Blog Archives

October Topics

10/8/2018

October is here! My wife (Maggie), will be happy as our house will now be filled with everything pumpkin for the next few months. This month the articles of a more serious nature include: 1) Would You Want to Be a Police Officer? 2) Why did we increase tariffs on China? 3) Credit for not turning in homework. 4) A great new Bill. 5) The New York Times fake article about Nikki Haley. 6) The Washington Post article blaming Trump for Hurricane Florence. 7) What Europeans are now saying about immigration. 8) Debating a Liberal.

On the non-political side this month I have: 1) Reaching the horizon. 2) Cam Newton. 3) Opposites attract. 4) The disappearance of Passenger Pigeons. 5) Is there a hell? 6) An absolutely amazing war-time story. 7) Parenting. 6) Are Vultures all bad? 7) Great quotes. 8) Words of wisdom.

A reminder that all you must do is copy and paste any of the articles to an email or Face Book to share with others.

Thanks for visiting my site and may peace and joy be with you always!

Would You Want to Be a Police Officer?

10/1/2018

Would you want to be a police officer? Why not? Too dangerous? Don’t like to be around criminals? Can’t handle seeing someone who has committed suicide? Couldn’t handle the intense emotions involved in a murder investigation? Not enough pay? Night shifts? Could you imagine sitting in your patrol car, by yourself, for 12-hour shifts? Talk about negatively affecting your family life. It takes a certain type individual who can handle this day in and day out or night in and night out. The fact is, the reasons we might have for not wanting to be a police officer are the very reasons why we should respect them so much.

Let me start with respect. We know that police officers have taken a hit based on the massive amount of attention that police officer involved shootings have received. Remember Michael Brown? Many Liberals and the mainstream media attacked the officer involved in the shooting stating Brown was innocent and had his hands in the air. This was proven not to be the case but it’s not like the media came back and apologized for getting it wrong even though they inundated the airwaves and print, that the police are bad people looking to shoot unarmed black men. It’s difficult to shed a reputation that was so whole-heartedly attacked.

Here’s some truth before I move on from this subject: 1) Out of the massive amount of crime that takes place in our country, only around 1,200 people were killed by police officers in one year, whereas over 17,000 innocent people were killed by murderers. The very people the police are trying to stop. 2) I’m sure that some people would argue that one death is a tragedy, but the fact remains that only .002% of African Americans are affected by police shootings and based on various investigations, a small fraction of a percent of officers killed an African American without just cause. These investigations sometimes included the DOJ.

What I’m getting at, is that our police don’t deserve being disrespected such as the socks that Colin Kaepernick wore. No matter what group of people there is (even in church), there are always people on the fringe embarrassing the masses. The police force is no different. Based on the number of officers and the limited number of incidences, I’d say their record is better than most organizations; especially considering the volatility of their work.

I began this article discussing “respect” because it has a huge impact on the future of law enforcement, thus our safety. Many young people are affected by pop culture and mostly receive their insight from liberal sources. We know what image many of these media outlets portray of our men and women in blue and it’s not accurate. Some young people are afraid of choosing a career in law enforcement because of the negative image. They could get ridiculed by their friends. What used to be a deservedly respected career, is now tarnished in some circles making it difficult to recruit young talent.

In my local police department, the average age of the officers is around 40 years. It’s not like they’re old, but it’s critical that they bring in the next generation of police officers. What will happen if they can’t? I guarantee you one thing, reducing law enforcement doesn’t reduce crime; it’s just the opposite. We should all care about this.

I spoke to Officer Tim Aycock, who is the Community Resource and Public Information Officer for the Matthews, North Carolina, Police Department, to get insight into the world of policing. In my opinion, based on things like crime rates and response times, our police department is truly one of the best in the country and led by Chief of Police Clark Pennington.

I discussed how difficult it is to bring in new recruits and one of the challenges is that it isn’t easy, mentally or physically. From a mental perspective, it requires a lot of support from friends and family to stay the course once the decision is made to join the police. Could you imagine the number of laws and ordinances you’d have to memorize? Not unlike many jobs, they also must be proficient with computers and know how to use the various databases that are unique to law enforcement. They must be effective in providing first aid. On the physical side they have minimums they must meet in lifting weights and run times. They must know various hand-to-hand combat techniques.

It’s not easy and quite frankly fewer young people are willing to put this much effort into it especially since it’s not a career that will put them in a big house and driving a fancy car. It is what it is, a service job, serving the citizens of the community; doing work, few are willing to do.

