Violence on Peoria Streets

My friend, the Peoria Anti-pundit, has an excellent blog that speaks of the Violence in Peoriaread ut here.
The fact is he is dead on with this post. Peoria is indeed losing convention business to other cities. I heard on the radio today that the LWML, an organization of Lutheran Women, is holding its convention here. It was stated that this is the largest convention to date held at the PCC. The report also stated the economic impact for this convention is over $2 million.
That makes me wonder just how much outsider money Peoria doesn't get because of the fear of getting shot at a convention. I know for a fact that a major state convention that was tentatively set for Peoria in 2012 will NOT be in Peoria. The reason..... VIOLENCE!
I suggest Peoria civic leaders, The Horseshoe, the occupants of the old Damon's on the riverfront, The PD and the CVB in their luxury office in the twin towers mall get their heads together and find out what can be done to stop the violence before the civic center loses all its convention business!

Birthers vs Obama

This is the only time you will see me post or say anything about President Obama's Birth Certificate.

I never thought his birth certificate was an issue so I have not touched the issue. ....

UNTIL NOW!

I did have one lingering question that was finally answered today. The question why not just release the document when the question first came out? Why wait two years?

The question was answered today in an email I received from "Julianna Smoot, BarrackObama.com" <>

the email states in small print on the bottom "paid for by Obama for America"

This is the deal. Make a contribution to the Obama campaign and get a free mug WITH THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE ON IT! Yep, donate $15 or more and they will send you mug. What? A mug not your thing? $25 or more will get you a tee shirt with Obama's picture on the front and his birth certificate on the back.

So my friends here you have it. The "Birthers" fell into the Obama machine's trap! They made such an issue out of a non-issue that now the Obama campaign is using it as a fundraiser! Ingenious on their part wouldn't you say?

All their Kool-aid drinking followers will be walking around wearing these $3 tee-shirts that they willingly gave $25 for while drinking their Kool-aid out of $1 mugs they paid $15 for. Question is who are the real I-D ten-Ts? The birthers or the people buying these mugs and shirts?

College Student Demonstrations

I watched in awe the night that Usama Bin Laden was killed. Almost immediately the area in fromt of the White House was filled with people waving American Flags and shouting USA! USA!
Shortly after that the scene shifted to New York City Times Square and Ground zero mimiced the pictures in DC. Reports came in of the same thing happening in locations across this great county.

What was most interesting was the demographic make up of these demonstrators. Racially they were mixed. There were about as many males as females. what was unusual is that most of the demonstrators appeared to be college aged.

While watching the coverage I pointed this out to my wife. Her reaction was, "They are just looking for a reason to party."

"I hope it is more than that" I replied.

In the past week I was speaking to a co-worker who is 26. I said something to him about the age of the demonstrators and that most probably don't even remember 9-11

He quickly corrected me and reminded me that a college student would be 19 to 24 today. These kids would have been 9-14 in 2001. using simple math the average age would be 12 or 13 in 01.

I remember being 12 I remember things that happened to me at 12. I can remember political events back to age 10 when JFK shook my hand while in Peoria in 1960. I was 13 when JFK was killed. Like most Americans who were alive that day, I can tell you where I was when I heard the news. I mean exactly where I was take me to the classroom and I will point you to the exact spot in the room! That was at 13.

So I assume these college demonstrators do remember 9/11. not only do they remember... They hold a grudge!

Today I was sent some news footage from the campus of LSU. It seems as though a hippie born 40 years too late was attempting to burn a flag. Believing that his fellow students would support him, he made his intentions know well in advance.

The videos that I have seen of the event show hundreds of Pro America anti flag burning students. The potential flag burner was hit by water balloons while the other students shouted USA! USA! He was finally driven off by police for his own safety. His flag never saw a flame.

It appears as though today's college student is more patriotic that the college students of the late 1960s. Agree or Disagree? Answer the poll question above.

I know that today's volunteer military is the Smartest best trained and best equipped of any time in history. Perhaps the kids who opt out of military service for college are doing their part on the campus across the country.

