IT TOOK A FEDERAL CASE TO WRITE THIS BLOG
I was on MySpace before in 2006 on two different occasions.
And then I had to deal with a rather discourteous interruption in my experience.
I am surprised that I am just now getting the bravery and the fortitude to express this now. Whilst I was away for the past 19 months I had a lot of new experiences come my way.
I have had a tree fall on my car during a horrible thunderstorm --- and it turn up on the local news. Fortunately, after three other body and fender repair shops dismissed it as a total loss, I found two shops willing to take a chance on it --- and one that actually repaired it and did a great job.
I have been on an extended road trip to Nebraska for work...and gotten another interesting appreciation for how the common man and the common woman live.
I have been through a number of road trips working support for an inventory team...and finally joined that team outright recently.
I have buried a cat, learnt more about the growing threat of certain antagonistic ideologies contrary to the protection of traditional freedoms, replaced computers, and revved up the one that I have now.
I have taken on the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation regarding the theft of my home in 2003 --- and lost.
But one big factor that weighed in is I expressed substantive disgust with how MySpace handled my last account.
I had been back for nary a month when I finally had started seeing more friends than I had had before, on another account that had just been dumped for no good reason.
And then I saw the message, telling me that my account had been deleted. I became very upset and started calling, emailing, even writing to MySpace headquarters to rectify the solution.
I quickly learnt that after a number of calls, letters, and emails, that they would not respond. That is when I took an unexpected route: On 13 November 2006 I filed a complaint with the United States District Court in Springfield, Missouri, to see about redressing this grievance, part of my First Amendment rights, to address ANOTHER part of my First Amendment rights, which I had seen as being violated.
At that time I filed a Motion to File In Forma Pauperis, which is used generally when people are in poverty or earning low incomes. That motion was denied, and later, when I was unable to pay the $350 filing fee, it was dismissed; I refiled that on 3 April 2007.
With my refiling I submitted a number of screenshots and printouts of emails showing how MySpace had refused to address the technical problems repeatedly. I finally had the matter served in Los Angeles last summer, but it took three attempts before we got everything just right.
My process server called me from LA County to tell me that I would need an additional document, which I obtained online and had notarised. Then having the matter re-served, it ultimately was not answered for a number of months, causing me to move for default judgment. That motion was ultimately denied when MySpace sent their counsel, who ultimately disregarded the evidence of their client's refusal to address my continued technical problems. Finally, the case was dismissed without prejudice in March 2008 and a subsequent motion to annul the dismissal or establish a date for a hearing was denied as well.
I came away thinking that the judge was negligent with his regard for my First Amendment Rights, but he cited a ruling in Colorado from 1996, in which he claimed that a state player could not intervene as I was requesting.
To me the judge came off rather ignorant, and I wonder if he is even fit to sit on the bench. But I don't want his career ruined. He could always teach at a law school, maybe even the one at Missouri State University.
I am certain that President George W Bush --- with whom I have a mixed relationship of, a combination of pride and angst --- had the right idea when appointing this judge. Maybe the judge will redeem himself in time with another case...we don't know.
And whilst you may think, This is karma for taking on Number One, or maybe even, That judge was a simpleton for ruling as he did, I cannot determine whether legal action is right for you or not if you experience something like this. It is entirely up to YOU to decide.
And if you are wondering if I ever had any ill will toward MySpace, then you will be pleased (?) to find that I NEVER had such poor sentiment toward the nice folks here at MySpace, and certainly NOT the nice folks at News Corporation, the parent company of this site. To the contrary they are wonderful people, and I have no ill will. I am pleased to see the success not to mention the ability for a number of us to connect and get closer to a number of interesting folks.
I come away with this thinking long and hard about the impact that this site has had on our society, and even world society as well. It is important to note that the world as we know it has changed, and I am sure for the better, as we gain better understanding of each other, including the sites that have cropped up in competition. I have been through a number of those and am on a number of them too, but as we all know, THIS is where so many folks wind up, meaning a greater opportunity to get to know a wide range of persepctives.
Certainly I have NO problem with the rules. I HAVE HAD occasional problems with the way some of them are enforced...and maybe so have some of you.
WHERE THE CITY ENDS---AND THE CORNSTALKS BEGIN
I have to go meet with fellow employees at a regional office a decent drive away from my home.
