The actions of a few impact the lives of many but do they care? As they point the finger at each other and trade barbs at who is to be held responsible, people will go hungry, people will miss mortgage payments, children will be left in the cold. Compromise, while it can be difficult, is what we expect from our leaders. The people that we admire, as we voted them in to public office, to handle these problems in an adult and comprehensible manner, are letting us down. The bad part, and what doesn’t look so good for them, is that they will not miss a paycheck, except for a certain few that have stated that they will not take a paycheck until they clear this matter up. If they’re not as hungry as the people then their motivation isn’t as great. I won’t miss a paycheck but a lot of good people will be wondering if they can make their rent, if they can put food on the table for their children, if they are going to have money for gas to get to work that they are doing for free? I know that there is a compromise there somewhere. It’s just how motivated they are to get to that point. You know, the side that gives in for the sake of the people would most likely benefit the rewards of caring for the people. Just a thought.

If you can’t find a compromise, then let me offer one, agree to fix any barrier that is need right now. Identify the places where the barrier is degraded and agree to fix those right now and then meet in a couple of months to agree on how to proceed. No one will think that either side caved and will only be glad that the shut down is over. Also, being an ex -border patrol agent, lighting and sensors were always more important then the wall. If you were to put telephone poles with solar panels that charged batteries that powered sensors that would make lights go off and send a signal to the agents, this would make the job a lot safer for them and easier. The problem is when they get over the wall, tracking them can be a bitch. We use flashlights and night scopes that sometimes don’t have the depth perception that we need. But if we can follow lights that pop up on movement of a sensor, then we can place their whereabouts immediately.

Anyone that takes advantage of a woman will also take advantage of a child…. It’s not about the person, it’s about the power…..

When I was 17 (or 18)…. sounds like a song. The one thing I recollect at that age was that I was making out with a woman who was drunk while I was sober. I asked her if she was drunk, and she said yeah, and I told her that we couldn’t do anything more than kiss because she was drunk.  She got a little upset and we headed back to the living room. She fed me drinks, which I took gladly, and had some herself. The thing about having two people in the same state of mind is that it becomes consentual but when you have a person under the influence, of anything; alcohol, marijuana, any surreptitious device that they are not aware of that has mood enhancing capabilities; and you are completely sober, than you have to be the adult in the room because you have all the control. If you get off on controlling people, then your problems are much deeper than you know. That night we were both in the same frame of mind, which is important to me before I do anything. There was no force, just mutual attraction. She grabbed my hand and I followed. I wanted to when I was sober but I couldn’t. It didn’t feel right because she was drunk.

This situation would happen to me several times in my life, each ended with a no, not while your drunk.

I personally think it’s unfair to make that request. While Levine might do it because he’s financially set, he has band mates that also need to make a living. If I had to guess, maybe, he will still support the embattled civil rights quaterback in another way. I won’t venture a guess on how, we’ll see.

Everyone should teach the basics of doing the right thing, being respectful and showing humility but I think it’s just as important to teach them to defend themselves. Take them to karate lessons or boxing lessons. This will give them confidence to stand up for themselves in all situations. I have been teaching my child to to box since the age of 9. You won’t regret it.

This has nothing to do with Tina Turner except that she is an amazing singer. The fact is that too many people base there judgments on likability. They are easily swayed by a person that is likable and tend to decry people that aren’t as charismatic or amiable. That likability factor plays a role in how people perceive one another. This doesn’t mean likable people aren’t good people but that they sometimes get the benefit of the doubt more often than they should. My criteria for deciding is simple, I will always choose the side of the person that is right over the person that is wrong. I can hate you, loathe you, think nothing of you  but if you are right, you will have my support. I can love you, like you, feel that you are a great person but will fight against you if you are wrong. It is that simple. It should be that simple for everyone but it’s easier said than done.

 

Looking at the funeral of the late Senator John McCain, I’m reminded of the word legacy. What you leave behind for the world to judge you and your actions. As President after President gave speeches about Sen. McCain, you can see that he is leaving a legacy of unity and humility. After all, he asked the two people that defeated the Senator for the highest office in the nation to eulogize him. As I look deeper, I see that he has a Democrat and a Republican President eulogize him, as I look even deeper, I see that he has an African American and an Anglo American President eulogize him. With one swoop, the late John McCain represented his ideals and his goals in his own funeral. For a country to be united against nonsensical -isms. To look past the obvious and to explore a better future. If anyone says that the two former Presidents sitting next to each other with their respective wives and sharing smiles and laughter and tears didn’t bring hope into their heart, then they are presently a zombie, dead inside. I can see Sen. McCain looking down from heaven and smiling hoping that he started something new, an era of compromise and unity. Unfortunately he had to die to do it and that’s a trick that only he could have pulled off and one that he could only do once.