreational shooting if you believe the narrative of the day.
The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution states, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Try to put your preconceived ideas of this amendment aside for a minute, whether pro or con. Try and take yourself back to 1787 when the Constitution was written in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention was opened on May 25th 1787 and ended on September 17th, 1787. Imagine you are at that convention with the founding fathers. You have just seen this nation go through a brutal war for independence with an enemy that was far superior to you in weaponry and training. Many of the men that had signed the Declaration of Independence were killed or lost their fortunes. Those that were still alive had cheated the death of a traitor, all for freedom and independence.
It was summer and Philadelphia is hot and humid, especially in the apparel of that time. After maybe weeks of discussion and intense arguing the 1st Amendment has been written and most are satisfied with its wording. It is now time to begin discussion on the 2nd Amendment. James Madison is at the desk ready to write. The other founding fathers are delighted in the 1st Amendment and humbled by the gravity of what was just written and how it would steer our new nation forward. Out of the crowd John Adams a man who would become our second president breaks the silence and says, "Gentleman before we move much further in this gravely important undertaking I would like to present an idea for the 2nd Amendment. I want to make sure that my grandfathers musket can be handed down to my son for the purpose of hunting and recreational shooting."
He was immediately tarred and feathered.
Obviously I am being facetious but this is exactly how we are told the 2nd Amendment is to be interpreted today. Hunting was a necessity of that day and it is doubtful that very many citizens shot for recreational purposes. The idea that a hunting rifle would need protected would have been laughed out of the building. I can just see Alexander Hamilton now. "I second that motion. I want my firearms to be handed down to my children as well. Wow... the 2nd Amendment was easy now lets write eight more amendments that protect citizens from the government." Can you imagine this?
The founding fathers put the 2nd Amendment in there as a protection from our government. We the people have the right to bear arms because we are the guardians of our Republic. Not the military that can be controlled by the government but revolutionary power of citizens that enables us to fight for our freedoms and our Constitution. Abraham Lincoln says it this way, "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
Anyone that tells you there is no constitutional right to own an AR-15 fundamentally misunderstands the Constitution and the intent for which it was written. There are good people that believe this and it is our duty to educate all that will hear. Any government that tries to take your right to own an AR-15 is corrupted and should be overthrown, peaceably if possible but with bloodshed if necessary.
Some may say that is extreme but let me close with something I witnessed first hand. During my second deployment to Iraq in 2007 I witnessed the 2nd Amendment at work in a Muslim country (yes there are many great Muslims) no less. We were instructed that when we raided a home to allow the house hold to maintain an AK-47 (which is more powerful then an AR-15 and can be fully automatic) and a high capacity magazine with ammunition. Why would our government that was locked in a bloody insurgency where the enemy didn't wear a uniform, allow these weapons to be in the hands of citizens? The people in charge at the time understood the right of citizens to protect themselves and their families and they should at least be armed with something comparable to their attackers.
This was the 2nd Amendment at work in another country. Military leaders will tell you the surge of US troops into the area in 2007 was what calmed the region down during that insurgency and that certainly helped. Those of us that were there would tell you it was the decision to bring in the local citizens to combat the uprising that swung the tide in our favor. Local farmers armed with AK-47s manning checkpoints and outposts in their communities to protect their families and what they held dear. This was only possible because we didn't disarm them and take their assault weapons.
This is not to say there weren't those who abused this and put our lives at risk but there will always be the people that seek to do evil on the innocent, like those in Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora and San Bernardino. For all those that drink responsibly there will always be someone who drinks and drives and kills innocent people. It is tragic, disgusting and heart breaking but we don't line up to turn over car keys to prevent drunk driving, especially when driving is a privilege and not a right. Why then would we allow our government to take away a right that was so important to the founding fathers that they put it #2? Do not let the emotions of these awful tragedies weaken your resolve to stand with the 2nd Amendment. It is the amendment that gives teeth to all the others. Without it we have no Constitution.
Thanks For Reading
Steve
Before we get to deep into this debate let's dispel some of the lies and half truths that are used by both sides. First, the "AR" in AR-15 does not mean assault rifle. It stands for Armalite Rifle. Second, it is not a fully automatic weapon. Its is a semi-automatic weapon, which means it fires every time you pull the trigger. It does not shoot multiple rounds when the trigger is pulled. Third, it will not give you temporary PTSD or bruises when firing as was recently reported by New York Daily News reporter Gersh Kuntzman. Fourth, the AR-15 is a killing machine. It was designed for combat and all related endeavors. It is was not made for hunting. It was not made for casual shooting. That doesn't mean it can not be used for those purposes but that was not the intent for the design. Fifth, and most important is that my support for this weapon and the 2nd Amendment does not mean I am calloused to the pain and suffering of the victims of mass shootings or that I am indifferent to those still fighting to recover from their physical and emotional wounds.
As soon as news started breaking of the barbarous shooting in Orlando, liberal and even some conservative media outlets launched attacks on the AR-15 and the 2nd Amendment. Surprisingly homegrown terrorism was quickly swept under the rug. We were told not to jump to conclusions about the shooters ethnicity and motive even after it was reported the shooter was of Middle Eastern decent, had pledged devotion to the leader of ISIS and was yelling "allah akbar" during the shooting. The DC talking heads and politicians attacked the "evil weapon" and the 2nd Amendment.
Having spent the better part of the last four years working towards a degree in legal studies, I have had my fair share of Constitutional Law classes. To be honest they are my favorite but also the most frustrating as I see the government shredding this document. The public is being twisted into believing the fallacy that more restrictions and government control will keep us safe. We have traded our liberty for personal safety. I think Benjamin Franklin said it best when he stated, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." It is astounding to watch this once great country allow fear of evil to dictate our actions even if those fears destroy the Constitution.
I am now old enough to remember the efforts used by the left in the late 80's and early 90's as they sought more gun control. Back in those times the liberal agenda was to attack all guns. This meant handguns, hunting rifles, shotguns and of course assault rifles. The goal then was to remove firearms from this countries DNA. This agenda under the Clinton Administration achieved passage of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994. This ten year Ban was allowed to expire in 2004 under the Bush Administration. Why did the liberals finally settle their hatred for firearms on assault weapons? The answer is simple, money.
Billions of dollars are spent by sportsman and sportswomen around the country every year. As state and federal budgets get tighter, easy revenue is a harder to part with. Sportsman's firearms were saved, because states and the federal government needed that money. At this point the lefts angst turned towards assault weapons. In the last 7 years gun owners have endured the Obama Administration and the narrative has changed. President Obama and Vice-President Biden have both declared they, "don't want your hunting rifle or recreational firearms." They want to take assault weapons off the streets. It sounds noble and responsible.
I am sure there are well intention-ed people that are truly wondering why anyone would need an assault weapon and why can't gun enthusiasts and the NRA be happy with keeping hunting and recreational firearms? The answer is because the 2nd Amendment gives us the right to own them.
The Constitution is a document that has very few if any equals around the world. It is a guide that sets limits to how our government treats its citizens. The first ten amendments, The Bill of Rights, protect us from an over reaching government. I don't think any constitutional scholar would argue this. The 1st Amendment protects are freedom of religion, speech and of the press. Freedom from whom? A government that would look to control those freedoms. The 4th Amendment protects us against unconstitutional searches and seizures. Whom is doing the searching and seizing? The government. The 5th Amendment demands that due process be in place during prosecution. Whom must provide the due process? The government. All of the amendments making up our Bill of Rights are guidelines, outlining how we are to be treated by our government, well all except the 2nd Amendment which is about being able to go hunting or recreational shooting if you believe the narrative of the day.
The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution states, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Try to put your preconceived ideas of this amendment aside for a minute, whether pro or con. Try and take yourself back to 1787 when the Constitution was written in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention was opened on May 25th 1787 and ended on September 17th, 1787. Imagine you are at that convention with the founding fathers. You have just seen this nation go through a brutal war for independence with an enemy that was far superior to you in weaponry and training. Many of the men that had signed the Declaration of Independence were killed or lost their fortunes. Those that were still alive had cheated the death of a traitor, all for freedom and independence.
