Hatfield's and McCoy's

Well, we all survived this years election. We even heard the voters shout who they want in office. They turned away from the negative beat down and embraced the future. We all know that the future holds more for us that the past ever will. The past is a great place to visit but we don't want to live there. South Salt Lake has had no problem drawing attention to itself through the opinions of the people who tend to have negative attitudes. I know. I once lived with a negative and skeptical person whom listened with their heart and not their brains.

Sure it's good to be emotional. However, when your emotions get in the way, your vision can get very blurry. We can't elect people this way, especially at the local level, and we can't elect people who behave in such a manner either. I can't even imagine a person of authority having the ability to make decisions when they are so emotionally attached and blinded to the potential ramifications. The future becomes dim. We need our representatives to have their eyes wide open and have a clear vision for the future.

I think for the first time I have become witness to the awesome power of knowledge. But let's not forget, if you keep the knowledge it will serve only you. You have a civil duty to pass that knowledge on. You as a citizen would be doing a huge dis-service to your community. I hope that in the future, the public will take a greater responsibility in sharing their views and knowledge and make their local communities a place to brag about.

Jeremy-

Respect Me

Who cares about the citizens of South Salt Lake? Who cares about the city employees? Who cares for the title of “Mayor of the City of South Salt Lake”?

I have read all the pamphlets passed around this election cycle touting all the good things that can happen, will happen and such. I am in a very fortunate situation whereas I have all the keys to investigate such claims. I do this by searching through archives of information on the internet. I attend local meetings within my community concerning issues in my community, presenting my ideas and listening to other ideas that, to be honest, I never would have thought of. I LISTEN TO ALL SIDES. Then I make the best decision based on the knowledge I SEEK OUT. I don’t take what someone tells me is the truth without validation to such a claim. If you told me that the moon was gone, you had better prove it with evidence to support your claim. If you told me you cared about public safety in my city, you better prove it. If you told me you care about my vote, you better prove it.

Well, that is where some balls have been dropped. One of the candidates running for the title “Mayor of the City of South Salt Lake” has really missed the boat on TWO golden opportunities to express his opinions and views to the citizens he wants to vote for him and the city officials he would hope to support him. To not show up to TWO “meet the candidates nights” should be a significant sign of his unwillingness to properly inform voters of his agendas. How does it look to the voters? I would hope they feel the same way I do. EMBARRASSED. FRUSTRATED. ANGRY. This person has totally disrespected those who took the time to speak directly to him. His apparent lack of responsibility is potentially a sign of things to come. If he does not care enough to make 2-3 hours available for the citizenry, how in the world will he be an efficient leader? I want to know his views on specific public safety issues and I didn’t even have the open forum opportunity to present him with my concerns. I supposed he had good reasons not to show up. I don’t know. Maybe his style of campaigning is more of a predator style. Strike fear in those not able or unwilling to seek truth and hope they outnumber those who KNOW the truth. I would have loved to hear his responses to my concerns and share them with other members of this community.

His attitude is not contained to himself. The second meeting, all the candidates who were running for ANY elected position were invited THREE times to attend the “Meet the Candidates” night. In total, 8 people should have been there. Only the three incumbent council members and one of the candidates for mayor showed up. WHAT?! ARE YOU FRACKING KIDDING ME?! How can anyone make an informed decision when half of the freakin ballot doesn’t even show up? I will tell you this, if this had happened in a larger city, and there was media coverage, they would be done politically. I am tired of people who want my vote, not caring about me enough, to EARN my vote. It is time to stop voting on emotion and start voting for those that prove that they care about their constituency.

More to come

Words of encouragement

A little while back I posted an entry regarding educating oneself. You can do a search for it and I wont re-hash (too much).

I was listening to a talk show that I used to listen to everyday about 3 or 4 years ago. The host was very educational and entertaining. I really looked forward to listening everyday. Yes, it was political but the host was non-partisan and therefor made it very easy to listen to. No it was not Rush (not exactly a non-partisan spokesperson). I never have like the way Rush speaks about other people.

I started listening to Glenn Beck today again for the first time in about a year, and I am very disappointed. He has become more Rush like in the fact that he has become more negative and seems to speak down about US Americans. What is disturbing are his doom and gloom rants about OUR country. Yes, our country has problems, but what words of encouragement does he offer? A jab at another media outlet and their host. Wow, that is sure as shit gonna solve some problem, eh.

