Something's missing.

I'm used to seeing pictures and video of people shouting and protesting and throwing things in the Middle East.  I'm pretty sure that's the way they order breakfast over there.  The pictures coming out of Egypt now though are extreme even for that part of the world.  From what I gather the people are unhappy with their government and are demanding change and I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.  Who knows?  We may have to do the same thing some day soon.

Everytime I watch the news I keep thinking something is missing over there with these protests.  What is it?  Let's see, we have your basic screaming and yelling, check.  People with scarves on their head are throwing rocks, check.  Military and police seem to do nothing, check.  Cars and trucks on fire?  Yep, got that.  What is it?  Hmmm...Then I finally realized what was missing from these pictures.  We can't have a real good Middle Eastern protest without burning a few American flags!  What's the deal?  Don't tell me America is not at fault for something over there.  Surely the Great Satan must be punished for something!  What's this world coming to?

Hu said that?

 Chinese President Hu Jintao is in Washington DC today and I'm sure it's important but the 12 year old boy in me won't take a nap.  He keeps saying:

Hu's on first.

Obama hears a Hu.

Hu dat gonna win da Superbowl?

Hu cares about Obama?

Hu say wha?

Police? Not for me.

A few months ago I took the civil service exam for the local police department and was pretty pleased with how I did. I made a 94 out of 100 points. I took the test after reading in the paper that 50 openings needed to be filled. Evidently over 2000 other people read the same thing and decided to take the test. I didn't hear anything from them for a while and just assumed I wasn't what they were looking for and then a few weeks ago I got the call to come do the physical agility course.

The physical agility course is an obstacle course that includes scaling a 6 foot chain link fence, running up 4 flights of stairs, a couple of laps, a push/pull machine, dummy drag and simulated pistol shoot. The cut-off time is 2:55 and it is pass or fail. I wish you could have seen my fat gut and little legs getting over that fence! That's a Funniest Home Video right there. But I made it with 3 seconds to spare. The Olympics might not care but I was pretty proud. Not bad for an old fat guy.

Next in the application process was more physical testing as well as the background check and personal history book. I got to the testing facility this morning at 0830 as assigned. I'm pretty sore today from a strenuous day at work yesterday and was dreading the physical part of it but even more so I was not looking forward to giving every bit of my personal history to somebody no matter what uniform they wore. I have absolutely nothing to hide but I also have enough distrust of Big Brother (warranted or not) that I was leary about how that information might be used someday.

Something else kept bothering me about this as well. I had such a good day yesterday cleaning the windows at the house of some very nice people who made it clear how much they appreciated the work I did and it made me really enjoy what I do for a living. I'm my own boss and don't have anybody looking over my shoulder telling me what I did wrong or that I need to fill out a TPR report in triplicate for the home office. As I stood in line waiting to do the dreaded testing this morning some washed-up drill sargeant-wannabe who thought he was as tough as he was funny was walking around screaming at people not to block "his" doorway and not to lean against "his" wall.

I have to say I appreciate that impotent old banty rooster now because he helped me make an important decision. I realized the chances of them picking the short old fat guy out of 2000 other applicants was pretty slim and since I didn't really even want the job all that bad I could save them and me a lot of time and trouble. As the line moved forward I hit the door and headed to my car. It felt like somebody had given me a birthday present and a massage as I left there. I appreciate the hard work that our police go through but now I realize how glad I am that I'm not ever going to be one of them.

I'm a crazy gun lover too but...

The tragic shooting in Arizona has definitely stirred up a hornet's nest  Everybody wants to know why and how such a thing could happen.  Who all is to blame?  What do we have to do to keep this from happening again?  The internets are all abuzz about who is blaming who and who is talking about it and who is backing off and to be honest, while I think it is good to have conversations about this, I'm pretty sick of it already.  It's a good thing to have a logical, conclusion-focused debate about what happened but if you are blaming anybody except the shooter for what happened you are wrong.

No sane person could see Sarah Palin's "Target Map" and from that decide to commit murder.  If it is Rush Limbaugh's fault that people are dead then let's blame the tortillas in my Mexican food for making me fat.  Just because Glock makes a magazine that holds 33 rounds does not mean you have to go on a killing spree with it.  The shooter (his name not mentioned here for a reason) made the decision.  The shooter was a mental case.  How do we keep mental cases from making the decision to shoot people?  You don't.  There is nothing you can do if someone makes the decision to go off the deep end and legally buy a gun and then use it for nefarious intent.  The only thing you can do is be a trained and legal gun carrying citizen who shoots the mental case after his first shot. 

James Wilson, my friend.

I am deeply saddened and yet very grateful for the news I got today that my friend and neighbor of many years, James Wilson, died yesterday at the age of 68.  I am grateful because for some time now I have prayed that God would be merciful and take James on to Heaven.  James has suffered with dementia for over a year and for the past several months has been in a nursing home unable to talk or even communicate at all.  I don't think he knew when I visited him and he obviously was not eating and I understand even had a hard time drinking anything.  He had lost a considerable amount of weight and could do nothing but lay in bed and look at the wall.  I picture him riding his new Schwinn all over the golden streets today making friends and waving to everybody in Heaven.  I can't wait to see him again someday.  I know when I do he will say, "I've been wooking and wooking for you all over the pwace!"