Shrug In The City Part V - Among the People

This week, I decided to quit hiding out in my hotel room after work and go see for myself what’s changed in the Big Apple since I was here last.  Truth is, I haven’t been hiding out.  Those who know me know I don’t hide from anything.  The reality is I’ve been working long, late hours and have just been too tired to feel like getting out.  I’ve acclimated to the pace now, so I’m hitting the streets after work.

Manhattan is full if impatient people and I suppose I am one of them.  I'm sure they have their share of not so impatient people, but from what I've seen, the cab drivers are the worst. They will lay on the horns and scream out the windows seemingly for no reason.  When I was here years ago and got clipped by the cab in front of the Apple store, the driver screamed out "fucking tourist!"  Gotta love the compassion.  For some reason, the pedestrian lights are awkwardly timed with the traffic signals so it's common to see people winding around cabs and limos that are attempting to turn as people are in the crosswalk with the pedestrian light on their side.  Just Tuesday night here in Manhattan, a cab ran over a tourist during a road rage incident with a bike messenger.  But I digress.

I haven't learned to roll with the horns yet and when I know they're directed at me, I usually silently mouth "fuck you" and keep walking.  Admittedly, that's probably not smart anywhere, but especially not smart in a place like Manhattan where I have no equalizer in my pocket.  Yesterday on my daily half mile walk to work, I crossed 51st street at Lexington just as the pedestrian light started flashing "Don't Walk".  As I stepped on the curb on the other side, I heard a loud, long honk.  I was the only one in the crosswalk, so I know it was directed at me.  I silently mouthed "Fuck you", but this time turned my head to the right and in an example of micro give-a-shit attitude, added a scornfully sarcastic look at the driver...who just happened to be a cop.  He was parked in the right lane in front of some construction equipment.  Our eyes locked on each other for an instant before I sheepishly turned away, turtle tucked my head, and dragged my computer bag up the curb.  I could hear his car door opening and slamming shut as I ducked into a Duane Reade store and dashed down the cosmetic/feminine hygiene aisle, which wasthe last place I figured he would look for me. Fortunately, the store was in its morning rush and I was able to see him at the back of the store as I bailed out and onto Lexington without incident.  Lesson learned.  Make sure the driver to whom I direct expletives is not a cop.

I walk everywhere here.  So far, the only cabs I've taken are to and from Laguardia Airport.  Manhattan has some cool bikes for rent with little pickup and return stations scattered all over the city.  You dip a credit card and ride the bike wherever you want and then drop it off at another station.  People tell me I'm crazy for riding a motorcycle in Dallas or alone to the Arctic Circle.  I can attest that nothing is as dangerous as riding the streets of Manhattan.  You truly need a swivel neck.  It's clear to me that if there's one thing cab drivers hate more than pedestrians, it's bicyclists.  Maybe it's because we're getting around without paying them.  The coolest part of my bike experience was riding all over Manhattan late at night when the streets are pretty much empty.  For the most part, all I encountered was other bikes and cops.

Being a biker, I often notice Harley Davidson stores in tourist cities.  The irony is they usually have no bikes.  They're basically t-shirt shops selling Harley related swag.  It appears Manhattan has topped Harley.  There's probably a Harley souvenir shop here that I'll eventually run into, but it can't compare to the Ferrari store.  For the most part, all this store sells is shirts, hats, belts, coffee mugs, and shot glasses all emblazoned with the famous Ferrari horse logo, but there are a few Ferrari cars on the floor.  Many Harley riders make it a point to collect Harley shirts from dealers across the country and even around the world.  Most have never been to these shops, much less actually ridden to them.  Still, it makes me wonder why someone who can afford a $500,000.00 automobile needs to wear a shirt or hat telling the world about it.  The first time I walked by the Ferrari store, I wondered what the business model for a store like this looked like.  How many shirts and belt buckles must they sell to pay the rent on Park Avenue?  Maybe the joke is on my because there was a yellow Modena on the floor when I first walked by that was gone yesterday, replaced by the red one in the photo above.  Perhaps the guy I saw purchasing a $145,000.00 watch in the Tiffany Patek Philippe salon  bought it.

You can't experience the culture of Manhattan without hitting the museums and believe me, there are plenty to choose from.  I wandered by this one on my way to Greenwich Village.  I'll make it a point to stop in and gain some much needed culture.