Bloggers note: I joined they Army in 1969 after one year of technical school. I had the rare honor of being a soldier in Vietnam while enrolled at Cal State Berkley. The Army was paying for me to take a correspondence course from Berkley while I was in Vietnam. Cal Berkley was at the time the heart of the antiwar movement. To be a student there while in Vietnam put the moron in oxymoron. When I came home the choice was simple back my fellow soldiers or back the anti-war movement. I could not betray my brothers in arms. Nor can I do so today! right or wrong, how the military got involved, doesn't matter we must support our troops! They do what they have to do so we can do what we want to do.

Bin Ladin photo to show or not to show

OMG! I can't believe I am going to say this:

President Obama is RIGHT!!!

Releasing a photo of a dead Bin Ladin would serve no real purpose!

Anyone who want to see a photo as proof.... is an idiot. Almost anyone with a good computer and a good photo editor can create a photo of a dead Bin Ladin. In fact, I have had several emailed to me all ready! Therefore a release of a photo of Bin Ladin with a hole in his forehead will not prove anything to conspiracy theorists.

Those who followed and or worshipped Bin Ladin would use a photo for propoganda. The same way a Bin Ladin burial on land in any country on this planet would become a shrine, a piece of hallowed ground for terrorists world wide.

So where are we in the Usama Bin Ladin story? I would hope near the end. He is dead. Fish food buried at sea! To those who do not trust the US government nothing will convince them. TO those who would like to make him a martyr with no pictures and no burial site martyrdom is a bit harded to establish.

In my humble opinion, Obama is right in not releasing the photos af a dead Bin Laden.
I think I am having a heart attack. Grabbing my chest... you hear that Elizabeth? I'm coming to join you honey. This is the big one!

Ding Dong the witch is dead

The President is speaking as I am typing this. He has just announced that Usama Bin Laden has been killed.
Congratulations to the military for their persistence in finding and eliminating him.
We as American have seemed to forget the objective of finding Bin Laden, while the military continued its intelligence gathering and carrying out the operation to kill him.
He ran and hid but he could not evade the revenge for 9-11.
Let the death of Bin Laden show that any terrorist may be able to run and hide but in the end he will meet his 72 virgins in Hell.
All praise and thanks to the brave members of our armed forces for their success and their sacrifice on a daily basis.

Libya

What is going on in Libya? Last week we heard that some movie producer was killed in Libya. their were all sorts of people on face book morning his loss. Yet few said anything about the US soldiers who were killed the same week in Afghanistan.
Now today the news is saying that their were air strikes against the compound of Gadhafi...
The Libyans are complaining that this was an attempt to kill Gahafi.
Now that would be a terrific Idea as far as I am concerned but the US is not in the business of political assassination.
My question is this... If they are really SMART BOMBS, why did they have to go into the library?... instead shouldn't we be using conventional stupid bombs and just level the entire compound and call the collateral damage an "accident"?

PRIORITIES IN THE BUDGET

I am a NASCAR fan. I have enjoyed stock car racing since the old Mount Hawley speedway in Peoria. I have been to Nascar races and enjoy them very much. That said .... Racing is a business. A private business. each race team is comprised of an owner, a driver, a car, a support team and sponsors. Sponsors pay a pretty penny to have a name or logo on a car and a drivers uniform. The Army pays over $7 million to advertise on the Ryan Newman car. The National guard pays over $20 million for its spot on the Casey Mears car and the car driven by Dale Earnhart Jr. At thesame time that these expenses were approve by Congress in the most recent budget battles, $75 million was not approved that was earmarked for homeless veterans. Where the hell are our priorities??? Over $27 Million for race car sponsorships and nothing for a homeless veteran program??? You can't tell me that this advertising results in more kids in the military. There are reasons that young people join the military but just because the guard has its name on the 88 car isn't one of them! I can get by without having Newman, Mears or even Earnhardt sporting the logo of our military. But none of us should be able to sleep at night knowing that men and women who have served this nation in the Armed Forces are homeless. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2064039,00.html