It was summer and Philadelphia is hot and humid, especially in the apparel of that time. After maybe weeks of discussion and intense arguing the 1st Amendment has been written and most are satisfied with its wording. It is now time to begin discussion on the 2nd Amendment. James Madison is at the desk ready to write. The other founding fathers are delighted in the 1st Amendment and humbled by the gravity of what was just written and how it would steer our new nation forward. Out of the crowd John Adams a man who would become our second president breaks the silence and says, "Gentleman before we move much further in this gravely important undertaking I would like to present an idea for the 2nd Amendment. I want to make sure that my grandfathers musket can be handed down to my son for the purpose of hunting and recreational shooting."
He was immediately tarred and feathered.
Obviously I am being facetious but this is exactly how we are told the 2nd Amendment is to be interpreted today. Hunting was a necessity of that day and it is doubtful that very many citizens shot for recreational purposes. The idea that a hunting rifle would need protected would have been laughed out of the building. I can just see Alexander Hamilton now. "I second that motion. I want my firearms to be handed down to my children as well. Wow... the 2nd Amendment was easy now lets write eight more amendments that protect citizens from the government." Can you imagine this?
The founding fathers put the 2nd Amendment in there as a protection from our government. We the people have the right to bear arms because we are the guardians of our Republic. Not the military that can be controlled by the government but revolutionary power of citizens that enables us to fight for our freedoms and our Constitution. Abraham Lincoln says it this way, "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it."
Anyone that tells you there is no constitutional right to own an AR-15 fundamentally misunderstands the Constitution and the intent for which it was written. There are good people that believe this and it is our duty to educate all that will hear. Any government that tries to take your right to own an AR-15 is corrupted and should be overthrown, peaceably if possible but with bloodshed if necessary.
Some may say that is extreme but let me close with something I witnessed first hand. During my second deployment to Iraq in 2007 I witnessed the 2nd Amendment at work in a Muslim country (yes there are many great Muslims) no less. We were instructed that when we raided a home to allow the house hold to maintain an AK-47 (which is more powerful then an AR-15 and can be fully automatic) and a high capacity magazine with ammunition. Why would our government that was locked in a bloody insurgency where the enemy didn't wear a uniform, allow these weapons to be in the hands of citizens? The people in charge at the time understood the right of citizens to protect themselves and their families and they should at least be armed with something comparable to their attackers.
This was the 2nd Amendment at work in another country. Military leaders will tell you the surge of US troops into the area in 2007 was what calmed the region down during that insurgency and that certainly helped. Those of us that were there would tell you it was the decision to bring in the local citizens to combat the uprising that swung the tide in our favor. Local farmers armed with AK-47s manning checkpoints and outposts in their communities to protect their families and what they held dear. This was only possible because we didn't disarm them and take their assault weapons.
This is not to say there weren't those who abused this and put our lives at risk but there will always be the people that seek to do evil on the innocent, like those in Orlando, Sandy Hook, Aurora and San Bernardino. For all those that drink responsibly there will always be someone who drinks and drives and kills innocent people. It is tragic, disgusting and heart breaking but we don't line up to turn over car keys to prevent drunk driving, especially when driving is a privilege and not a right. Why then would we allow our government to take away a right that was so important to the founding fathers that they put it #2? Do not let the emotions of these awful tragedies weaken your resolve to stand with the 2nd Amendment. It is the amendment that gives teeth to all the others. Without it we have no Constitution.
Thanks For Reading
Steve
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Why I Say No to Syrian Refugees.
In the spring of 2008 I signed a form and walked off the base at Ft. Drum, once again a civilian. Truth is I missed it almost immediately. But after 5yrs and two deployments I felt it was the best thing for my family that had sacrificed so much along with me.
In the months that followed I started to experience signs of PTSD. They were relatively mild compared to others but certainly struggled with a heightened sense of alertness, nightmares and rage. The rage was hard for me...I had to watch the look in my families eyes when I, "went off." For the record I never even came close to hurting one of them and the rage was never directed at them. These rage events were more then just an emotional outburst these events were also accompanied by physical symptoms, heart racing, blurred vision and shortness of breath.
Near the end of 2008 I was also dealing with a serious back injury and uncontrollable pain. After dealing with the VA, which can be frustrating, the "events" became more common until one day I really lost it. I was at the VA clinic trying to get answers for my back and I was forced to deal with a less then friendly Physicians Assistant, who treated me very rudely. This was the breaking point for me. As I walked out of the office she made a smart comment and I calmly but sarcastically shot back a comment to her. Things escalated and soon we were standing there shouting at each other. One of the VA Reps grabbed my arm and took me to the front of the lobby to talk to me. He was trying to be kind I should add. When he asked what was wrong I started to explain and then it happened. The rage came out. I don't remember much about the conversation until I had an almost out of body experience. All I remember is the gentleman asking me, "Have you been tested for PTSD?" I remember standing in the lobby yelling to the top of my lungs, "I DONT HAVE F$@*& PTSD!!!!!!!" I knew at that moment with all these people standing around looking, I needed help.
Shortly there after I entered a new program that used writing as a way to deal with PTSD. I don't know if the program ever took off but it sure helped me. I was one of the first case studies. So today I am going to use writing again to express my feelings and hopefully bring me some healing and maybe some others as well. This will be the most open and detailed I have ever been about some of the things I have seen over seas, some of which I have not even told my family. It will be real. It will be raw but I am just baring my soul and giving you a peak into what men and women like me have seen and what we feel even after all these years.
The recent attacks on Paris opened many wounds for me. When I turned on the TV and started to watch the news a "rage event" started to boil. After throwing out some choice words and looking at my shocked children's faces (profanity isn't allowed in our home), I realized I needed to leave the room and calm down. Over the coming days the shock of the attack changed from how to deal with ISIS to what to do with all the Syrian refugees. I have seen every side of the spectrum from bomb the Middle East back to the stone age to people reciting the quote from the Statue of Liberty...."bring me your tired....". Anything from I wouldn't even take a 3yr old orphan to your not a Christian if you don't just open your doors to everyone.
Not surprisingly, I had an opinion that rankled the feeling of some and was lauded by others. My wife and I disagreed as I did with friends and family alike. I tried to strike a middle ground where we vetted the men thoroughly while bringing in the women and children. Some people said the vetting process was too long and could take up to two years. I thought that was ridiculous when you realize the average American soldier that has served the last 10 years has probably come close to double that away from family. Then a female suicide bomber blew herself up while resisting arrest as one of the conspirators. So clearly we can't just let all the women in. How do we go about doing this? Well I have changed my stance. I realize it won't be popular. I will probably be considered Islamaphobic, un-Christian and uncaring. That is fine I will live with those but before you stop reading, listen to someone who has a perspective that most will not have and see if there is any wisdom in what I write.
I love kids. I hate to see them suffer. When we first got into Iraq I wanted to give them all candy. food, soccer balls and money. It didn't take long for me realize this new opportunity to mingle with children would bring me some of my greatest heartbreaks.
On one of my first patrols a young man came up to my truck and communicated through broken English he had Pepsi for sale. I quickly grabbed a couple of bucks from my wallet and gave them to him and he ran away excited by his sale. Two days later we came back and I had my eyes open for this little boy. I finally saw him standing far off and he had casts on both arms. We found out later his arms were broken for selling US Soldiers, Pepsi's.
My unit quickly transitioned to Abu Gharib a place you may remember because of the well documented abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of their American captors. Those worthless soldiers cost the life of many good soldiers by inciting the region against us. They should have been given much harsher punishments than they received. While patrolling this region we were under constant attack from IED's. Our mission was to prevent IED's and capture or kill those placing or making them.