I'm struck at what passes for art in this town.  I shot a few photos of what appear to be piles of scrap metal and rope.  Some "artist"  probably earned serious cash for these.  Maybe I should look for an artsy guy driving a yellow Ferrari.

This is art?

One of the best parts of walking through Manhattan is taking in the architectural oddities.  Look in any direction and this city offers you an amazing contrast in structures and composition.  One can easily spot a hundred years of architectural evolution and cultural influence in a single city block.  A great example is the Flatiron building at the intersection of 5th and Broadway.  It was built in 1902 and reeks of Renaissance styling.  I've seen it in movies and photos over the years, bet never in person.  It really looks out of place.  I have to constantly remind myself to not look up with mouth agape and stagger around like some clueless tourist Texan.  I suppose stopping to take pictures is just as bad, but at least I keep my mouth closed.

Next entry, I'm heading underground and believe me, I will not be silently mouthing anything to anyone.  Well, I'll try anyway.

Shrug In The City Part IV - Johnny Rivers On My Mind

My "Office"

Well, shit.  Apparently, the office space I was assigned here upset the pecking order and I have thus been evicted.  This scenario reminds me of when I worked for DSC Communications back in the 90s.  I transferred back into a department in which I had previously worked in a different capacity, but I came back in with a new role which entitled me to an upscale high wall cubicle.  No more of those lowly serf cubicles with low walls and no privacy for me.  My cubicle would have eight foot walls and a door!  A glass door, but a door nonetheless.  Yep.  Me and George Jefferson...movin' on up.

Problem was, there were no high wall cubicles available on my floor and they wanted me to be close to my new co-workers.  So in an act of desperation and willful defiance of corporate protocol, I was assigned a walled office...in the corner...with windows, even! I was stoked, my co-workers were jealous, and managers who held loftier titles than I were pissed.  Knowing this sweet arrangement would be fleeting unless I quickly took roots, I took it upon myself to have facilities connect my phone lines and network drops in hopes that it would be too costly or too much paperwork for them to move me.  I didn't brag or gloat to anyone about my new digs.  I quietly moved in on Monday and was settled, comfortable, and productive by Friday.  The following Monday, I arrived to find that over the weekend, DSC had removed the door and installed an eight foot high wall cubicle inside the walled corner office, essentially maintaining the pecking order and ensuring that I had no view through the windows.

That was my job.  This is just an eight week project and if IBM keeps their word, it's the last travel project I'll have to endure in my new role.  I can work anywhere temporarily.  Hell, I've worked for the government, so I know just how bad it can get.  Nevertheless, I got Johnny Rivers on my mind.  "Welcome back baby, to the poor side of town."

Shrug In The City Part III - Getting My Legs

I spent Monday and Tuesday working in the Tiffany flagship store back office areas.  These are the corridors and dungeons hidden away from the view of a discerning public with large discretionary income.  After all, heaven forbid Tiffiany's clientele actually see where the working people behind the scenes earn their living.  These areas are accessed from the public side through enormously thick and opulent doors made of wood imported from someplace I can't even find on a globe and ornately trimmed with gold leaf.  The employee side of the door is just a slab of wood with various State if New York labor policies posted on it.  Some of them have a mirror with "Make someone's dream come true today!" printed on it.  I mention all this because I have been cautioned against the public seeing my survey gear on the sales floor.  I'll be the first to admit that my rig is far from pretty, but it's functional and it's important that I collect my data during the day to get a representative sample of the radio environment when a crowd is present.  I could work at night and deliver the best nocturnal wireless network in the City.  I just wouldn't want to be here to try to use it on Black Friday.

$8,500 Purse

For the most part, the back office staff are a relaxed and flippant about my presence.  Some of the sales staff were initially far from relaxed when I rolled my test cart into their retail area.  One guy pointed at my cart with one hand, the other on his cheek in a Jack Benny like pose and stated unequivocally that I was not bringing that on the floor.  I politely replied that in fact I was and then referred him to the director who authorized it.  He pulled his wireless network phone out to call and I offered the director's phone number.  When his call failed, I walked away, adding "That'll work when I'm done."  He must have obtained the proof he needed because I never heard from him again until he approached me later and asked me how it all worked.

The female sales associates are a serious looking bunch.  So far, all have been extremely courteous and some even friendly.  Standing for hours at a time in cruel shoes (thank you Steve Martin), I'm surprised they're able to smile at all.  One in particular has hair pulled into a bun so tight I swear she has a goatee.  I got a kick out of watching one who quoted $8,500 for a purse with a straight face.  I almost tripped over my own jaw.  What's this purse made from, dinosaur foreskin?
 

