"As a warning, the following post was written in complete desperation. I have recently learned some very sobering truths from people that I love dearly. These truths have set in motion a quest within me to do whatever I can to make a change. Today is not geared at funny. Today is geared at something greater. Read it to the very end. I promise you will be affected in a way you have always needed to be. I spent more than twelve hours writing this post because its message is that important to me.
......
"Perfection" is a wife...
"Perfection" is a husband...
"Perfection" is a couple... (a boy, a girl etc...)
Be real.
Be bold about your weaknesses and you will change people's lives. Be honest about who you actually are, and others will begin to be their actual selves around you."
The excerpts above, coupled with losing a very good friend, fearing the loss of my wife under a surgeons knife etc have changed my life. Normally I try to stay on topic, and to a bit this is. Everyday I try to be a better man, for my wife, my children and myself. Most days I fail in one sense or another, I am slowly coming to terms with that. THIS helps, and you should read it, ALL OF IT. Read the comments, comment yourself and read the follow up HERE
I am a broken man, I have been unkind to my wife and unfair to my children. I have done this in "their" name. Believing the ends justify the means. I live with this knowing I am learning, making corrections and becoming the man I need to be. Pass the original post far and wide, look in the mirror. If you do not fix yourself, you can fix nothing.
Have fun, stay safe...
Jason
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Consequentialism?
Summed up Consequentialism is that the ends justify the means. Basically as long as the end result is what we want, who cares how we get there. Our government, not only today but of generations past also, seem to thrive on this "theory." I think about this often as I evaluate my purpose and worth as a man, and as I try to guide my sons.
Definition of END
a-cessation of a course of action, pursuit, or activity
The end, as most people see it, is as defined above. I tend to look at a larger, broader picture. To me there is but one end, my death. Just as nothing before my birth could I control, nothing after my death will I be able to either.
Definition of MEAN(S)
2-plural but sing or plural in constr : something useful or helpful to a desired end
Once again most people look at a singular event to a singular end. My paycheck justifies my "worth", and the means to my home, car, etc...
Throughout life we all have the means to create change, positive and negative. To put my opinion bluntly the ends NEVER justify the means. To believe so is looking at the picture, and life, backwards. The means justify the end...if you are lucky. Among warriors of old, they dreamt of a warriors death, one of honor and bravery. To die in a service to a value, larger then your own. When I look at the world around me and learn of lives past, it is not the "method" of death that brought a justified end, but their actions in the end justified their lives. In many a movie, most recently 300, there is the scene where brothers in arms make a statement about "honored to met you" or some such.
From 300:
Stelios: It's an honor to die at your side.
King Leonidas: It's an honor to have lived at yours.
My basic point in this drabble is to say, that from the moment you took your 1st breath, the end has been coming. Make the journey to that end as pure and honorable in every aspect of your life, justify your end by the way you live your life. For some direction on how to achieve this, look to your articles of faith, or to "The Code of the Samurai."
Live a good life, and you will be a good man.
Stay safe,
Jason
III
Definition of END
a-cessation of a course of action, pursuit, or activity
The end, as most people see it, is as defined above. I tend to look at a larger, broader picture. To me there is but one end, my death. Just as nothing before my birth could I control, nothing after my death will I be able to either.
Definition of MEAN(S)
2-plural but sing or plural in constr : something useful or helpful to a desired end
Once again most people look at a singular event to a singular end. My paycheck justifies my "worth", and the means to my home, car, etc...
Throughout life we all have the means to create change, positive and negative. To put my opinion bluntly the ends NEVER justify the means. To believe so is looking at the picture, and life, backwards. The means justify the end...if you are lucky. Among warriors of old, they dreamt of a warriors death, one of honor and bravery. To die in a service to a value, larger then your own. When I look at the world around me and learn of lives past, it is not the "method" of death that brought a justified end, but their actions in the end justified their lives. In many a movie, most recently 300, there is the scene where brothers in arms make a statement about "honored to met you" or some such.
From 300:
Stelios: It's an honor to die at your side.
King Leonidas: It's an honor to have lived at yours.
My basic point in this drabble is to say, that from the moment you took your 1st breath, the end has been coming. Make the journey to that end as pure and honorable in every aspect of your life, justify your end by the way you live your life. For some direction on how to achieve this, look to your articles of faith, or to "The Code of the Samurai."
Live a good life, and you will be a good man.
