Yep, I’m That Guy…

    I am not your average “Gun Rights” kind of guy, first of all hunting is not my cup of tea.  Not because I have anything against hunting, I just don’t have the patience for it.  I have considered taking up rabbit and squirrel hunting, I’m starting to get over-run by both and I like them fried (depending on the economy it may be an option to supplement the family budget).   No, I’m not a “Gun Rights” kind of guy, I view weapon ownership as a duty. 

    Much like military service not everyone is capable of meeting the requirements, but that being said many are capable of fulfilling this duty (or in today-speak doing their “Fair Share”). I own 5 firearms each was purchased for a specific purpose and hunting was never a consideration.

    My first consideration was the availability of ammunition, its diversity, the expense and carry/storage ability.  I settled on two types .22 cal long rifle and 12 gauge shotgun shell.  Both are available in any store that sells ammunition (around here I could pick up a box of either at the local quick stop gas station).  I have even found boxes of both in abandoned barns, seen them pushed to the back of tool box drawers, even trunks or glove compartments of junked cars in salvage yards.

     The first rifle is a scoped bolt action Remington 514 .22 cal that’s dialed in for 90-110 yards.  Using a hyper velocity round I can slap a basketball around 8 out of 10 shots.  It requires focus and a stable firing position but it’s a good distance deterrent. (Note: It could have an effective range of 140+ yards but I haven’t kept a close enough pattern for my liking beyond 110 yds. HV rounds can have stability issues due to supersonic transition).

    Second is a tube fed 10 shot semi-automatic Marlin 60 also scoped, dialed in for 40-60 yards with a golf ball sized pattern using HV rounds or a Softball sized pattern using hollow point rounds.  It gives a bit more mobility and rounds down range at a faster pace with a fair amount of distance separating you from an aggressor.

    The last .22 cal rifle is a Mossberg T715 (The same one from the story Bits of Plastic) semi-automatic 10-25 round detachable clip fed. Very lite and maneuverable.  I bought it simply for the intimidation factor, like I said in “Bits of Plastic” some people are brainwashed into thinking a scary looking gun is more dangerous…  I’ll work with that and use it to my advantage.  All in all it turned out to be an accurate little rifle set up with a red dot scope it holds a golf ball size pattern using hollow point rounds at 40 yards and closer.  The T715 allows exceptional mobility and a greater number of rounds between reloads plus reloading is quick, makes for a nice close vicinity weapon.

     Along with the .22 cal. rifles I have a Smith & Wesson 22A-1 semi-automatic sidearm for close quarter confrontation, 10 round clip fed.  Center Mass, Nuff Said…

    That’s 4 weapons with interchangeable ammunition but each with a specific purpose.  Some folks are going too balk at the .22 caliber round saying it lacks stopping power.  I tend to disagree at least when talking two to three hallow points on target but I accept that a larger chunk of lead may be nice at times.  That’s why I also have a Remington 870 Wing Master 12 gauge shot gun, 30” barrel, full choke and accepts 3” magnum shells.  Using a 1oz. deer slug, .000 or .00 buckshot it can cause significant damage at 40 yards and it’s absolutely destructive at 20 yards or closer.

    After reading the above your probably thinking “What a gun nut” but actually I only take the firearms out every three to four months, running a few rounds down each to make sure everything is operating properly, remind myself to use good shooting discipline, proper stance and breathing (I learned to shoot in the military and qualified Small Arms Expert Marksman).  After I’m satisfied with my performance, I breakdown each weapon, clean, oil, reassemble and put them away for another three to four months (its kind of a chore).

    So why have the guns?  It starts with a quote (misattributed to) WWII Japanese Admiral Yamamoto; “You can not invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass” I AM THAT RIFLE!  Then looking at tyrants through the modern era the first step in their quest for ultimate domination of the masses was to disarm them.  I AM THE ARMED MASSES!   So when foes or tyrants have cause to hesitate for the resistance they will face… Yep, I’M THAT GUY!

I wouldn’t turn my back on an AR15…

It’s Just Not in My Budget.

The TOMCAT

High Score Gamer

    In the aftermath of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on queue the anti-gun talking heads trip all over themselves calling for stricter gun laws and as usual they failed to think the tragedy through clearly.  In their minds they’ve identified the cause of the problem, at least what they wanted the cause to be.   The gun was just the tool of choice, it could have just as well been an ax, a hammer, a baseball bat, an automobile or even a couple of gallons of household cleaner (with a potential for an even more devastating attack).

      As a mechanic I look at catastrophic system failures through a different perspective, the failure is often the end result of a list of cascading occurrences and missed opportunities.  I’m not privy to first hand information so all I can do is ask questions that came to mind from the information I’ve gleaned from the news reports.  Maybe someone will come forward with the answers.

First

    Why was a gun available to a person with a documented mental illness?  It’s been reported that his mother used it as a way to connect with him.  Did she get the opinion of a mental health care professional on the suitability of this form of interaction?

    Would the form of mental illness this young man suffered from make him prone to violence or acting out?  Did he have access to violent movies or video games that would feed these tendencies? 

    Was this young man on pharmaceutical maintenance and was it verified he was taking it as prescribed?