On the 4^th floor, Tiffany has an elaborate dining table display with about a dozen pieces of high end China, crystal, and sterling silver at each setting that would make a table at Chez Quis look like McDonalds.  You’ll find it next to the baby registry (the spot in Tiffany's for those truly born with a silver spoon in their mouth).  There are so many pieces at each setting I’d starve to death figuring out where to start.  I’ve been eating lunch off the hotdog carts out on 5^th Avenue.  Tiff’s has a nice employee café with what appears to be good food.  But since I spend all day walking every square inch of all thirteen floors of this place, I really need to get outside for a break from the constant onslaught of 1940’s jazz music and show tunes and to get some sunshine.  Just once I’d like to take my sloppy dog up to the 4^th floor, spread it out at that table, and chow down.  I wonder how long it would take security to throw me out after they show up and I ask them to refill my tea.

I was working in the silver department when a mom and her two perfectly coiffed children walked in and approached the counter.  The kids were a boy and girl that I’m guessing were ten and eight, respectively and were dressed to the nines.  The girl wore patent leather shoes and was topped with a bright red beret.  The boy had neatly parted short, bright red hair and wore a coat and tie.  So a well-to-do New York mom drags her kids in to Tiffany’s during one of her shopping sprees. Nothing strange there.   The famous FAO Schwartz toy store (at the intersection where taxis run down Texans) is a few blocks away. Maybe they were going there next.  I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation at the counter because basically I’m nosy.  I figured mom needed new silverware or something.  Maybe the girl wanted a silver hair comb.  After all, they’re a bargain at $300.  Maybe I figured wrong.  I listened and learned that the boy was there to purchase a sterling silver napkin ring engraved with his initials.  This wasn’t a gift for someone else.  He wanted it for his place at their table (which probably closely resembled the one described above).  What kind of ten year old boy wants a sterling silver napkin ring?  When I was ten, I wanted Hot Wheels and GI Joes.  Not those lame clean shaven ones.  I wanted the  Adventure Team figures with the Kung Fu grip.  The most feminine thing I wanted was a pair of clothespins so I could attach playing cards to my bicycle to have them sputter in my spokes as I rode along imagining I was on a motorcycle - that is until the cards loosened my spokes so far that my wheels collapsed and I plowed into the curb.  But I digress.  Reflecting on it, the joke is probably on me.  After all, I’m the one working in the store where this kid is buying a sterling silver napkin ring and he’ll probably grow up to a Unites States Senator or something.

The store has been very accommodating to me, especially in terms of workspace.  Whenever I travel to work at a client site, space is always in high demand and I usually find myself camping out in a loud, windowless, and freezing cold  telecom closet located in the corner of the basement.  It’s different here.  They assigned me a prime ninth floor office with windows overlooking Central Park.  I actually get to spend very little time there because I’m always on the move.  But when I need a place to land and analyze the data I’ve collected, I can do it in style.

 

Old Digs & New Digs

  

For those who read this and think I have sour grapes for "rich" people and the folks here at Tiffany.  That is SO not the case.  As an Objectivist, I am all about free enterprise and Capitalism.  I don't care that there are people who have so much.  I don't care how they obtained it.  I'm just thankful they spend it.  Their purchases offer an income to hundreds of Tiffany employees; employees who are willing to work for it.  Don't let my subtle and often ill-fated attempts at humor mislead you about my opinions towards the Tiffany staff or their customers.

Enough about Tiffany.  I'm back in the City this week and intend to get out and see something beyond the diner next to my hotel.  I'm staying in Midtown, where pretty much nothing interesting is.  I'll have to venture downtown to get to the good stuff.  Stay tuned...

 

Shrug In The City Part II - The Kickoff

I've been here two days and thus far, it's a pretty uneventful week.  I probably just jinxed myself with that statement.  Ironically, I'm working in midtown Manhattan, literally two blocks from where I almost became road kill and meaty Texas style dog food on my last trip here.  It's rained both mornings, making for an interesting walk to work seeking out building overhands to hide under.  I suppose I could splurge and buy one of the million umbrellas that miraculously pop up for sale from the street cart vendors when it rains here.