Stay safe,
Jason
III
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Semper Fi Devil Dog, 11/07/2010
You will be missed, you have had an impact on my life greater than you can imagine. RIP
Since this entire blog is pseudonym, I will only say this man was not my father, but as close as one could be to filling that role. For all my life a man of honor has been there, and now he is gone.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
WTF?
"After announcing that it would buy $900 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds in the next six months, Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said in an opinion article that the move was aimed in part at spurring a stock rally so as to increase the wealth of businesses and stock owners." Full article HERE
Call me crazy but this is once AGAIN the wrong direction. Just 2 weeks ago Bernake boy toy Geitner said "It is very important for people to understand that the United States of America and no country around the world can devalue its way to prosperity, to (be) competitive,It is not a viable, feasible strategy and we will not engage in it."
Call me crazy but this is once AGAIN the wrong direction. Just 2 weeks ago Bernake boy toy Geitner said "It is very important for people to understand that the United States of America and no country around the world can devalue its way to prosperity, to (be) competitive,It is not a viable, feasible strategy and we will not engage in it."
Getting froggy, hope we can survive a few more years.
Jason
III
Monday, November 1, 2010
An Open Letter to Sheriff Paul Babeu
Attn: Sheriff Paul Babeu
With all of the current media reports and claims, why can we not bring together the Sheriff’s Department and citizens that want to be active? There are many people in the community that wish to take an active role in the establishment and security of their homes outside of a full time commitment. While I understand the department’s reluctance to endorse and support citizen patrols of the desert regions, this is done at a time that the Sheriff’s Office says “We find our deputies are being outgunned and clearly the violence has increased recently.” (From your site HERE) Has thought been given to providing training or guidelines to citizens that want to, need to, participate in their community and its defense? Many of those I have spoken with would appreciate a more open dialog. To paraphrase them, “if you lead, we will follow.” While some out there are looking for publicity and or attention, many more just want to help. If this means providing water, emotional, spiritual, moral, and in the extreme case tactical support; we will. But keep in mind that as you ask for donations to increase your departments arms supply, many citizens have the equipment, means, experience and desire; why can this not be utilized with the co-operation of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department? Money is the one thing many citizens do not have at this time. From another article on your site it states “What this incident does show is the lack of manpower in Pinal County. Deputy Puroll was alone and outgunned. There is one deputy for every one thousand citizens in Pinal Co., and Sheriff Babeu says it's time for some border help”.(Emphasis mine original article HERE) Having simple limits, background checks or requirements can filter out some of the negative traits of volunteers that may be frowned upon. Require a combination of prior Police/Military/EMS service and/or current AZ CCW, with an interview and/or background check provided by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department. I do realize that there is a liability to involving citizens; but claiming a lack of resources, and denying a major resource of your constituents and willing volunteers seems against your goal. If you feel you cannot endorse a group, any group, is there a way to set up a route to open the dialog and/or communication for persons who will participate independently? Thank you very much for taking the time to consider these questions as I know your time is very busy right now.
Jason XXXXX
Pinal County Resident
With all of the current media reports and claims, why can we not bring together the Sheriff’s Department and citizens that want to be active? There are many people in the community that wish to take an active role in the establishment and security of their homes outside of a full time commitment. While I understand the department’s reluctance to endorse and support citizen patrols of the desert regions, this is done at a time that the Sheriff’s Office says “We find our deputies are being outgunned and clearly the violence has increased recently.” (From your site HERE) Has thought been given to providing training or guidelines to citizens that want to, need to, participate in their community and its defense? Many of those I have spoken with would appreciate a more open dialog. To paraphrase them, “if you lead, we will follow.” While some out there are looking for publicity and or attention, many more just want to help. If this means providing water, emotional, spiritual, moral, and in the extreme case tactical support; we will. But keep in mind that as you ask for donations to increase your departments arms supply, many citizens have the equipment, means, experience and desire; why can this not be utilized with the co-operation of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department? Money is the one thing many citizens do not have at this time. From another article on your site it states “What this incident does show is the lack of manpower in Pinal County. Deputy Puroll was alone and outgunned. There is one deputy for every one thousand citizens in Pinal Co., and Sheriff Babeu says it's time for some border help”.(Emphasis mine original article HERE) Having simple limits, background checks or requirements can filter out some of the negative traits of volunteers that may be frowned upon. Require a combination of prior Police/Military/EMS service and/or current AZ CCW, with an interview and/or background check provided by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department. I do realize that there is a liability to involving citizens; but claiming a lack of resources, and denying a major resource of your constituents and willing volunteers seems against your goal. If you feel you cannot endorse a group, any group, is there a way to set up a route to open the dialog and/or communication for persons who will participate independently? Thank you very much for taking the time to consider these questions as I know your time is very busy right now.
