If the Facebook status you're copying and pasting says "this is not a hoax" it's a hoax and you're an idiot

If the Facebook status you're copying and pasting says "this is not a hoax" it's a hoax and you're an idiot. There. I said it. Somebody had to.

You see this from time to time. Some celebrity or big time CEO is giving away a thousand dollars to everyone who shares their post for some lame reason or another. "It's not a hoax! A friend of mine saw the story on the Channel 6 10pm News."

When a mutual friend points out kindly that it's total BS, your friend who shared the Internet chain mail usually replies "LOL yeah I thought so, but you never know."

No, you didn't think so, yes I do know. You're an idiot for thinking some body is going to give you a lot of money for doing absolutely nothing. That does not happen. What does happen is people make you look like a complete moron by getting you to share a bogus status.

Too Bad She Can't Be Fired.

So now the latest chapter in this annoying and unneeded story of marriage equality in America is of some County Clerk who is setting (or at least was yesterday as I type this) in jail for contempt because she refuses to sign marriage licenses for same sex couples.

She was elected to serve the public. If her personal beliefs interfere with her service, she should resign and find something else to do that wouldn't undermine her personal morals. Seems pretty simple to me, but I guess she'd rather try to make a point. The only point she's made to me is that she's a self-centered asshole.

While I respect her willings to stand up for her beliefs, she is doing it all wrong. This is just like the stories we've seen of people getting a job in a deli or a grocery store, then refusing to handle pork products because of their beliefs (or something similar). If your job requires you to do something you're against, you need to work somewhere else. 

I really wish we could get past this practice of making a court case out of everything that disagrees with our personal beliefs. If you don't want to give same sex couples a marriage license, don't be a County Clerk whose job requires signing marriage licenses. If your religion forbids you from even touching pork, don't work where touching pork is part of the job. If you work for the Catholic Church and they won't pay for your birth control, buy your own birth control or work for someone who will. If a baker won't bake you a cake for your wedding, give your money to another baker who will.

Forcing someone to do something they don't want to do doesn't work very well. Neither does refusing to do something that was clearly expected from you. There is no reason for either when there is an easy option to do something else.

So this County Clerk sits in jail because she is an elected official who refuses to do what she was elected to do. Too bad she can't be fired. It would save a lot of unneeded drama.

A lot of unneeded drama could be saved if the government simply got out of the marriage business in the first place. Like I suggested here: Solving The World's Problems, One At A Time: Same Sex Marriage

Moving to Canada Are You? Say Hi to Randy for Me....

With over a year to go to the next Presidential Elections, I already have friends from both the extreme ends of the political aisle threatening to move to Canada if the current candidate they dislike the most wins the Presidency.

I guess I will be that friend who will say what everyone else is thinking right now:
No, no you won't. You'll get better results if you hold your breathe until they drop out of the race. If you do that, you might pass out and when you awake, you just might realize how childish your being and decide to act like an adult.

Every election cycle it seems some Hollywood actor, celebrity  or semi celebrity makes the same claim, makes the news for two days, then never follows through. In fact the only people like that who've actually moved to Canada are Randy Quaid and his wife, and that just because they're batshit crazy.

So to everyone who's claiming they'll move to Canada if the candidate or even anyone from the political party you despise wins the election: are you as crazy as Randy Quaid, or will you please start acting like an adult?

Nobody Would Be Outraged if Cecil the Lion Didn't Have a Name

This week's internet outrage is Cecil the Lion being killed in Zimbabwe by an American who was on safari. The poor guy paid out, as reported on the internet, over $50,000 for the hunt and is now getting death threats for it.

Funny thing is, now it seems Zimbabwe officials don't understand the international anger. Why so many people are outraged over the killing of one Lion. It's simple really, the lion had a name.

Humans are very emotional creatures. Especially over things we attach ourselves to. And the best way to attach ourselves to an animal is to give it a name. Don't believe me? Try raising chickens and have your young child name them.

Now I could go on and on about wildlife conservation, but I won't waste my typing time. There is plenty of other blogs and articles out there about how it applies to our current internet outrage. Besides, I feel Wildlife Conservation is in some ways a lot like many other debatable topics like Abortion, Climate Change, the U.S. Constitution, etc. Either you get it or you don't and your mind is made up regardless of what I write. Right now I just want to explain the outrage.

A few days ago no one had ever heard of Cecil the Lion. Now some of those people are threatening the life of the guy who shot it. Yet they aren't threatening the lives of anyone else who has killed any of the roughly 600 lions that are hunted each year.

But then again those lions didn't have a name. There is nothing to draw a personal connection to. Nobody would be outraged if Cecil the Lion didn't have a name.