Shelter From the Rain on My Walk to Work

Uber Snoot

Lack of drama and personal injury notwithstanding, I'm surprised at a few other aspects of this project.  First is the Tiffany store staff.  I expected uber snooty stuffed suits, like that dickhead waiter at Chez Quis from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but I've already met some really down to earth people.  Everyone asks about the contraption I use to conduct my surveys and just what the hell I'm doing with it.  They're all anxious for me to complete this project, although none more so than I.  They all just want ubiquitous connectivity to their wireless devices.  I just want to go home.  One guy who saw me working yesterday tracked me down today and told me he still doesn't have wireless connectivity in his office.  He didn't seem to get that what he saw me doing yesterday was part of the design phase.  I explained that the deployment would follow, ever the skeptical New Yorker, I doubt he's holding his breath.

I've learned a few interesting details in my first two days here. First, I always thought Tiffany & Company (which I always called "Tiffany's") was named after some rich girl who probably ate regularly at Chez Quis.  Apparently Charles Lewis Tiffany was a guy.  The building in which I'm working was built in 1940 and sports an art deco influence.  The flag poles on the Fifth Avenue side of the structure were added during WWII, but violated the art deco spirit, so engineers constructed a means of retracting them into a crawl space in an interstitial level above the main showroom floor.  This process involves and old school rail contraption on which the poles roll in and out.  I'm looking forward to shooting and posting photos when I'm crawling around in there next week.  The guy holding the clock above the front entrance is an actor, one of many who compete for the opportunity to stand up there all day in green body paint.  I can't imagine standing there all day in the summer months, much less in the brutal New York winters. Makes my gig look easy by comparison.

Tiffany designs and builds jewelry on premise at this location.  I was escorted by closely following security agents into rooms with untold dollars worth of custom Tiffany product in various states of creation by amazingly detailed craftsmen.  Really; they won't even approximate the value of jewels and precious metals in these rooms, although the store manager described the famous Tiffany Diamond as being worth "tens of millions of dollars".  They take loss prevention seriously here and this building has an array of security cameras that would make a Las Vegas casino blush.

Dinner (& my hotel) View

I know.  This Tiffany history lesson is boring, but bear with me.  I walk miles throughout the various floors and climb stairs all day long and it takes me a few days to get my legs.  I walk back to my hotel at the end of the work day and I'm whipped.  Thus, I still haven't gotten out to explore the City after work.  Hell, I've eaten dinner at the same little sidewalk diner both nights that I've been here.  The people watching is great there and the food is good too.  I'll get out and explore soon.  Nevertheless, I'd like to think that I'll get through these two months here incident free.  Oops.  I probably just jinxed myself again.

Shrug In The City Part I - The Big Apple Chronicles

Some may be aware that I recently changed job roles in my company.  Actually, I resigned in an effort to get off the road.  I’ve been at it hard as a road warrior more than fifteen years now and it’s gotten old to say the least.  Or, maybe I’ve gotten old.  Of course I have; I’m 50 years old now, but that’s not the point.

I first started traveling for business in 1989 at NEC, my first post-military job.  Despite the occasional separation from family, I was hooked.  I loved the pace, the nice hotels, the trade shows, and the frequent flier miles.  Today, travel has a glamorous appeal only to people who don’t have to do it.  The truth is that travel in a post 9/11 world - in a word, sucks.  In my mind, it wasn’t just the horrific events of 9/11 that ruined travel.  The economic impact of the technology bubble burst had an impact as well.  In the years from 1997 to 2001, tech companies had an abundance of cash and restrictions on corporate travel for road warriors were few.  We were expected to hit the road and entertain clients.  Those were the good old days.

Fast forward to 2013 and while these aren’t exactly the bad old days, from a business travel perspective, they certainly aren’t as good as they once were.  Expense controls are tighter than ever, to the point where productivity suffers.  I was never one to cheat on expense reports and risk my job for a few bucks, but I refuse to lose money when I travel at my company's benefit.  And don't even get me started on the 21st century Works Progress Administration we call the TSA.  Still, week in and week out, I hit the road working for IBM attending sales meetings with account teams and subsequently designing and deploying the networks whose deals I helped them close.  As much as I had come to loathe travel, the dynamic nature of traveling to different locations and working on a project for a few weeks and then getting to do something completely different on the next one was far more appealing than most occupations, which dictate commuting an hour each way to sit in a cubicle and do the same thing day in and day out.  I could never see myself doing that for the rest of my working career. 
 