Moving on 

     Was a single locked door the entire security plan for the school, had they even discussed contingency plans?  Do they have severe weather drills, fire drills, have they even considered an intruder drill?  Was Columbine so long ago they don’t remember?

    Did they ever consider an armed security guard or did they find a “Gun Free Zone” sign was the best protection available?  If “GFZ” signs are the answer why have TSA in airports.

    Did they consider the presents of an armed security guard to be offensive or detrimental?  How do they feel about the police officer on patrol in their neighborhood?

Finally

    Is the rampant and speculative news coverage of the attack informing or is just emotional fodder to forward an agenda?  Are the best decisions on a course of action really made on an emotional level?

    With the news originations continually comparing this and that shooting, repeating the same tragedy for hours on end, giving this and that witness’s verbal replay, bringing in experts to analyze every step, does it feel like its being treated like a sporting event?

Just waiting on the next High Score Gamer…

    Report the facts and step back!  Give the families, the community space and time to come to grips with the sadness they face.

 

    Like I said, I don’t have any answers, only questions.  I wonder if the “Officials” who have already come out with their solutions to prevent this tragedy from happening again have the answers to my questions.  Have they even pondered these thoughts?  Is this just another photo op for their cause… The One That “Went Their Way”…

Here are a few stories that don’t fit the Administration “Gun Control Agenda” so they haven’t and won’t get much coverage in the mainstream media.

   What can one armed “GOOD GUY” or in this case “GOOD GIRL” do… Stop another theater shooting! Follow this link to read the story of Sgt. Lisa Castellano, she put down a gunman that entered a theater in San Antonio TX.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Officers-that-stopped-theater-gunman-get-standing/JRZbElUe-EyTQpvL7F8WIQ.cspx

Or the story of Nick Meli a citizen that confronted a gunman bent on murder in an Oregon shopping mall.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=6&f=2777&t=11071749

Maybe the story of Jeanne Assam who stopped Matthew Murrays’ rampage at the New Life Church in Colorado.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/dec/11/nation/na-shoot11

And closer to the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School, the story of Vice Principal Joel Myrick of Pearl MS.  He stopped Luke Woodham’s murder spree by confronting him with the .45 Colt he kept secure in his vehicle “Just in case”.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2969715/posts

     Each time these rampaging killers were met with equal force the killing stopped.  Could the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School have been avoided? I say yes but only if administrators would have taken a realistic look at the world around them (vs. the make believe world they pretend we live in).  See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil, Ignore Evil… Does NOT Make Evil Go Away!  If anything it invites evil to come through the door.  Given the choice between a Gun Free Zone sign, a gun ban that only lets criminals carry guns or having an armed security guard on the grounds…  I think I’d like to have the armed security guard around or at least the potential of a good citizen that’s armed if things go south.

      I admit this is a somewhat cold and deliberate look at the tragedy, I do feel sadness for the little ones that were taken.  I’m also touched by the heroics of the adults that did what they could to protect them.  I even have a bit of sympathy for the family of the assailant.  But most of all, I’m crushed by the thought knowing this WILL happen again if the fairytale solutions being offered up are enacted.  Criminals will always have guns, you can only regulate whether law-abiding citizens can fight back or not.      

The TOMCAT

Little Ginger Bear…

    I have followed Glenn Beck for some time, watched him on TV, read his books, listen to him on the radio (when I can, night-shifter I sleep through the day).  I admit he has been influential on some of the stories I’ve written, as any intelligent, thoughtful person would influence me.  I had recently posted a bit of a review on his last book Agenda 21 but I didn’t expect him to pull this story out of me…  A story that if given the choice, I would change.

It started with a tweet Mr. Beck sent out.

       Glenn Beck‏@glennbeck

       When do you know it's time to let your dog go? He is a family member. He is so

       tired. He has stood guard over us for 12 amazing years.

This question pierced my heart, having gone through this myself so I sent this reply.

       @glennbeck So Hard To Do, I Went Through It With A German Sheppard That

       Saved My Life. I Couldn’t Do It, She Did It On Her Own. I Miss Ginger Bear

Here is the story of Little Ginger Bear…

    Ginger was a full blooded German Sheppard, creamy white with a black saddle and markings I picked up as a pup when I was stationed at Dyess AFB, Abilene TX.  From the very start she surprised us with her intelligence and gentleness.  She took to the basic commands, come, sit, stay, ect… with very little training (if any).  Ginger would fetch anything you’d toss with a simple “Get it”, dropping the ball, stick or whatever at you feet.   We were a Foster Care family for the Abilene area so we had different children staying with us some short-term some long, some of the children had never been around a dog before so they would pull her ears, her tail, even jump on her… she never snapped at them, she just took it in stride as if thinking “I understand”.

 

     A few years later after I retired from the Air Force we moved onto a little plot of ground in Southern Indiana surrounded by farm fields, woods, hills and a pond.  A quiet place for her (and me) to wind-down and relax a bit, age was starting to slow both of us down.  After a couple of more years I started to have medical problems, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (insulin dependent).  My blood sugar would skyrocket to 500 making me tired and sluggish or it could drop to 60 making me shaky and confused (normal is 95 to 110).  Ginger started to pick up on when my sugar levels were dropping (I’ve been told it’s a sense of smell thing) anyway she would nudge at me as my sugar level would go low, a heads-up to get some sugar in me.    

