Home Defense and a Camera Flash...

...may seem like two things that have no connection, but a camera flash can be a very effective home defense tool and I am not talking about taking a bad guys picture for evidence.

What I am talking about is the use of a camera flash to virtually blind an intruder even if only momentarily so as to give you the edge you need to get away, or to defend yourself in another manner. Please note, before I go on, the technique of which I am about to write is not an end all self defense tactic, nor is it guaranteed to save your life, but it is something you may want to consider as a possible advantage giver in a life or death situation, before you use deadly force. Therefore what I am about to write should be understood to be geared toward the person who is already familiar with, and ready to use, some form of deadly force to protect his or her own life, or the lives of family members within their own home from a potentially deadly intruder. Again I am not saying it will work or not, the decision to use this technique is totally up to you as a responsible adult.

The technique itself is simple, and the list of items required to carry it out also fairly simple. Go out an buy yourself a fairly inexpensive camera flash for a 35mm camera. You can probably get a decent new one for under $50, maybe even under $25. Make sure the flash can be fired while off camera, they usually have a button on the back that can be pushed to fire the flash. Then put in some fresh alkaline (or fully charged rechargeable batteries) . Familiarize yourself with how to use it, to make it go flash, wile pointing it away from you. Practice over and over again, picking it up, turning it on, counting until it is ready to fire (usually takes a couple to a few seconds), then close your eyes and fire it in the direction of your threat (imaginary threat while practicing). Then leave the flash gun where ever you usually sleep at night, right close to your self defense weapon.

If you are ever awakened, and you believe an unlawful intruder is inside your home, or trying to gain entry, turn on the flash gun so it will be ready. Do whatever else you would do to be ready to defend yourself and loved ones. Arm yourself if you reasonably believe it to be necessary, and remember to exercise safe weapons handling. Call 911 if at all possible while remaining safe. If you actually see an intruder, fire the flash directly at him, making sure to close your eyes as you do so, but as soon as it has been fired open your eyes, drop the flash, pick up a flashlight and illuminate the person, then take appropriate action. The flash will in all likelihood effectively ruin the night vision of someone for a split second, giving you that much of an advantage. If dark enough, and if the flash is strong enough, it will effect the bad guy's vision for up to a few seconds. Of course if the bad guy blinked just as you fired the flash gun, well then no to very little advantage to you.

In the time of your advantage, you can take appropriate action dependent upon the situation before you. Turning on your flashlight, after firing the camera flash, may illuminate a bad guy with a gun, or it may illuminate your 16 year old daughter who just sneaked into the house at 0400 (4AM) because she had sneaked out earlier to be out late with a boyfriend, or you may see a policeman in full uniform coming up you hallway searching for a burglar. Whomever it is is very likely not going to be able to see you very well at that moment. The advantage is yours.

Of course, in some cases there may be no time to pick up a camera flash, turn it on, and set it off, before you need to take other appropriate action to defend yourself. You need to take action based on the situation as it unfolds, and those decisions are up to you. I recommend taking a good home defense course.

All the best,
Glenn B.

A Nation of Budding Girly-Men...

...could be in the making, most likely in homes wherein there are products containing lavendar and or tea oils, and those products are used by the boys. I am guilty of sometimes using lavendar shampoo myself. What can I say, I use what the wife buys. I am not using it any longer, nor will my son be using this stuff. It is going to be Old Spice or nothing for me from now on since I have read Debbie Schlussel's blog for February 1, 2007. See it yourself at http://debbieschlussel.com/. Click on the link, then page down to the blog for 01/01/07.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today is One of My Favorite Days...

...of each and every year. It is a day that signifies hope springs eternal that Spring will soon be sprung upon us, otherwise we will get satuck with 6 more weeks of winter. Heck even that is not too bad, only 6 weeks of winter left to go, then spring with the opening of trout season, some spring turkey hunting, the shad run up the Deleware, late spring bass fishing, hikes in the woods in upstate NY and other nice outdoors things in warmer weather.

All of that kind of makes me like those little fur balls that supposedly give us our next 6 weeks of weather predictions all on one morning in February. I hope they treat them nice after taking them out of their warn hibernariums to face the cold of ther 2nd day of february just to have a lot of whackos yell scream and take their pictures. Oh well, as I said they give us hope that winter will end, and of course that there will be some ground hogs around for hunting in the spring (heck I don't love em that much)! I think Ground Hogs' Day should be a national holiday, one that is purely an American holiday at that. I just love it.

Happy Ground Hogs' Day to all of you,
Glenn B

A Living Hell...

...can be something you bring onto yourself, something with which you have to live the rest of your life, and something that you can never get over because of the guilt you will feel for having done what it was that put you into your own living hell.

So it will probably be for the two police officers who ignored the cries and pleas of the woman they arrested, who while being arrested told them she was pregnant and she was bleeding from her vagina. The officers chose not to listen. Sure they heard her, they heard her time and time again as she begged them to help her, but they were intent on arresting her and nothing else. They arrested her, put her in jail, and the next day she had a miscarriage.

I have been in law enforcement for over 27 years. I have heard a lot of bull from prisoners about why I should not arrest them, about why I should feel sorry for them, about how they really are good people and not bad criminals - I have just about heard it all. You grow kind of callous to all the whining that you hear and you tend to lump it all together in one big stinking pile of bull manure (BS). Yet, there have been times in my career when I have stopped to listen more intently, this especially when a prisoner has told me they are injured or ill. I have on occasion called for para-medics to come to examine patients, and have brought a few to the doctor's office and the hospital ER. Now I am not talking about ones that were injured during the arrest where it was obvious that they required medical assistance, I am talking about the ones I figured were full of bull manure, but well maybe, just maybe, they needed a doctor. As it turned out, in most cases they were full of fertilizer and that was all, but in a good deal of them, they did need medical care. Sometimes you have to take the time to listen, the time to stop and bring yourself out of your protective cocoon (for that is what which we in law enforcement shield ourselves from the manure), and we have to think - hey maybe this person is not full of it.