No matter how good the training, police officers learn a tremendous amount on the job. Interacting with people in not the best of situations, like traffic stops, requires patience and is something not easily taught in college or at a police academy. Most people are good to deal with and understand they made a mistake, but there are always those who think the officer who pulled them over is out to get them; they make it personal. An officer must be able to endure being berated by a citizen and still maintain his or her professionalism. How well would you do? How I’d handle it would depend on whether I had a police camera on my vest. 😊 The bottom line is this is yet another skill that is required to be a police officer and that is the ability to communicate effectively in difficult circumstances.

Some of the following information is from Wikipedia: Being a police officer requires their involvement in so many areas such as investigating criminal activity, referral of the results of investigations to the courts, temporary detention of suspected criminals pending judicial action, deterring criminal activity and preventing the successful commission of crimes in progress, enforcement of warrants, writs, and other orders of the courts. They’re also involved in providing first response to emergencies and other threats to public safety; the protection of certain public facilities and infrastructure; the maintenance of public order; the protection of public officials; the operation of some correctional facilities (usually at the local level), and of course, keeping us safe on the roads.

These are a lot of duties, with in some cases, a lot of danger. Police officers don’t know what they’re walking into when they pull someone over. They don’t know if someone is going to shoot them through the door when they’re trying to serve a warrant. They also don’t know what they’re walking into when there’s a volatile domestic violence call. In all the examples I’ve given above, many police officers have lost their lives. Each time an officer handles these types of situations, he or she must get ready mentally for whatever comes their way. This is stress most of us know nothing about.

My hope in this article was to accomplish a few things including how important it is for a culture of respect for our men and women in blue. To share with you the greatest challenge most police forces across our country is facing and that is recruiting future generations and the danger it poses for citizens if they don’t fix this problem. Lastly, to share a little bit about what it takes to be a police officer and the challenges they face in doing their jobs.

I find what they do amazing. Not just anyone has the mental and physical ability to do the kind of work they do. I can’t convey in words how much I respect them. I hope if you do see a police officer in your community that you’ll thank him or her for their service. They deserve it.

The Horizon

10/1/2018

I've travelled over 10,000 miles on the sea and never did I reach the horizon. Unfortunately, many people think that good things are up ahead (on the horizon). The fact is we never reach the horizon, it constantly stays in front of us. It's not a joyous destination because it doesn't exist. It has been and will forever be about the journey, about making the most of it. Sailors use a phrase to wish blessings for someone's journey and I wish the same for you: "Godspeed!"

John Kerry

10/1/2018

Former Secretary of State John Kerry recently went to Iran and told them not to worry about what Trump was doing, that they should just wait until the next Administration. Let this sink in. Trump is applying pressure to Iran through sanctions to put the U.S. in a better position to get them to the table and truly stop their nuclear ambitions and Kerry is telling them to wait it out.

This is absolutely shocking! He’s undermining the President of the United States and the people he serves. Could you imagine the uproar if a Republican usurped Obama’s authority in Iran when he was trying to cut a deal? Democrats and the mainstream media would be demanding heads to roll. Just the usual double-standards.

A Break in the Case

10/1/2018

Talk about a break in the case. An elderly couple were found brutally murdered in their home. It was apparent that they were beaten by different objects including a crystal lamp that shattered. The perpetrator stole various things including the unique neckless that the female victim had received from her father when she was a little girl (it was gold and had two elephants on it). The crime team found blood other than the victims on some of the items but couldn't find a match to anyone in their database. They immediately checked the pawn shops and didn't find anyone who had seen the necklace, so the case went cold.

Around two years later the owner of a pawn shop passed away and her daughter went through the house. Her mom was known to not throw out newspaper articles or magazines, so she started going through some of them. She came across the article about the murders and on the front page was a picture of the necklace. She knew she'd seen it before and found it in her mother's safe.

Because her mom kept meticulous records, the police were able to find the bill of sale in her files and located the man who had pawned it. He became scared and said it wasn't his, that a friend of his asked him to sell it.

They checked their records and the man who was identified was already in prison for an assault and robbery. They went to the prison and forced him to give his DNA and it was a match to the blood found at the crime scene a few years earlier. The bottom line is if the pawn shop owner hadn't kept those old newspapers and kept such great records, her daughter never would've spotted it and they never would’ve found the killer. I find this amazing!