    One day after a long night’s work I took my insulin, had my dinner and went to bed, I must have gotten the insulin dosage wrong.  While I was asleep my sugar level dropped to a dangerously low level, had I been by myself that most likely would have been my last day.  I wasn’t alone; there at the foot of my bed lay Ginger, a protector watching over me as I sleep.  She knew something was wrong, she pawed at me till I woke up but I couldn’t move, my body was a trembling mass. I opened my eyes but I couldn’t see all I could register were bright flashes followed by total darkness.  I couldn’t respond to her pawing and nudges that’s when I felt her clamp down on my shirt and start pulling at me.

    Ginger pulled me and I slid from my bed to the floor still unable to control my arms and legs, still unable to see.  I began to think to myself “I’m in real trouble” but Ginger didn’t give up she kept tugging and pulling, with what control I could muster, I followed her.  She guided me as I slid across the floor through the bedroom door to the steps that went down to our kitchen.  She slowly took me down each step till I was on the kitchen floor.  On the kitchen table I kept a bowl of skittles for when I felt my sugar going low, she pulled me towards the table.  I reached for the bowl grabbing a handful of the candy and shoved it into my mouth.  It took another ten minutes or so for the trembling to subside and my vision to return but while I sat there Ginger laid quietly with her head on my leg my hand on her back, I felt safe.

    When I could finally stand and see clearly I used the my glucose meter to get a reading on my sugar level, it was at 38, still very dangerous, it makes me wonder how low I had gone.  A couple more handfuls of skittles and I was back to normal and headed back to bed with Ginger laying there watching over me as I slept.

    More years passed and time had begun to take its toll on my Little Ginger Bear, some days it was hard for her to stand up, she no longer ran in the yard, most of the times she just laid down and watched the world go by or she slept.   Then she began walking a path around our house when I’d take her out, almost as if she were lost and when I called her she would give me a confused look, I could see in her eyes she did not recognize me…  I don’t know if dogs have a version of Alzheimer’s but its what I felt she was going through.  Within a month I knew her time was coming very soon, she started having seizers and often I had to carry outside so she could do her business.  She couldn’t climb the stairs to the bed room anymore so I slept on the couch to be with her.  Over the next few weeks I sat on the floor with her head on my leg my hand on her back as I had done so many times before, as I had done the day she saved my life.  She would look up at me sometimes with that lost confused look, other times a, I’m just so tired look.  I knew it was time but I’d ask, let her take that last breath with her head on my lap, I couldn’t bring myself to… to do what I needed to do, what I have done with other animals that were suffering.  Yes, I have put down dogs before and yes it hurt me to do it but it was my responsibility to ease their suffering. 

    I had come home from work several hours late one day I didn’t find Ginger in the house as I walked around, my wife told me she let her out earlier.  I searched the yard, the barns and scanned the fields but I couldn’t find her.  The winter air was bitter cold and a panic came over me.  I took the 4-wheeler out to the edges of the fields and along the creek beds, still no sign of her.  I walked the deer trails through the woods but nothing.  After a few days of looking I had to accept she was gone.  She had done what nature had programmed her to do.  As I think of her last moments I picture maybe she laid quietly in a soft bed of leaves in the woods, birds chirping the sun giving its warm glow upon her as she closed her eyes drifting off into a peaceful slumber.   At least that’s what I tell myself, the truth is I failed her.  I had been selfish by not facing the truth and cruel by delaying the inevitable.  It was my responsibility to end her suffering, to end her confusion and fear.  Instead I allowed her to wonder off alone into the bitter cold... 

I had failed her.

7… 11... 21… (Maybe not such a lucky number)

     Hi All, I hope you’ve have had a good week.  Myself, well for the most part it’s been good other than a little self-inflicted turmoil.  I had picked up Glenn Beck’s AGENDA 21.   First off, the book is an easy read, one, maybe two days; I had knocked out ¾ of it before I had to set it down.  I didn’t pick it back up for several more days, not because I didn’t find it interesting or… (enjoyable?).  Just the opposite, I wanted to know how it ended but I found the storyline extremely disturbing.  I had to prepare myself, almost strengthen myself for what may lay ahead in the pages.

     The story takes place in possibly the near future, maybe 10… 20 years down the road.  A fictional vision of one path that the American culture appears to be following (along with many other industrialized nations).  In this future society humans are compartmentalized and dehumanized to the point of being little more isolated flesh and blood gears, pulleys and cogs in the social machine with no other purpose than to feed the system.  In the tradition of Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, the social equalities that are promised, degenerate into a two class system, the elite “Authority” class that directs… and all others.  As to be expected the “Authorities” by their self given privilege consider and use all others as beast of burden.  For their labors the subjugated citizens are provided minimized shelter, food, water and care (all at the discretion of the “Authorities”).  Any citizen that becomes a burden to the system through age, health or defect is removed (left to your imagination) but what else is to be expected when you must produce more than you consume…  In an interesting twist unlike the works of Orwell, service to nature and the planet is the driving force behind this obscene fictional society.  This obligation to serve the planet is paramount, to the point of being detrimental to the average citizen.   