Jason XXXXX
Pinal County Resident
Friday, October 29, 2010
Submission to the Federal Reserve Board Members
From an e-mail i got from a friend, I thought it was a well done open letter and deserved distribution.
To Mr. Bernanke and the Federal Reserve Board Members,
What a difference just a few weeks and a few Fed minutes can make....
As I have feared, all of this talk by Mr. Bernanke in regards to the need for additional stimulus, including possible large scale asset purchases, has again caused the U.S. Dollar to depreciate, and for the stock market to engage in "irrational exuberance" in regards to all hard and soft commodities!!!
METALS, GRAINS, CHEESE, MEATS, EGGS, COTTON, FEED, OIL, ETC. HAVE ALL SKYROCKETED, THESE INPUT COSTS FOR FOOD, FUEL, CLOTHES AND DIAPERS WILL BE PASSED ON TO THE CONSUMER RIGHT AWAY, BECAUSE THESE ARE THINGS WE HAVE TO HAVE...
BUT WAIT, YOU DON'T LOOK AT THESE THINGS THAT I MUST HAVE TO LIVE, YOU ONLY LOOK AT CORE INFLATION EXCLUDING FOOD AND FUEL...
SO IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 4-6 MONTHS FOR THESE HIGH COMMODITY COSTS TO MOVE THE CORE INFLATION NEEDLE enough to get your attention, BUT I TAKE AN IMMEDIATE HIT FOR FOOD AND FUEL WHICH MEANS I HAVE LESS DISCRETIONARY INCOME TO SPEND, AND WHAT ABOUT THE INPUT COSTS THAT COMPANIES ARE UNABLE TO PASS ON?? WHAT IS THE END RESULT: MORE JOB'S LOST........
THIS STOCK MARKET RALLY IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF A DECLINING DOLLAR, AND THE DECLINING DOLLAR IS THE DIRECT, OR AS SOME WOULD ARGUE THE INDIRECT RESULT OF FEDERAL RESERVE POLICIES!
I THOUGHT IT WAS THE JOB OF THE U.S. TREASURY TO SET DOLLAR POLICY???
THIS WILL NOT END WELL, ANY TIME THE FED ATTEMPTS TO INFLATE ASSET PRICES AND THE STOCK MARKET THINKS IT IS WAGGING THE DOG, IT ENDS WITH A POP!!!
Please just stop what you are doing and begin to back yourselves out of the corner, allow commodities to correct, allow interest rates to rise, allow people to continue to pay down their debt and build up their savings accounts, instead of pumping it into the gas tank or the dinner table. Reward savers with some kind of return on their hard earned money, and let the stock market go ahead and throw a hissy fit, let it correct 20% or more, and then it can get back to fundamentals for valuations instead of empty headed QUANTITATIVE EASING SPECULATION.... The retail investor has bailed on the stock market and you are hurting them more by artificially propping up the stock market, and artificially keeping interest rates low.
THIS FIXATION WITH THE EVILS OF DEFLATION NEEDS TO MODERATE, IF YOU KEEP ON FUELING ALL OF THIS SPECULATION, YOUR JUST GOING TO MAKE MY LIFE AND MILLIONS OF OTHER AMERICANS WHO DID NOTHING TO CAUSE THIS MESS A WHOLE LOT MORE EXPENSIVE AND A WHOLE LOT LESS SATISFYING....
But what do I know, I'm just an unemployed high school graduate, middle class nobody with an 800+ credit score, who owns his home, has zero debt, and, an actual savings account that you guys are actively and intentionally depreciating.
I'M A PART OF THE "NO YOU CAN'T CROWD" WHO IS BEING FORCED TO FINANCE
THE "YES WE CAN CROWD"
REGARDS,
XXXX XXXXX
To Mr. Bernanke and the Federal Reserve Board Members,
What a difference just a few weeks and a few Fed minutes can make....
As I have feared, all of this talk by Mr. Bernanke in regards to the need for additional stimulus, including possible large scale asset purchases, has again caused the U.S. Dollar to depreciate, and for the stock market to engage in "irrational exuberance" in regards to all hard and soft commodities!!!