A call like that is a judgment call; and as logic would have it, it requires one using one's judgment in a thought out manner. To me, it seems obvious, that the police officers who arrested this woman used no to very little thinking while arresting her as she complained of her bleeding and being pregnant. I heard the tape. I sure seems to me they just thought it all a story so that they would pity the woman, but that is just my guess. It also sure sounds as if the officers did not want to be bothered with this woman’s problems, and that is not as much of a guess since one of the officers basically said just that according to the article: Woman: Cops Ignored Pleas for Help at Arrest, Baby Died Next Day @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,249044,00.html. As a matter of fact, according to the article, woman told the officers she was bleeding, pregnant, and needed to go to a hospital not only once or twice but nine times, and then after the ninth time, one of the officers replied with these words: "How is that my problem?" At the very least, the officer should have, in my opinion, had medical help brought into the police station or jail to examine the woman for her complaints. I don't know whether or not that happened, but I do not believe it did, as Fox New TV reported that only after the woman passed a blood clot, several hours later in jail, was she then brought for medical help. One at a medical facility, she had a miscarriage, the baby living one minute after that. That will, I think, cost her and her partner dearly; it may even lead to some sort of homicide charges - after all the baby was born alive.

I think the officers will soon come to learn just how it was, is and will remain their problem for the rest of their lives. No matter how much they spin it, the cocoon will not be enough protection for them from the hell they have placed themselves into because of what happened to this woman and her child. This is a guilt trip that probably will last with them until the grave if either has any conscience at all. Yet the guilt trip will only be a part of the hell for them. They may well loose their jobs, and should loose their jobs as I see it, that is if the allegations are upheld. They may also wind up in jail if there is a criminal offense here, and there may well be various charges that the DA can drop on them, possibly to include manslaughter or negilgent homicide. There could be a jail sentence for each of them as a result. They will also likely be the target of a civil suit. Most of all though will be the guilt trip that these officers will face just for staying wrapped in their protective cocoon, using that 'them against us kind of mentality' with those whom they were quite possibly sworn to protect, or at least had a moral obligation to protect. It is all a crying shame, one that was quite possibly avoidable, and hopefully other officers will learn from this experience accordingly, and things like it will be prevented in the future.


All the best,

Glenn B

So the Brits arrest 9 suspected terrorists...

... in a kidnap/beheading plot against a British soldier. Good for the Brits and better for the soldier; but maybe not so bad for the guys who got arrested. Their kind will probably soon rule in England if things keep going along the course they have been going, I mean just look at how comfortable they are that they would even consider such a plot in Merrty Olde England (maybe becaus eit is not so English any more). Even if an Islamic takeover does not happen, at least these bad guys have a good chance of getting to sit on thrones that face east to appease their religious beliefs. See one rant below. What a conflicted world is it in which we live!

Dazed but not yet confused,
Glenn B

Great Britain has likely lost...

...any hope of defeating Islamic terrorism on its own soil. Instead of kicking Muslim extremists in their asses so hard that they are expelled from the UK, officials in one of the largest, if not the largest city, in England are providing special seating for prison inmates while on the throne doing their dirty business while at the same time praying to Allah.

This is too absurd to make up folks, see it here: London Prison Changes Direction of Toilets in Respect to Islamic Law @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248597,00.html. Can you imagine that the poor prisoners who were Muslims had to turn on the toilet seats in order to pray to Allah; but then heck - can you imagine praying while taking a dump. You see Muslim law apparently decrees that even while making a bowel movement you continue to pray if it is prayer time. I would think you would rather hold it in out of respect to your god, but what do I know.

Well, I do know this, I fear England is lost. There are possibly no more English traditions, laws, regulations or even toilet orientations that will stand up against Islam. All the Brits may as well get out their own prayer rugs and start facing east with stuff like this taking place. After all, this is what the Islamists want, so why not give it to them just like giving them east facing toilet seats. What a disgrace of political correctness, or should I say political insanity. If Great Britain comes out of all of this within the next 5 or 10 years as a non-Islamic country - with anything English left in England, and any of England left for the English - I will be amazed (and quite happy about it too).

All the best,
Glenn B

Okay the wash is folded...

...now back to WWIII.

Lest you think I am making light of that about which I have written on the subject, I am not doing so by mentioning my having to fold the wash. As a matter of fact, my having to do so is analogous to leaders of the free world having other more mundane things to which they need to attend than solely worrying about whether or not we are on the verge of the breakout of a real world war. Truth be told, those other more mundane duties need to be done too, but our leaders best not ignore the threat that is percolating not all that far beneath the surface, and that promises to erupt and catch us sleeping as it did the last time around in WWII or on 9/11. The problem with it catching us sleeping this time around is that many of our allies' countries, and our own country, have been inundated by hordes of vermin who would do us harm in the name of their god or of their countries, or in the spirit of simply being anti-America (or anti-democratic Republic).

All the signs are there, for anyone to see, that a very large wear is brewing, that promises to be the harshest war we have yet faced (I fear it will make our losses in Iraq pale in comparison). No holds will be barred this time around. We will face the threats of nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological strikes, as will our allies. We will face a large number of countries run by fanatics, and populated by the same. We will also be faced with attacks by fanatics who are already within our porous borders. It will, mirror, WWII to a great extent, and it will surpass it in the horrors we are bound to experience. It does not matter much what we do now as to whether or not this war will come, but what does matter now is how we prepare for it. We can be ready to strike with conclusive force in the beginning, or we can again get caught sleeping at the helm. I prefer that we wake up sooner than later and ready ourselves for it, how about you?

All the best,
Glenn B

Venezuela's Congress Grants Chavez Special Powers to Remake Country

To me the above headline from FoxNews.com @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248929,00.html sure sounds familiar, at least to something that I learned in history class and while watching the World At War. There is an all to familiar ring of Nazi Germany in all of it. Now before someone gets all bent out of shape and says, no it is not like Nazi Germany because Chavez is not persecuting Jewish people, hold your water. Nazi Germany was not only about persecuting Jews, in fact that was pretty much secondary to the goals of the Nazis like Hitler. The extermination of about 12 to 13 million people in concentration camps, (6 million of them Jewish, leaving 6 to 7 million of other belief systems) was a terrible way to try to achieve an end but was not the overall end that was being achieved. The number one goal was the establishment of the Third Reich, the coming to power, above all else, of the Fatherland.