Click here for my employer. This has become a part of life for me...and I don't particularly mind it.It all started last June, during the last week of that month, when I was originally assigned to work with a Minnesota team counting the inventory at a major department store chain's stores. That would ultimately change to helping Nebraska teams handle a couple of inventories in Kearney.
And it was long, LONG, trip, particularly for me, unaccustomed to regular long trips for more than overnight, as was the general case. I have travelled throughout the state of Missouri, into Kansas, then Oklahoma, and quite a bit in Arkansas. Within the first year of my employment I had already worked a week with a team covering inventories for a major discount retailer.
I had already seen two state capitals whilst working for this company --- Jefferson City (Missouri) and Topeka (Kansas). I had already seen a number of miles of Interstates 44, 70, and 435, US66, US71, US60, US65, US54, and a number of other federal highways...in addition to a fairly sizable number of state highways, the gold and black Kansas sunflower / sawblade signs, the black and white state outline signs from Missouri and Arkansas and more recently, Oklahoma, after they abandoned the circle signs.
But the big trip to Kearney left me...well, somewhat prepared. I listened to Neal Boortz that morning and cooked a number of Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches to eat on the way into south-central Nebraska.
It proved to work as the only money I had spent from Joplin to Kearney was about $1 for a pop refill at a corner market in Fillmore --- along the I-29 north of Kansas City.
And what a trip it was, listening to a number of cassettes, I had yet to get a CD player, I would do that a few weeks later...and as we cruised up the I-435 around Kansas City, passing Worlds of Fun, crossing the Missouri River, and listening to Sean Hannity for as far as I could get a signal.
Soon after we stopped at an exit in the southwestern corner of Iowa, I was listening to the Yes album, Talk, which I highly recommend ... and then I would see a couple of blue and gold shields bearing the numbers of county routes, California-style. You have to understand, I grew up in California, where in a number of areas you would find blue-and-gold county route pentagons; some of you folks in other states also see those things, usually with a number, sometimes with a letter and number. I had already begun to see the cornstalks and corncobs rising above the fields of Missouri, Iowa, and then Nebraska, crossing the Missouri River again but this time on Highway 2, the Nebraska Highway. The Nebraska Highway is basically the Cornhusker equivalent to the El Camino Real, The Pacific Highway, or US1...a part of their identity, long cold winters spawning storms sometimes powerful enough to force the closure of the I-80, bright searing summers with almost endlessly late afternoons, miles upon miles of cornstalks, the occasional stand of trees. And with the growing interest in ethanol --- of which corn has become an increasing source of, and not without controversy at that --- Nebraska's identity appears to be quite strong.
After the long drive, in which my efforts to find Michael Savage and Mark Levin were unsuccessful on the AM radio stations, I tried to find a local station as the cities passed, that would hold my interest for very long...Lincoln, with its high-rise state capital, York, Grand Island...and finally to Kearney.
We pulled off the I-80 after passing under the Fort Kearney structure and I got out along with my six fellow employees. After the team leaders spoke with the front desk clerks regarding our reservations, we finally got our rooms. Mine turned out to be, well, all to myself. I wound up going just up the street to a Chinese restaurant, I am a sucker for Chinese restaurants with a buffet line, as this one clearly was, and then walked back, noting just how long the sun stayed up, with sunset hitting only at 10.00p.
I got back in to my room and learnt about the devastating story of the tragedy surrouding WWE wrestler Chris Benoit --- and was stunned. How could Benoit have passed away so suddenly? A number of news reports, including those on Fox News, would soon give me some clues.
I would later learn about his high dosages of steroids, his friends dying all around him --- he was visibly heartbroken when his good friend, Eddie Guerrero, passed away in November 2005 --- and even fell under such a bad case of "'roid rage" it boggles the mind. Then it all became clear, this was another good case AGAINST steroids abuse.
NEXT MORNING. We had a 9.00a meet time at the local Tractor Supply Company just across the road from our hotel. I headed to the dining area for the complimentary breakfast --- bagels, orange juice, yoghurt, cream cheese, apples, oranges, and milk --- You need a good breakfast to start the say if you are getting up that early.
At 9.00a we started counting varied items in the store inventory, I would go outside to count the larger implements, the lawn tractors, the go-carts, the stock feeders, the tanks, the loading chutes, the fenceposts, and then I wondered about how the weather would turn out. There were projections for 80 percent chance of thunderstorms, but I have lived back here in the South long enough to know that sometimes 80 percent chance of thunderstorms means not one drop on the ground.