Purple Star Veterans and Families

I attended a fundraiser last night for Purple Star Veterans and Families. The event went off without a hitch and a lot of money was raise. There was another purpose for the fundraiser..... to expand public awareness for the problem facing our military personnel when they come home from Afghanistan and Iraq. The military takes several weeks of intense training to take a citizen and tun him into a soldier, but there is almost no time taken to turn that soldier into a citizen. When I came home from Vietnam, guys who were in a firefight in the rice paddies in Nam could find themselves walking the streets in San Francisco as a civilian less than 72 hours later. It isn't much different now! I greeted a group of Air Guard Members back in December when they returned, They got off the plane, met their loved ones and went home. They did have to return the next day to "debrief". One day of decompression adjustment is not enough! We need to do more to make sure these heroes are properly trained to be citizens again. We need to make sure the families are told about PTSD and what to look for and what to do! Winston Churchill once said, " nothing is so exhilarating as being shot at and missed." Our returning troops have had an adrenaline rush like no other. Often they come home and feel the need to feel that rush. They look for a fast car or motorcycle. They live life on the edge. We need to find a way to substitute productivity and accomplishment to get a "rush". Check out this video for some very interesting information http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=embedded&v=6VmUuPab4M Now if you have been moved to help our returning troops, go to http://www.veteransandfamilies.org/home.html

EVERY ONE PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

I SPENT OVER AN HOUR TONIGHT WITH A BROTHER. MY BROTHER MIKE. MIKE AND I HAD NOT MET UNTIL TONIGHT. YET MIKE IS MY BROTHER. WE BOTH SERVED IN VIETNAM. THAT MAKES HIM MY BROTHER. MIKE IS DIEING. HE HAS CANCER; STAGE FOUR CANCER I WAS ASKED TO GO TALK TO MIKE BY HIS HOSPICE NURSE WHO IS A FRIEND FROM LONG LONG AGO. IT SEEMS THAT MIKE JUST WANTED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT HIS TIME IN NAM. IT WASN'T MUCH OF A CONVERSATION AS MIKE HAD JUST BEEN GIVEN A DOSE OF MORPHINE JUST BEFORE I GOT TO HIS PLACE. YET WE DID TALK AND I LEARNED THAT MIKE AND I WERE CLOSER THAN COMPLETE STRANGERS. MIKE'S COUSIN AND I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER. MIKE'S UNCLE TRAINED ME ON MY FIRST DAY AS A LETTER CARRIER. HIS DAUGHTER USED TO GET PIZZAS FROM A PIZZA JOINT LESS THAN 100 FEET FROM MY HOME. MIKE GREW UP IN THE SAME AREA AS HIS HOSPICE NURSE'S PARENTS SKATING RINK WHERE I HUNG OUT AS A TEEN. (I TOLD YOU WE WERE FRIENDS LONG LONG AGO) LIKE I SAID MIKE IS DIEING OF CANCER. I AM PROBABLY TOO LATE TO HELP MIKE AND HIS DAUGHTER. HOPEFULLY I CAN HELP OTHERS, BUT I NEED YOUR HELP TO HELP THEM. MIKE'S CANCER IS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE AND HIS SERVICE IN VIETNAM. NEITHER MIKE NOR HIS DAUGHTER WERE AWARE OF THIS UNTIL TONIGHT. HAD THEY KNOWN, MIKE'S CARE TREATMENT MEDICATIONS AND HOSPICE WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID FOR BY THE VA. PLUS MIKE WOULD BE RECEIVING COMPENSATION FROM THE VA FOR A SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT MIKE WILL SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RECEIVE ANY BENEFIT FROM THE VA AND THAT HURTS. IT HURTS BECAUSE I FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO LET MIKE KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFIT THAT HE HAS EARNED. I REALIZE THAT INFORMING ALL VETERANS IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY NOR IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ONE PERSON TO LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT EARNED OR DESERVED BENEFITS. BUT AS A VETERANS' ADVOCATE I FEEL THAT MAYBE I HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH. THAT IS WHERE EACH OF YOU WHO READ THIS BLOG CAN HELP. PLEASE ASK EVERY VETERAN YOU KNOW ONE SIMPLE QUESTION.... HOW IS YOUR HEALTH? ONCE THE HAVE ANSWERED DIRECT THEM TO VIETNAM VETS www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp GULF WAR VETS www.veteranprograms.com/id1099.html Or you can have them contact me larry@nam-vet.net PLEASE HELP ME HELP THEM.