Now, as I said, should you doubt that this is much the same in Venezuela with Chavez, then you are wrong as per what Chavez's own people have to say. In the words of said National Assembly President Cilia Flores, according to the FoxNews article: "Long live the sovereign people! Long live President Hugo Chavez! Long live socialism!" And here is another one, maybe a continuation of the first part: "Fatherland, socialism or death! We will prevail!"

This all makes me wonder how close we are to WWIII, a full scale WWIII. Not all that long before WWII broke out in earnest, we pretty much ignored Adolph Hitler and his brown shirt wearing thugs. We ignored Hitler being voted in office. We ignored Hitler getting similar powers in Germany. All the same while, we ignored Hitler's speeches of hate, and we ignored the rearmament of Germany, something that had been forbidden by international treaty. Hitler ignored the treaty too. We also, for the most part, ignored the Japanese in their expansion throughout China and other parts of Asia. We ignored their bad intent so much that we actually sent them scrap metal that they used to build an air force and a navy. We kept on ignoring them all the way up to what had been the worst single attack on American soil prior to 9/11/2001.

We also ignored Mussolini in his rise to power. We ignored his ambitions to conquer northern Africa. Those were considered the big 3 countries of the Axis powers in WWII, but there were others: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, and Croatia were all Axis countries. Look at that list of countries, and look at the list of those that exist today which could, and quite possibly will, form an alliance similar to that of the Axis powers.

Today we have Iran (with a very Hitler like leader, at least in his rhetoric, and apparently in his military buildup and we mostly ignore it, except maybe for GWB). We talk about but otherwise ignore North Korea with a leader rather like the emperor of Japan, though probably mentally ill too, and we mostly ignore his militarism, his buildup of nuclear technology using know how from USA (thanks president Clinton for giving the North Koreans nuclear tech for power plants now being used for nuclear weapons). We also prety much ignore Chavez (trying to get the gas stations to run well) is sort of like Mussolini, a wanna-be big fish who will probably just wind up being chum in the long run, but who nonetheless is now a supreme dictator. Then look to other countries, the smaller ones maybe, but all of them likely to join an Axis of Evil if WWIII breaks out. (Axis of Evil is, by the way, one of the few smart things GWB ever came up with). Those other countries would quite possibly include Cuba, Syria, Libya, Yemen. We pretty much igonore them, and the threat they pose. Sure we jabber about it, hear it on the news now and then to, but basically do nothing. Much like Chamberlain in the UK before WWII, we bend over backwards to appease and tolerate our probable soon to be enemies.

There also would be what could be seen as those countries against us, but not really allied with our enemies. China could be a big one that way. Either as an ally of our enemies or just our enemy, that would hurt us badly. They have no love for us, and would likely love to be the predominant world power, so who knows if they would join an Axis of Evil? If they did, we would need all the help we could get, and from where would it come?

Who could we depend upon as sure allies in a world wide confrontation on the scale of WWII or larger? The Australians, almost assuredly, they have been one of our most loyal allies. The Austrians probably would be neutral. The British, my bet would be yes, but it would be tough to drag them in. The Danish, my bet would be yes. Italy, would be an ally. Poland would be likewise. Other European countries like Germany, France, Spain would all be questionable at best, and possibly team up with our enemies at worst. Russia might be a wild card here, sort of like China, but my bet is they would see it like they did in WWII and become one of the allied powers with the USA.

African nations are a toss up. Most are so unstable that if WWIII broke out, governments in Africa would or could change drastically overnight. Much of South America is likewise. As far as mexico and Canada go, who can tell, though I would hope they were our allies I am none to sure they would side with us.

In the far east, I believe that India and Pakistan (despite their differences with one another) would ally with us. This would cause major internal strife within Pakistan, as it is doing now, but to a greater degree. Japan, would almost assuredly remain our ally, and would likely take an active part in any military aspects of a WW to include deploying Japanese troops on foreign soil for the first time in over ½ a century. They have bee readying for war for quite some time now, they have the foresight to see it coming and being a big one.

Of course, there are plenty of other countries in the world that I have not mentioned. Some will strive to remain neutral, but I am not too certain they will be able to do so if they have Muslim populations mixed in with populations consisting of those of other religions. Yes I am thinking that WWIII will be primarily a war fueled by religious insanity on the part of Islam.

Just as I got on a roll - she who must be obeyed told me the wash is done - meaning I have folding to do. More on this interesting topic later - no not on the wash, on this WWIII stuff...

All the best,

Glenn B

three CD's down now, The Doors Waiting For The Sun, Kelly Clarkson Breakaway, and finally Joe Cocker Ultimate Collection... some fine music.

Tunes for the day...

...actually arrived yestersay in the mail, but I only opened them today. I just started to listen to the first one I grabbed. The Doors Waiting For The Sun; I think it to be one of the best albums at least done by The Doors. They just did not get much better than this one - no one did for that matter.

All in all, this time around, I got myself 6 CD's. Most of what I buy are time pieces, that is albums based on my youthful years way back when. I never had a big selection back then of albums, by my CED collection is growing slowly but surely. I would guess I have about 80 to 90 or maybe 100 by now. As it turns out, most of the music I like very much is from back then, but certainly not all of it (back then would be the late 60s, through the seventies, maybe abit into the 80s. Keeping with that these are the other CD's I just picked up:

Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune

Joe Cocker - Ultimate Colection

The Doors - Watiting For The Sun

The Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed

The New Riders Of The Purple Sage - The Best of...

A more contemporary work I also received in the same order was:

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

Thanks to my having joined a music club, I will be listening to good tunes all day today. The BMG Musisc Service membership is a pretty good deal, and I have pretty much bought almost all of my CDs through them over about the past 4 years or so. Mind you, they are only really a good deal when you can get album/CDs on sale at a great price, with free shipping, or when you get the CDs at a lowball price with shipping added. These 6 CD's cost me about $39.00. So about $6.50 each with shipping and tax included. I don't think I could get anywhere close at my local CD joint.