    The final pages (Afterword) does a nice job of tying this fictional vision to the realities of today, giving direct cause, effect, unintentional and intentional outcomes of international agendas.  I found my place within the story; I know where I fit in.  As I said, I found this story disturbing.  Not because of what I see as my place within it (30 years ago unknowingly, I made that decision) but disturbing because I see how those around me fit into this vision…  This book is not a pure work of fiction; several of the observations illustrated are rooted in programs that have already been enacted or being considered in your local community.  I recommend you set aside the time to sit down with this book and find your place in it.  Read this book then look at your community, do initiatives, programs and phrases like Sustainable Development, Smart Growth, Best Practices ect… take on new meaning?

 

After reading you will (if not already)

QUESTION what you hear and see…

The TOMCAT

Whose “morals” would that be?

     Most of the comments I got on the last post were very favorable (Thank You… It put a smile on my face).  I say most because I did get one that was somewhat questioning… I stated military members are “…obligated to not follow an order that isn’t legal or moral”.  I take it that she took exception to the word “moral”, a normal liberal pushbutton word, not that she is a liberal (I don’t know) so I’ll take the comment as a legitimate question. 

(Twitter) @**wnk… wrote; Whose “morals” would that be?

     So often words like morality, faith, religion, values, ect… are all lumped together and arguments for and against are painted with wide ambiguous strokes (mostly to blur the lines between right and wrong) but each are very different. The closest word I can equate to “moral” is “truth” something is true or its not, likewise something is moral or its not (or immoral).  As complex as the arguments are for what is moral vs. immoral there is a very simple test.

Any action taken for no other reason than to cause another intentional grief, pain or harm isn’t moral.  Theft, rape, torture, murder…

Any action taken for personal pleasure or gain that could cause another grief, pain or harm isn’t moral.  Cheating on ones spouse, lying to bypass a co-worker for a promotion, accident caused by drunk driving.  Does abortion fit into this?   There is harm being brought upon the infant, so it fits…

    You are entitled to your own beliefs, your own opinions, even entitled to choose the path you follow in life but much like the truth you are not entitled to your own definition of morality.  Your actions are moral or they aren’t, its black and white, no gray area.  Many want to bring in social values or cultural norms… Just because a society acts in a certain way or a culture condones a behavior doesn’t make an activity moral.

!!Warning!! This link is graphic but many consider these actions acceptable. 

They feel entitled to their own morality… You decide if it’s moral, or not.

http://tomohalloran.com/sickening-obama-has-close-ties-to-the-muslim-brotherhood-the-mb-supports-terrorism-and-sharia-this-is-obamas-war-on-women/

    Did you go to the link?  If you did, did you fill that little knot in your stomach or a shiver in your spine, maybe your jaw mussels clinched.  The feeling may have been powerful or maybe subtle but it was there.  All of these are normal reactions of the human psyche to something that is wrong, something that is immoral.  Every psychologically normal human has this natural sense.  At this point it becomes a choice, do you follow your natural instinct or do you ignore it???  To answer your question; There is NO “Whose morals”…  It just is.

The TOMCAT

I don’t think so…, Sir

    Many years ago as a young sergeant working weekend duty launching and recovering local training mission flights at Boondock AFB, I got a call from Base Operations asking if we could assist in recovering a Navy A-6 Intruder coming in IFE (In-Flight Emergency)… I told them, Sure.  There’s not a lot involved, guide it to the parking spot, chalk the wheels and help the pilot put the safety pins and covers on it, about the same on any jet.  I asked Ops. “What the IFE was” they told me the Pilot called in a loose panel.  OK, maybe some latches popped open or some screws backed out, should be a quick fix.

                                                                                       Not the same jet but the type

    When the Intruder landed I didn’t notice anything, it cleared the runway and began to taxi towards me. I raised my arms above my head signaling the pilot to follow my directions.  As he got closer I lowered my left arm while waving my right hand above my head signaling him to turn left now.  As the jet made the turn that’s when I saw the damage, the entire right side of the ray dome (the nose) was GONE… Not loose, not cracked, not split, It Was GONE!  I signaled for the aircraft to continue towards me and as it pulled onto the parking spot I crossed my arms over my head signaling him to stop and shut the engines down.  I went under the jet to place the wooden blocks in front and behind the wheels to keep the aircraft from rolling out of position.

     As I crawled out from under the Intruder the pilot was climbing down from the cockpit, he looked at me and said “Chief, Speed tape it and fuel her up… I’m out of here”.  Catching me off guard I replied “Speed tape what?”  thinking to myself you can tape over a small crack or split for a one-time-flight back to home-station but there’s nothing to stick the tape to, it’s a 3’ by 4’ gaping hole.  Guess he didn’t like my comment, that’s when he came back with “Just tape it sergeant… that’s an ORDER!”  Me, not being known for, say, sugar coating my thoughts came back with “I don’t think so…, Sir”.  I could see his face turn red and the veins bulge in his neck as he turned and stormed off towards Base Ops.  I took a moment to put the safety down-lock pins in the landing gear and headed back to my end of the flightline. 

I never heard a word about my disobeying an order.  