Suicide is painless

Suicide is Painless it brings on many changes and I can take or leave it if I please. So says the lyrics of the theme song to the movie and television show M*A*S*H* Ironic that this show was about the Korean War and a Mobil Army Surgical Hospital. Yet the song and the words still have relevance today. Today's men and women in the military are having trouble adapting to life outside the war zones. This is nothing new It has long been reported that in the first few years after returning from Vietnam, More American soldiers killed themselves than were killed in the war. The same can be said of today's soldiers. There have been somewhere near 6000 American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. and some 5800 veterans of those two wars have committed suicide. The reason for this can be explained by four letters...........PTSD Today's troops are always in harms way no matter where they are stationed in the war zone or in a safe location in Europe or the States. There is no truly safe location. as evidence of that i point to the recent shooting in Germany and the Fort Hood shootings. In addition the high level of alert that our soldiers are required to maintain to secure their own safety contributes to the inability to readjust to civilian life. Troops come home. Their friends and families notice changes in them. They themselves begin to isolate themselves from others. Thus is the way of a war veteran. What happens next depends on the individual and his/her mindset. Some are able to adjust adapt and overcome. Some self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. And some resort to the suicide route. We as American taxpayers who have sent these young men and women of to war and to be changed forever must do whatever it takes to help them adapt. As a PTSD victim, I can tell you that it isn't easy, Not for me nor any other PTSD victim I know. Nor is it easy for the family of a PTSD victim. I went through 3 wives and a liquor store before I realized my problems and sought help. My third (current and last) wife has been trough hell just living with me. My kids have be subjected to temper outbursts that are unprovoked and unwarranted. We must make it easier for our troops to adapt. Today in our VA hospitals nationwide 8 veterans commit suicide. EIGHT VETERANS A DAY COMMIT SUICIDE IN OUR VA HOSPITALS!

EIGHT VETERANS A DAY!!

Through the early morning fog I see

visions of things to be

the pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see...

suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

I try to find a way to make

all our little joys relate

without the ever present hate

but now I know that it;s too late and

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The game of life is hard to play

I'm gonna lose it anyway

the losing card Ill someday lay

so this is all I have to say

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The only way to win is cheat

and lay it down before I'm beat

and to another give my seat

for that's the only painless feat

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

The sword of time will pierce our skins

it doesn't hurt when it begins

but as it works its way on in

the pain grows stronger... watch it grin

Suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

A brave man once requested me

to answer questions that are key

is it to be or not to be

and I replied"oh why ask me?"

cause suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please

and you can do the same thing if you please.

www.veteransandfamilies.org

Freedom of speech

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Supreme Court today upheld the right of Westboro Baptist Church to Protest at the funerals of deceased military members. Well, actually, what the court decided was to uphold a lower court ruling overturning a multi-million dollar award to the family of a Marine who died in service to our country. But in doing so, The 8-1 decision gives the Westboro Baptist Church family the ammunition they need to again travel the country to garner their 15 minutes of fame.

Almost no one likes the decision but they law as interpreted by the Court is the law. The freedom established in the Bill of Rights is the Freedom that this every American fighting man and woman has fought to defend and preserve.

Personally, Westboro Baptist Church is not a church. It is a family of religious fanatics who are pushing the envelope of free expression. Similar to yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Shouting "Thank God for IEDs" is not free speech it is incitement.

Those who attend funerals of deceased military members that are there to protect and shield the grieving family from hearing these words of incitement should be commended. They are needed more now than ever.

To the Patriot Guard and Legion Riders nationwide I salute you with a huge OORAH and CARRY ON!