At the start of this year, I had the luxury of working a four month project close enough from home to actually be home every night.  I got to actually sleep in my own bed.  I got back to playing my drums and found a band to join.  My dogs actually quit growling at me when I came home at night!  Despite losing airline and hotel patronage status, I found myself enjoying the “normal” life.  As that project began to wind down, I found myself dealing with a deep seated sense of dread, although I couldn’t quite place its source.  Then it hit me.  My working "vacation" was over and I was about to reactivate my status as a road warrior.  I considered the possibility that there might be an occupational compromise I could strike and decided to respond to a few of the weekly recruiter calls and emails I had been receiving.  Low and behold, the perfect opportunity came my way.  A very high tech company in a field I was (and still am) fascinated with needed someone with my skills in a pre-sales engineering role that required very little travel, except for the occasional day trip.  I responded, we did the interviewing and negotiating dance, they made an offer, and I accepted.  When I submitted my resignation to IBM, I made it clear to my manager that I enjoyed my job, I felt fairly compensated, and that unlike others who had recently left my team, I was not seeking additional money.  I simply needed to get off the road.  During our conversation, I mentioned a comment that my family made that they’d seen more of me in the last four months than in the previous fifteen years.  Knowing I couldn’t be bought back with money, IBM offered me a new position in a pre-sales role with little to no travel.  Essentially, they offered me my cake and a chance to eat it too.  I wasn’t unhappy with my job.  In fact, it’s the best I’ve had in my adult life and I feel fortunate just to have a job in these days of hope and change.  I simply needed a break from all the travel and given that I signed on at IBM in a road warrior capacity, I never considered a possibility that I could have an alternative role there.  I was simultaneously excited about the opportunity and humbled by their desire to find a way to keep me.  I accepted the offer and made the grueling call to the recruiter for the other company.  From a recruiter perspective, I was considered a moderately big fish and this guy stood to earn a nice commission on my negotiated first year’s salary.  I felt guilty, but it’s my life, my career, and my family.  Plus, at the very least, I opened a door for someone else to seize an excellent opportunity there.

The irony of all this is that as I type these words, I’m sitting on a plane flying home from New York City.  Before I resigned, I helped close a deal for a wireless network at Tiffany & Company at their flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  I was fortunate (or cursed) to present well on the topic at hand during a technical discussion and thus brought a sense experienced credibility that perhaps T&Co had yet to see from other potential vendors competing for the project.  So when the deal was closed, it was pretty much sold with my name on it as the design and deployment Architect.  When I negotiated my transfer deal with IBM, I made the case for the potential follow on business with T&Co and for keeping my word to them to deliver this one last engagement.

Contemplating the start of this project, I reminisced on my last trip to the City.  The last time I was in the Big Apple, I was hit by a taxi crossing the street outside my project site (the Apple cube store) and then bitten by a dog while working inside the store – all on my first day.  That day set the stage for the rest of my week there, which might explain why I’ve not been back since.

The project kicked off this week and I found myself in the City for the first time in five years.  While walking up Broadway in the morning rush, I was instantly reminded of the electricity in the air, of the pace of the people, and of the sense of truly being at the center of the universe.  More than anything, I was minded of just how much I hate New York City.  Everything about navigating the City is a hassle.  Everything costs a fortune, everyone is in a hurry, politeness (let alone compassion) is unheard of, and nobody smiles because nobody is happy.

This duration of this project is eight weeks of design and deployment with a potential for three more weeks to babysit the store after the network is commissioned.  Since I’ve had little more than politics to write about lately (and I’m as sick of that as my readers are), I’ve decided to make the best of this opportunity and seek out a little inspirational fodder for writing.  Check back here for updates as the weeks pass.  There are so many camera opportunities, some of the people in the City make People of WalMart look like Breakfast at Tiffany's (no pun intended).  I'm actually kind of excited about it.

So, look out Manhattan!  Shrug is coming town to take a bite out of the Big Apple.  Hopefully, I can chew through to the core and not swallow any worms.

Oct 13, 2012

President Obama - Oct 13, 2012:
"I refused to let Detroit go bankrupt!"