During our time in that region we traveled down this one road past many little family farms. We would stop and talk to the locals often in front of this one particular farm. Kids would always gather to get candy and toys that were sent from home. It was amazing to me even at the young ages how awful the boys would be to the young girls. There were two sisters that lived at the farm and they were about the age of my daughter back home. The first time I tried to give them something they ran away and I laughed thinking they were shy or afraid of me. The next time I realized why they ran away. The boys would immediately descend upon them and hit them and steal whatever they had been given. The older sister would try to defend her younger sister but to no avail. They would end up running for their safety dodging fists and stones the whole way. I finally got smart to this and would throw candy in a place the boys would all run to and while they were busy fighting each other I would give the girls an MRE and tell them to run and eat it before the boys found out. This went on for several weeks.
One night while laying in my bed we got a notice to come to the headquarters for a briefing on that nights raid. As I looked at the map I realized we would be raiding the home of the little girls I had tried to look out for. I remember pulling up to the house and being one of the first soldiers through the door. At that point training just kicks in. Smash down or through the door, clear the fatal funnel, take up your position, depending on where you were in the stack going in, and under no circumstances do you ever stop in the fatal funnel! When I got through the door one of the first things I witnessed was that little girl staring at me terrified as I came in and pointed my weapon and yelled at her father to get on the floor. The look on her face of broken trust, confusion and then terror as we dragged her father outside will never leave me.
As the rest of the soldiers searched the farm for evidence of IED's I went and sat down under a palm tree to pull security and cry. I am not ashamed to say I tried not to bawl.
A few weeks later while on patrol a mother walked up to me and tried to express that her baby was sick. This child was more then sick, it was blind and deaf. It would just lay there in her arms and moan. I called over our medic, Doc Jackson, and he tried to act like there was something he could do but I am pretty sure all he did was give the baby something to make it sleep and give the mother a little bit of peace. Once again I stood near my truck doing my best to not bawl as the mother walked away. I will never forget the moaning of that child that would never see, never hear and was headed for an almost unimaginable life in that part of he world with no resources for the handicapped.
When I left for my first deployment I prayed and asked God, not for my safety but, "if I must die please don't let it be on a Holiday, so that day will be ruined for my children forever and please don't let me kill any children or women." That was a really the prayer I prayed as the 747 left Ft. Drum.
On Dec 24th 2004 I was part of a group of soldiers that was guarding a communications tower in Baghdad. Around 9:30PM a shot rang out and, as it turned out it was an accidental discharge by an Iraqi soldier. My good friend Ryan Decker was standing near the Iraqi soldier and immediately started to read him the riot act. When he was done he came down and I remember saying to him, "I am not nearly as worried about getting killed by an insurgent as I am these idiots." We laughed neither of us knowing what would happen just 25 minutes later.
At 9:55PM a large fuel tanker pulled onto the road adjacent to the facility we were guarding. I want to say the road was about 75 yards from where we were standing. Ryan turned to me and said, "that is unusual to see a tanker out this late." There was a 10PM curfew and no one was allowed on the road. I will never forget the face of the man as he looked out the window at what was probably 18 American and Iraqi soldiers. I knew in my heart something was wrong but I just had nothing that I could positively identify as a threat. I wish to God now I had shot. I could make that shot from that distance any day of the week but I didn't... Less then a minute later there was a loud explosion and the instant heat and light almost blinded you. I turned to look in the direction of the explosion to see a fireball rolling towards me. I turned to find cover and when I did my shirt came up and I could feel the intense heat from the explosion probably 500yds away. The suicide bomber had detonated his truck in front of the Jordanian Embassy. The embassy was badly burned but no lives lost, the other side of the road was very different.
In the house across the road lived a man with a wife and 6 daughters. I don't know their ages but I know one was an infant. The man of the house was not home at the time but I am sure he wished he had been. His wife and 6 daughters burned alive in that fire and there was nothing we could do. I remember myself and two other soldiers were the first ones on the seen. It was heart breaking and devastation. Although I personally didn't hear it, other soldiers reported you could hear the screams and cry of a little baby in the rubble. When the husband and father came home he was inconsolable. I remember walking back to the relative security of our post and all I could say was. "why didn't you shoot? And F@#*& this place!! From that day on the sound of a crying baby is almost more then I can handle. Several years later while laying in the ER due to a kidney stone a baby in the next space over started to cry in pain. She just kept crying. The nurse came in and saw me sobbing and figured I must be in severe pain. She left to get me more drugs. The pain of the kidney stone didn't compare to what I was feeling in my heart.
Christmas Eve has never been the same for me. I always think back to that night. I wish I would have taken the shot even though I realize it would have probably cost me my life, had the truck detonated when it was close. I may have been badly burned and wished I had died. I would have given my life for those 6 girls and God knows it is true. For several years I couldn't sleep the night before Christmas but it wasn't excitement. When ignorant, not always bad, people ask, "Did you kill anyone over there?" These are the first people I think of.
Why am I telling you all this and how does it apply to the Syrian refugees?
The first reason is because I have seen many, not surprisingly, soldiers saying don't let the Syrian refugees in. At a minimum serious vetting needs to take place but it is more then that. We have seen this culture up close and personal. We have also seen those that are "extremist" and what they are capable of and are willing to do. I have seen people post its our, "Christian duty" to take in the refugees. When I hear someone say, "you don't care about the children I want to read them the stories I wrote above, ones that I had to stop at least 4 times while writing to wipe away tears, and then I want to tell them your misguided human compassion is what will ultimately bring death to many innocent children. I have read and heard from those that have never seen the true face of war, telling us, "I am not afraid," as they type from their smart phone or laptop in their comfortable home, while their children sit safely in a school or around their feet. It may be time for people to start listening to what those of us have seen and experienced in that culture. Lets be honest if politicians had listened to the military ISIS wouldn't even have gotten off the ground.
I understand that not all Muslims or followers of Islam are bad. I have worked beside and even lived beside some that are as true blue American as any of us. I have seen some die fighting for their country and its new found freedoms. I had several Muslims in Michigan that I would consider friends. We often hear of two categories, the extremist and the moderates. I would argue there is a third category and that would be the back-slidden. We use this term in Christianity for people that have effectively walked away from the faith, but still consider themselves a follower of Islam. I would consider them to be like a Catholic that goes to church on Easter and Christmas but faith means little to them apart from recognizing it in their past, nor does it have effect on their everyday lives. I would argue the US can not afford to bring in Extremists or Moderate followers of Islam. This may seem harsh but let me explain from a few perspectives.
Our culture is not compatible with theirs nor will they ever be. I have yet to talk to someone who is advocating for the acceptance of Syrian Refugees, that has been able to answer this one simple question. Will the refugees assimilate to our culture or will they be allowed to continue theirs? Of course that is almost blaspheme in the United States and the answer is usually something like this. "It would be un-American to not allow them to practice their culture here and force them to change to ours." If you find yourself thinking this way please pay close attention to what I say next.
One of the heinous aspects of the Muslim culture is its treatment of women. I would argue that moderate Muslims still espouse to the teachings of the Koran that allow honor killings, stoning's and even rape. If you think I am crazy I personally know soldiers that have listened to women, little girls and boys being raped but were not able to do anything about it. In the past few months there was a case of a US Green Beret that tried to assist a little boy that was being repeatedly raped. SFC Charles Martland was potentially facing disciplinary measures for beating up the pedophile. My one experience with even "moderate Muslims" has shown me a serious lack of respect of even common decency for Muslim women.
In November 2004 I had one of my more terrifying situations during my deployment. With the new found freedom in the country more and more citizens were able to afford vehicles thus putting a strain on their fuel supplies. There would be long lines and waits for gas because of so many new cars. For about a week we had to police these lines because, big surprise they would turn violent. Instead of being excited and appreciative of their new found freedom they would fight and quarrel to get gas first. I can tell you it is nothing like what you see in America and Europe when there are catastrophes that bring people together.