Semper Fi Sargent Holmquist

The sun sets tonight on a flag flown at half staff on my font yard. It has been lowered in honor for the four Marines who were murdered yesterday in Tennessee. Another senseless act. It's bad enough when something senseless like this happens, but it's even worse when it involves people and families you know.

This morning I learned that one of the Marines is a native of my small town of 1,500 people. It is one of those little speed bump on the highway towns where everybody knows everybody. Directions are giving by turning at someone's house or farm, instead of street names and avenue numbers. Like many around me right, I'm still kind of in shock.

Lowering the flag today was a different experience for me that is hard to explain. It was a very surreal experience. Something that happened over a thousand miles away has a very local and personal tie. I lowered my flag in respect for four fallen Marines. One of the Marine's mothers lives three miles down the road from me.

Semper Fi Sargent Holmquist

I have no problem at all with marriage equality, but I have a problem with today's Supreme Court ruling.

As I've said many times before, I don't care about gay marriage. I don't think marriage of ANY kind should be a concern of any government. It's a personal/ spiritual/ religious thing between individuals. Far as I'm concerned, as long as it's consensual and you leave the kids & animals alone, marry whatever you want.

I also have no problem with an individual or a church refusing to marry anyone. ALL views on marriage need to be respected. If a church won't marry you, go to a different church that agrees with your personal convictions and morals.

That is the only problem with today's ruling. Mark my words: within a month we'll being hearing about a couple suing a church that refuses to marry them.

Well, that's not the only problem  with today's ruling. The bigger problem, which not many seem notice, with today's ruling is there was a ruling to begin with. The Supreme Court should have rejected the case. There is nothing in the U.S> Constitution in regards to marriage. Per the 10th Amendment of the Constitution marriage laws should be handled by the States.

Today's ruling was a blatant overreach of the Federal government's power. But they will get a pass because the majority of the people are like me and don't care one way or the other about gay marriage.

Related Post:
Solving The World's Problems, One At A Time: Same Sex Marriage

My thoughts on the Confederate flag debacle

My thoughts on the Confederate flag debacle:

1) My thoughts / opinions don't matter. 
It's a state issue if a flag is flown at its Capital or part of their State flag. The citizens of each State should decide for themselves if the flag is flown when and where. They should not care what people elsewhere think. Especially the talking heads on Fox News and CNN, the loud mouths on talk radio, or any politician or celebrity who will say anything they think is trendy or what the general public wants to hear.

2) The Confederate flag shouldn't be flown at the Capitals.
None of the 13 southern States that made up the Confederacy belong to the Confederacy any longer. The only flags that should be flying over the State government buildings should be the US flag and the State flag.

3) I have no problem with the Confederate flag being part of a State flag.
It was a major historical part of the Southern states (and our country for that matter).

4) The Confederate flag should fly over Confederate war cemeteries and memorials.
The people buried there died for that flag. While a major factor, slavery was not the only reason for the war and why they fought.

Around a half million Americans died during the Civil War, millions more were crippled, entire cities were burned to the ground and we should not forget that. We need to remember and learn from our history, before we repeat our mistakes.

As I said above, slavery was not the only reason for the war. State and individual rights were being trampled on by an ever growing Federal government and there was very poor economy (especially in the South) that caused a lot of division. Sound familiar?

No, I'm not suggesting we are heading towards another civil war, but we are on a path of self-destruction due to our country getting more and more divided as the two main political parties more farther and farther from their base and lean more and more extreme. We are repeating the same mistakes that lead to the War Between the States. A nation dividing itself over a host of issues that could be resolved with some effort, under an ever expanding and controlling Federal government.

What bothers me about this big push the most is the half baked thought that it will improve race relations. It will put just as big of a dent into racism as Prohibition put a dent into alcoholism. But it's a quick feel good action for those who feel we need to do something, yet aren't willing to do something that involves dealing with the real issue.

Taking a rebel flag away from a racist won't fix the racist. It will just make the racist blend in so it won't be an eyesore that reminds people there is evil in this world.

Times have changed

This picture got my attention this morning on my Facebook feed. The New York City skyline during Easter 1956. Can you even imagine the outrage of this was attempted in this day and age or political correctness?

There would be a huge campaign, by some group of activists who literally have nothing better to do,to have this horribly "intolerant" display that is forcing someone else's religious view down our throats taken down.

My have time's changed. There used to be a time when a simple display like this for an important religious holiday for major religion in this country wouldn't bother non-believers. 

Unfortunately now we leave in a time when it seems no one can do anything without a protest by people who have nothing better to do than protest. We've been over ran by adult children.