I am so tired of the MEDIA using the airwaves to send their one sided, biased, completely partisan agenda. As Americans we have a duty here. Stop getting sucked in by these talk show hosts and their antics. The DUTY we all have is to be as educated as possible about the opinions we have. Why be educated? That is where the TRUE power comes from. No one will be able to take advantage of you, manipulate you, use you, or enslave you. Listen to all sides. There is ALWAYS two side to a story.

Tomorrow night, the South Salt Lake City Council is having it's usual meeting. One of the topics is the sale of a small park located in a highly industrial part of town, for the purchase of a much larger parcel of vacant land. It is becoming a topic in our local mayoral race. The interest I have is because this was a non-issue until a resident from a completely different locality has made a public outcry that SSL has no clue what they are doing. That may be true, however, I don't think this person has even been to the park in question, but has an opinion about it. Ignorance is bliss, until it costs you. Anyway, I will post my comments to the editor regarding this issue in a seperate entry.

My point is this. You want to make a REAL difference? GET INVOLVED! Due the research and make it known how you feel. Especially at the local level. This is where you are directly impacted with the decisions made by your elected officials. Let them know if the are representing you. If they are, then thats a good thing. If they aren't - DO NOT RE-ELECT THEM. Make them accountable.

Good night for now

Not so new direction

Hey y'all,

I just noticed that I haven't been on here in a LONG ASS time. Phew, what a summer it has been.

I wanted to take a moment and redirect this blog. I would like to keep it slanted towards political.

Why in the hell would I do this? Perhaps I need to start thinking about public service.....WHAT????? Well, I'm not military material, so serving and giving back would not be best approached in this manner. So how else can one person at least try to make a difference? Listening to people has always been easy for me, and as of lately I have been comfortable in expressing myself in a way that is...new for me.

I have chosen this platform to have people listen to me and hear my point of view, and at least have my readers better understand me. Perhaps I can offer direction or information that may not make it to main stream. But more than likely, I will learn from all who read my thoughts and LEAVE COMMENTS. I really want this to be an open forum. Challenge me if you don't agree, please. How can I be a better human if I get no raw human input. I have only lived one life (so far as I can tell), but if anyone can offer suggestions or even share an experience, then we all can grow and learn.

Life is about learning new things and growing as an individual. We are only limited by our own limitations we place on ourselves.

You never know, I am old enough to be the next president (well, after Sept 2). But lets start small and see where it takes us.

Thank you for your time, and if you just want simple family updates, please feel free to visit my other blog "Trippin..." http://jeremy-trippin.blogspot.com/

"It's cold"..."F**king cold"...

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You gotta love the media. They seem to be ambulance chasing. If it is not one thing it is another. I believe that the news media that is being delivered to our homes is no better than advertisements for specific viewpoints. The news has become unwatchable. I do not need a police blotter delivered to my home every hour on the hour. Are there no good things happening. Sure, but you got to wait until the last 15 sec of an hour long newscast. Hardly balanced. A good example of this crazy fucked up issue is the latest SWINE FLU. It didn't even come from a pig. How many people got sick? How many people died? Now tell me this, how many people will get into automobile accidents and get injured? How many will die? Is this not a pandemic? Would those persons not been injured or killed if there were no automobiles? I know, apples to oranges, but the facts are in the data. There is no disputing the data. The H1N1 or whatever you call it is not a matter of emergency. Is it

Sorry to say that I have officially stopped watching the news/media that is given to me daily because of the incompetent reporting that is going on and the overhype on the wrong topics/issues. Bring on news from TDS - calling a spade a spade....

Even Jesus is dissapointed....

God put it there....

How did Barton become a congressman without passing 3rd grade science.

How embarassing.

Chu won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics and is now trying to teach a grown man an entire lectures worth in 30 sec. What a joke. What were Bartons motives? To make himself apper more intelligent to stupid people? That didn't work. I'm stupid and he looked dumber than a box of shit. His smug look on his face was insulting and very disturbing. This is why there is a huge disconnect between the people and the people in charge. It is time that we start taking elections seriously and be DAMNED sure our representatives are being representative. I am so sick of morons mucking it up for the rest of us and I blame those who DO vote but do so ignorantly. It is time to stop being sheep by doing what we are told to do by our leaders, our faiths, even our friends. We all need to do what is right and just for ourselves.