Besides, the skies opened up with sunlight at about noon, when we took our break, and I grabbed a Vault, which I found I did not have to pay tax upon. That is because Nebraska do not charge state sales tax on groceries.
After lunch, everyone else went to Arbys. Not me, I chose to go back to the hotel and then go to a local Burger King nearby. And that sort of answers some of the things about my personality.
I do not always go with the flow. Sometimes I will choose something else. For example if everyone wants to eat at McDonalds I will go find a Burger King or a Hardees or even a Taco Bell. I used to enjoy Sonic but I can't stand their poor service anymore; a recent experience in Wichita turned me off to them for good when they fouled up my order TWICE. Arbys often sounds very good. In the past year I have discovered White Castle and rediscovered Del Taco and Jack In The Box --- all three of which are commonly found in the St Louis area. And lately, I have taken to grabbing bagels and cream cheese and ham or turkey or corned beef and frozen dinners from the local supermarket or even Supercentre.
After eating a Western Whopper or something like that, a large order of fries, and a large Dr Pepper, I walked downtown to get...A HAIRCUT?
That's right. A haircut.
But not before giving way to several freight trains crossing on a three-track Union Pacific mainline, witnessing a number of car carriers, I could make out some Chryslers through the slats on the carriers. Then I walked for a few blocks through the historical downtown.
Then I stopped at a local beauty college after passing a couple of barbershops...and found a great haircut for $7 from a student stylist. The instructor checked her work, touched my hair up, and even cut the hair growing on my ears, stating that some folks might be offended. I said, No, I am not offended, we all need a little help sometimes.
After going walkabout for a while I was back at the hotel, then a fellow employee and I walked just up the road to the local Runza restaurant.
I have to tell you about this peculiar name: It is a reference to a loaf-like sandwich, with ground beef and some sort of cheese baked inside. Runzas are to Nebraska what In-N-Out restaurants are to LA. I had a very tasty mushroom and swiss cheese Runza and fries...and I think I had some Sierra Mist.
Back at the hotel, I watched The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, and then I took a lengthy swim in the indoor pool. I kept bouncing from the pool --- which had an island in the centre and an elevated poolside bar --- to the hot tub. YES! those jets felt great...
Wednesday morning, 4.30a. I got up, dressed, then walked to the nearby Perkins restaurant. It's a terrific sit-down style restaurant in a number of Midwestern and Southern states, and I had to have biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, and iced tea.
At 6.00a we started counting the Kmart store, which I would learn was across the street from the local mall and next to the Target and Walmart. Not that those were great concerns --- they were too damn far away from the hotel. No way in hell I could walk that far...or could I?
After a long day which included lunch at Sonic, I wound up going on a long walkabout and ate dinner at Hardees --- two Big Twins (their version of a Big Mac but tastier) and a large Sprite. Then it was back to the hotel.
But on this long walk I got to see areas of town from a number of feet above the ground, where I could see from the bridges over the railway, where the city ended --- and the cornstalks began, you could literally walk from the city to the country in the next step. It felt all but surreal...and this is even for someone who is familiar with Los Angeles stretching for miles in one direction and going into a small town in another.
I even got to see a few impressive vehicles, including a very old Ford Model A Pickup in the backyard that I surmised would look fantastic when restored or customised. My father always used to work on some hot rod project when I was growing up and even before I was born. Nowadays he is a mechanic in LA.
On Thursday morning most of us went to the dining area for breakfast, and we watched what was going on with the local weather. At about 10.00a we went back on the road, cruising back the way we had come, stopping at the west edge of Lincoln, where we found ourselves on US6 --- the longest US highway in the system, stretching from Provincetown to Bishop, and at one point, until circa 1964 all the way to San Pedro. I announced that and my fellow employees were rather blasé about that tidbit of highway information. We pulled into a corner market where I loaded up on cherry limeade and then it was time to get back on the road. We would soon stop in Nebraska City --- where I gritted my teeth, grabbed a couple Quarter Pounders from Maccas --- and even bought a double cheeseburger and a Dr Pepper for a fellow employee who had run out of money.