    You see, in the military you’re obligated to not follow an order that isn’t legal or moral.  Had I done as the pilot requested (then “Ordered”) I would have been guilty of allowing him to endanger himself, his aircraft and possibly others if it fell from the sky.  Personally I couldn’t live with the thought of what could have happened had I blindly done what I was “ORDERED” to do.  Even if it’s a written order it may not stand up as being legitimate.  Think back to 1942 Nazi Germany, “Endlosung der Judenfrage” (English:  Final Solution to the Jewish Question).  The order was written, administered by the civilian authority and carried out by the military branches “as ordered”, the systematic genocide of European Jews…

    At the end of the war during the Nuremberg War Crime Trials several of the officer and enlisted military participants’ tried to defend their actions by saying “We were just following orders”.  Their attempt to deflect responsibility failed…  They were guilty of allowing the harm to be done.  Many of the military participants’ paid for blindly following orders by spending years in prison, others paid with their lives.

     That brings me to one of my favorite documents, one that I’ve sited many times.  Its short (only 2 sentences long) and quite simple, almost beautiful in its simplicity.  I’m speaking of the military Oath of Enlistment.

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

    The part that many do not understand (and some fear) is; “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me” but this is really only a very limited authority.  The true authority comes next: “according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Like I mentioned before, military members are obligated not to follow an order that isn’t legal or moral.  There is only one hard and fast order that every military member is obligated to follow “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”.  I just love the sound, the cadence, the clarity. It’s simple and direct. Not obligated to this political party or that party, not in support of this agenda or that fad.  No, its “…support and defend the Constitution of the United States”, PERIOD!!!  

This brings me to the conversations of today.

    I’m not saying we shouldn’t be vigilant, history is riddled with individuals that thought they could succeed in dominating others, imposing their will upon the masses but each met with failure.  Just as others have tried I’m sure more will try in the future, only to fail as in previous attempts.  Where are the tyrants of history?  Did any succeed in developing a lasting society based on oppression?  So the next time the thought of massive forced gun control (confiscation) or rounding up and relocation of the population gives you worries’ as it crosses your mind or you hear rumors of oppressive government constraints on freedoms being considered (all of which would require an obliging military to allow or enforce).  Think back to the comment made by a young sergeant standing on the flightline at Boondock AFB…

“I don’t think so…, Sir”

 

Do you think maybe, there

are a few more like him?

The TOMCAT

 

Side Note: 9 months into this, 61 stories posted, 5,000+ page views by people in 32 countries…  Kind of cool. Thank You…

Manning-up (for myself) a dirty little story

    Hi All,   Did ya miss me???  Sorry about the absence, I have two computers and both went down L  I had to rebuild the program from the bottom up on my laptop and the tower had to be taken to a tech (software issues also).  Just didn’t see trying to write a post on my phone so I took a bit of a break (other than jumping in with a few tweets).  At least I did some constructive things over the past 12 days…

    I cut a hell of a lot of firewood (3 overflowing truckloads).  I ran into one of the local farmers a while back that had a lot of treetops in one of his pastures left from when the loggers went through. To the loggers and the farmer tops are trash, something not worth dealing with… To me its pure gold, I used one gallon of gas and a half gallon of chain oil and now I have enough seasoned wood cut and on hand to last me through December (and possibly through January).  An easy $1,000 saved this winter on heating, ya got to love that…

 

      This is just one of the four piles in the pasture and I’ve only gotten about

half way through it.  I’d say the next 2-3 years are covered…

 

     I also got my medical and dental checkups out of the way.  I’m getting old so I got to keep an eye on what’s happening, plus I’m not sure what is going to happen with health care in the future.   This brings me to something I’d like to share this week, one of the checks I had done was a colonoscopy.  Not that I was having any issues, no signs of any problems but I’m 51 years old and I’ve heard you should have one done when you turn 50.  To be honest with you, I had no clue what they would be looking for or what the procedure actually involved but I figured it was time to man-up and get it done.

     First I had a short consult with the doctor he told me about the basic procedure and how long it would take (15 minutes to 1 hour).  I wasn’t sure what a polyp was so he told that it’s a growth on the wall of the large intestine (sounded like he was describing something like a skin tag). Also he said I would be sedated during the procedure and would not feel any discomfort.  Then the nurse sat with me to go over the preparation, it sounded a bit complex until she gave me the written guide (the step by step guide was easy to follow).

    Starting 24 hours prior to the procedure I could only drink liquids, chicken/beef broth, soda, green tea and Jell-O (no red-dye).  I thought this would be rough (I love to eat) but a warm cup of broth really hit the spot when needed.  About 16 hours prior I started drinking the prep solution (MoviPrep) 8 ounces every 15 minutes for 1 hour (4 x 8 oz.).  Within an hour things began to move, there was no real discomfort but I stayed close to the bathroom (the urge hits fast and powerfully). 4-1/2 hours later I had to repeat the MoviPrep solution, another four glasses in an hour (again the urges hits fast and powerfully).  I wasn’t allowed to drink anything after mid-night (by that time the bathroom urges had subsided). 

