There is something important missing in this country. I realized what it was today. It is something that can not be easily found in the people you deal with from day to day. There are of course as with everything exceptions. There was a discussion and I brought up a point. I pointed out that there were people that killed themselves because they could not serve their country in the armed forces during world war two...now there are soldiers that kill themselves because they have to go to Afghanistan or Iraq. People are no longer proud. The pride is gone. I am not talking the pride born of arrogance. I am talking of the pride born of hard work and determination. It is everywhere, slowly destroying my country. That is where the problem starts, people no longer think like that. My Country. This is my country and I am proud of it. I have pride in this country and what it stands for, and I fight and do everything I can to ensure that it will stay that way. It is a hard battle because I am against a lot of people that don't have the pride and they all think the grass is greener on the other side. Ignorance. They have not been to the other side. I will not claim to have seen the whole world, but I have seen a lot. My eyes are open and I have watched. We have it good, but to many just expect everything to be given to them. No more pride in their accomplishments and no more desire to do something that will make them proud of themselves. Each person like this takes away from my country. Every time someone fails to stand and take of their hat and cover their heart when the national anthem is playing, every time someone stands by and watches someone else suffer at the hands of someone else, every time someone puts themselves or their people over this country they destroy what it means to be an American a little more. We are not African Americans, we are not Mexican Americans, we are Americans. This is your country and everyone in it is your people. We are not responsible for others actions, but we must take responsibility for our own actions...and if we took pride in what we did our actions would be better and would better our country. From there you could start to help others and show them what it is to have pride in this great country. People are forgetting what it is to be an American...that are forgetting what it means to be proud. Take pride in your actions, try and teach others to take pride in their actions...lets not let the American dream fail. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit (not given) of Happiness.

Jay Leno didn't write this. The very last line is his. It is still a good message though.


"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source,
right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the
direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy
with the performance of the President. In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry
just isn't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so
unhappy about?''
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and
heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see
more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic
Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through
each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the
way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the
world is just not good enough.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and
provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the
hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may
be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of
trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to
extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or
prowler or intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest
will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping
and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers
own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy
that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world
has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U..S., yet has a great disdain
for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in
the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we
hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no
plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval
rating? Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days
after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of
recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the
book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from
terrorist attacks?

The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending
you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show?
Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a
look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused
you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to
kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.
There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general''
discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a
''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of
Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it
leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash
with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the
corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations.
They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by
"justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a
murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about "how he didn't kill his
wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"...Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the
TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird
cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is
exponentially more good than bad.


We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several
times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a
good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno
2007

Kids...and it might not just be kids. It might be certain people. When I was younger I had my favorite famous people, just like everyone else. I don't think I was into as much hero worship for them as the two sixteen year old girls I had to transport home the other day. Maybe I was and I just don't realize it. I will have to ask my siblings. They will tell me.

So I get called to the gate to give a courtesy transport. I have no idea what is going on, just that I have to go pick someone up and take them somewhere. I stop at the gate and put on my gloves and hear these two girls as they are walking arm in arm out of the gate laughing. Now for those of you that don't know. I am a cop. I am working. I have a gun on my hip and I am in a patrol vehicle. They walk up and open the back door of my car before I can get out and even go to start asking what is going on. I nearly jump out of my skin at this point, look to see what is going on. Apparently these are the ones I am supposed to be escorting. I get out and tell them to hold on. I move some equipment around and have them take seats and tell them to sit tight. I go inside and find out that they have forgotten their Id's. So I am taking them home to get their Id's, to make sure they can even be on ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Fort Drum. I must have been abnormally quiet when I was younger because I never talked to the police like these two talked in the car. Hell I was a Colorado Springs Police Cadet and only asked questions when things were not clearly explained at the cadet meetings I went to when I was sixteen. So they start asking if I abuse my power. I say no. I am not one to abuse power. My job is to protect people and catch the bad guys. That is the simple way of putting it. I can't do that if I am abusing my power. I follow the rules and I enforce the rules. I don't do this blindly, I do what is right. I don't see it as my way of right; I just see it as right. Right and wrong is not that hard. I use to think we all know the concept of it. Apparently these girls didn't. This is when I scared them. I have that effect on kids of all ages. They asked if I knew Paris Hilton and some friend of hers. To which I answered I did not know them, though I have heard of Paris Hilton but not her friend. They thought that was insane that I could know one name and not the other. They then asked if I liked Paris Hilton, to which I answered that I can't stand her and that she belongs in jail. They said she had gone to jail. I told them that was true, but not for as long as she was suppose to. They are under the impression that if you are famous and have a lot of money and power you shouldn't have to go to jail. I told them I don't care if you are famous, have money and power. If you break the law you still have to pay, Paris Hilton is not special. She has enough money to do the right thing. They said, oh and like you have never broken the law. I have broken the law, and I have had to pay for it. I came close to losing my license, taking a chance of paying a huge ass fine and going to jail. I got off without any of that happening. I only did this once, and after nearly having to face all that I have not done the same thing again. Paris Hilton was caught DUI more than once. She has not learned, and will not learn as long as money is bailing her out of it. Maybe once she kills someone she will finally realize how fucked up she is. At this point the two sixteen year olds decide that they are done talking to me. I have scared them sufficiently enough that they just talk to each other for the rest of the trip, this taking about ten minutes if that. I get them home, they get and show me their Id's, and I leave. It leaves me thinking about roll models. These girls look up to Paris Hilton. Paris Hilton has done little if anything of meaning in her life except be born rich and act like it. She is a spoiled rich girl that gets away with just about anything because of her money and that is what kids see and think. So tell me. Is this a good message? Why am I hearing kids talk about her like she is the greatest thing ever. Fuck that shit. Put her in jail for the entire forty five days. She was lucky to get only that. People already don't want to take responsibility for their actions, and here I have kids learning more about how not to take responsibility for what they have done because the media refuses to show anything else.


Ok...I am done ranting...for now.