As tight as finances get sometimes I would just as soon that even fellow employees have to eat too and it does not hurt to help them, even if it is very spartan.
After another stop at Kansas City off the I-435 for some stuffed breadsticks at QuikTrip --- you MUST grab some if you stop in one of those places --- we cruised back onto US71, where we encountered brutal traffic delays caused by the resurfacing of US71 and a number of offramps in and around its junction with the I-435 and the I-470 --- also known to locals as the "Grandview Triangle" or simply "The Triangle". I have tried to find a triangle in that area and never could figure that one out. Maybe if someone reading this is familiar with Kansas City...
Back on the long haul home we started getting closer to Joplin and I was finally able to tune in Savage Nation...I knew that this trip was done, but not without experiencing a number of visual elements that make you wonder more and more about the great world that God created for us.
A TREE FELL ON MY CAR AND...
As you can see, this is what my car appeared like as of roughly one year ago. A thunderstorm ripped through the area, and either a thunderbolt or a microburst knocked half a very fragile tree down on top of my car.
A year earlier another storm had knocked a large branch onto the street below...but I was parked all the way down at the truck stop all night for a work assignment in Jefferson City.
But this time I would not be so fortunate: The storm knocked my tree down and I panicked upon seeing a camera from ABC-12 here in Joplin --- and the anchor, ALSO forenamed Brian, was on the scene, and I was discussing the matter. It would take daylight before I would see the full impact.
After raising hell with the City of Joplin and my insurance company for not removing the branches off my car, someone finally came out to cut the branches off my car on Saturday. I think it was my landlord who sent that person out...he had also told me not to worry about trying to cut the branches off myself.
When I saw the damage it looked rather rough, with the right rear quarterpanel heavily dented, the right front fender dented, the boot mildly scratched, and the bonnet dented as well. However, when I went to start the car, it DID start --- so it still ran well.
So off to a number of body shops I went, seeking estimates. Most of them claimed it would be a total loss, one of them rather sanctimoniously claimed that he had had so much experience evaluating auto body damage ... and that put me off.
A trip to a neighbouring community gave me some hope, but at a cost of some $3500. Back on the west side of Joplin I would find a more acceptable price for the repairs --- and with $2100 from the insurance company, I would arrange for the repairs to be made.
After almost two weeks I was finally back on the road...with a much more attractive-looking 1998 Chevy Monte Carlo, just short of 100 000 miles. The right rear quarterpanel was filled in, with the right front fender and the bonnet replaced.
To this day it still shows a few evident but minor markings of the night, day, and night where a number of metric tonnes of maple tree were leaning on the right side of the car. I will get those taken care of eventually, but not just yet.
DROWSY DRIVING
I would like to talk about something very serious for a moment.
I was driving home from work after a VERY, VERY long day that had started at about 4.00a in Lawrence KS, the home of the University of Kansas (KU), where I was counting inventory at the local Home Depot.
After a long drive through Kansas City and Clinton back to Springfield I finally started heading home, and it was also rather late in the day, somewhere near 7.00p.
After a drive down Old Route 66 through Halltown and Paris Springs and Carthage, I was cruising down the 171 Freeway when I approached a construction zone where there is currently a three-point junction between 171 and 249 (*the latter being a bypass round the east side of Joplin, to relieve the consistently-congested Range Line Road --- if you have driven the I-405 in Los Angeles you know what I am talking about).
So I slowed down from the normal speed limit of 70mi/h down to 45mi/h and as I was crossing under the Carterville junction overcrossing I must have lost consciousness for a brief moment.
Suddenly I heard a loud WHUMP...then another WHUMP...then I hit the brakes. I would pull over to the side of the road to find that I had run over two construction zone barrels with my 2003 Ford Ranger. The silver pickup had sustained a broken headlamp and a couple of minor dents in the bonnet, whereas it could have sustained far worse, when I ran over those barrels at roughly 35 miles an hour.
I picked the barrels up --- they were large plastic barrels that were only mildly to moderately dented --- and placed them back upright.
I then realised that I had fallen asleep behind the wheel for a brief moment, with about 16 hours of daytime behind me.
So let me educate you about the growing problems with drowsy drivers --- the folks who drive whilst sleepy or otherwise exhausted to the point that they risk losing consciousness on the highways.