Oh well, so much for the blog, I have to pay attention to Spanish Caravan which at 2:58 is way too short. Then maybe a little Joe Cocker, followed by Kelly Clarkson - all before dinner...

All the best,
Glenn B

"They did exactly what they were told to do,"

...said Rataczak, adding that the actions of the soldiers prevented an international incident from occurring.

The Rataczak mentioned above is a military commander. The thing to which he refers when he unconvincingly comments about preventing an international incident is the retreat of military troops when confronted by unidentified apparently heavily armed men. While you may think the above statement was made in connection with affairs in Iran, North Korea, Iraq or Afghanistan - you would be wrong. Rataczak is Major General David Rataczak, the head of the Arizona National Guard. The incident took place on the Arizona (one of the 50 United States) - Mexico (a foreign country) border. What happened, according to: National Guard General: Gunmen Likely Came Across U.S. Border Troops by Chance is that 4 Arizona (remember part of the USA) National Guardsmen were on duty, in an observation post, on the north side of the U.S./Mexican border when they were confronted by 4 to 8 unidentified fairly heavily armed men. These men have been reported as having military style firearms, possibly fully automatic, and to have been wearing dark fatigues and body armor (CNN televised report on 01/30/07).

So what did the National Guardsmen do, just what they had been ordered to do, retreat and then call in the Border Patrol. In the ensuing 15 minutes or so that it took the Border Patrol to respond, the unidentified armed men apparently walked into Mexico. We don't know who they were, what they were doing, where they were going. Neither do we know: where they had intended to go, and what they had intended to do before they were spotted. These guys were reportedly given medals for their actions, no not the unidentified gunmen, but the 4 National Guardsmen. What deserved a medal is beyond me, but that is what I heard reported on CNN today. If they deserved medals for their inaction, for their following orders to retreat in the face of a possible armed invasion of the USA, then all I can say is we have already lost the war!

Yes I mean it, we are at a point where we have hopelessly lost the war against terrorism, against illegal aliens, against illegal arms and drug smuggling, against anyone and anything if our National Guard troops cannot protect the borders of our nation from invasion or from outbound smuggling of things like high tech strategic devices (yes smuggling over our borders goes both ways, not just inbound). I have to wonder what would have happened had the scenario played out differently. What would have happened if the unidentified gunmen had instead walked north to a vehicle, gotten into that vehicle, traveled to a major U&.S. City like Phoenix, Arizona, then detonated a nuclear or dirty bomb in that city. I have to wonder what will happen if they were instead in possession of stolen military secrets that they were smuggling out to one of our enemies. I have to wonder, who in Washington, D.C., or who in the government of Arizona, gave the absolutely ridiculous order, for they who are by their name destined to guard our nation, to retreat when confronted by possible armed invaders.

Read the article above, pay close attention to the statement of the major general when he talked about the moment when one of the National Guardsmen was faced down by one of the unidentified armed men. They were reportedly 45 feet apart, both holding rifles, and there was not even a question asked of the unidentified armed man. He was not told to stop, not told to identify himself, not told to drop his weapon, not told anything by the national Guardsmen, or so it seems from the reports I have read and heard.

Of course some politicians and the major general don't see this as a problem. I though see it as a major one. The hands of the national Guardsmen have been tied despite what was reportedly said by Democratic Rep. Tom Prezelski of Tucson, who reportedly said he was certain that the troops were ready to handle the situation had it gotten worse. He also said this: ""I am a little uncomfortable with the idea that we are portraying them as helpless and having their hands tied," Prezelski said" (from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248578,00.html). Well as I see Representative Prezelski knows not of what he speaks. If I had had an armed individual confront me in the middle of the Arizona desert, while holding what appeared to be a military assault rifle, while dressed in dark BDUs, while wearing body armor, you can bet I would have made an attempt to stop him, disarm him, identify him, and determine if he was a threat to my country - instead of retreating and letting the guy(s) walk away unchallenged. It would have taken a split second, and a small one at that, for the bad guys to have opened fire on the troops and killed them. There is no reason they should have to be fired upon first before they take appropriate actions. I have been in law enforcement for over 27 years now, and spent my first few years in the Border Patrol. What these National Guardsmen did was, through no fault of their own, a disgrace to the United States of America, and signifies we likely are being governed by out and out horses' asses in Washington who don't give a damn about the lives of those they send to patrol our borders, and who do not give a damn about our borders or our nation! All they care about is votes. You are the folks who elected them, now do something about it in the next election to get them out. Before then though, write, call, email your elected officials to demand that our borders are made secure, and that our people securing those borders are not hog-tied by ludicrous regulations enacted by stuffed shirts who do not have a clue as to the reality of national security.

All the best,
Glenn B

Does the USA really need or want socialized health care...

...as Hillary Clinton would have us believe. I think not. I think the adults in this country realize there are many pitfalls in such a system, pitfalls that will lead to terrible health care in our nation. We all probably have heard the horror stories from places like Canada, and Great Britain about having to wait months for required heart surgery, patients dying unnecessarily because of overburdened clinics and hospitals, taxes sky rocketing because of nationalized health care costs and so forth. A prime example of how taxpayers' money is wasted in socialized medicine situations is the one we see today at FoxNews.com in the article: 12-Year-Old Boy Becomes 14-Year-Old Girl, World's Youngest Sex Change Patient @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248196,00.html. No there was no sudden age change, the headline possibly misleads there, but there was a sex change. Not only is it heinous that such a treatment (hormone treatment) was performed on a 14 year old child, but it was performed at taxpayer expense to the tune of $40,000. My guess would be the taxpayers of Germany, where this was done, will pay for this persons treatments, possible surgery, and possible counseling for years to come. Could you imagine such being allowed here at taxpayer expense on a regular basis. It is disgusting to think this is where we are possibly headed if someone like Hillary Clinton, or another whacko ultra liberal, is elected president.

Heavens help me, I may have to find religion.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Pre-retirement Job Search...