Good News for Wisconsin Handgunners

I was very happy to see this email from my State Assembly Representative. There is currently a bill in both houses of the Wisconsin State Congress to repeal the outdated and utterly useless 48 hour waiting period for handgun purchases.

There is simply no logic in a waiting period law. Like Wisconsin in the 1970's some states put them in place to allow time for background checks. But now with nearly instant verification, there is no need.

Sadly some state have put similar laws in place recently with the idiotic notion that it would give someone time to "cool off" before committing a crime. They laws were actually sold on the premise that a person who doesn't own a gun will become enraged enough to kill someone, go to a store, buy a gun with the sole purpose of a predetermined murder. Then while waiting a predetermined amount of time by the State, will calm down and decide not to kill.

Have you ever heard of someone going to a LGS to buy a handgun, purchase it, then call back within two days to say they changed their mind and no longer want the gun? Absolutely stupid reasoning. But then again, people think a "no firearms allow" sticker on a door will stop a determined cold blooded killer when the already existing punishments for murder will not.

At any rate, I'm glad to see my State politicians are working on removing useless laws that infringe upon my rights. It does not make any since that currently I can walk into any place that sells non-NFA rifles or shotguns, lay my money on the counter, complete the required background check paper work and walk out the door with it; but have to come back 48 hours later for a pistol.

On Wisconsin!

Hopefully Brian Williams Loses His Job

So it's starting to look like it's very likely Brain Williams will lose his job for being a liar.  He made up a story to make himself look better. That's all it is, and he just might lose his job over it. I am fine with this.

He wasn't swapping stories in the company break room with coworkers about what they did over the weekend. He was telling a national audience that he was part of a newsworthy event. Now if he simply told some friends his story, I couldn't care less nor would anyone else. But a completely made up tale is not someone who's job is to convey accurate, creditable information to the public should be conveying to the public.

Someone in that position needs to be held to higher standards. The very position they have causes people to trust the information they present to them is truthful and accurate. If someone in that position betrays the public's trust by telling them a fictional tale of being aboard a military helicopter that was forced to make an emergency landing due to being fired on in a warzone; that person needs to lose his job. Immediately.

Hopefully Brian Williams loses his job in the very near future for blatantly lying to the public for his own gain. Then hopefully we start holding our politicians to the same standards we hold Brian Williams to.

Cake!

I'll admit it. I find humor in some people's failures. Epically when a devious and or manipulative plan falls apart. Like what happened recently at work.

During a late morning manager's meeting, a person in attendance made a comment about it being the General Manager's birthday. Not being one to miss an opportunity to kiss up, one of the managers hatched a plan to have a little surprise birthday party for the GM that very afternoon.

I found out about this by the meeting request that came in my email right before I left my desk for lunch. "Surprise Birthday Party for GM in the training room at 2:00pm." When I came back from lunch, the meeting was canceled with the message "there will be cake for whoever wants it at 3:00pm." This is where the comedy sets in.

A little while ago I mentioned on this blog about me buying a co-worker a Mountain Dew as a thank you for him going out of his way for a project of mine. The point I was trying to make with that blog post was even small gestures of appreciation or kindness can go a long way, as long as they are sincere. Gestures of appreciation or kindness done solely for personally can backfire on you quickly.

Here's a link to it, in case you're really bored and want to read it:

Simple Little Things Add Up

This is a good example of the later. The Manager who took it upon himself to throw the surprise party couldn't care less about celebrating the GM's birthday. He was simply wasn't going to miss an opportunity to look good in front of his boss.

At work we all know this for it is the standard mode of operation for this particular manager, and everyone sees through it. There was nothing sincere about this, his history shows this clearly. It was also clearly shown by the fact that the GM's birthday is in June, not January. If the Manager was sincere, you'd think he would have picked up on that sometime over the last 12 or so years the two have worked together. Especially when birthdays are announced monthly in the company newsletter emails.

But the main thing I got out of this little life lesson is this: there was a lot of birthday cake to be had six months before it should have been shared. And now the opportunist manager is pretty much obligated to come through is more cake in June!



Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

Think I figured out why middle aged teachers really hate Gov. Walker

Now that, thankfully, Mitt Romney has confirmed he is not running for President in 2016, more attention is being put on some of the lesser nationally known contenders for the GOP side of the race. Predictably, with some national attention being directed to Wisconsin Governor Walker, middle aged Wisconsin public school teachers are outraged.