According to the website Drowsydriving.org, Unlike alcohol-related crashes, no blood, breath, or other objective test for sleepiness behind the wheel currently exists that investigators could give to a driver at the scene of a crash. This makes police training in identifying drowsiness as a crash factor very difficult.
So if you get tired duing a long drive especially at the end of a very long day you should consider doing the following:
Pull off onto the hard shoulder, at a junction from a motorway if possible, either onto the hard shoulder of a sliproad or onto a nearby surface street or road.
(ADVISORY: Some states may limit your ability to perform this task by statute, like Arkansas who now prohibit parking along the hard shoulders of carriageways, dual carriageways, and motorways; if a trooper or other policeman should arrive, however, the most s/he can do is direct you to the nearest junction, or even to a car park, whether at a supermarket, corner market, big box store, strip mall, or even an abandoned filling station.)
If you can find a rest area --- USE IT! Pull over and take a short nap or even go to sleep for a few hours.
If you can find a place to park --- USE IT! A supermarket, a corner market, a filling station, a mall, even an abandoned business --- all of those can improvise for a proper place to rest on a long drive.
Failing all of that, if YOU MUST stay awake and drive, drink something with caffeine, like coffee (regular, espresso, cappucino), maybe cola, a citrus beverage like Mountain Dew, Mello Yello, Vault, or even an energy drink, like Rockstar, Full Throttle, Red Bull, or Amp. The caffeine will have less effect on those who drink it regularly however. Eat a light or moderate snack or meal, like a hot ham and cheese sandwich.
Something else I just discovered: If you are awake for 18 hours you are exhibiting an equivalent of a blood alcohol content of eight one-hundredths of one percent --- enough to trigger the drink driving laws. And my wreck is typical of the 100 000 that occur due to drowsy driving, with 55 percent caused by drivers younger than 25. Younger folks who pull long hours often need to keep this in mind especially when driving late in their days!
From the Drowsydriving.org WEBSITE, Here are some signs that should tell a driver to stop and rest:
* Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids
* Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts
* Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs
* Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes
* Trouble keeping your head up
* Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip
* Feeling restless and irritable
Before you drive, check to see if you are:
* Sleep-deprived or fatigued (6 hours of sleep or less triples your risk)
* Suffering from sleep loss (insomnia), poor quality sleep, or a sleep debt
* Driving long distances without proper rest breaks
* Driving through the night, midafternoon or when you would normally be asleep
* Taking sedating medications (antidepressants, cold tablets, antihistamines)
* Working more than 60 hours a week (increases your risk by 40%)
* Working more than one job and your main job involves shift work
* Drinking even small amounts of alcohol
* Driving alone or on a long, rural, dark or boring road
So what's the solution? Exercise due caution especially when tired and you have to drive. Fortunately for me, my financial liability is limited to replacing a headlamp and maybe banging out a couple of dents in the bonnet --- all inside the cost of $100. With the location of those barrels next to a Jersey barrier --- a concrete barricade used commonly along a number of turnpikes and urban motorways --- it could very easily have been worse.
I hope that you will come away with a sober understanding of driving whilst drowsy...and that you will educate others to the dangers of drowsy driving.
My Stimulus Cheque --- And How Did Yours Go?
Chances are you have been hearing a lot in the media about the US federal government sending out stimulus cheques to most working-class Americans of middle and lower economic classes.
No doubt you are aware that some of those cheques have already been sent out.
Well, let me tell you about my day out shopping with the stimulus cheque I just received.
Yesterday night I came home from my mother's house to find that my cheque had just been sent out, a total of $300. Not quite what I had hoped for; I had anticipated $600, but anyway, it's great that that cheque was even issued at all, thanks in part to President Bush (1) and thanks in part to the Media's Congress (2) who in a rare sign of sobriety and commom sense noted that the Government were stealing too much of our pay cheques.
At about 12.30 I drove over to the bank to cash that cheque and then took off in my silver 2003 Ford Ranger to Best Buy where I started checking out the car stereos. After meeting with someone from Home Theatre who called in someone from Geek Squad I finally chose a Sony CDX GT320 which is ready for IPods, HD Radios, WMA, and MP3 players...and even comes with a REMOTE CONTROL! (How in the HELL would I NEED a remote control when the bench seat in my pickup TAKES UP half the damn cab! LOL!)