...has commenced in earnest. It is becoming more and more difficult to come to my current job each day; I think I may be ready for retirement from it, and then ready for a 2nd career. Tonight I went to Monster.com, and I applied for 11 positions from Assistant Security Supervisor at 50K, to Senior Investigator at the NYC Public Library (of all places) at 40K, to Insurance Fraud/Field Investigator from 40 K up to 80K, to Tactical Law Enforcement Officer (overseas contract assignments in places like Afghanistan), to Case Manager/Counselor (mental health setting), to Crisis Intervention Specialist, to Training Specialist, to Teacher's Assistant.

I recently have also applied for, and taken some tests for, positions with NY State.

As I previously wrote, I also applied recently for the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. I am really hopeful that I can land that one. Pay starts off at about 42 to 50K, you start teaching after a 6 or 7 week training program, and the program subsidizes you in getting a Master's Degree in education. Summers off sure would be nice - especially with that salary added onto my pension.

The application process, so far, has been pretty easy; and it has certainly stirred hope for me in that I may leave my current job with something else lined up ready to go. If it turns out I do find something else, I will probably retire much sooner than my self selected final cut off date of January 2009 (with a much more realistic self selected cut off date of January 2008).

I sure would like a job with summers off, that would be sweet.

All the best,
Glenn B

A few Happy (?) Events...

...in today's news.

First I bring to your attention the Lucky Duck story all over again, but with a new twist. Yes I mean the duck that was shot last week by the hunter, then put into the fridge, only to give a scare to the hunter's wife 2 days later when she opened the fridge. Well it seems the duck underwent surgery, and had another close call, it was badly effected by the anesthesia. The doc gave it CPR (can you imagine lips to quacker) and it recovered once again. Amazing bird. This duck may actually be a catbird with 9 lives!

Then there was the story about Ice Block falling from the sky and the guy whose Ford Mustang was obliterated; and while that is not good at least the guy was not driving it at the time, and that has to be very good. In fact no one was injured. The truly amazing thing is that the FAA is uncertain if a plane was involved in the incident, but then again I guess refrigerator sized pieces of ice falling from a clear blue sky are an everyday occurence in Florida.

Yes there are good stories in the news if you look for them.

All the best,
Glenn B

Busy Day Today...

...so I did not get a chance to write until tonight. I went out to a few tag sales this morning, and I picked up a few items. Then I went to visit my mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew.

As for the tag sale, I think in all I got 4 books, one old fashioned hand press juicer by Wear-Ever, and a beautiful vase for my darling wife Linda. I got em all for the whopping price of $10!

The books I picked up were: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Paddy's Lament by Thomas Gallagher, and Tales of Mystery by Edgar Allan Poe. I plan to read Of Human Bondage if only because I enjoyed one other book I read that was by Maugham - The razor's Edge. I also plan to read Leaves of Grass as I probably never read anything by Whitman except in school many years ago. The Poe book, well I probably have read all the stories in it; I thought it was an older edition possibly worth something, but it is not. As for Paddy's Lament, I have it up for auction on Ebay right now. I'll probably also auction off the juicer, that is after I clean it and try it out on some oranges or lemons just for some nostalgic fun.

As for the vase, well I figure it was worth the cost of all the items combined. I don't know if it really would cost $10 or not, but my wife liked it. Of course you may not agree that it was worth it, but you can judge for yourself by looking at the picture. It is about 10 inches tall. The design is not painted on the glass, it is actually inside the glass, kind of neat however they did it. It will probably look a lot better with flowers in it.

Too bad it does not say Tiffany and Co. somewhere on it, that would make it look even better than having flowers in it. Oh well, I guess I have been watching too much of the Antiques Road Show, and too much of Cash in The Attic. Yet, as I said, the wife likes it, and that is what counts!

All the best,
Glenn B

A great feeling of Political Joy, maybe fleeting joy,...

... swept my spirits to new heights this evening when I read: Rep. Tancredo to form presidential committee @ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16654671/. In other words, the man I feel would be best choice as our next president of the United States of America is doing what Hillary Clinton just did. he is forming an exploratory committee to see if his running for the office of president would be feasible.

As for me, I can only hope he decides to run, although as I said my feeling of joy is probably fleeting. I say this because I do not believe he will make it through the primaries, though if he did, I believe he would stand a good chance of beating down any candidate the democrats could offer. He stands for strict enforcement of laws against illegal entry of aliens into the USA, he stands for enactment of reasonable laws regarding legal immigration, he stands for a strong national defense, he stands for the war against terrorism, he stands for law and order, he is fairly pro second amendment, and most recently he has come out against hypocrisy in government by calling for an end to racism in the halls of government in that he has called for an end to caucuses based solely upon race - see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16812597/.

He is a conservative, not a moderate republican. I like that even though I am not anti-abortion; I really believe it is a choice to be made in certain instances such as rape, incest, danger to the mother, and so forth. I do not believe abortion is the answer to being a slut. I think he is more opposed to abortion than am I, but I can live with that, especially in light of the other things for which he stands. Yet, because he is a person who speaks his mind, because he seems to be quite up front about his political opinions, because he is conservative in the truer sense of conservatism, I think it will be tough for him to beat more moderate republican candidates in the primaries if only because they spin things better than someone who is straight forward. Yet if he can do that, he can win the election as compared to anything the dems can offer. There is yet hope for the 2008 elections as I see it. I can only hope he decides to throw his hat into the ring, and that he gets enough name recognition from the rest of America. He would be, in my opinion, a good thing for our country.

All the best,
Glenn b

The Term Dead Man Walking...

...probably never was more suited than to be applied to guys like John Worman, that is if he is guilty of the attrocities of which he is accused. This guy allegedly has had repeated sexual encounters with children as young as 3 months old - yep folks - not 3 years but 3 MONTHS old. The two women who allegedly assisted him would be suitably referred to as dead Women Walking if they too are guilty. See the article: Man and Two Women Charged With Producing More Than 1 Million Pieces of Child Pornography @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247320,00.html.