The fuel lines were not working that day and nerves were tense. Once the fuel delivery came and the pumps were working we began to allow the people to come forward to fill up their tanks and 5 gal jugs. There were 4 of us directing the fuel disbursement and the rest of the platoon was pulling security. I motioned to the ladies to come forward first and it started an all most immediate riot. Men started to push the woman and hit them. Men forced women they didn't even know to carry two or three 5 gallon jugs for them. The men finally got so mad they started to push forward and I was certain this would be it. I figured I was either going to die for trying to show the women respect or I was going to end up on the news for gunning down a mob. I was back to back with 3 other soldiers. At one point they had pressed in so hard that I could barely raise my weapon. At that point I told Lieutenant Calderon I was about to open fire. I switched my selector switch to fire and at the very last moment SFC Bass brought the rest of the platoon in to break things up. To this day I hate being in a crowd and started a twitch that has never went away. Now its kind of a joke and my son Jason will do it just to get a rise out of me. To this day if you walk up and touch me on the back and I don't see you coming I will jump. Then after I know your there I will jump every time you touch my back. We laugh about it now but it wasn't funny then.
My point is that massive violence almost broke out over treating women with dignity and respect. Why do you think you see so many pictures of single able bodied men as refugees? Its because they don't care about the women. I know pictures can be deceiving as each side tries to show their side of the case but think about this.
When the Titanic went down the rule was women and children first to be saved off the ship. In America and other countries, that value women, they and children are the first to be saved. Ask yourself this. Why are any men coming as refugees? If there are 30,000 refugees coming to the US, and 8,000 of them are men I can't think of anything more disgusting. Those 8,000 men represent 8,000 women or children that could be saved. So again I ask you. If we are allowing these refugees in are they going to assimilate to our way of treating women or not? The answer is no and that doesn't even address the fact of how many are coming here with evil intentions.
Some will try to use the argument I am afraid and this is letting the terrorist actually win. That is preposterous and may I add disingenuous to those that have already faced moderate and extremists on their turf. Is it fear or wisdom that causes me to lock my door at night if I live in an area with high crime? Is it fear or wisdom to pay for insurance for my vehicle in case of an accident? Is it fear or wisdom to put additional security at our schools because of the rash of violence we have suffered there? Is it fear or wisdom to put safe guards in many areas of our lives so as not to reap great harm? The idea that fear is winning is laughable and only ignorant people would actually say that. When it is your children laying on the floor of the restaurant or being mercilessly murdered or blown up let me know how your fear theory works out for you. Our cultures without assimilation can not and will never blend. The fact is they can't even blend with themselves over seas.
Finally its not that the financial costs are to great, we just don't have the money. I know I will get hung the most for mentioning money but hear me out. Can you in good conscience give money to refugees when you have children starving in your own country? Can you give money when you have countless homeless veterans? How can you slash the budget for our military veterans by $1.4 Billion and to spend billions on refugees? Even more confusing is how do you pay for this when the country is borrowing $4 billion dollars a day.
The idea that we are a rich country is a fallacy. We may have what appears to be wealth but we are teetering on the brink of collapse. We are servants to our masters the Chinese, that to this point, ironically haven't taken any refugees. What we are doing by taking in refugees is giving money that we don't even have. How do you commit billions of dollars when you will have to go borrow it? For those of you that are Christians and believe in paying tithe that would be like living it up during the week and still borrowing for your fun and needs then borrowing more to pay your 10%. When will we wake up in this country and realize if we continue down this road we will no longer be great and a help to anyone. If non profit organizations want to take the lead and respond to these needs then by all means raise as much as you can but expecting our government to give out more handouts is fiscally and morally irresponsible. Maybe that is what some want a nation that is no longer great. For me I know the world is better off when the US is truly great. I believe in helping and frankly we do. We are the most generous nation in the history of the world but at some point we must strengthen ourselves, even if that means we have to say no at times.
We often hear talk about the other nations in the Middle East bringing stability and taking responsibility for that region. Now is the time for the powers in the Middle East to step up and if they won't take their own doesn't that alone say something about that culture and religion.
In the months that followed I started to experience signs of PTSD. They were relatively mild compared to others but certainly struggled with a heightened sense of alertness, nightmares and rage. The rage was hard for me...I had to watch the look in my families eyes when I, "went off." For the record I never even came close to hurting one of them and the rage was never directed at them. These rage events were more then just an emotional outburst these events were also accompanied by physical symptoms, heart racing, blurred vision and shortness of breath.
Near the end of 2008 I was also dealing with a serious back injury and uncontrollable pain. After dealing with the VA, which can be frustrating, the "events" became more common until one day I really lost it. I was at the VA clinic trying to get answers for my back and I was forced to deal with a less then friendly Physicians Assistant, who treated me very rudely. This was the breaking point for me. As I walked out of the office she made a smart comment and I calmly but sarcastically shot back a comment to her. Things escalated and soon we were standing there shouting at each other. One of the VA Reps grabbed my arm and took me to the front of the lobby to talk to me. He was trying to be kind I should add. When he asked what was wrong I started to explain and then it happened. The rage came out. I don't remember much about the conversation until I had an almost out of body experience. All I remember is the gentleman asking me, "Have you been tested for PTSD?" I remember standing in the lobby yelling to the top of my lungs, "I DONT HAVE F$@*& PTSD!!!!!!!" I knew at that moment with all these people standing around looking, I needed help.
Shortly there after I entered a new program that used writing as a way to deal with PTSD. I don't know if the program ever took off but it sure helped me. I was one of the first case studies. So today I am going to use writing again to express my feelings and hopefully bring me some healing and maybe some others as well. This will be the most open and detailed I have ever been about some of the things I have seen over seas, some of which I have not even told my family. It will be real. It will be raw but I am just baring my soul and giving you a peak into what men and women like me have seen and what we feel even after all these years.
The recent attacks on Paris opened many wounds for me. When I turned on the TV and started to watch the news a "rage event" started to boil. After throwing out some choice words and looking at my shocked children's faces (profanity isn't allowed in our home), I realized I needed to leave the room and calm down. Over the coming days the shock of the attack changed from how to deal with ISIS to what to do with all the Syrian refugees. I have seen every side of the spectrum from bomb the Middle East back to the stone age to people reciting the quote from the Statue of Liberty...."bring me your tired....". Anything from I wouldn't even take a 3yr old orphan to your not a Christian if you don't just open your doors to everyone.
Not surprisingly, I had an opinion that rankled the feeling of some and was lauded by others. My wife and I disagreed as I did with friends and family alike. I tried to strike a middle ground where we vetted the men thoroughly while bringing in the women and children. Some people said the vetting process was too long and could take up to two years. I thought that was ridiculous when you realize the average American soldier that has served the last 10 years has probably come close to double that away from family. Then a female suicide bomber blew herself up while resisting arrest as one of the conspirators. So clearly we can't just let all the women in. How do we go about doing this? Well I have changed my stance. I realize it won't be popular. I will probably be considered Islamaphobic, un-Christian and uncaring. That is fine I will live with those but before you stop reading, listen to someone who has a perspective that most will not have and see if there is any wisdom in what I write.
I love kids. I hate to see them suffer. When we first got into Iraq I wanted to give them all candy. food, soccer balls and money. It didn't take long for me realize this new opportunity to mingle with children would bring me some of my greatest heartbreaks.
On one of my first patrols a young man came up to my truck and communicated through broken English he had Pepsi for sale. I quickly grabbed a couple of bucks from my wallet and gave them to him and he ran away excited by his sale. Two days later we came back and I had my eyes open for this little boy. I finally saw him standing far off and he had casts on both arms. We found out later his arms were broken for selling US Soldiers, Pepsi's.
My unit quickly transitioned to Abu Gharib a place you may remember because of the well documented abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of their American captors. Those worthless soldiers cost the life of many good soldiers by inciting the region against us. They should have been given much harsher punishments than they received. While patrolling this region we were under constant attack from IED's. Our mission was to prevent IED's and capture or kill those placing or making them.