At 13.25 I paid for my stereo, an adaptor for the wiring in my pickup, a mounting kit, and the installation --- a total of $198. I then wheeled the truck around to the installation bay and had my stereo installed, being told to expect to wait 45 minutes, and signed some paperwork.I spent that time walking round the store, thinking about something else I could buy after this were done. I checked out CD players (for the home), CDs (I even found a 'Freestyle Forever' compilation), video games (including Family Guy games for two different video game systems), computer peripherals, computer memory cards, cameras, MP3 players and IPods...
At about 14.05 I went back to the shop and found my pickup parked outside. I examined the interior --- where I found my new stereo installed.I walked into the shop, was advised of a few details, and signed different parts of the paper work. Then it was on to the manual where I checked for instructions --- and figured out how to set radio stations.So I started setting some of the FM stations, then set up a couple of AM station presets for the local talk radio stations. I tuned in to
I started cruising the always-infernally congested Range Line Road in my truck, now with a decent stereo. I had to deal with a few robots and the usual traffic jams, but then I pulled into Walmart on East 15th, checking for shoes. I would find a number of shoes that failed to meet all of my criteria: steel toe, slip-on, size 13.
That is because I have to use those at WORK!
And work for me involves taking inventory at Home Depot stores in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.But this week is an off week due to Memorial Day, so now I am waiting for a phone call for my next assignment. As in the plaintive words of Exposé, "I wish the phone would ring". (LOL!)
Then it was off on a goose chase up and down Range Line, down to Academy, where I found shoes just like them, but not the size I needed.Up to Target, where I found nothing that I needed. Then on to the mall --- Sears: I came VERY close to what I needed, even found a good pair of Roebuck steel toed shoes but with laces, that I ALMOST bought. JCPenney: Nothing came close. Journeys: Nothing came close. TradeHome: Not even close. Dryers Shoes: Nothing came close. Same story at both Payless Shoe Sources, Steve & Barrys, TJMaxx, Goodys, Shoe Carnival...WalMart in Webb City, even Name Brand Clothing...So it was time to go back to Academy, where I found the same style of shoes I had checked out before. I suddenly remembered from my last Academy inventory that Academy stack their shoes two stacks deep, so I removed a stack of mostly 11s and found a couple of pairs of 13s hidden away.
I grabbed a pair of 13s then took them up front to pay for them. I considered a Guava Rockstar, put it back, then moved from register to register, then picked out another Guava Rockstar anyway, then paid for my purchase, there goes $29 all told.
Back to the truck, where I put Hannity back on, then pulled into the local Dollar Tree, then the local Deal$, to get a new mobile phone case because the old one had had a broken clasp. After paying $1 for the case, it was back into the truck, where by now Sean Hannity had given way to Michael Savage.
Then it was back to Best Buy to buy a memory card for my computer. Another $38 were spent at Best Buy, my second purchase from that store in the same day. Then it was off to the local "Gasco" filling station and corner market, a former Texaco station run by a Pakistani family who always kept Pakistani and Indian programming (MEANING Asian Indian) on the television --- except maybe for the one time I saw CNBC on there. I had no time for that, just paying $20 for petrol and bringing my tank back to just over half full.
Then it was back to my apartment and on to open my computer for a couple of minutes, just long enough to install the new memory card, then closed it back up, then started it up. I turned on the home stereo receiver and tuned in The Savage Nation, with Michael Savage.
I went into my Maxthon Browser and clicked open the tabs for my email, the Sweet Sensation forum, and the Mark Levin Fan Forum.After a short burst of activity on the computer I checked the clock in the lower right hand corner and grabbed my case of CDs which I normally take on the road with me. Then I placed them in the truck, inserted the Exposé Greatest Dance Mixes CD, and cranked up the original Point of no return. (Don't worry --- I took the Sweet Sensation double disc with me too, I should be putting that in later on.)
Then it was off to Cicis Pizza, where I tucked into a number of pizzas, including their new "Pepperoni Flip", which is similar to a Calzone...and what a great way to spend $7. I watched basketball as I ate pizza, salads, and a cinnamon roll and an apple pizza...and even noted an advert from a local Chevrolet agency where a promotion offering to double stimulus cheques as down payments was presented; I chuckled, noting that I had two perfectly good vehicles, a 10-year-old Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a five-year-old Ford Ranger, and I had no need for that promotion, because I had just gotten one of the most important things --- a working radio in my pickup. My father had sent a JVC head unit that ultimately did not work --- so it was over to the professionals who knew what they were doing.