Although I have heard of these types of fiend over and over again, although I am convinced they are part of the world, I still cannot imagine anyone having the desire to do such things to young children, and to do so repeatedly over many years time. My bet is that these three people will face a threat of death whereever they are, in prison populations, on the street, or in hiding. Personally I think death is too good for the lot of them, I would think a life in prison with daily torture would be about right; but of course I know that is illegal, and it is just my personal feeling as to what they deserve if guilty. My bet is though, someone will kill them sooner or later in a sort of vigilante justice. If they are guilty, there is one thing killing them would accompish, that they would never be able to do it again!

All the best,
Glenn B

Happy Birthday to an Important Ally

Today is the 57th birthday of an ally of the USA, one we should hope remains and ally considering: It is a true friendly ally, it is a republic with democratic elections, it has many of the same enemies as do we, it has great strategic importance, and the fact that it is a nuclear power. Of course I am speaking of the Republic of India which ratified its Constitution and declared itself as a republic in 1950 on this date. To all those loyal Indian citizens, I say: Enjoy a happy Republic Day.

All the best,
Glenn B

Among The Missing...

...was a term that my great-grandfather, Poppie, used to tell me; I never quite understood what he meant, or maybe I just did not want to understand it. It was an old WWI saying when a soldier or sailor or airman was lost and presumed dead. Poppie used to say it this way: Stay with me awhile longer, soon I'll be Among The Missing. If I had known what he had meant, I would have spent more time with him. Even into his nineties, he was a very good friend, and interesting guy to talk to, and a lovable family member if ever there was one (even though only by marriage - my great-grandmother's second husband). I don't want to rant about my great-grandfather though, at least not more than what I have just done; I want to write about something else, something I heard today that brought that saying to mind.


Right now, there are approximately 3,063 American servicemen and servicewomen who have been counted among the missing in Iraq, their deaths having been confirmed. There maybe others who are considered among the missing but not confirmed dead. It is more than the numbers of Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Back when the war in Iraq started, our president told us it would quite possibly be a long war with many sacrifices - by which of course he meant injuries to, and deaths of, our troops. Everyone rallied round him then; and even if mistaken as to the reasons for the invasion, the reason for the continuance of the war seems valid if you think about it logically. Despite logic, the left in this country has shoved that number (our losses) into our souls all the way to the hilt. People like Rosie O’Donnell scream for Bush’s removal from office by impeachment, of course forgetting that if such was done it would leave the current vice president as president - in which case she would scream for his impeachment too or so one would guess. Yet, big mouths like, in my opinion, Rosie are the perfect example, in my opinion, of fools, or better still of people who blast their blowholes only without regard to the ultimate consequences. Rosie screams and her ratings go up among the ultra liberal leftists who support her type, thereby helping her gain more popularity and money. She therefore keeps blowing harder and harder, and more and more drivel seemingly comes out of her pie-hole. That drivel ultimately affects even those who watch her for entertainment only, and I think it badly skews their political convictions, and even their way of thinking. Just as she does not think of the consequences of her foul mouthing everyone with whom she does not agree, Rosie screams for an impeachment of President Bush, somehow not realizing it would put someone she possibly hates more than Bush into office. In doing so, she - like many other big mouthed leftists who clamor for quick fixes without regard to the final outcome - has used the number of dead Americans in Iraq as a battle standard.


The far leftists have pounded away at our military losses so much, over and over again, that even once staunch supporters of the war efforts in Iraq have shied away from that support. Senators and Representatives in Congress have turned against a war effort that has changed into a fight against terrorism in its own part of the world. What the big mouths leftists do not see, is that if we fail there, then there is much more of a chance that the war will be brought here as it was on 9/11. Terrorists will be emboldened by what they will perceive as our weaknesses, number one among them being a lack of unity of purpose to destroy terrorism. Attacks here likely will come again, sooner than later. Sure they will probably come regardless of if we continue the fight in Iraq; but my bet is they will come here sooner and with greater force of purpose, and more often once the terrorists can lick their wounds, regroup, and aim their sights at the US mainland. History would prove me correct in my estimation of what will likely take place. Yet regardless of the likely outcome that our retreating from Iraq would have, people with big mouths on the left such as Rosie, Oprah, Phil what’s his name (that guy with the white hair), John Edwards, Al Gore, leftist reporters, and all the rest go on demanding immediate and/or timed withdrawals, or hammer away at the fact that in over three (3) years of war we have lost just over 3,000 of our brave men and women who served with pride.


It sickens me no end because if you asked these same folks what they thought of John F. Kennedy they would probably tell you he was a great president. If you asked them what they though of Lyndon Baines Johnson, they would probably say he was at least a good president. Yet the war of those two caused us to lose many more people, in much shorter time that has the war in Iraq. Yet the ultra leftist continue to parade that '3,000 plus troops lost' statistic as some sort of holy standard to show their cause is just. While three thousand lives is nothing to belittle, and I will not do so because each one of them was an American who is dearly and sorely missed, I must point out that so few losses in 3 years of out and out warfare is minimal. It is a number to sober one’s outlook about war. It is a number to which we must give due consideration in deciding whether or not to continue the fight. Yet it is not the only thing we need to consider, nor should we ever for a moment lose sight of the big picture because of it. The big picture is: If we lose our enemies grow stronger. They are not doing so now because we are killing them off in large numbers. Sure they kill and kill, but we kill more of them, many more of them, just by numbers we are destined to win. So the perceived magic number of our losses is not something by which to solely judge our performance in Iraq if we judge with level heads. It is, of course, a great number to use to rile people up if you want to inflame their emotions. It is great at doing just that because the tally has now reached more than those killed on 9/11. We should realize though, we are not fighting only as revenge for 9/11, so counting tit for tat does not work here. We are fighting to protect freedom, to protect the United States of America, and to protect lives in the long run. We are fighting an enemy who has avowed to wipe us out, and to wipe out our allies. It would be worth losing more than we have lost to protect what we have, and what we hold dear, and I do not say that lightly because each time we lose more, we lose our own people - and my own son will soon be old enough to go to the fight if he decides to do so.