If we are too lazy to find truth then we will never be blessed with it and continue to be slaves to our own ignorance. By the way, only the educated will have true freedom....

Vaccinate

How many in the anti-vaccination camp have themselves been vaccinated?

Before anyone follows the lead of Jim Carrey and Jen McCarthy, look at their credentials. No lifetime spent in the medical field. They are actors. That does not give them the right to pretend that they have spent an entire lifetime doing the research and studies. By the way, it has been scientifically shown that there is NO link between Autism and vaccinations. Sadly, however, the hard truth is that without vaccinations, our children are at higher risk to get terminally ill or suffer long term disabilities.

Enough of me, there is plenty out there for you to read, but I thought I would share my opinion on this matter....

ok....back to work......

How about your representatives?

Just a thought. If you click on the following; http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/106/senate/1/votes/105/ , you will see that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was favored by a majority of republicans and was not favored by a majority of democrats. NOW, the democrats are having to clean up the greedy mess created by the banks that republicans allowed them to make. Has no one in Washington D.C. heard "when the cat's away, the mice will play'? Too big to fail?, Kiss my ass. Let these arrogant sons 'o bitches struggle to make their loan payment just like I do. Anybody see how big I am? I need a bailout....

I understand that ultimately we will be screwed.

What if the government started at the foundation to fix the falling house. Give the bailout money directly to home owners. We know what is most important and we don't want to lose our homes. We will use our "bailout" money to pay down our mortgages (if not pay them off completely). The banks wont have to foreclose. Joe six pack will now have extra money to pump into the economy and keep things truckin'. If banks are not in the black when everybody pays off their mortgages, then they deserve to fail and should not be entitled to any help from our taxes we pay for bad desicions they made.

Where were the stock holders? They are no less to blame for this than the self serving CEO's for not paying close attention to their money and how much of it executives were paying themselves to drive the bus off the cliff. When I fail to make a payment, my share holders (wife and kids) would never think of giving me a bonus. I understand the reasoning behind the bonuses - to retain good talent and stay competative. That worked really well huh? Fuck their unearned entitlements and undeserving contracts. They suck at their jobs and should be fired without compensation.

Congress...congress...congress. What to do with these traitors. They are voted for by you and I, but they only listen to big money, medium money, and little money...anyone see the common denominator? BAN LOBYISTS. In this day and age they are useless. If a representative needs information before he/she votes, do some research like we do and don't listen to someone who has a vested interest tell you how to vote. Lobbyists don't care about anybody except those who line their pockets.

Enough for now. My brain is tired.

This is the problem...

Funny

Support

O.K. I have thought about this for some time and I think now is a good time to let it out.

A few weeks ago my mother had an appointment with her "primary care physician". Everything was fine until my mother had mentioned a pain in her left calf. She was honest with her doctor about the location and the circumstances that would elevate the level of pain. Her doctor wastes no time in getting her set up for an ultra-sound to check for blood clots. My mom left her regular appointment at about 9:00 and called me.

9:00. I am working and Melissa had taken Kayla to get registered at Granite Park Jr. High. Mom calls and explains what is going on and being that she has no mode of self-transportation, I would have to help her get to her ultra-sound appointment in 1 hour. Not a problem, I am familiar with this, however I have no way to help her right away. The next thing that runs through my mind is when she had an open sore on her toe and had to spend a full week in the hospital. I did not want to go through that again.

9:30. Melissa arrives at home a few minutes later and I explain the situation to her and, bless her angle wings, I think she wanted to go and help more than I did. Unfortunately, we have children to take care of and one of us will be staying home. Knowing the severity of the situation we had to cancel Emma's appointment with her doctor (she was very sick) and I had to clear my schedule for the day. It was either going to be a short appointment or a hospital stay. We get to the appointment and I am watching the ultra-sound exam and everything is fine with her arteries until....