   The day of the procedure I arrived at the hospital around 07:30, they checked me in, got me changed, checked my vitals and started an IV drip.  By 9:00 they rolled me into the procedure room.  I was given an injection in the IV drip and within 20 seconds I was GONE!!!  Next thing I remember was coming to in the recovery room at 10:15, feeling rested and alert.  No discomfort, I couldn’t tell anything had been done.  When the doctor came in to talk with me he said there was one polyp found and they were able to take care of it right away.  Nice to get it taken care of while it was a small growth vs. colon cancer.

    So Guy’s/Gal’s if your getting around 50 years-old get a colonoscopy done, its no big deal and maybe like me you can stop something before it does become a big deal…  For the rest of you if you have someone in your life turning 50 pass this along to them, maybe it will get them thinking.

 

There’s an additional bonus.

Despite what some of you may think, I AM NOT FULL OF S#!T…

I have a note from the doctor…J

The TOMCAT

 

Additional Information

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/

                   

…Before Self

    Today, I have the freedom to speak my mind, the freedom to tell other my thoughts, the freedom to listen (or not) to others.  I have these freedoms (and many others) because of a group of men and women who chose to blaze a trail that not all people would be willing or able to walk.  I owe my freedoms to the millions of men and women who were willing to put their lives on the line to obtain and preserve my (and your) freedoms.  I thank God there are still young men and women that are willing to stand the wall, lay in the ditch, sail the oceans and climb into the jets to defend my freedoms.  I know as I sleep they guard, as I work they have my back, as I relax they stay alert. 

    In 1776 it started with nothing more than a rag-tag group that stood against a well organized and financed army.  They had little more than an idea of how they would like to live their lives; they had little more than a vision of a free future.  On a foundation of an idea and a vision they built the greatest nation on Earth.  Through the years following 1776 our freedoms have been challenged, sometimes on our own doorstep, often in far-off lands but each time there have been people who stood-up to meet these challenges.  Sometimes the reasons they were called was clear, other times the connection wasn’t as clear.  These men and women have one thing in common, each of them have pledged an allegiance to the nation.  For many years now they have said, "I… do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”  Then they put on the uniforms of the United States military. At that moment they became “Veterans”.

    I have been amongst Veterans all my life, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, Co-Workers even my Wife.  To be honest with you, I don’t know the stories of what most of them went through or what they felt about their service, it’s something they may not want to relive and I respected that, so I didn’t ask…   But one time I was given a glimpse into a fellow veterans feelings.  Sitting with my Father-in-law watching a movie called “RED DAWN” a scene came up with a tank and infantry battle in snow covered hills and valleys, I could see he was shaken and tensed up.  I kind of quietly asked “You OK”.   That’s when he opened up “It looks like Korea” and he started to tell me about what he went through and saw.   The conversation went on for a few hours and then off and on over the years (more after I came back from the Middle East), I don’t know if he had ever spoken to anyone else.  He lived in south central Indiana in a fairly hilly area, from that time on during the winters I occasionally saw a look in his eyes and a tenseness in his jaw as he gave a dead gaze over the snow covered hills of his own home.  Others may have not noticed but I knew.  Even after all the years, in the safety and comfort of his own land he paid the price for answering the call of his Nation… And putting “Service Before Self”.  Art passed away December 15, 2002.

     Today is the day we set aside to thank the Veterans of our armed services, to pause for a moment and remember what they have given to ensure we keep what we have.  In times of conflict and upheaval many can become confused on why we ask troops to put “Service Before Self”, why do we send troops to fight in foreign lands.  I would like to answer that question.  We fight in the backyard of our enemy today so you don’t fight them on your front porch tomorrow.

 

Thank a Vet today for the battle you

don’t have to fight tomorrow

The TOMCAT

Giving…….(Till it HURTS!)

    I follow a rather conservative group of people on twitter (and a few liberals, just for a giggle at their naive views).  After the election it was ablaze with a wide range of emotions, depression, anger, confusion, even some joy (like I said I follow a few liberals).  I’ve heard calls for all kinds of actions from boycotts to violence (I don’t like that) there has been mention of red states succeeding from the blue states and I admit I did jump on that a bit “Would never be allowed….  Blue States feed off the Red States”.  In the larger picture its true, but not the entire story.

    Looking at the Solid “Blue” states like Michigan, Wisconsin, even California, less than 10 to 20% of the counties actually backed President Obama…  His support came from the densely populated urban areas; geographically speaking a very small portion of the nation were hardcore supporters.  He focused on urban areas with gifts and welfare programs (Obama Phones and EBT Cards).   In order to fund his policy of buying their support he drains rural America.  As long as rural America continues to produce he will continue to skim off their labor to subsidize the liberal voting base.

Red = Conservative Values

Blue = Liberal Dependency

Purple = Split

    The EPA is gearing up to step on the neck of “King Coal”; they also have their sites on the beef industry for supposed “Cow Flatulence” all the while hiding behind the ruse of climate change.  It has nothing to do with environmental issues; it has everything to do with extorting money from rural America to fund their urban base.  When it comes time to plant the crops and then harvest, the corn and wheat farmers will again be hit with exorbitant fuel cost, the harder they work the more they will pay in fuel and taxes again funding the liberal urban base.  All the while the Obama administration belittles the family values and work ethic of rural Americans, they openly criticize the religious beliefs of rural Americans, the Obama team label rural Americans as bigoted, backwards and “clinging to GOD and GUN’s”.