Still though, no mater what a level headed person on the left or right will say, the ultra leftists, especially those with the big mouths who can easily influence people through the media, will play up our losses to support their cause and to defeat their political opponents. It is their nature to do so, or so it seems. They just miss the damned truth that 3,000 lives lost in a 3 plus year war do not indicate that we are losing! Rather it indicates, at the very least, we are maintaining our own, and in a better light that we are defeating our enemies - for surely we have killed many times more than 3,000 of them.


If you ever want to consider what are truly huge war losses, then consider how many soldiers the Russians lost at Stalingrad and Leningrad. Stalingrad is considered to be the most bloody battle in history. The Russian losses were over 1 million in one battle alone (in less than one year). What would Rosie say about that? Would it be worth it, or would the Russians be better off doing the Goose Step or being put into concentration camps! If you want to consider just American losses, then consider how many soldiers we were losing monthly during the height of our loses in Vietnam, or in Korea. Go back a little further and think about how many we lost just in one battle such as the Battle of The Bulge in WWII (and those losses were extremely small compared to allied losses at Stalingrad). Think of how many we lost in the brief time we were involved in WWI. Look to the Civil War between our own states, and do not even look at battlefield losses but only at prisoner of war losses. Look at Camp Douglas or Andersonville prisons in the Civil War. There were about 6,000 Confederate troops who died at the Union prison Camp Douglas in about 3 years time. Most probably died related to poor prison conditions. There were almost 13,000 Union troops who lost their lives in the Confederate prison of Andersonville in just one year. Yes I wrote that correctly, in just one year almost 13,000 Union Troops were lost at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War (which only opened as a prison in 1864). That is, on average, over 1,000 per month. Those folks are terrible losses. Sure losing even one soldier or sailor or airman is not a good thing, but if the losses are kept at a minimum while we pound away at and destroy our enemies, enemies who would destroy us including our children without remorse, then that means we are winning – and it means our enemies are less likely to destroy us as they have avowed to do. Winning war is not pretty, it is war after all. Yet we are winning, and winning is a necessity. So why are such facts kept among the missing - I just do not understand.


One last thing before I close; please understand that I do not belittle the loss of even one life of our brave men and service women, nor do I belittle the sacrifices others have made who have received terrible wounds. Then again, I cannot and will not belittle the threat that our current enemies pose to us, and that is what we should concentrate upon, that is what the big mouths on the left seem to missing. For some reason beyond belief they prefer to see our own president as our enemy instead of the terrorists who would annihilate us. Although hard to imagine, I think we should be willing to sacrifice an awful lot more than we already have in order to stop them; it surely seems to be better than the alternative our enemies have in store for us, just look back to 9/11. One can only hope that the United States of America never winds up – Among The Missing.

All the best,
Glenn B

If this law passes the mayor should be impeached,

....and the law of which I speak is the one that the mayor of Brazoria, TX is trying to pass that will make it a crime to say the word 'nigger' in anger. Of course, under the proposed law, it would be okay for blacks to call other blacks by this word as a term of endearment - can you imagine. I can tell you that African Americans do not call one another nigger as a term of endearment, listen to them if you doubt me. They call one another "nigga' as a term of friendship, butwhen they are angry at one another or want to slur another black person, they often call that person a nigger. There is a distinct difference. Regardless of who calls whom what, the law is very likely unconstitutional, and rather presumptive that anyone would be able to tell how someone meant to use the word if just uttered while speaking as opposed to say while assaulting someone. A law like this truly reeks of a 'mind police' state.

To learn more about the proposed law, see: Texas Mayor Singles Out N-Word for Ban @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246279,00.html. As can be seen in the article, those in the know about the law, even though in agreement that folks should be good enough not to use the word, strongly doubt the law's chance of surviving the Constitutional test. I agree with them, and furthermore I state outright that no such ban on usage of free speech should ever be enacted, no matter how vile the word(s) because once we allow such we will have again eroded our liberties and freedoms, and will have helped to weaken our Constitution.

All the best,
Glenn B

Time to Look For a Second Career

After 27 plus years as a federal agent, I figure it is time to seriously start looking for a second career. I am getting a bit old to play feds and smugglers, so I have begun to look for something else. I have applied for a few jobs here and there that would supplement my pension nicely, but the one that seems to have the most appeal to me is also the one that will require the most work from me. It will not only include working a regular work week, but will require me to get a Master's Degree within 3 years (while working at that job) in a field completely new to me. So in that light tonight, I applied for the New York City Teaching Fellowship program. I always loved that movie Kindergarten Cop, and if it turns out half as fun as that I'll be set for life. Considering the fact that I think I would like to teach, and I would have summers off too, what could be better than that! Wish me luck please.

All the best,
Glenn B

I won't ever buy a mattress from them...

...and if you read this article it will be quite clear why I would not do so. See GIs in Iraq Get Their Mats After Enduring Insult From Web-Based Company @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246100,00.html. Its the story of some of our GI's in Iraq trying to order some mats on which to sleep, and then reportedly being insulted by the company of which they made a purchase inquiry. Just a crying shame that we have people like that (the one who gave the reply to our GIs) here in this country.

All the best,
Glenn B

Football Playoffs

Okay, so I am not a big fan when it comes to sports, that is unless my kids were involved in playing them. In that case I was a soccer coach and assistant coach, a baseball assistant coach, and a roller hockey coach and assistant coach over the years. As it stands now, I am not much a fan of any spectator sport, but I did watch the two games yesterday.

Here is my rundown:

The first game sucked. It made me wonder how one of the teams had made the playoffs.

The second game was prtetty darned exciting even though I had hoped that the Patriots would win.

The football party I was at was even better, thanks to my brother-in-law Hans, and the friends he invited. Brendan and I went and had a great time. Good food, good drink (limited to 2 beers, one shot, and about 4 or 5 cokes over about 7 hours), and good folks made for a fine time with a lot of laughs. Of course the football games were pretty good too, at least the second game.

That is it for me on football.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tours Of Irish Wheat Fields...

...are being booked in record numbers. No not because of some new fangled super wheat, nor because of hunting for pheasants, nor because of Crop Circles, nor because the Irish have decided to distill whiskey from wheat. It is all because: Drew Barrymore Likes to Run Naked in Irish Wheat Fields @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244998,00.html. Just picturing that sort of brought a smile to my face, and gave me an urge to visit Ireland.