10:15. To check for blood clots, they apply a great amount of pressure and watch the artery collapse and then spring open. When they got to the back of her lower leg, the artery remained open and was not flexible. I got an empty feeling in my stomach. The exam was soon over and the doctor checking the film had us go downstairs to begin the admittance into the Emergency Department. She had clots. I called Melissa and between the three of us we prepared for a long day, and we also discussed and concluded it would be best to transfer to a different hospital that has a better "financial assistance" program. This was not going to be cheap.

11:30. We are on our way to hospital #2. The computer system was completely down. All the paperwork was being completed by pen and paper. The wait has exhausting, but when we were taken to the E.D. room, we were asked all the questions, why and what's. They needed to talk to hospital #1 to verify everything we were telling them and to start a plan of action. Hospital #1 could not even confirm we were even seen by their radiology department. Finally after a few hours in the emergency department, hospital #2 got all the information required to start treatment.

3:00. No overnight!!!! We were not expecting that, but bet your sweet ass we were accepting it. All she needed to do is give herself 2 shots a day for five days and begin a regimen of cumadin. OK. We can do this. The I.V. is not covered by her health plan, if you want to call it a plan. The cumadin is covered and is relatively inexpensive. The lovenox (I.V.) is approx. $100 PER shot! The math is $1000.00 for this blood thinner. We all know what that means.

3:30. I am sitting in the small office far enough away from everything else you forget you are even in a hospital. The counselor is asking for information that I just don't have. He tells me that my mom and the attending physician will need to sign the application to have the manufacturer "donate" the medicine at no cost to the hospital. So we work our way back to the E.D. to get this accomplished. We meet my mom on the way back and she filled out what I couldn't. The counselor then proceeds to the E.D. for the physicians’ signature and we wait at the pharmacy.

4:15. The counselor re-joins us and explains to us how it will should work, but nothing is a guarantee. We roll the dice and in the end it is covered. (It was not confirmed until after 2 business days). While the Rx is being filled, I take a moment for myself....

I walk out into the bridge area were you can see the rest of the world going about their business. I start to think...

I am really tired... I miss my wife... I miss my kids... I can't wait to see them all... I am alone right now... I have no one to talk to... I do not have a father, brother or sister... Nobody I can pass this onto... I need to "deal" with all of it, every time...

My wife will be there for me when I reach for her... I will be reaching for her more often... She is my support mechanism...

I am sorry to her for this and in the same breath I am thankful and I feel blessed to have her through this and everything else WE will have to endure.

4:45. On our way home.

I hope that at the end of this, none of you will have to feel the isolation I felt for just a few moments. It wasn't the worst thing I have had to deal with but it was the most exhaustive. I hope you all have a strong support mechanism and will appreciate the help you will receive and it helps you get through the tough times.

Thank you to all my friends and I love you all, especially my best friend - Melissa

Another blog?.....

That's all the world needs. However, it is mine. I have created another blog. It is about astronomy, one of my hobbies. It will more than likely have more content than this blog. It is a passion of mine and I would like to share it with all who are interested. Not to worry, It shouldn't be too overwelming and feel like you're in school. It is just an opprtunity and maybe an excuse for you to look up.

http://www.jeremy-365.blogspot.com/

Let it be.....

It has been a rough week for those left behind to endure the loss of a loved one. His jorney has changed. His is a more peaceful journey now. No longer must he suffer, he is now in the arms of someone or something that has taken away the pain.

But what is left behind is not entirely a sense of relief. It is a sure state of confusion with the loaded question, "Why him, did he not do as commanded?" He knows. Not the taker, but the one who is now gone. What a moment that will be for all of us, for that is the debt all men must pay.

For the time being we must wait, pick up the pieces, and move forward.

I guess this will mark the beginning of the Good vs. Evil I hinted about in an earlier blog. I will get deeper, but for now, I would like to post the following as some form of comfort;

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people
living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer let it be.

Let it be, let it be.
Yeah There will be an answer, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine until tomorrow, let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be,

Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.

Bless those who are strong enough to stay behind.....

Let's skip ahead

Not Good v. Evil.....but I wanted to share a poem I came across. It is from the legendary Chinese sage Lao Tzu from his book "Book of Tao"

"Before the heavens and Earth existed
there was something nebulous,
Silent, infinite, unfathomable,
Without beginning or end,
Standing alone, changing not,
Ever present and revolving eternally,
The source of the ten-thousand things...