I thought for a long time that their angst against our Governor was purely because with Walker's budget reforms, they had to personally contribute more to their union pensions and the State was going to put less in. That really shouldn't be a big deal in my opinion, but then again I'm a  fan of Dave Ramsey and follow the principles of his book: The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. If you're a middle aged school teacher, you should be at the point in your life where you're putting 15% of your income towards retirement. If you have to put more into your union pension, you just put less in your Roth IRA and your budget is not affected.

But Walker's reforms are working, and I didn't see why they middle aged teachers are still being so spiteful, until I realized a trend in comments left on Facebook posts about Walker. They all like to make fun of him for his lack of education and while there is no proof, claim he has gotten where he has due solely to corruption.

Yesterday the light bulb clicked on for me to the root cause of their spite: their education and where they are at in life. They are comparing their personal education, career paths, and how much they've achieved in life to him; and they come up short on the achievement end. That's where jealousy sets in.

They look at themselves and see a person with a Masters Degree, who pays their union dues, who works hard everyday and pays their share of taxes. They live a honest hard working life, yet they still have student loan debt, a mortgage, and other debts & bills that keep them from living in prosperity.

Then they look at Scott Walker. A guy who drops out of college yet becomes very successful at business and now very successful in politics.  They see a man who has become very wealthy and powerful in a short time without a higher education.

Then they look at themselves again, a person with a higher education who has worked hard for many years and is struggling to get by. They've done everything right and honestly with little to show. So when someone succeeds wildly without doing exactly what they've done, they can only assume he did it dishonestly. While there is logic to that thought, the spiteful middle aged school teachers leave a major factor out of their thinking.

The private sector does not work the way the public sector works. In the public sector the longer you've been there and the more degrees you have, the higher you go. In the private sector, degrees & seniority can help, but the harder and smarter you work the higher you go. This concept can be completely lost on a person, who for all practical purposes, have never left the classroom.

I've seen this in my personal life. I know first hand a few self-made millionaires who got there by starting their own business and working their asses off. Personally I doubt I'll ever make it to that level, but I do not live paycheck to paycheck, and if I continue my modest yet comfortable lifestyle I will be able to retire early with dignity. All with a meager 2 year degree.

Of course not everyone can achieve that. You need the right skills, the right ideas, the right opportunity and a huge pile of luck. But the most important things you need the drive, the focus, the desire to work for it. Most of us don't have that, but all of us can make excuses and be jealous of those who do.



Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.

If you're bored enough to read more of my political rants & ramblings here are some of my favorites:
Can we recall the candidates?
Mr. President, We Are Listening
Solving The World's Problems, One At A Time: Same Sex Marriage

Simple little things add up

When he's not on the production floor, one of the Sample Techs pretty much always has a Mountain Dew in his hand. He worked into his lunch to get some extra parts molded for me, so I could send them off for testing before this afternoon.

When he placed the parts on my desk, I handed him an ice cold Mountain Dew as a thank you.
It is a small gesture that only cost me $1.25. But it showed my true appreciation of his effort and will bolster our working relationship. Well worth a buck & a quarter.

Little things like that can change the dynamics of your professional & personal lives. A simple smile, holding the door, and a sincere "thank you" are easy to do.

Just reminder; insincerity can be spotted a mile away. If you do things like this solely for the gain, it will backfire on you big time.

Simple little things add up, and they can add up quickly. If your small gestures of kindness and appreciation are genuine and sincere everybody evolved gains.  If your a fake it has the potential to take away any credibility you may have.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

As usual, I skipped last night's State of the Union address. I could never stand them. Even as a young kid I was irradiated by the fact that they had to interrupt prime time TV on every single station tell show a political pep talk that is mostly smoke and mirror with a side of empty promises and half baked facts.

From what I've heard today I didn't miss a thing, as I expected. One of the key points coworkers, friends and talk radio people laughed the most at was the President's empty promise of free two year education. We all know that it will not happen, including the President. We all know it was never intended to happen.

While sounds good to the gullible, naive and hopeful; it is not possible since nothing is really free. In order for it to happen our broke government would need to divert already borrowed funds from another social program or raise taxes. Either way, the American Taxpayer will get stuck with the bill.

So therefore it will never get past the Republican controlled Congress. Which is exactly what the President and the Democratic Party want to, so they can make the Republican Party look like a bunch of evil people who don't want poor people to get an education. It's all just a political trick to win votes. Same old BS both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have been playing for generations.

In fact, some of the discussions made me think of some of the awesome quotes from (in my opinion) the best political commentator of all time, Will Rogers. The most appropriate being:

"Instead of giving money to found colleges to promote learning, why don't they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as good as the Prohibition one did, why, in five years we would have the smartest race of people on earth."