All the best,
Glenn B

Duck Soup...

...almost anyhow. Have you seen the one about the duck destined to be someone's dinner, that wound up being just to tough to eat. The thing is though that the meat wasn't tough, it was actually as the headlines says it: Tough Duck Stays Alive for 2 Days in Refrigerator After Being Shot @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245226,00.html. Now can you imagine that! A duck gets shot by a hunter; and just for the record I have no problem with that since I sometimes hunt. The the hunter brings the duck home, probably meant as a meal for a later date, so he or his wife puts it into the fridge. Then 2 days later, when the wife opens the fridge she is startled when the duck pops its head up and gives her the hairy eyeball (okay the feathery eyeball). I do have a problem with that!

Do you see the problem with all of this. No it is not that the hunter was a lousy shot, ducks are not that easy to hit at all, let alone with a kill shot. The problem is that someone put the duck into the fridge - and mind you they did so without making sure it was dead, and then gutting and cleaning it first. What were these folks thinking? I can just imagine the crud that wound up inside their fridge after two days of a live duck being trapped in there. I guess they never heard of salmonella or other delectable things like that. Well, whatever it was they had in mind, it led to a reprieve for the duck. They wound up bringing it to a wildlife sanctuary where it was treated and reported to have a good chance at survival.

All the best,
Glenn B

Marissa Marie Graham - One Smart Girl...

...and because she was so smart, smart enough to see her chance, then because she was brave enough to take that chance, she is alive today and reunited with her family.

I am, of course, talking about the little girl who went missing and was apparently abducted in Oklahoma two days ago, and then became the subject of an Amber alert. More information about her ordeal and her escape can be found in the article Missing Oklahoma Girl Found After Amber Alert Issued; Suspect Still at Large at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244860,00.html.

Before you read it, allow me to point out that the article has it quite wrong at least in one regard since it says the little girl was found. She was not found, she escaped, and she ran directly to those whom she knew could help her. No one found her, no one rescued her, no one saved her - except for herself and possibly whomever taught her that escape was an option. There is an important lesson there to be learned, and I am about to give my opinion about the lesson to be learned. Please note it is my opinion, but one I hold strongly, and one on which I based what I taught to my children about abductions. Taking any of this as advice could wind up getting your child hurt, but it could also wind up saving your child's life. It is up to you as a responsible parent to decide if it is right for your own children. Any child who reads this should show it to a parent to see what your parents think about it.

Apparently this young child, only 10 years old, took action when she had an opportunity before her. Either it was incredibly lucky for her to have realized there was such an opportunity and that she was not too terrified to take it, or her grasping that opportunity and taking action was a preplanned thing that someone had trained her to do. The training could have been given on purpose say by her parents, or in a class at school, or maybe she just saw something on television one day about what to do if abducted. However she got the idea to escape it was a very good one indeed. You see, victims of child abductions often wind up dead after being horribly sexually abused, or they often wind up being held captive and repeatedly abused for many years.

Something that this little lady had going for herself was that she effected her escape while she was probably not totally overwhelmed by whatever terrorizing tactics the kidnapper would likely have used on her later on in order to get her to comply with his wishes. There was no chance for anything like a Stockholm Syndrome to have yet set upon her. She was not yet in anyway emotionally involved with her captor, except that she was in fear of what was happening to her. This is very important in the scheme of such things. The child had not yet lost hope that she could escape because the abductor had not yet been able to exert full control over her psyche. In other words the child was not yet brainwashed nor frozen with fear. It is important that all parents realize this.

Why is it so important. Well because you need to tell your children, if they are ever abducted, they need to try to escape immediately. The reasons they should try to escape immediately are because: they are likely nearby to help, someone else may see the commotion and call police, they are not yet frozen with fear as if held captive for many hours or a day, they have not been brainwashed into hopelessness by the kidnapper, they are strong as they may be throughout the remainder of any ordeal to come. They have the best chance of getting away or just making it impossible for the bad guy to get them in the first place.

Their initial attempts at getting away should include fighting the kidnapper. They can try to run away, try to kick, punch, scrape with fingernails, bite, gouge, scream, squirm, call for help and do anything at all possible to make it harder or even impossible for the kidnaper to successfully get them. Even if the kidnapper gets them into a vehicle they can try to get away. They can try to rake the abductor's eyes with fingernails, they can grab the steering wheel and try to crash the car, they can open a window and scream for help. They can try to escape if an opportunity presents itself and they are left unattended or if the kidnapper is distracted. Even if thrown into a trunk they can try to help themselves. They can pull out the brake light wiring (and mom and dad should tell the police this is what they trained their child to do if abducted), they can try to push out the brake light covers and stick a hand out through the hole, they can search for a weapon like a tire iron with which to strike at the abductor when he or she opens the trunk.

Most of all, at any chance they get, they should try to escape, even if doing so poses somewhat of a risk to them, because if the abductor is successful there is a chance that the kidnaper will pose a greater risk to them. The sooner they do all of this the more likely they are to escape without having been molested by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are to never be brainwashed by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are never to fall victim of Stockholm Syndrome and then start to see things in agreement with the way their captor sees them. The sooner they do things like these, the sooner they are more likely to be safe and sound, and not in the clutches of a raving evil doer.

No these tactics may not work each time. Sometimes a child may get hurt, severely hurt, or even wind up dead because he or she tried to escape. You have to weigh the odds of that happening against the odds of what a child molester, or other kidnapper, is likely to do to your child if your child is ever abducted. It has been, and still is my opinion, that children need to have a plan that includes escape as their top priority, and fighting back as the best way to effect it right from the very first moment of any abduction attempt. One of the wonderful things about having a plan is that is gives hope. One of the wonderful things about training someone, even a child, to implement a plan is that it gives them the knowledge that they need to take action, and those who are trained, in the great majority of cases, will follow their training. I chose to ready my children to fight back and to escape, what do you choose for your children.



All the best,
Glenn B