• Detroit's population has plunged 63% since 1950 and it's down 26% since 2000.
• The unemployment rate hit a high of 27.8% in July 2009.
• As of April 2013, the unemployment rate was at 16%.
• Even though the population fell 63% since 1950, the municipal workforce fell by just 40%, adding to the strain on public finances.
• At five times higher than the national average, Detroit has the highest violent crime rate of any large U.S. city.
• 40% of the city's street lights don't work.
• 78,000 structures and 66,000 lots are abandoned.
• Arson accounts for 1,000 of 12,0000 fires per year and 60% of those arson fires are in dilapidated or empty buildings.
• Detroit has had Democrat party Mayors since 1962.

 

Good job Mr. President!

This Just In...

Stevie Wonder will boycott the State of Florida.  This beckons two questions from me:

1. Why shouldn't everyone boycott Florida for wasting the country's time and their own State's money on a trial for charges that had no business being levied in the first place?  If their justification is because a person of color was shot and/or killed by another person of color, then the State of Illinois would go broke from just the cases generated in Chicago over the 4th of July weekend where 72 were shot, 12 of which were killed.
2. How will Stevie Wonder know if he's in Florida or not?

No Caption Necessary

Zimmerman Primer - October 3, 1995

Do you wonder if people would have reacted the same way had Twitter existed in 1995 when OJ Simpson was found innocent?

Hi Ho Silver, Away (with $150 Million)!!!

Leave it to Disney to screw up an iconic American legend like the Lone Ranger and lose $150 million in the process.  I can hear the writers now...  "Let's make the Lone Ranger an attorney who doesn't believe in guns."

Go Hollywood!

On the Yacht for the Coup D'état

Remember when the Obama administration was caught telling lies to the media and to the American people about the State Department's activities during the terrorist attack on our embassy in Benghazi?  Where was the President?  Where was the Secretary of State?  To this date, nobody knows because Obama and Clinton refuse to answer questions on the issue.   Just when accountability reared its ugly head, Hillary Clinton was suddenly hospitalized and therefore unavailable to testify before Congress as to her and her boss' lack of action that led to the deaths of American foreign service officers.

Fast forward to Cairo Egypt and the absolute chaos going on there as the Morsy Islamofacist regime was tossed out of power by the Egyptian military.  This is the regime to whom Kerry's boss recently gave 250,000,000 in American taxpayer dollars, 200 Abrams tanks, and 12 F-16 fighter jets (with the promise of another eight by the end of this year).  One might think that such an investment in a foreign power might cause one to actually be engaged as that power crumbles live on television before the entire world.  But I digress.

Coincidentally, Secretary of State John Kerry was nowhere to be found as the Morsy regime was toppled.  Except that he was.  He was found alright; sailing his yacht.  When asked about Kerry's whereabouts and then pushed to address the speculation that Kerry was derelict of duty, the State Department did as they are now so well known to do.  They lied and denied until they were forced to admit the truth.  It should be noted that the Obama administration has yet to acknowledge what the rest of the world already knows.  Morsey's ousting was a military overthrow, which has (at least for the time being) displaced the Obama supported Muslim Brotherhood.  This is important to call out, because under US law our government cannot support a coup or decree that has overthrown an elected government.  The Obama approach is simple.  If they don't acknowledge it, it must not exist.  This same logic can be applied to Obama's approach to dealing with the economic devastation our country will suffer under Obamacare.  Again I digress.

I can't help but notice the coincidence here, but shortly after photographic proof surfaced proving that Kerry was indeed on his yacht during the coup, low and behold, his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry was hospitalized.  I suppose admitting John Kerry himself to the hospital like Hillary was would have been more far fetched than Kerry admitting he's in over his head and way out of his league.  I wish no ill will whatsoever on Mrs Kerry.  I just can't help giggle at the coincidence.

...And So Go Our Rights

If you believe our rights aren't being siphoned before our eyes, take a look at this.  Watch to the end.  The officers' response is worth the wait. This is the shit Americans voted for.

I wouldn't want these guys' jobs for any amount of money.  It takes major balls to face an anonymous person in the dark, on the other side of a closed vehicle window.  Still, I find myself torn between my admiration for most law enforcement officers who dutifully carry out their orders to the best of their ability and the unconstitutionality of some of those orders.

Control

Happy Independence Day!

Remember to celebrate Independence Day; not the 4th of July.  Remember also to savor what independence we have left because it's fading fast and few seem to notice.  This is likely because their outstretched, palm-up hand is blocking their view.