During our time in that region we traveled down this one road past many little family farms. We would stop and talk to the locals often in front of this one particular farm. Kids would always gather to get candy and toys that were sent from home. It was amazing to me even at the young ages how awful the boys would be to the young girls. There were two sisters that lived at the farm and they were about the age of my daughter back home. The first time I tried to give them something they ran away and I laughed thinking they were shy or afraid of me. The next time I realized why they ran away. The boys would immediately descend upon them and hit them and steal whatever they had been given. The older sister would try to defend her younger sister but to no avail. They would end up running for their safety dodging fists and stones the whole way. I finally got smart to this and would throw candy in a place the boys would all run to and while they were busy fighting each other I would give the girls an MRE and tell them to run and eat it before the boys found out. This went on for several weeks.
One night while laying in my bed we got a notice to come to the headquarters for a briefing on that nights raid. As I looked at the map I realized we would be raiding the home of the little girls I had tried to look out for. I remember pulling up to the house and being one of the first soldiers through the door. At that point training just kicks in. Smash down or through the door, clear the fatal funnel, take up your position, depending on where you were in the stack going in, and under no circumstances do you ever stop in the fatal funnel! When I got through the door one of the first things I witnessed was that little girl staring at me terrified as I came in and pointed my weapon and yelled at her father to get on the floor. The look on her face of broken trust, confusion and then terror as we dragged her father outside will never leave me.
As the rest of the soldiers searched the farm for evidence of IED's I went and sat down under a palm tree to pull security and cry. I am not ashamed to say I tried not to bawl.
A few weeks later while on patrol a mother walked up to me and tried to express that her baby was sick. This child was more then sick, it was blind and deaf. It would just lay there in her arms and moan. I called over our medic, Doc Jackson, and he tried to act like there was something he could do but I am pretty sure all he did was give the baby something to make it sleep and give the mother a little bit of peace. Once again I stood near my truck doing my best to not bawl as the mother walked away. I will never forget the moaning of that child that would never see, never hear and was headed for an almost unimaginable life in that part of he world with no resources for the handicapped.
When I left for my first deployment I prayed and asked God, not for my safety but, "if I must die please don't let it be on a Holiday, so that day will be ruined for my children forever and please don't let me kill any children or women." That was a really the prayer I prayed as the 747 left Ft. Drum.
On Dec 24th 2004 I was part of a group of soldiers that was guarding a communications tower in Baghdad. Around 9:30PM a shot rang out and, as it turned out it was an accidental discharge by an Iraqi soldier. My good friend Ryan Decker was standing near the Iraqi soldier and immediately started to read him the riot act. When he was done he came down and I remember saying to him, "I am not nearly as worried about getting killed by an insurgent as I am these idiots." We laughed neither of us knowing what would happen just 25 minutes later.
At 9:55PM a large fuel tanker pulled onto the road adjacent to the facility we were guarding. I want to say the road was about 75 yards from where we were standing. Ryan turned to me and said, "that is unusual to see a tanker out this late." There was a 10PM curfew and no one was allowed on the road. I will never forget the face of the man as he looked out the window at what was probably 18 American and Iraqi soldiers. I knew in my heart something was wrong but I just had nothing that I could positively identify as a threat. I wish to God now I had shot. I could make that shot from that distance any day of the week but I didn't... Less then a minute later there was a loud explosion and the instant heat and light almost blinded you. I turned to look in the direction of the explosion to see a fireball rolling towards me. I turned to find cover and when I did my shirt came up and I could feel the intense heat from the explosion probably 500yds away. The suicide bomber had detonated his truck in front of the Jordanian Embassy. The embassy was badly burned but no lives lost, the other side of the road was very different.
In the house across the road lived a man with a wife and 6 daughters. I don't know their ages but I know one was an infant. The man of the house was not home at the time but I am sure he wished he had been. His wife and 6 daughters burned alive in that fire and there was nothing we could do. I remember myself and two other soldiers were the first ones on the seen. It was heart breaking and devastation. Although I personally didn't hear it, other soldiers reported you could hear the screams and cry of a little baby in the rubble. When the husband and father came home he was inconsolable. I remember walking back to the relative security of our post and all I could say was. "why didn't you shoot? And F@#*& this place!! From that day on the sound of a crying baby is almost more then I can handle. Several years later while laying in the ER due to a kidney stone a baby in the next space over started to cry in pain. She just kept crying. The nurse came in and saw me sobbing and figured I must be in severe pain. She left to get me more drugs. The pain of the kidney stone didn't compare to what I was feeling in my heart.
Christmas Eve has never been the same for me. I always think back to that night. I wish I would have taken the shot even though I realize it would have probably cost me my life, had the truck detonated when it was close. I may have been badly burned and wished I had died. I would have given my life for those 6 girls and God knows it is true. For several years I couldn't sleep the night before Christmas but it wasn't excitement. When ignorant, not always bad, people ask, "Did you kill anyone over there?" These are the first people I think of.
Why am I telling you all this and how does it apply to the Syrian refugees?
The first reason is because I have seen many, not surprisingly, soldiers saying don't let the Syrian refugees in. At a minimum serious vetting needs to take place but it is more then that. We have seen this culture up close and personal. We have also seen those that are "extremist" and what they are capable of and are willing to do. I have seen people post its our, "Christian duty" to take in the refugees. When I hear someone say, "you don't care about the children I want to read them the stories I wrote above, ones that I had to stop at least 4 times while writing to wipe away tears, and then I want to tell them your misguided human compassion is what will ultimately bring death to many innocent children. I have read and heard from those that have never seen the true face of war, telling us, "I am not afraid," as they type from their smart phone or laptop in their comfortable home, while their children sit safely in a school or around their feet. It may be time for people to start listening to what those of us have seen and experienced in that culture. Lets be honest if politicians had listened to the military ISIS wouldn't even have gotten off the ground.
I understand that not all Muslims or followers of Islam are bad. I have worked beside and even lived beside some that are as true blue American as any of us. I have seen some die fighting for their country and its new found freedoms. I had several Muslims in Michigan that I would consider friends. We often hear of two categories, the extremist and the moderates. I would argue there is a third category and that would be the back-slidden. We use this term in Christianity for people that have effectively walked away from the faith, but still consider themselves a follower of Islam. I would consider them to be like a Catholic that goes to church on Easter and Christmas but faith means little to them apart from recognizing it in their past, nor does it have effect on their everyday lives. I would argue the US can not afford to bring in Extremists or Moderate followers of Islam. This may seem harsh but let me explain from a few perspectives.
Our culture is not compatible with theirs nor will they ever be. I have yet to talk to someone who is advocating for the acceptance of Syrian Refugees, that has been able to answer this one simple question. Will the refugees assimilate to our culture or will they be allowed to continue theirs? Of course that is almost blaspheme in the United States and the answer is usually something like this. "It would be un-American to not allow them to practice their culture here and force them to change to ours." If you find yourself thinking this way please pay close attention to what I say next.
One of the heinous aspects of the Muslim culture is its treatment of women. I would argue that moderate Muslims still espouse to the teachings of the Koran that allow honor killings, stoning's and even rape. If you think I am crazy I personally know soldiers that have listened to women, little girls and boys being raped but were not able to do anything about it. In the past few months there was a case of a US Green Beret that tried to assist a little boy that was being repeatedly raped. SFC Charles Martland was potentially facing disciplinary measures for beating up the pedophile. My one experience with even "moderate Muslims" has shown me a serious lack of respect of even common decency for Muslim women.
In November 2004 I had one of my more terrifying situations during my deployment. With the new found freedom in the country more and more citizens were able to afford vehicles thus putting a strain on their fuel supplies. There would be long lines and waits for gas because of so many new cars. For about a week we had to police these lines because, big surprise they would turn violent. Instead of being excited and appreciative of their new found freedom they would fight and quarrel to get gas first. I can tell you it is nothing like what you see in America and Europe when there are catastrophes that bring people together.