The right of those who have lost loved ones to grieve must be preserved by you since the courts will not assist you. Remember you have the right to peaceably assemble between the grieving family and the Westboro family

A VETERAN DIED .... MORE TO FOLLOW

February 27, 2011 Frank Buckles, America's last World War One veteran died. Frank joined the military at age 16. Spent WWI in Europe. He spent most of WWII in a Japanese POW camp even though he was a civilian.

America has no more WWI veterans to salute.

WWII veterans were dying at a rate of over 1025/ day in 2005 I am sure that the rate has increased since then. Meaning that by 2020 there may not be any WWII veterans left to salute.

I have not been able to find any estimate on how rapidly Korean war veterans are dying other than the 2000 census which indicated Korean War Veterans were Dying at a rate of 383/day.
By 2027 we may not have any Korean War Veterans to salute.

Next are the numbers that are hard for me to put on paper. According to the Department of Veteran ASffairs, Vietnam Veterans are dying at a rate of 295/day. Numbers vary but the most consistent number of living Veterans who serve in Vietnam is approximately 850,000. Those numbers mean that Vietnam veterans may well all be gone BEFORE the last WWII veteran dies.

The average WWII veteran today is well over 80. If the statistics on Vietnam Veterans is correct, I will not live to see 70.

Given these numbers, I think I will chose to live each day to the fullest. I will be writing my bucket list immediately. If you have any suggestions on what I should include on my bucket list, I am open to anything.

WISCONSIN PROTESTS AND ME

1. I DO NOT LIVE IN WISCONSIN.
2. I DO NOT PAY TAXES IN WISCONSIN.
3. I DO NOT KNOW ANY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES IN WISCONSIN.

SIMPLY PUT I REALLY DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE PROTESTS IN WISCONSIN........

UNTIL TODAY !

Today is the day I saw a video taken inside the Capitol Building in Madison. The video shows a memorial dedicated to those who died in war from the state of Wisconsin. It is in a prominent location inside the capitol Building. Flanked by flags on either side, it is obvious that this is a special location.
The video the shows the back side of the memorial. Paper notes and messages are taped to the back of this memorial. Now, to me, a war memorial is a very special place, a sacred place, a hallowed space. A memorial is there for one purpose only.... to remember those who have sacrificed all in service to our country.
It is not there to hold a bunch of notes and messages like a giant refrigerator holding pictures drawn by your grand kids.
I don't care how you feel about the rights of public employees to bargain for their wages and benefits. I have belonged to unions and I have worked in places without unions. I can see the pros and cons of each side of the union debate. That is not the issue here. The issue here is

RESPECT

Respect is a simple act that means so much. Disrespect shows exactly how an individual feels. These young people have no idea that the right that they have for the freedom to assemble is directly a result of the men and women they are disrespecting. Perhaps some of the teachers who were in the capitol should have taken a moment or two to teach these people about the constitution and the bill of rights and where and how these rights were won and preserved.... ON THE BATTLE FIELD !!!

If you can read this .... THANK A teacher
If you can read it in English...... THANK A VETERAN!

View the video and you decide. CLICK HERE

TYSON FOODS TRUTH OR FICTION

The headline reads, "Tyson replaces Labor Day with Muslim Holiday"

SAY WHAT????

That was the headline but the story is something else.

It seems the UNION at the Tyson plant in Shelbyville Tennessee voted to replace their paid day off from Labor Day to a Muslim Holiday. Still sounds ludicrous to me. Yet that is the way it is. The local branch of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) voted in 2008 to replace Labor Day with EID AL-FITR a Muslim Holiday at the end of Ramadan.

Emails and posts to facebook are all over this almost two-year-old story. Most are blaming Tyson Foods. Some are suggesting a boycot hoping that the company will go out of business thereby punishing the Union for such a contract.