Holding Florida Hostage

I wrote about the Trayvon Martin death case back in April of last year.  It's taken sixteen months for the case to come to trial and if you were looking for a circus, this case has probably disappointed you.  I wrote back then that I had no opinion on Zimmerman's guilt or innocence.  Well, I have an opinion now and what it is - is irrelevant.  The bottom line, irrespective of my opinion, is I believe Zimmerman will be found not guilty.

This verdict can by no means be attributed to a brilliant defense team.  Indeed, the prosecution has done more to project Zimmerman's innocence than his defense team ever could have themselves and I don't believe the prosecution is inept.  I believe they never had a case and they knew it.  I also believe the judge knew this, which would explain why she denied the defense's request to take the jury to the killing site.  If I were the judge in this case and I was confident the prosecution had no case - and - I shared the fears the judge does, I would deny the defense any opportunity to prove their case.  In other words, If I knew the prosecution had a long rope, I'd let them noose it up and hang themselves.

Where the hell am I going with this?  Stay with me.

It's clear to anyone with a pulse that this case was tried in the media long before any facts were bought forth.  Zimmerman was "guilty" and Martin's killing was labeled  a hate crime.  Zimmerman was even described as a light-skinned Latino by many in the lame stream media in an effort to inject race into a case that was already racially supercharged.  The media only showed photos of a preteen Martin and never presented the images from his Facebook page exposing his gangster gold grill and flashing gang style gestures.  Of course, those images were taken down as soon as the case became publicized.  Nevertheless, images and gestures do not make the man a criminal.

Martin, on the other hand, was portrayed as an armed and bigoted vigilante out looking for trouble.  After all, he was armed!  The fact that he was licensed to carry and had no prior history of violence was apparently irrelevant.  Still, Zimmerman didn't do himself any favors when he ignored the 911 operator's orders to discontinue tailing Martin.  The bottom line is that charges would have never been pressed and this case would have never come to trial were it not for the media's influence.  But I digress.

Where I was going with this was that the judge, the defense, and even the prosecution themselves knew full well that there was no provable case against Zimmerman.  The best that they could hope for was to give the prosecution and deny the defense every possible legal edge in hopes that the media and public will perceive the trial as fair in light of the jury's charge to determine a verdict "beyond the shadow of a doubt".

Nice try.  Regardless of the verdict, Zimmerman can't win here.  Sadly enough, the loser is not Martin's family.  The real losers are the people who live in the Sanford, Florida area and others where racial violence will undoubtedly ensue.  Imagine the cost of law enforcement overtime, medical bills, and insurance claims that the forthcoming riots will cause the people of Florida to incur.  Call me a racist, but I doubt this violence will be perpetrated by "creepy-ass crackers."  If that term doesn't ring a bell, you haven't been paying attention.

The Power of the Purse

They Say Beauty Is Only Skin Deep

But stupid cuts clean to the bone!

The brainiac above reminded me of another one...

Fathers Day

It's Father's Day and I like it.  I have two amazing sons who are making their way in the world and a granddaughter for whom I would joyfully give up everything in my world.  My oldest son has shown himself to be a wonderful and committed father and daddy.  It's reassuring to see that all the faults and miscues I committed over the years raising him didn't impact his ability to step up be the man in his family.  My youngest son leaves no doubt in my mind that he will be the same when he starts a family of his own.  God help the boys of the world if he has a daughter.  God help the rest of the world if he has a son!

Back in 2011, I was in a much different place when I wrote this.  The sentiment still holds true, but I'm happy to be in the place I find myself now.

Happy Father's Day!

Prism

Enough of the Prism stuff.  The genie is out of the bottle and there's no sense harping on it.  I have a few final thoughts about it, after which I'll leave it alone unless something remarkable comes up.

I find it humorous that many of the most vocal opponents are Facebook and Twitter users who essentially tell everyone on the planet every detail of their lives multiple times daily.  Quite frankly, I'm more fearful of Microsoft and Google knowing my personal details than I am a government too inept to cover its own tracks.

The question all the talking heads are posing is whether or not the whistle blower is a hero or a traitor. I'm on the fence on this one, but I'm convinced this guy will disappear soon and not on his own terms.  How the hell does a 29 year old high school dropout gain such unfettered access to such sensitive information?  But I digress.

If we stop and think about it, none of us should be surprised any of this ever happened or that Obama is such a hypocrite on the topic.  The reality is that public knowledge of Prism in no way limits its effectiveness.  We aren't going to stop using the Internet and neither are the terrorists.  Still, I ponder the inconsistency of the Obama Administration who has stated for months that the war on terror is over and that Al Quaeda is defeated, yet telling us we need this to combat terrorism.