    Maybe it’s time to give Urban AMERICA just what it asked for!  They don’t like COAL, coal stops right now!  Let urban America flip the light switch through December and January…  What no lights, no heat, no TV?  Urban America doesn’t like cow farts, Fine!  Beef, pork, poultry and dairy farmers, holdback taking the livestock to market, let Los Angeles serve their EBT cards for dinner for the next two months.  They don’t like home produced oil and natural gas, FINE!  Let the UAW members huddle around a Chevy Volt and celebrate Christmas. 

  See no violence, rural America is just joining urban America in kicking back waiting on free Obama stuff…  What could the Obama administration do?  Call out the National Guard to make the farmer plow the field; those troops are the sons and daughters of that Iowa Farmer.  Will Obama call on the military to force the miners underground to pull out the coal; again those troops are the sons and daughters of the West Virginia coal miners.  Let his own base turn on him, all we have to do is sit back and take a break, maybe do a little deer hunting, chop some firewood, get ready to celebrate Christmas at church instead of at Wal-Mart and help the people in our own communities…  After all we’re just a bunch of “Dumb Hicks” what could we do to throw a wrench into the works?   We’ve always had the power to bend Washington and its politicians to our will; we just never had reason to be so forceful.  I think we have reason now, they just got too greedy.  According to Hank Jr. “A Country Boy Can Survive” Do you think they could make it through the winter (or past lunch)?  Georg Clooney never spent enough time in Kentucky to learn how to grow an ear of corn much less a few thousand acres.  Jay-Z wouldn’t now how to turn a chunk of coal into electricity much less supply it to an entire region, yet this is the “Presidential Brain Trust”.  

  We could stop the madness in two months (Dec.-Jan.) and easily restart the machine in February after they bend to our demands…  What are our demands?  Very simple, EPA is out of the business of bankrupting America’s energy resources.  The “Welfare State” becomes a WORK-Fair program!!!  Urban America funds its-self, no more threats to hold small business (FAMILY FARMS) hostage with increased taxes, EPA regulations and fines!  A national voter ID law will be enacted and enforced (with stout penalties).  No more “FREEDOM FROM RELIGION” go back to “FREEDOM OF RELIGION”, if someone doesn’t like the cross on the hill, they are free not to go to the hill.  And just for good measure SCRAP OBAMA CARE and go back to the drawing board with open hearings on a workable health care reform…  Feel free to add any other grievances you’d like, it would all be negotiable… 

    First a leader would have to be drafted; someone with national exposure that could be talked out of political aspirations. Someone that believes in the same values and has some brass to say SHUT-IT-DOWN when needed…  A Newt Gingrich kind of guy or woman.  Someone that rural America could unite behind and take coordinated action.  Next let’s avoid the commercialized holidays, avoid the liberal film/entertainment industry.  If you want to buy the family something for Christmas how about a nice generator (either way I think it will come in handy, soon).  Finally, think what you would have to do or have on hand to manage during a disruption (Hope for the best but prepare for the worst).        

  We could do this in two months using tried and true labor union tactics or wait two years for it to crash down on its own with no chance for a re-start.  Just remember “three meals away from revolution”.  I wonder how friendly Mr. Obama would find the streets of Chicago after a week of missed meals?   Too long we have listened to urban America scream “Give us what we want” its time to hear them scream “Give Them What They Want, Just Turn The System Back On”.

We can fall in with the TEA Party (Taxed Enough Already), I don’t care, might as well use their infrastructure.  If Nancy Pelosi wants to be degrading by calling us tea baggers that’s fine, she looks like a choice recipient of a good old-fashioned political Teabag’n.  San Francisco gets shortchanged on rural America’s products till they can send someone that can show a little common courtesy and respect to us.  

50+ million voted against the welfare state, what if they took a day off…

One less day of productivity, one less day of taxes…

I’m thinking November 15^th or 16^th would make a nice Conservative

“Call-in to work Day” I’m feeling the “RED” flu coming on.

How about twitter   #RedFlu  15 Nov. 2012

Maybe a relapse on December 13^th or 14^th…..

Just to put a hic-up into the system…. Just enough of a blip to be seen on the economic radar…  Do ya think an EBT card holder might climb off the couch to cover for me?

Myself, I’m looking forward to a two month vacation

Getting a bit tired of carrying the load

The TOMCAT

    From the news this week it sounds like small business and the aviation industry are already doing their part… “Layoffs Announced” Too bad they didn’t do it a week ago when it could have opened some eyes!

We The People…

We The People…

    Today is the day our nation makes a choice that will affect generations to come.  Today we choose between two very different men with very different visions of our future, two very different leadership styles and two very different ideologies.  For the first time in our nation’s history I believe our true colors will show.  Depending on who we elect we will have decided that either; Yes, We are a capitalist society that will continue to follow the original principles of the Constitution or As a nation we have decided to become dependent upon the government and abandon the 230+ year experiment we call the United States of America.  Either way I foresee massive changes coming over the next few years, we can’t have it both ways. 