But as usual with Email and facebook stories the rest of the story is the real story. Tyson and the RWDSU renegotiated their contract and Labor Day IS one of the employees 8 paid Holidays. in 2008 EID-AL FITR could be taken as a paid holiday or the employees could choose to take their birthday as a holiday. I wish that people would do a bit of investigation BEFORE sending out this type of email or social network post. Once it is out there, it is impossible to take back!!!.

If you see something that infuriates you regarding a Business check it out before you spread the rumor!!! Remember even if it says it has been checked out on snopes it probably was not!

DALE WHO?????

I spent a lot of time in front of the television this past weekend. Not by design but by necessity as my disability had gotten the best of me and I couldn't work. There seemed to be a lot of talk about some race car driver who died ten years ago at a race in Daytona. Dale somebody.... His name is not important. What is important is that his death was remembered by so many in all aspects of the media. Not just the racing world or the sports world but almost every outlet of news and information had something about his death.

I have some other names that I would like to remember:
Staff Sergeant Bradley Hart, 25 died Feb 15, 2011
A1C Christoffer Johnson, 20 died Feb 17, 2011
Sgt Matthew DeYoung, 26 Died Feb 18, 2011
Specialist Johnathan Pilgeram, 22 Died Feb 17, 2011
A1C Corey Owens, 26, Died Feb 17, 2011
Specialist LaShawn Evans, 24 Died Feb 15, 2011
Specialist Nathan Carse, 32 Died Feb 8, 2011

I could go on listing over 7000 men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have died in service to our country since January 2001, but I am sure you got the message.

They say no man is truly dead until he is forgotten. The men and women of our military who have given their all in service to US must never be forgotten! That is US as a collective of individuals not U.S. as in the United States. Since the collective of individuals IS the United States.

What ever Dale what's-his-name did for our country is nothing compared to the sacrifice of our Military personnel. These brave men and women voluntarily go into harms way. each has written a blank check to this country that reads "Pay to the order of The United States of America any amount up to and including my life". They don't ask for admiration public recognition or respect..... They should not have to ask! They have earned it !!! They deserve it. Yet for so many of us the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are so far from home with little sacrifice required by those of us who do not have family or friends in theater that we don't notice the news when a soldier dies.

Yet we can remember the day a race car driver dies. We can remember when Lilo has her next court date. We can even remember what we were doing when Elvis died but can we remember one, just one, name of a soldier who died in service to our country?
www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/war.casualties/index.html has a complete list of all the allied forces killed in the current war efforts. Pick a name any name and remember the story of that name. It is the least we can do.

Egypt's Future

I am a conservative !

That said, I am tired of hearing the Limbaughs, Hannitys and Becks in the media blasting President Obama for his actions (or lack of actions) during the civil uprisings in Egypt. To listen to these guys Egypt is going down like the Titanic. and it is all Obama's fault.

Egypt is going to be in the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and Israel will be destroyed.

Obama deserted his ally and in doing so will harm Israel and the western world.

These are the kinds of comments I have been hearing over the past few days.

I have a problem here. Obama and the US had no business intervening in the civil affairs of Egypt. Just as we stood on the side and watched the Berlin Wall fall to civil uprising in Eastern Europe, we should have and did watch the heavy-handed, never elected "President" (read that dictator) be removed from power. His ouster was accomplished not by violence or guns but by peaceful protests and a conviction of the people of Egypt. Civil uprising is by definition an internal affair that should not be guided or assisted by outsiders no matter what their interests in the country may be.

What happens next in Egypt? Any answer to this question is, at this point pure speculation. No one can be certain. I am optimistic that the Egyptian people will be able to assure themselves continued freedom and democracy. That, after all, was the purpose of their demonstrations. It is quite possible that if Egypt secures itself as a true democracy with the freedoms similar to those we enjoy, many other countries in that region will follow suit.

That is my hope, my dream. It is in no way a prediction or a prophesy. Unlike the talk show hosts of the conservative persuasion it is not a prediction of forecast of things to come. I am not laying blame on the President or the United States. All I am saying is give Egypt a chance!

Ramblings from a big box store cashier

Since May of 2005, I have been employeed by a big box store. Most of that time has been as a cashier. I have some simple observations and suggestions that if heeded would make your experience and my job a lot easier.