Happiness

10/1/2018

I've been relatively poor, and I've had a decent amount of money, in both cases I was happy. The fact is it's not where we are in life that matters but who we are in life. Do we count our blessings (there are always at least some)? Do we accept other people even if they're not like us? Do we focus on needs versus wants? Do we demonstrate love to family and friends? Are we inspirational or are we a drag on other people?

The bottom line is happiness doesn't need to be found somewhere down the road because if we're not happy where we are, more than likely we won't be happy where we're going.

Do I Hate Liberals?

10/1/2018

Some people ask me, based on my writings, whether I hate liberals. This could not be further from the truth. I love them. I feel sorry for them because they live in a pseudo world that is filled with naivete. It's like they're living in "The Matrix" and are afraid to take the red pill where they'll be exposed to the real world not one that is fabricated for them. So, I don't dislike liberals instead I say (in a southern accent), "God bless their little hearts." 😊

Who Said This?

10/1/2018

Can you guess who said this: “Those who enter our country illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of law. And because we live in an age where terrorists are challenging our borders, we simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked. Americans are right to demand better border security and better enforcement of the immigration laws.”

If Trump said this he’d be attacked but when Obama said it, there was no blow back from Democrats or the mainstream media. This is yet another great example of their double-standards.

Great Quotes

10/1/2018

“All these companies that say they have products that can extend your life 20 years are crazy. I don't want to live an additional 20 years when I'm old, I wanted to live an additional 20 years when I was in my 20's.”

“If a woman says do what you want, do not do what you want. Stand still, don’t blink, don’t answer, don’t even breathe. Just play dead.”

“Interesting fact: methamphetamine is now called “Meth” so that crackheads with no teeth can more easily say it.”

“Tomorrow is another day...a fresh start, and we get 365 of them a year. Isn't that awesome!”

“The problem with a treadmill is that it’s also an awesome place to hang clothes.”

“There are many reasons why not to drink and drive. My main concern is that I might hit a bump and spill some.”

“I WeatherTeched my living room. It looks ugly but at least I won't have to worry about getting red wine stains out of the carpet anymore.”

“When I was young I longed for my future; now I find myself longing for my past.”

“The devil's greatest trick is to convince you he doesn't exist.”

“If a tree falls on your wife in the woods and no one is there to see it, should you still get rid of the chainsaw?”

“You can’t always choose who will walk into your life, but you can choose which window to throw them out of.”

“Going through difficult times isn't fun but at least we find out who our real friends are.”

“I saw how screwed up wealthy people were and decided to go the other direction.”

“When I do something wrong I apologize to my wife. When she does something wrong, she gets mad at me for getting mad, and I apologize.”

“We are defined by the sum of the decisions we’ve made in our lives, not the last bad one.”

Where Did the Money Go?

10/1/2018

I've shared this before but it's a message worth repeating. This is how an economy gets thrown off balance with the participants not knowing until it's too late.

Here's the scenario: A businessman had been travelling in his car for a long time and stops off one afternoon in a small town where he finds a motel. The owner of the motel told him a room would cost $50 so the businessman pulled the cash out of his wallet and gave it to him. When the businessman went upstairs, the motel owner went across the street to pay the bakery owner $50 that he owed her for providing breakfast snacks for his motel. The bakery owner then went over to the farmer's house and gave him $50 that she owed for eggs and milk for her bakery. The farmer then went into town to see a prostitute that he owed $50 to for services already rendered. The prostitute then takes the $50 to the motel owner because she had been using rooms there. Think about it, everyone at this point is out of debt.

Then the businessman goes down stairs and says he doesn't like the room and has decided to leave town, so the motel owner gives him his $50 back. It was the businessman who seemingly pulled them all out of debt but he's leaving with his $50. Are people really out of debt and better off? The answer is no.

The motel owner wouldn't have another $50 to spend at the bakery because the businessman took it away. The baker wouldn't need eggs and milk to make things for the motel. The farmer wouldn't have money to spend with the prostitute and the prostitute wouldn't need a room, so the motel owner would be out $50.

If the money were real and generated in their own economy, it would go around and around, keeping everyone fiscally sound but in this case, it was basically borrowed cash, they just didn't know it. It was pseudo money.

This is what Obama did with our Federal Government by pumping borrowed cash (some foreign), into the economy. Money that would eventually (even if it takes decades), be pulled back from U.S. citizens (increased taxes). Liberals try to make it sound like he was a great President but the fact alone that he accumulated more debt than all presidents combined tells us all we need to know about the quality of his presidency.

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Author: John Mann

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