Now of course it is plain to see I have shot through that money, but I guess in a way the President's aims to boost the economy are working. They certainly are on my end, as I took care of a number of things I needed --- a new stereo, new work shoes, and more memory for my computer. All of those things, I won't have to spend out of my hard-earned pay cheques...which have gotten a little meatier because of my now month-old stint with my employers' Home Depot inventory team. Future drives to and from Springfield will NO LONGER be silent --- they may even be fairly noisy with freestyle, dance, techno, and anything else I can find to put in there...Let's see how YOU spent YOUR stimulus cheques...IF you are comfortable doing that sort of thing.
IS IT TIME TO START PROSECUTING SCHOOL BULLIES WHOSE VICTIMS DIE AS A RESULT OF BULLYING FOR MURDER?
I will be the first to admit that this is a rather rough topic to address.
That said, it is time to consider the grave threat that school bullying brings about.
To understand the full impact of the cruelty of school bullying, we need look no further than the tragic example of Tempest Smith,
And the uncaring school authorities ignored the problem until it was too late, until they had learnt of Tempest's death.
Twelve-year-old children DO NOT choose to kill themselves, folks: There IS an underlying undercurrent here --- and in this case it is bullying.
And Tempest is not the only victim: A number of folks have been the victim of school bullying, some with a stronger will to fight back than others, but oftentimes schools tend to ignore the problem, telling someone to buck up and grow a pair or whatever. The problem has been noted by psychologists in increasing amounts in recent years. As a result we fail to acknowledge the victims, until someone is injured or turns up dead...and maybe the schools are not the only one who need to take notice.
Maybe it is time for law enforcement to take a stand --- and they have had new assistance in that matter.
Take for instance a recent case in my home state of Missouri, where someone started a fake profile for the sake of bullying a young girl who is now deceased because of this bullying. There is now a new state law that prohibits this practise.
And it couldn't come too soon. If anything, we need to understand the grievous nature of bullying, that can cause substantive psychological damage that can make it harder for someone to function properly.
Young Tempest should be in university today, living on her own, or EVEN in the United States military. Instead she is lying six feet under, all because vicious little children chose to abuse the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, which in addition to the usual admonitions against sin, also offer a number of admonitions against hatred and bigotry. They can be found not only in Matthew, Mark, and the First Book of Corinthians, but also in the Old Testament, specifically Isaiah, Chapter 59, Verses 4 through 8, which read:
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
I think it is safe to conclude that there is a strong case for countering the vengeful bullying that needlessly targets innocent children --- but also for parents to teach children NOT to behave in such a fashion either. If I can understand that as a non-parent --- How hard is that for a parent to understand? I think parents need to teach children how to take care of themselves, put them in martial arts classes, karate, kung fu, judo, jiujitsu, Taekwondo, kickboxing, and the like...but also they need to teach children not to bully someone just because of their beliefs or anything else.
And with that bullying in mind, prosecutors may have to start getting involved in school bullying, particularly if people wind up dead as a result of bullying. This may mean time to prosecute the bullies whose actions drive their victims to their deaths for homicide, even murder if need be.
Something needs to be done with regard to bullying, and though meaningful solutions such as Bullies-To-Buddies are helpful for most of them, what can be done to deter the most extreme cases of bullying?
The answer: Use the law as a deterrent. Virtually every jurisdiction has a statute forbidding murder. Some of these cases cause such psychological damage that death may result --- and if it means putting a schoolyard bully on trial for homicide so be it.
One good example made of a school bully will discourage others. They might not get the death penalty but if a couple of bullies wind up in lockup for lethal bullying, either the state reformatory or the state penitentiary, for long periods of time, others will be deterred, knowing that on lockdown, you don't get to ride your bicycle down the street, you don't get to go to Maccas or Hardees or Jack In The Box or Del Taco or White Castle or Sonic with your parents or friends, you don't get to play XBOX or PSP whenever you like, you don't get to stay up and watch the late movies, you don't get to listen to your IPOD anytime you want.
The law may have to be used in this case in order to stop school bullying. It is not the ONLY solution, but it needs to be A useful solution.
Currently listening :
Cydonia
By The Orb
Release date: 2001-02-27
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