The fuel lines were not working that day and nerves were tense. Once the fuel delivery came and the pumps were working we began to allow the people to come forward to fill up their tanks and 5 gal jugs. There were 4 of us directing the fuel disbursement and the rest of the platoon was pulling security. I motioned to the ladies to come forward first and it started an all most immediate riot. Men started to push the woman and hit them. Men forced women they didn't even know to carry two or three 5 gallon jugs for them. The men finally got so mad they started to push forward and I was certain this would be it. I figured I was either going to die for trying to show the women respect or I was going to end up on the news for gunning down a mob. I was back to back with 3 other soldiers. At one point they had pressed in so hard that I could barely raise my weapon. At that point I told Lieutenant Calderon I was about to open fire. I switched my selector switch to fire and at the very last moment SFC Bass brought the rest of the platoon in to break things up. To this day I hate being in a crowd and started a twitch that has never went away. Now its kind of a joke and my son Jason will do it just to get a rise out of me. To this day if you walk up and touch me on the back and I don't see you coming I will jump. Then after I know your there I will jump every time you touch my back. We laugh about it now but it wasn't funny then.
My point is that massive violence almost broke out over treating women with dignity and respect. Why do you think you see so many pictures of single able bodied men as refugees? Its because they don't care about the women. I know pictures can be deceiving as each side tries to show their side of the case but think about this.
When the Titanic went down the rule was women and children first to be saved off the ship. In America and other countries, that value women, they and children are the first to be saved. Ask yourself this. Why are any men coming as refugees? If there are 30,000 refugees coming to the US, and 8,000 of them are men I can't think of anything more disgusting. Those 8,000 men represent 8,000 women or children that could be saved. So again I ask you. If we are allowing these refugees in are they going to assimilate to our way of treating women or not? The answer is no and that doesn't even address the fact of how many are coming here with evil intentions.
Some will try to use the argument I am afraid and this is letting the terrorist actually win. That is preposterous and may I add disingenuous to those that have already faced moderate and extremists on their turf. Is it fear or wisdom that causes me to lock my door at night if I live in an area with high crime? Is it fear or wisdom to pay for insurance for my vehicle in case of an accident? Is it fear or wisdom to put additional security at our schools because of the rash of violence we have suffered there? Is it fear or wisdom to put safe guards in many areas of our lives so as not to reap great harm? The idea that fear is winning is laughable and only ignorant people would actually say that. When it is your children laying on the floor of the restaurant or being mercilessly murdered or blown up let me know how your fear theory works out for you. Our cultures without assimilation can not and will never blend. The fact is they can't even blend with themselves over seas.
Finally its not that the financial costs are to great, we just don't have the money. I know I will get hung the most for mentioning money but hear me out. Can you in good conscience give money to refugees when you have children starving in your own country? Can you give money when you have countless homeless veterans? How can you slash the budget for our military veterans by $1.4 Billion and to spend billions on refugees? Even more confusing is how do you pay for this when the country is borrowing $4 billion dollars a day.
The idea that we are a rich country is a fallacy. We may have what appears to be wealth but we are teetering on the brink of collapse. We are servants to our masters the Chinese, that to this point, ironically haven't taken any refugees. What we are doing by taking in refugees is giving money that we don't even have. How do you commit billions of dollars when you will have to go borrow it? For those of you that are Christians and believe in paying tithe that would be like living it up during the week and still borrowing for your fun and needs then borrowing more to pay your 10%. When will we wake up in this country and realize if we continue down this road we will no longer be great and a help to anyone. If non profit organizations want to take the lead and respond to these needs then by all means raise as much as you can but expecting our government to give out more handouts is fiscally and morally irresponsible. Maybe that is what some want a nation that is no longer great. For me I know the world is better off when the US is truly great. I believe in helping and frankly we do. We are the most generous nation in the history of the world but at some point we must strengthen ourselves, even if that means we have to say no at times.
We often hear talk about the other nations in the Middle East bringing stability and taking responsibility for that region. Now is the time for the powers in the Middle East to step up and if they won't take their own doesn't that alone say something about that culture and religion.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Turning the Other Cheek
I grew up in a home that taught the Bible and believed the Bible. My parents did their best to teach me the scriptures and many of their teachings stay with me to this day.
One teaching was the Biblical teaching of turning the other cheek. You can find this teaching in Matthew 5:39 "But I tell you, do not resist and evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."
This teaching has been taught in Bible believing churches for centuries. Many have used it as a reason to avoid any kind of violence, including protecting themselves and their families. Conscientious objectors have used this as one of the main reasons for avoiding combat. They simply could not harm their enemy.
Although I respect those that have used this scripture in that manner, I have to say I strongly disagree. Not just with the thought of avoiding combat but with the idea in general that Christians should just let people run all over them and their beliefs. I have seen it in an even greater way with how we react to political attacks, make no mistake there is a war on Christians in the US, and attacks from the media.
Today Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty, was skewered for sharing his beliefs about homosexuality. Although I personally believe he went too far by using explicit details, I believe in the core of his message, that homosexuality is indeed wrong and a sin. This does not mean I hate homosexuals or that their sin is in any worse then my own, it just means it made the list of sins against God.
I make no apologies for my belief in God but what I will apologize for is that as a Christian I took the "turn the other cheek doctrine" to the extreme, I let is silence me. I believed that being a peace maker meant being nonconfrontational, unless of course I was arguing with other Christians.
Sadly many Christians of my parents generation and before allowed the same thing to happen to them as well. They sat back and watched God be taken out of school, Roe V Wade get passed and a general eroding of ethics and morality. Why we turned the other cheek humanist and the godless started to decay the moral fabric of society. Now we are getting all our cheeks kicked.
I can tell you for me the time has come to be like my name sake from the Bible, hopefully minus the stoning. Stephen was a man that spoke with such clarity and passion that his enemies could not even answer him because they were so befuddled. It's time to speak up Christians. Not with arrogance or hatred but with conviction and passion. Gods ways are not outdated or old fashioned, regardless of what the politically correct in society say.
Thanks For Reading,
Steve
One teaching was the Biblical teaching of turning the other cheek. You can find this teaching in Matthew 5:39 "But I tell you, do not resist and evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."
This teaching has been taught in Bible believing churches for centuries. Many have used it as a reason to avoid any kind of violence, including protecting themselves and their families. Conscientious objectors have used this as one of the main reasons for avoiding combat. They simply could not harm their enemy.
Although I respect those that have used this scripture in that manner, I have to say I strongly disagree. Not just with the thought of avoiding combat but with the idea in general that Christians should just let people run all over them and their beliefs. I have seen it in an even greater way with how we react to political attacks, make no mistake there is a war on Christians in the US, and attacks from the media.
Today Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty, was skewered for sharing his beliefs about homosexuality. Although I personally believe he went too far by using explicit details, I believe in the core of his message, that homosexuality is indeed wrong and a sin. This does not mean I hate homosexuals or that their sin is in any worse then my own, it just means it made the list of sins against God.
I make no apologies for my belief in God but what I will apologize for is that as a Christian I took the "turn the other cheek doctrine" to the extreme, I let is silence me. I believed that being a peace maker meant being nonconfrontational, unless of course I was arguing with other Christians.
Sadly many Christians of my parents generation and before allowed the same thing to happen to them as well. They sat back and watched God be taken out of school, Roe V Wade get passed and a general eroding of ethics and morality. Why we turned the other cheek humanist and the godless started to decay the moral fabric of society. Now we are getting all our cheeks kicked.
I can tell you for me the time has come to be like my name sake from the Bible, hopefully minus the stoning. Stephen was a man that spoke with such clarity and passion that his enemies could not even answer him because they were so befuddled. It's time to speak up Christians. Not with arrogance or hatred but with conviction and passion. Gods ways are not outdated or old fashioned, regardless of what the politically correct in society say.
Thanks For Reading,
Steve
Monday, November 18, 2013
Failure Is The Stepping Stone To Greatness
We both sat back in our tree stand disappointed and defeated. I had been waiting for this chance all season and my daughter had waited for five years to get her chance at a buck. He came in just like I had envisioned he would. Everything was going perfectly then suddenly everything went wrong.