I spent a little time reading and laughing at some of Will Rogers' zingers on Brain Quotes and a few other places. The only sad part about reading what Will Rogers said about our government and two major political parties, is that they sound like he could have said them today, not 80 years ago.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Russian Capitalism: AK made in the USA

Facebook post from AK Operators Union, Local 47-74

It's been a little tough to focus on the day job when my phone is constantly going wild with news from SHOT Show 2015. A few friends, bunch of companies, YouTubers, and bloggers I follow are posting, texting and tweeting a ton of cool things that this lover of all things firearms finds more interesting than the tasks at hand.

The news that has gotten most of my interest isn't a new gun or the next must have accessory. It is some news posted on the AK Operators Union, Local 47-74's Facebook page. Kalashnikov Concern is in the process of starting production in the USA.

While I may not be the biggest AK fan in the world, and there is a very good chance I'll never buy an AK from Kalashnikov Concern; I am jumping for joy that they are going to start producing their product in the USA. I think it is fantastic that the Russian company has found away around  the import ban via Executive Order that was put in place in 2014.

Let's not fool ourselves. The 2014 import ban was not really put in place to by our Federal Government as political sanctions against Russia for their invasion of the Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. It was a gun ban vaguely disguise has political sanctions.

If the our President truly wanted to pressure the Russian government with import restrictions, wouldn't he make much more of an impact by banning the import of vodka or other more widely imported Russian goods?

The ban on import of Russian made firearms from Kalashnikov Concern was a well thought out move that made a statement to the Russians without too much risk to the White House for retaliatory sanctions that could escalate things quickly out of control. And with a stroke of a pen the President was able to ban at least the import of some of the style of firearms that many of his political party tried desperately to ban a few years ago.

But now with Kalashnikov Concern setting up shop on US soil, this all changes. The Russian company will be able to sell it's product to it's US market, while providing jobs to Americans. Pretty interesting that the US is getting a lesson in Capitalism from Russia.

If you are into AK's and haven't seen the AK Operators Union, Local 47-74 YouTube Channel yet, you should check them out. Besides having one of the most creative names out there for a gun channel, the have some very good videos to watch.

Does Warped Humor = Russian Logic?

I just saw the above headline on BBC.com. After my initial WTF reaction, my warped humor found the root of the Russian logic: If someone can't stay in a gender role, you can't expect them to stay in a lane of traffic.

I know, I know.

I'm rooting against Boehner and I can't even remember the name of the dude challenging him

I'm rooting against Boehner and I can't even remember the name of the dude challenging him. It's not that I think Boehner is too liberal or too conservative. It's because I think he's been in the House Speaker position too long.

On the ride home last night, there were reports on my car pool rides radio of threats from "Boehner's people" that any Republican who doesn't vote for him will not be appointed to any high ranking committee positions. Whether that's true or just talk radio talk I don't know. But that is exactly the kind of behavior I'd expect from any career politician from any political party that's been in a position of power for too long.

My solution is simple: for every new Congress, there are new members elected to every position. Each and every leadership role from Speaker of the House to the lowest sub-committee chair will get a new person with zero experience in that role.

That would put an end of a lot of political favors to get bill voted on and other BS that goes on in Washington DC.

We need term limits. Not just in how long we have people in Washington DC and the State Capitols, but limits on what they do in there short stay there.

Losers in the Playoffs: Sometimes losers end up winning and winners end up losing.

I find it a strange thing that a professional sports team can make the playoffs with a losing record. That is something I'd expect from a neutered no score is kept everyone's a winner we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings pampered youth league. But the Carolina Panthers have made the 2014 NFL playoffs with a record of 7-8-1.

Bad enough they allow an NFL game end in a tie, but a team with a losing record made it into the playoffs? 

My first reaction was if a NFL division was so that all the teams have a losing record, then the division "winner" shouldn't be allowed into the playoffs because playoffs are for the good teams. There spot should be given to the team with the best record that didn't make the playoffs.

After I calmed down and thought about it, I changed my mind from my emotional reaction; like I often do. In the grand scheme of things; rearranging the NFL playoffs so that only the top teams make it in is really no different than a pampered youth soccer tournament where everyone gets a trophy.

Taking the Panthers' playoff spot away from them and giving it to a more deserving team would be merely an attempt to make life fair. And life is not fair. Sometimes losers end up winning and winners end up losing.

Yes, there are better NFL teams than the Carolina Panthers that are not in the NFL playoffs. Yes Carolina has a 7-8-1 record. But they are the best in their division and some better NFL team were not. That's just how it goes.

Now today the Carolina Panthers take on the Arizona Cardinals and I'm actually going to root for the team with the losing record. Who doesn't like an underdog?