Adventures at WalMart

Well, CINCHOUSE and I went to the WalMart nearby to walk about for a bit and get a fish or two for the aquarium at the Command Post.  Well, as you know, a trip to WalMart rarely goes smoothly if you need to interact with anyone other than a cashier and even then it can be a crap shoot.  Well, tonight was no different.  On the way in the door, CINCHOUSE stated she would like to pick up some snacks for a road trip we are taking.  Ok, no big deal, chips would be good as road rations.  You know, easy to handle, two fingers vs two hands to consume and all that.

As we enter, we spy some fresh strawberries right there at a pretty decent price and so we pick up some (we do like our strawberries) and proceed to the chip aisle where CINCHOUSE selects her fare for the road trip.  Easy, peasy we’ll be done here right quick.

After hitting the snack aisle, we head over to electronics.  I need to check some prices and features for some bits needed for an out of town project I am working on.  That task completed, time to head for the main reason for our little jaunt, selecting a replacement fish for the Command Post aquarium.  Fish selected, we now just need to get the person “working” the pet department to show up and retrieve said species from the tank.

I wander about a bit looking for the tell-tale blue vest and as expected, no blue vest in sight.  So, I recall seeing one in another section, so off I go to request assistance.  “Customer needs assistance by the tropical fish” from the voice above and so I wait, and wait, and just for fun, I wait a bit more.  A friendly member of the custodial staff wanders by and CINCHOUSE inquires as to if he is there to assist.  Unfortunately, no.  Once again, the voice from above calls out “Customer needs assistance by the tropical fish.”  And again we wait.

Finally, I walk to the Customer Service area and inquire as to the possibility of getting some assistance getting a fish or two.  As an aside, I mention that this is the third request for assistance.  Lo and behold, I guess this person actually knows what customer assistance is as not only one helper show up, but two.

Fish and other supplies in hand, we head for check-out and the Command Post.  Now, I realize that I need WalMart more than they need me, but still, waiting 20 minutes for assistance is a bit excessive, even for WalMart.

Sarge, Out

Stand Your Ground (Part II)

Didn’t plan to do a part 2, but after some discussion at the grindstone today and after lunch with a good friend yesterday, I had to make this post.  Let me first say, for the record, there is not enough information available to the public to form an opinion on the actions of Mr. Zimmerman, or as to his guilt or innocence.  They only thing I can say for sure, is that no matter what courtroom Mr. Zimmerman stands trial in, he cannot and will not get a fair trial.  It pains me greatly to say that, but after all the media attention given this case, it is a fact.  If he is acquitted, I am afraid Sanford, FL will see riots not seen since the Rodney King debacle.  If he is found guilty, it will be out of political correctness.

My friends, we are still way short of the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Of this I have no doubt.  We have people in this country that still judge a man by the color of his skin.  We have all heard people saying that Mr. Zimmerman shot Mr. Martin simply because he was black.  This was actually said by a sitting member of Congress.  Actually his words were:

Trayvon was killed for WWB in a GC, Walking While Black in a Gated Community.

These words were said on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

The friend I had lunch with yesterday told me before I joined her that she overheard conversations along those same lines from people around her.  This took place on a United States military installation.  That is disgraceful.  Some of the parties to these conversations were no doubt members of the United States Military, I can’t say for sure, but being as we were on a military installation, there is a better than 50% chance.  I consider this disgraceful.  And if you were a party to one of these conversations, you need to rethink your commitment to the United States pure and simple.

Because of the media, Mr. Zimmerman has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion.  That is what ticks off this old NCO.  We have a basic tenet in our system of justice in that a man is innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt in a Court of Law.

If you are a member of any race-based organization, you are part of the problem.  Racism is racism.  No matter if you are Black, White, Hispanic, or Asian.  If you must relate to others by race, let me suggest the Human Race.  My fellow citizens, I truly don’t care about the color of your skin.  I do, however, care about the content of your heart and your character.

Sarge, Out

Sorry, Mr. Cosby,

It is NOT the gun.  Blaming the death of Trayvon Martin on the gun is like blaming the pencil for the misspelled word or the golf club for the bad lie.  Instead, these items are TOOLS and are meant to be used in a particular fashion.  Now, I am not saying the Mr. Zimmerman set out to kill someone that fateful night nor I am saying that Trayvon deserved to die.  Far from it.  In a previous post, I stated that IF Mr. Zimmerman broke the law in regards to the use of force; he needs to be tried by a jury of his peers, and if convicted, sentenced appropriately.  See here for the story from The Washington Post.

As one with a Concealed Carry permit, I am cognizant of the fact that I am carrying a weapon and what damage I can do with that weapon.  I hope I never have to use the weapon I carry, but I am ready to use it if necessary.  To some this makes me a “bad” person, to others a patriot.  I carry not to harm another, but to guarantee the safety of me and my family.  I am ready to do violence on their behalf.

Dr. King once said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  Unless and until the likes of Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP, and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) quit playing the race card, situations such as we find ourselves in now, will never be resolved equitably.  We will never see Dr. Kings dream come to fruition.

I, for one, would like to see Dr. King’s dream come true.

Sarge, Out

Agenda?

My friends, we are in an election year and it is going to get UGLY between now and November when we head to the polls to determine the path our country will follow.  We will either choose freedom or slavery.  It really is that simple.

There are those in our country that feel they are “owed” stuff.  That stuff being paid for by you the taxpayer and “stuff” includes everything from a house, to a car, a cell phone, big screen TV, and so on.  I don’t know your specific circumstances, but I worked and saved to be able to buy a car (several in fact), a house, a new computer and pay for cell phones and service for myself and my family.  I don’t expect, nor do I want to take what I have not earned, especially from the American Taxpayer.

Benjamin Franklin was once asked what type of government the American people were going to participate in and he responded “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”  For those meaning challenged readers still with us, a republic is:

“A state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.”

Friends, WE the PEOPLE are the government.  They are to do OUR bidding, not the other way around.  How long can a republic stand?  Until the electorate realizes it can vote itself an allowance from the public treasury.  We have reached that point.

With all the entitlement programs promulgated throughout the 20^th century, we have created an electorate that will vote for the candidate which promises to provide the very bread of life.  Not as a safety net, but as a way of life.

Both sides of the aisle have an agenda.  The difference is where I believe that agenda will take us.  On one side, you have those who believe the government should provide for you from the cradle to the grave, on the other, personal responsibility is touted as the way to go.  I am firmly in the personal responsibility camp.

What does that mean?  Let me tell you, at least from my perspective, what it means.  Personal responsibility means you live with-in your means. You want a plasma TV?  Get a job and save your nickels.  Take care of the necessities first (food and shelter) and then work on the niceties.  The bigger house, the cable TV, the new car, well, you get my drift.

Let me suggest an agenda.  Take it for what it is, just the opinion of a grumpy old NCO that took an oath some 27 years ago that is as relevant today as it was then.

1.  Support only those candidates that show by their actions they will follow the United States Constitution
2. Hold those candidates/office holders accountable for their actions
3. Remind those elected to office they work for you not the other way around
4. Remind elected officials they took an oath and hold them accountable to that oath

Take responsibility for your actions and hold others accountable for theirs.

Sarge, Out