The buck would not turn and give my daughter a ethical clean shot. Then the battery on the video camera I was using showed signs of dying. The buck turned and started walking the wrong way and my daughter was having a hard time getting into position. Up to this point everything was moving in almost slow motion but then in an instant went into warp speed. The buck appeared out of the thick brush again and a hasty shot was taken and I wasn't even able to get the camera on it. It was a clean miss. All that hard work and effort gone in a millisecond. There was nothing left to do but deal with the disappointment and try and learn from our mistakes.
About a year ago I was talking to the woman who became my wife and we were discussing how I viewed failures, Lord knows I have had plenty and I should be an expert on the subject. I used to beat myself up over failures. They would drive me into times of depression and anxiety. However, over the last ten years I have started to view them differently. Failures are nothing more then a stepping stone, they are used to set us up for success the next time around.
So often in life people do what I often did and let their attitude towards failure drive them in the wrong direction. We sulk, we cry and we throw a pity party when the realty is we are closer then we were before the mistake. We took that next step. Failure can teach us things that easy success never will.
Two nights ago I was sitting in another stand with my daughter. Armed with the lessons we had learned from two weeks earlier. This time the buck was not a small buck but a giant mature whitetail. The pressure was intense. The battery was dying again (apparently I didn't learn all the lessons of the previous hunt) and the buck we were trying to get was one of the biggest I had ever seen while hunting. When the moment of truth came we were faced with many of the same scenarios as the last time; quick shot, camera problems, rough angle and ridiculous amounts of adrenaline. Ashley performed with tremendous poise and I was able to hold it together and get enough battery life out of the camera. We had succeeded.
There is no doubt in my mind that had we not faced the adversity and failure of the previous hunt we would not have gotten the much bigger buck the other night. Ashley and my disappointment was very real two weeks ago but now is a distant memory to the sweet success we had this weekend. Had we not failed that opportunity would not have materialized.
Don't fret the failure it is just a stepping stone to something better...
Thanks For Reading
Steve
The buck would not turn and give my daughter a ethical clean shot. Then the battery on the video camera I was using showed signs of dying. The buck turned and started walking the wrong way and my daughter was having a hard time getting into position. Up to this point everything was moving in almost slow motion but then in an instant went into warp speed. The buck appeared out of the thick brush again and a hasty shot was taken and I wasn't even able to get the camera on it. It was a clean miss. All that hard work and effort gone in a millisecond. There was nothing left to do but deal with the disappointment and try and learn from our mistakes.
About a year ago I was talking to the woman who became my wife and we were discussing how I viewed failures, Lord knows I have had plenty and I should be an expert on the subject. I used to beat myself up over failures. They would drive me into times of depression and anxiety. However, over the last ten years I have started to view them differently. Failures are nothing more then a stepping stone, they are used to set us up for success the next time around.
So often in life people do what I often did and let their attitude towards failure drive them in the wrong direction. We sulk, we cry and we throw a pity party when the realty is we are closer then we were before the mistake. We took that next step. Failure can teach us things that easy success never will.
Two nights ago I was sitting in another stand with my daughter. Armed with the lessons we had learned from two weeks earlier. This time the buck was not a small buck but a giant mature whitetail. The pressure was intense. The battery was dying again (apparently I didn't learn all the lessons of the previous hunt) and the buck we were trying to get was one of the biggest I had ever seen while hunting. When the moment of truth came we were faced with many of the same scenarios as the last time; quick shot, camera problems, rough angle and ridiculous amounts of adrenaline. Ashley performed with tremendous poise and I was able to hold it together and get enough battery life out of the camera. We had succeeded.
There is no doubt in my mind that had we not faced the adversity and failure of the previous hunt we would not have gotten the much bigger buck the other night. Ashley and my disappointment was very real two weeks ago but now is a distant memory to the sweet success we had this weekend. Had we not failed that opportunity would not have materialized.
Don't fret the failure it is just a stepping stone to something better...
Thanks For Reading
Steve
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sitting Under the Tent
The humidity was not normal for Northern New York and the suit and tie I was wearing was not helping the situation at all, I was uncomfortable. I was inclined to start grumbling but the event I was attending demanded that I look my best. I am sure I wasn't alone in my discomfort because everyone around me was dressed up and most of them were in Class A's or Dress Blues. To be quite honest I was feeling a little under dressed and a little jealous that I wasn't wearing the same uniform.
When I got out of the car with the family we were greeted by a officer who escorted us to where the event was to take place. Along the way our escort asked us if we needed or would like anything, he was very eager to meet the needs of seven strangers. He ushered us to our seats under a large tent and we sat down. This was first class treatment to say the least.
When I sat down I looked out at the other soldiers and their families that were sitting in the bleachers, uncovered from the glaring sun and thought to myself how uncomfortable they must be in the heat and humidity.
To an uninformed bystander it would appear that the place to be on this day was under the tent. There was shade, a good view and escorts to care for your every need. But today that couldn't be farther from the truth.
The tent was set up for Gold Star Family members on Ft. Drum. Becoming a Gold Star Family Member is not what it sounds like. It means that you have lost a family member in the wars our nation has been fighting for the last decade. I was honored to sit with my wife and three step children as they came to honor the lose of a husband and father.
As I sat among such great loss and sacrifice I was immediately humbled by a question? Are you willing to pay the price to sit under the tent? There is no doubt that the tent for this event was the place to be for comfort, but the price to get their was very high. Everyone under that tent had paid a price for their comfort at that memorial, and all will do so for years to come.
I couldn't help but think about how easy it has been for me at times to look at someone that is successful or prospering; someone that in appearance is sitting in the comfort of the tent we call life. It is an entirely different matter when you start to find out what they paid to get their. The hard work, the sleepless nights, the time away from family and most importantly the times they failed and had to get back up. I walked away from the Remembrance Ceremony with a lot to think about but no thought was bigger then what price are you willing to pay to sit under the tent?
This can carry into so many areas of life; relationships, finances, raising children, work, and the list could go on and on. Everyone has a proverbial tent they are working towards. Maybe it is retirement or another level in education, financial freedom or some other form of success. But let me tell you about a tent, that if you are reading this in the United States you have already been blessed to sit under.
I am talking about the freedom we have as Americans. Yesterday I was moved by the sacrifice of the people that have paid the ultimate price so we can remain under that tent. We have a solemn obligation to never forget that sacrifice but we must do more then just remember. We need to continually be willing to offer ourselves to keep this nation free as it was intended.
Our country is entering the darkest times that I can remember in my life; the country is deeply in debt, there are monumental issues to address like immigration, terrorism and the level of governmental control in our lives as citizens. If you believe the news we are more deeply divided then anytime in our nations history. I have never seen greater attacks or questioning of our fundamental freedoms. Washington D.C. is full of politicians that are so lost, that menial decisions take months to be made while major decision like Obamacare are rushed through in days.
It is my firm belief that without major involvement by the citizens of this country our way of life is doomed. I am not speaking solely about voting but greater political involvement. Call your local, state and federal politicians, write letters, attend rally's and most importantly discuss with other citizens the issues so you are informed. What price are you willing to pay to sit under the tent?
I recently started a Face Book page for political discussions. I welcome any one reading this, regardless of political leanings to join the discussion. The link is https://www.facebook.com/CommonSensePolitics.
Thanks For Reading
Steve
When I got out of the car with the family we were greeted by a officer who escorted us to where the event was to take place. Along the way our escort asked us if we needed or would like anything, he was very eager to meet the needs of seven strangers. He ushered us to our seats under a large tent and we sat down. This was first class treatment to say the least.
When I sat down I looked out at the other soldiers and their families that were sitting in the bleachers, uncovered from the glaring sun and thought to myself how uncomfortable they must be in the heat and humidity.
To an uninformed bystander it would appear that the place to be on this day was under the tent. There was shade, a good view and escorts to care for your every need. But today that couldn't be farther from the truth.
The tent was set up for Gold Star Family members on Ft. Drum. Becoming a Gold Star Family Member is not what it sounds like. It means that you have lost a family member in the wars our nation has been fighting for the last decade. I was honored to sit with my wife and three step children as they came to honor the lose of a husband and father.