METALS, GRAINS, CHEESE, MEATS, EGGS, COTTON, FEED, OIL, ETC. HAVE ALL SKYROCKETED, THESE INPUT COSTS FOR FOOD, FUEL, CLOTHES AND DIAPERS WILL BE PASSED ON TO THE CONSUMER RIGHT AWAY, BECAUSE THESE ARE THINGS WE HAVE TO HAVE...
BUT WAIT, YOU DON'T LOOK AT THESE THINGS THAT I MUST HAVE TO LIVE, YOU ONLY LOOK AT CORE INFLATION EXCLUDING FOOD AND FUEL...
SO IT WILL TAKE ABOUT 4-6 MONTHS FOR THESE HIGH COMMODITY COSTS TO MOVE THE CORE INFLATION NEEDLE enough to get your attention, BUT I TAKE AN IMMEDIATE HIT FOR FOOD AND FUEL WHICH MEANS I HAVE LESS DISCRETIONARY INCOME TO SPEND, AND WHAT ABOUT THE INPUT COSTS THAT COMPANIES ARE UNABLE TO PASS ON?? WHAT IS THE END RESULT: MORE JOB'S LOST........
THIS STOCK MARKET RALLY IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF A DECLINING DOLLAR, AND THE DECLINING DOLLAR IS THE DIRECT, OR AS SOME WOULD ARGUE THE INDIRECT RESULT OF FEDERAL RESERVE POLICIES!
I THOUGHT IT WAS THE JOB OF THE U.S. TREASURY TO SET DOLLAR POLICY???
THIS WILL NOT END WELL, ANY TIME THE FED ATTEMPTS TO INFLATE ASSET PRICES AND THE STOCK MARKET THINKS IT IS WAGGING THE DOG, IT ENDS WITH A POP!!!
Please just stop what you are doing and begin to back yourselves out of the corner, allow commodities to correct, allow interest rates to rise, allow people to continue to pay down their debt and build up their savings accounts, instead of pumping it into the gas tank or the dinner table. Reward savers with some kind of return on their hard earned money, and let the stock market go ahead and throw a hissy fit, let it correct 20% or more, and then it can get back to fundamentals for valuations instead of empty headed QUANTITATIVE EASING SPECULATION.... The retail investor has bailed on the stock market and you are hurting them more by artificially propping up the stock market, and artificially keeping interest rates low.
THIS FIXATION WITH THE EVILS OF DEFLATION NEEDS TO MODERATE, IF YOU KEEP ON FUELING ALL OF THIS SPECULATION, YOUR JUST GOING TO MAKE MY LIFE AND MILLIONS OF OTHER AMERICANS WHO DID NOTHING TO CAUSE THIS MESS A WHOLE LOT MORE EXPENSIVE AND A WHOLE LOT LESS SATISFYING....
But what do I know, I'm just an unemployed high school graduate, middle class nobody with an 800+ credit score, who owns his home, has zero debt, and, an actual savings account that you guys are actively and intentionally depreciating.
I'M A PART OF THE "NO YOU CAN'T CROWD" WHO IS BEING FORCED TO FINANCE
THE "YES WE CAN CROWD"
REGARDS,
XXXX XXXXX
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
No I haven't died. Had some family issues to tend to, then got backed up with some BATFE addendum nightmare. Anyways, getting my ass in-line again and posting should be coming a little more regularly in the near future.
This past Sunday I was on a citizens patrol approx 2 Miles east of Vekol Valley road and South of Highway 8. This is just outside of Casa Grande, AZ. This missed us by a stones throw...
Story HERE
I am TIRED of the "they only want..." argument. Don't fret about the boys and girls on patrol too much, we were geared up and armed as needed. Keep all patrol personnel in your thoughts. I will try to update the fight, til then I will try and help do a job your government WON'T!
Keep the pressure up, Vote early and often. :)
This past Sunday I was on a citizens patrol approx 2 Miles east of Vekol Valley road and South of Highway 8. This is just outside of Casa Grande, AZ. This missed us by a stones throw...
Story HERE
I am TIRED of the "they only want..." argument. Don't fret about the boys and girls on patrol too much, we were geared up and armed as needed. Keep all patrol personnel in your thoughts. I will try to update the fight, til then I will try and help do a job your government WON'T!
Keep the pressure up, Vote early and often. :)
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