Stay off the cell phone when checking out!!! As a cashier, there are certain things my employer wants me to ask you. I don't want to be rude and interrupt your conversation but I don't want to lose my job by not asking you. Make it easy on us both. If you are on the phone when it is time to check out, hang up! If your phone rings while you are checking out, don't answer it!

If you are buying alcohol or tobacco products expect to be carded. Many area employers require everyone who buys alcohol or tobacco show a picture ID. My facility also insists that the ID be out of the wallet. I assure you if you come through my lane you will be asked to, "Take out your ID for me, please." Don't think you are helping by telling me your age or your birthdate. I have several dates to look at and you may just confuse me. Laughing or telling me you haven't been carded in a long time isn't necessary. All you have to do is hand me your ID.

By the way, how can you come into a store to buy something without your wallet? If you write a check or use a credit card you may be asked to show your ID. Every day more and more items have age restrictions put on them. Save time bring in your ID.

Planning on using the self check stations? Here are a couple tips. You can't write a check at a self check. You can't buy age restricted items at a self check without having the attendent come over. Buying gift cards or phone cards can't be done at a self check. My company matches competitors prices but this shouldn't be done at a self check. It is pretty simple really if you are going to need assistance don't use the self check.
Keep your kids from climbing, leaning or hanging on the bagging area at the self check. It has a scale in it that verifies the weight of what you are buying.

Even at a regular checkout lane kids should be told to stand back away from the bagging area so they don't get hit in the head by the bag holders!

Going though an express lane? Know the limit for your lane and don't exceed that number!!! There may not be anyone in line when you get there but sure as heck by the time your order is rang up there will be 5 people behind you. Most express lanes are not set up for lage volume purchases nor are they made for purchases of LARGE items A 24 pake of bottled water a multipack of toilet tissue a loaf of bread and a couple of bananas is really all the checkout can handle. If your items are large go to a regular lane.

Remember, the person checking you out is only a cashier. He/she cannot explain why the store doesn't carry your favorite brand of canned artichokes or why your milk just went up $.25 a gallon.

I feel better now that I have gotten that off my chest. If you come through my lane please remember to say yes when I ask if you would like to apply for a credit card.

blogging time

I appologize for my not keeping up to date with information on this blog.
I have been given a position as a staff writer for Veteranstoday.com
If you want to keep up with my writings you can view them at
http://veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=VT_Authors&author=stimeling
I will continue to post here when I have the time and an issue.

Dignity in Portland

Back in mid May, I heard that the Oregon Airshow would be hosting a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. That was well and good until it was pointed out that in order to see the wall you would be required to pay a $15 admission fee, unless you were a veteran or active duty military. It took veterans less than 48 hours to convince the Dignity / Airshow people that this was unacceptable!
see the article at
http://oregonlive.com/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/124241343580330.xml&coll=6

Now comes the strange part. Today I receive in the mail a letter from JC Aubry of Dignity Memorial in Portland. the letter included two VIP passes for the Sunday August 30 Performance of the Oregon Airshow. Included in the VIP passes :

• Admission
• Reserved seating
• Food and Drink
• VIP Parking

Quite a deal for someone who was so hard on them only months ago don't you think?
Unfortunately I cannot use the tickets but they will not go to wast I am sending them to a veteran in the Portland area to enjoy.
Ain't America wonderful you can stir the shit and still get something for your effort.

Most "trusted"man in America?

Friday July 17, Walter Cronkite died at age 92. Headlines and broadcasters everywhere were using the phrase "most trusted man in America" to describe Mr Cronkite. This trust was misplaced. Walter Cronkite did not deserve to be trusted by America. Sure he was the anchor for CBS News but that job in itself does not Immediately bring the trust of America. Just ask Katie Couric .

February 27,1968 Cronkite made an editorial broadcast concerning the Vietnam War that changed much of the public perception of the way the war was going.

Fro my perspective of his broadcast please visit http://nam-vet.net/cronkite.htm