I do not know its name
And call it Tao;
If a name must be given,
I shall call it the Ultimate...

The Way of heaven achieves all without striving;
Answers all without speaking;
Accomplishes all without deliberate design;
The net of heaven is broad, with wide meshes,
Yet nothing slips through...

He who walks in harmony with the eternal Way
Shall be the master of existence;
Knowing the ancient beginning
Is the essence of enlightenment.
This is the mystic unity of the Way..."

I don't get too much into poems. My brain doesn't work well with abstract thought. Give me a formula and I can solve anything, but let me be creative and the simplest tasks can be very laborous. That's why I dropped out of Architecture and became a drafter. When I came across this particular poem in the "Burnhams Celestial Guidebook", I was blown away by how well I understood the meanings, and how simple but beautiful the desription of the Milky Way. My friends know how important astronomy is in my life, so I am sure I will write plenty more entries regarding the heavens above. After all, we are all stardust........

Number 4

Why four? Why not four? Four is the first number NOT to get a medal. This entry is dripping with sub-standardness. Is that even a word? Anyway.... Here is my no-medal award winning blog entry.

I just want to give a big shout-out to my Grand Pa. I want to thank him for everything he has instilled in me. What are those? you ask. Be PATIENT and I will get to that. I know that I wasn't always there for you when you needed me, but you were always there when I needed you, only, I didn't know at the time that I needed you. As an adult I look back on the things you gave me that I now carry with me through life.

The home I am raising a family in, was once yours. It has gone through some changes in the last three plus years. It hasn't been easy but I am thankful for your guidance. I know it has turned out just the way you wanted. Not only did you guide me just in your presence, but you gave me the important knowledge of how to do the day to day things. People from time to time will say nice work or they are amazed at how much we were able to do physically. Those compliments are hard to take at times because I know I don't deserve them as much as you deserve the credit of keeping me honest and humble. I can only hope to carry on the good work and show my children how to be good human beings.

I know you are still around, because I can hear you at night with grandma walking through the house, and I want you to stick around as long as you like and watch the home you once lived in continue to be a home that is loved and full of love.

I love you Grand Pa and I miss you. Thank you for your help......

Sorry to all those out there for this short and touchy feely entry, but I wanted to get this message off my chest. I hope to be back with something a little more controversial next time. Perhaps a little teaser for you.....Good v. Evil. Sounds exciting huh. Stay tuned.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming......

In the beginning...

First of all, I am a drafter not an English major. If you have hang-ups with grammar or spelling, you might want to get over yourself and realize that this world was not created just for you.

Let’s dive into the shallow end.


The family and I were on our way home from a great friend of ours (better than family actually) and I had a thought. “ I finally have my first blog topic”

During the drive, I was reminded of my 12th grade physics instructors mind-blowing (for a 12th grader) example of “Relativity”. I strapped myself into the drivers seat and backed out of the driveway. We got onto the highway and it returned to me. I was planted firmly into my seat with no relative motion. The seat was strapped to the vehicle with no relative motion. The only things that were moving were the outside references. Without those references we would have no visual cues that we were in motion. So here is a question, if we had no relative motion while in the vehicle, why can’t we say that we were simply “pulling” Salt Lake to us? From our vantage point, the world outside was moving in a direction I told it to with the accelerator, the brake and the steering wheel. It was amazing I could focus on the drive home.

It gets crazier. I then began to realize that we were actually driving through space. The car was making contact with the road that was attached to the earth and this is where we get moving crazy fast. The Earth revolves around the sun at approx. 18.5 miles per second, pretty fast. I never knew my Ford explorer had that kind of horses under the hood. But, that is not all. The sun orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy at a speed of 140 miles per second. Well, my doors should be falling off, but they aren’t.

Thank goodness I don’t sense any of that motion when I sit in my car and go get groceries. Why don’t we have any of that sensation of motion? I won’t get into that. If you are interested there are better sources to get your answers.

I just wanted this opportunity to remind everyone that we are all space travelers and to welcome you all to my travels through this “blog” space.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. – I don’t know when I will do this again or what it will be about, but when I do, I hope it will be as interesting and eclectic as the commercials during the Super Bowl.