As I sat among such great loss and sacrifice I was immediately humbled by a question? Are you willing to pay the price to sit under the tent? There is no doubt that the tent for this event was the place to be for comfort, but the price to get their was very high. Everyone under that tent had paid a price for their comfort at that memorial, and all will do so for years to come.
I couldn't help but think about how easy it has been for me at times to look at someone that is successful or prospering; someone that in appearance is sitting in the comfort of the tent we call life. It is an entirely different matter when you start to find out what they paid to get their. The hard work, the sleepless nights, the time away from family and most importantly the times they failed and had to get back up. I walked away from the Remembrance Ceremony with a lot to think about but no thought was bigger then what price are you willing to pay to sit under the tent?
This can carry into so many areas of life; relationships, finances, raising children, work, and the list could go on and on. Everyone has a proverbial tent they are working towards. Maybe it is retirement or another level in education, financial freedom or some other form of success. But let me tell you about a tent, that if you are reading this in the United States you have already been blessed to sit under.
I am talking about the freedom we have as Americans. Yesterday I was moved by the sacrifice of the people that have paid the ultimate price so we can remain under that tent. We have a solemn obligation to never forget that sacrifice but we must do more then just remember. We need to continually be willing to offer ourselves to keep this nation free as it was intended.
Our country is entering the darkest times that I can remember in my life; the country is deeply in debt, there are monumental issues to address like immigration, terrorism and the level of governmental control in our lives as citizens. If you believe the news we are more deeply divided then anytime in our nations history. I have never seen greater attacks or questioning of our fundamental freedoms. Washington D.C. is full of politicians that are so lost, that menial decisions take months to be made while major decision like Obamacare are rushed through in days.
It is my firm belief that without major involvement by the citizens of this country our way of life is doomed. I am not speaking solely about voting but greater political involvement. Call your local, state and federal politicians, write letters, attend rally's and most importantly discuss with other citizens the issues so you are informed. What price are you willing to pay to sit under the tent?
I recently started a Face Book page for political discussions. I welcome any one reading this, regardless of political leanings to join the discussion. The link is https://www.facebook.com/CommonSensePolitics.
Thanks For Reading
Steve
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Politics of Fear
"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage,
on imagination and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."
President Harry Truman.
Unless you are living
under a rock, things in the United States are becoming more and more hopeless
by the day. We are witnessing the decline of one of history’s great and most
powerful empires; our strength is fading, our economy crumbling, our status in
the world has greatly diminished.
Talk to the average
citizen and most will tell you things aren't right in this country. Most will
tell you the government is the problem; it must either do more or do less. Most
citizens will have big opinions about what is going on but little to no idea
how to fix it. They will act like the issues facing our nation are beyond
understanding and only the best and brightest minds could actually come up with
an answer to correct the problem. We put our trust in politicians who promise
us action and answers yet fail us time and time again. Any hope of meaningful
change is destroyed by partisan bickering and stalemate. We are now in a
vicious circle of political games, where the only real goals seem to be
controlling the people and maintaining power; and the tool used, FEAR.
I used to think the government
used fear to control, which they do, but now I think fear is controlling the
government.
Over the last few
months I have repeatedly read news and thought to myself, there is no way that
politician can be that stupid. I am not going to name any specific politicians
because I have literally thought this about leaders of both parties. I can
hardly watch a discussion about the national debt without screaming at the TV.
Highly educated people sit and argue with foolish and meaningless facts about
fixing the economy and the debt, when the real answer is very simple. You
cannot spend more than you take in. This is not rocket science, its simple
math.
Now I know many of my
friends that dislike Obama will disagree with this statement, but he is not a
dumb man. With a degree from Harvard he would at least have a minimum
understanding of basic math which is all that is really required to balance a
budget. Some would say I am over simplifying this and there are far more
complicated issues to be raised then just the dollars and cents math, I would
have to respectfully disagree. It really is just simple math.
What do you do when
you have bills to pay and you want to get out of debt or at least have
manageable debt? Well, if you are going to be successful you reduce your
spending, usually by cutting out extras. You get your budget as lean as you can
by focusing on the necessities only and placing any disposable income on your
debt. This works for individuals and it would work for the government. So the
logical question is why is the government not doing it?
I am not a conspiracy
theorist but here is what I believe is really going on in our country today.
According to several
respectable news sources, anywhere from 35-45% of the US Population receives
some form of direct government assistance. The assistance can come in
everything from retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, Medicare, Medicaid
and welfare benefits like Food Stamps and HUD.
For the sake of this argument let’s use 35% of the US
population, which is 110 million people. That is an astronomical number of
people dependent on the government. We can debate the question of who deserves
help and those that are playing the system. We could discuss the massive
amounts of waste that could be found in all the bureaucracy but that would take
away from the point I am trying to make. So again for the sake of this argument
lest just say that 90% of the people on assistance actually need the help or
have earned the benefits through paying into Social Security. This would mean
that there are 11 million people who are abusing and taking advantage of the
system. I can tell you there are far more than that abusing the system but my
point can still be made with these numbers.
Now let’s imagine
what will happen when the government is no longer able to give these 11 million
people the entitlement that they need. I
use the word WHEN because let’s be honest it is really only just a matter of
time. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we will see a catastrophic
financial collapse in this nation in the next 10 years. It will probably be in
the next 4 four years but the point remains it is coming, and everyone knows
it. Even scarier is that your elected officials know it. They are stuck between
two decisions; enrage the masses now by cutting the entitlements that are
destroying the wealth of this nation or allow this current path to run its
course into collapse. In any event this nation will see the greatest unrest
since the Civil War. Imagine the social unrest of the Hurricane Katrina, the
Race Riots in New Jersey, Detroit and Los Angeles and play that out in probably
every city, county and state in the US.
Is it any wonder why
the government is trying so hard to destroy the 2nd Amendment? Can
you imagine the intensity of the civil unrest if there are weapons all over? I
know that it may sound like I support gun control but that couldn’t be farther
from the truth. I will not give up my right to protect myself and my family
when this all happens. The military and National Guard will not be able to
control this event and there is a real possibility, depending on who is in office,
that we could see United Nations soldiers on our soil. Is it any wonder that Congressman
Ron Paul stated the, “national debt was the biggest national security issue our
country is facing?”
It is not hard to
figure out why the Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.2 Billion
bullets this year? I think not. Could it be that our government knows what is
about to happen and they are looking to control it? I find it ironic that when
average citizens stock pile ammo and cling to their guns the government calls
them paranoid, yet the government is doing the very same thing. Fear has taken
over the government and every decision that comes from Washington is based on
fear.
We are inundated with
information that makes us fearful about financial collapse, terrorist attacks,
a struggling job market, failures in education and a ballooning national debt.
Every issue and every topic is fear, fear and more fear. When was the last time you heard something on
the news that made you proud to be an American? We are fearful people being led
by fearful leaders.
You cannot lead with
fear. In fact leading with fear generally turns into ruling not leading. The
government of the United States was not set up for a ruler. If we are to
maintain the freedoms we hold dear in this country we must have leaders that
are not afraid. Men and women that are not afraid to make the hard choices, the
choices that require sacrifice. This country can no longer afford to elect
managers we need effective and steadfast leadership. We need leaders who will
not shrink back from the difficult issues in this country and more importantly
will not take away our freedoms because they are unwilling to make the hard
choices. Benjamin Franklin stated, “They who can give up essential liberty to
obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” We are a
nation that looks for easy and quick answers but there are no easy answers this
time. We need to make the painful choices, the hard choices and even the
seemingly impossible choices.
Fear is a choice it
doesn’t have to be a way of life. Too many in this country, myself included,
have allowed the present state of this country to cause us fear and doubt but
that is not what the United States was built on. We were built with courage by
men and women that chose to do the impossible and make the tough choices. I
trust it will be so again.
Thanks for Reading
Steve
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