    If Mr. Obama is re-elected by the very nature of his ideology every one who is a producer in his society must accept that you no longer work to achieve success but to support the system in a government imposed “soft” servitude.  All outcomes will be equal regardless of effort, no idea is any better than another, no skill valued more than another, no standard of living can be higher than the lowest within his society.  Above all, equality (His vision of equality).  Just at face value it almost sounds noble (in a child like way), that is until you listen to his words “Vote For Revenge” and “We will Punish Our Enemies”.  When they say “enemies” they are talking about American citizens that did not support him or contribute to his campaign.  Yep, I’m feeling just a bit threatened by the government.  Mr. Obama’s vision will come at a cost, there will be men and women like me who will buck the system, who believe what we build with our hands belongs to us, who believe the crops and livestock we raise is ours, men and women who believe we should benefit from the brilliant idea or the effort we put into something.  We will not fit in his society; we’ll have to be weeded out.  Even those willing to labor without reward will soon be crushed under the weight of the system, much like Boxer from Orwell’s Animal Farm.

     On the other hand if Mr. Romney is elected changes just as drastic will have to be made in the “Entitlement Programs” that have become bloated and abused.  Men and women that have made a career out of the welfare state will have to change jobs.  It seems many feel they are “Entitled” to benefits from the government not because of sacrifices they have made or years of service and effort, but just for being.  Entitlements need to be reserved for those who have earned them, hence entitled to benefits.  For the rest we will need to provide a limited hand-up but no more handouts… One willing to squander their life and potential has to be willing to live a squandered existence.  Along with individual responsibility corporations will have to be responsible stewards of the nation’s productivity and workforce, if they require public funding the repayment must come before profit taking. Government agencies/departments are going to have to present realistic achievable goals when proposing and administering rules/regulations and adhere to budgeting targets.  International aid needs to be limited to supplies and assistance; the transfer of cash seems to become too easily misdirected, also we become an equal partner in the UN, not the obligatory financier of the world.   

    We choose this one or that one, either way it scares the hell out of someone.  The nation has a choice; the decision will soon be made… I pray we can live with it.

I would like to give a special mention to a group of people I’ve met over the past two weeks on twitter, people who spoke out even after the Obama threats.  

I’m proud to have spent time with you, reading your little blocks of wisdom.

Thank You For Your Service… There are several thousands others out there but these are the ones I follow and the ones that helped spread my little stories around. The TOMCAT Blog had 1,000+ views in two weeks…  Again THANK YOU

@ Right_Knight         @TPO_Hisself            @ObamaDoctrine12   @RevjoeASondrup

@DrMartyFox                        @imsure                      @2lovepugs                @TOHODAD

@jamireynolds14        @Kriskxx                    @undergroundprof     @ruthana61

@backatone000          @mglatz0917              @eyes_wyde_open     @MarylandTrust

@drscott_atlanta        @betseyross                @falco1963                @ClaireRoseman       

@MGGNA                 @KathyPacey             @jsd808                      @RalphyBoyUSA

@TRCreamer              @BarbraLWP             @withthetroops         

   

In twenty-four hours “We the People…”

will know our future

The TOMCAT

A Song for Mao

    Just when you’d think they couldn’t get any lower the Obama re-election team pulls another page from Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book”.  The new video (produced by Goodby Silvererstein and Partners) shows a children’s choir (sometime in the future) singing songs blaming parents for all the evils in the nation due to them electing Mitt Romney President in 2012.  This is not the first time the Obama administration and supporters have exploited the young minds full of mush for their own political/personal gain. 

    The use and indoctrination of children is nothing new and it’s fairly easy to do.  Children for the most part will not question the authority/wishes of dominant adults in their life and can easily be manipulated using actual or implied peer pressure.  Especially in today’s society that often requires both parents to work outside the home or in a single parent home that requires the parent to spend even more time away from the home.  This can expose children to “Group Think” individuals who will take the opportunity to forward their own agenda.  This tactic has been used several times in the modern era by African War Lords, South American Crime Syndicates and even leaders of nations, most notably the “Hitler Youth” and Mao’s use of children during the “Cultural Revolution” to inform on and destroy those with “Different Ideas” including family members (most of the time parents).  During both the “Hitler Youth” and “Cultural Revolution” movements the children started out with singing songs of praise about the “Supreme Leader”, the songs then took a turn and became battle cries against the leaders targets and finally the youth took up arms to become the main force, the executioners if you will, of any who would question the leader.  Not that you actually had to question, sometimes the kids just ran out of people to beat or kill so that made you next.

    So is it any wonder I become concerned as I watch videos of children singing about Obama as if he were a god come to save them?   Is it any wonder I become concerned as I watch videos of children singing songs of blame to parents for having ideas different than the ones directed by Obama?  Is it any wonder I become concerned when I’ve seen it all before repeated time and time again always ending in the death of millions.  Like it or not all three of them have been placed on a pedestal as god like beings, so far two of them have fallen and been proven to be nothing more than evil little men…  Will there be a third to spread the horror or will he be removed before the true extent of his damaging ways are played out?

The more you know of the past

The clearer you will see the future

The TOMCAT

    In addition the children also do a little ditty called “Big Bird is Sacked”.  They have a big problem if “Big Bird” is their argument for re-electing Mr. Obama, but it seems to be the main point they keep coming back to.  Is that really their priority?  We’ll have Big Bird but toss the children’s economic future in the debt heap.