Benjamin Franklin Saw It Coming

“Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” - Ben Franklin

Personally, I'm not surprised at the recent revelations regarding NSA snooping on Americans.  The scope is a bit surprising, but not the actions themselves.  What does surprise to me is how many Americans are either clueless or careless about it.  I believe they don't think they are a target.  Take a look at the slides from the PRISM program below with attention to the corporate logos at the top of each.  As long as you don't use any of these services, rest assured your privacy is protected.

OK, so all the major players are in on it.  That doesn't mean they are all involved now, right?  Look below.

 

 Oops.  Well shit.  Wait; AOL?  Really?  Are they still around?

I'm on the fence on this one.  I'm all for the tapping of lines (data or phone) for suspected individuals, but this is a widespread dragnet that essentially treats all of us as suspects.  The argument that we should have nothing to fear if we're not up to anything almost makes sense until you consider the recent targeting of individuals by the IRS simply because they publicly express their opposition to the Obama administration.  Liberals with a "so what" attitude will feel differently when the tables are turned against them.

I have nothing to hide.  Are there websites I surf to, emails, and phone conversations that I'd rather the general public not know about?  Perhaps, but I'm really not hung up on that.  What bothers me is that the government has not proven an ability to do anything productive or preventative with the data.  Consider the recent Boston Marathon bombings.  Russian intelligence agencies informed American authorities with specific details about the bomber.  They were ignored and American were killed and maimed.  If they dropped the ball after being given one piece of very specific data, what makes any of us think they can parse through billions of records to find the needle in the haystack?

Can You Hear Me Now?

I'm not so biased nor naive enough to believe that Obama started the surveillance of American phone records.  I believe it was in full swing during the Bush years.  But Bush never claimed that his administration would be the most transparent in history.  Bush never outwardly stated that he would NOT implement or continue such a program.

Watch the first minute of this video and contrast the Senator's promises to what we now know to be true.  Listen to ALL of it if you don't mind facing facts.

All these measures are said to be in the interest of defending our country.  It seems to me that protecting our borders would be a more reasonable place to start.

Got Verizon? Got No Secrets!

Interesting how something our President publicly loathed has become something he quietly needs to enforce his agenda of persecuting political opponents.

A foreign paper (not James Rosen!) outed the Obama Administration's top secret court order to the National Security Agency (NSA) which demands that Verizon give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems on an “ongoing, daily basis” over a three month period. This includes calls made both within the U.S. and between the U.S. to other countries.

In 2006, Senator Obama came out against the Patriot Act and settled on compromises to it as detailed here in how own words.

This order only directs Verizon to comply.  What are the odds the other carriers aren't also involved?

You're still being spied upon by your won government. If you voted for him, you asked for it.

Executive Action

• Benghazi Terror Attack
  
• IRS targeting Americans considered to be politcal foes
  
• State Department trageting the Associated Press
  
• State Department targeting specific reporters
  
• Fast & Furious program kills an American border agent
  
• EPA plays favorites with environmental groups

These are all verified and documented executive level scandals that lead directly to the White House.  The mainstream media is FINALLY taking notice.  Perhaps they've grown tired of being trumped by Fox News.  But I digress.

Remember George Bush, the guy Obama claims is responsible for EVERYTHING that ails America today?  Bush was regarded by liberals as an ignorant and clueless President.  I find it interesting that despite his reported incompetence, naivety, and ineptitude, it was generally accepted that Bush was in on every scandal that liberals and the media threw at him.  Contrast this to President Obama who is considered to be the Savior genius by the media and by the left and yet he knows nothing about anything happening in his administration.  The bottom line is irrefutable.  Obama is either in on all of this or he is woefully ignorant of the operations under his charge.

Even the media has turned on Obama, many of which have refused to attend Attorney General Eric Holder's private "off the record" meeting.  I remember the last time a sitting President was in major hot water with all his "friends" turning on him.  On August 20, 1998, the very day Bill Clinton was to be impeached by the House of Representatives, American forces launched cruise missiles against an aspirin factory in Khartoum.  The factory owner sued the U.S. for $50 million, a legal action the Clinton Administration elected not to fight.  Makes me wonder what Executive action Obama will take in an attempt to divert attention from all that ails him now.  Something is bound to happen because blaming Bush won't work now.