Merry Birthday Mom.

Tenth year I dont get to tell you that in person. :(

Dreams dont come true

Yo --

Two nights ago I had a nightmare. I totally get that when I describe it to you, you wont think its that bad, but for someone like me, it is. And it wasnt a nightmare that was full of fear, or dread, or anything like that, if anything it was panic. Panic and a sense of "What the Hell am I gonna do now!?" And even though some of the details changed, this isnt the first time Ive had this nightmare.

K...

So Im walking down the street, following two guys whom I dont know, bu we seem to be headed to the same place. A destination Im unaware of at the moment. So were walking and we pass one of my cousins headed the other way and she says hi and asks me where Im going. My response: "Comic-Con." She tells me to have fun, and I continue on my way.

Time out.

I dont know if this will make sense, but have you ever had a dream and during the dream you kinda become conscious of the fact that youre dreaming? I mean, youre still asleep, youre still IN the dream, but theres some portion of your brain thats kinda "awake" and "watching" whats going on. Well, I do that sometimes and this was one of them.

Time in.

So I continue on my way to Comic-Con and my brain suddenly becomes alive and is like: "WHAT?!"

Somehow Im no longer walking and Im on my bike and my brain is still freaking out. And steady stream of questions start pouring out: why am I taking my bike? Where am I going to keep it while Im there? Wheres my backpack? I dont have any snacks! I didnt pack any extra clothes! Whats the schedule? Whats the schedule?! WHATS THE SCHEDULE?! What am I going to do? I cant go to Comic-Con with no backpack, no supplies, and no idea whats going on! I am SO unprepared! What am I going to do? How can I salvage this situation? Whats the plan?!

Like I said, that probably wont register as a nightmare to some of you, but it was not a fun dream for me. And like I said, not the first time I was "going to Comic-Con" and had NO idea what was going on. I wonder if theres any hidden meaning to this or if my brain is just screwing with itself. Whatever. This is one dream I know will NEVER come true. Thankfully.

-- DBW --

We the jurors...

Back in February of this year I wrote a blog about the upcoming terrorists trial that would be taking place in civilian courts. Need a refresher: http://dbwtimes.blogspot.com/2010/02/if-i-said-someone-masterminded.html

Well the very first trial has come and gone, and the results are exactly as I anticipated: Innocent.

Well, to be accurate, Ahmed Ghailani was found innocent on 179 of 180 counts. The one count he was convicted of - conspiracy to destroy government buildings - comes with a minimum sentence of 20 years.

Of course, Obama is being blamed for this failure. Not the fact that this guy was possibly innocent. Not the fact that the evidence against him, if he was guilty, was minimal or circumstantial. Nor the fact that some evidence had to be thrown out because the previous administration used "coercive" means to get that evidence. For those of you that are a bit slow, coercive is another word for torture.

So yes, shame on Obama! Its all his fault that the Bush administration tortured a possibly innocent man to get circumstantial evidence that wouldnt hold up in court. Boo Obama! Boo!

And before this gets too far out of hand, lets get one thing perfectly straight: this isnt about Obama, no matter how bad people want to point the finger at him. The evidence was compiled by the Bush administration and the verdicts were delivered by the American people.

And not just any American people, New Yorkers. Yes, the trial of an accused Middle Eastern terrorist was held in the city that was devastated by Middle Eastern terrorists, and the jurors put aside their potential prejudices and delivered a verdict based on law, on the Constitution, and not on emotion or politics.

As US District Judge Lewis A Kaplan said told the jurors: "You have shown that American justice can be rendered calmly, deliberately and fairly by ordinary people, people who are not beholden to any government, not even ours, and It can be rendered with fidelity to the Constitution.You have a right to be proud of your service in this case."

To those infuriated by the verdict, I have one question for you: what it more important to you, justice or a conviction no matter the truth?

And to those of you who are bitching that the trials should have stayed in military court, I have one question for you: is it your belief that a military court would have convicted him even though the evidence proved he was innocent on 279 of 280 counts?

And lastly, a question to the military court: Would you have convicted him anyway? And if so, shame on you.

Dont misunderstand, I do not wish for the freedom of those who are guilty, but right is right and wrong is wrong and the ends do not justify the means. Were a country built on laws and individual rights, and they extend to all those on our soil, even if that soil is a CIA "black site" in some country thats looking the other way.

Hate Obama all you want, hate the verdict or the process too, but the jurors did the right thing and justice was carried out.

-- DBW --

So long LT, I wore you well

Today is a bittersweet day.

Today I officially retired my LaDanian Tomlinson jersey. We had good times, we had bad times, and when the Charges changed their uniforms, we cried a bit cuz we knew our days together were numbered. And then when LT went to the Jets, we pretty much said our goodbyes to each other. So, my dark blue #21 jersey will now take up residence next to my dark blue and orange Padre jersey. They will be missed, but never forgotten.

Now, the reason I was able to officially retire my LT jersey is because I now have a powder blue Philip Rivers jersey! Yes, I finally broke down and bought one. And, to borrow a line from my last blog... Im THRILLED!

Hopefully this will be the thing the Chargers need to get their heads out their asses! And hopefully Philip Rivers doesnt get traded.

Til we meet again...

-- DBW --

Bloggy Blog Blogger

Yo --

Regular readers to my blog know that my postings have been highly... irregular. In the past Ive thought about how to improve this, have made vows to do so, and have always slacked off. So this time, no promises.

But...

About two months ago I finally got a smart phone. An Incredible to be precise. The thing basically does everything but make me breakfast. I love it! One of the things Ive been looking into is downloading an app to let me blog from my phone, whenever I wish. Still looking for the right one, but I AM looking.

Anywho, so I log into Blogger for the first time in a while to see specifically if I could sync it to Facebook - one of the main culprits keeping me from consistently blogging - and I see something of extreme interest to me...

Blogger now has a tab called "Stats".

If you use Blogger this is probably not news to you because you probably log in more than I do, but since this is my first time seeing it, Im THRILLED!

Once upon a time I had downloaded an add on for a prior blog because I was curious who was reading what I wrote. And to find out that Blogger now does this... Im THRILLED! Did I say that already?

So now with my smart phone, and my new stats tab, these just may be the "fiber" my blogging diet has needed. But again, no promises.

And to those of you in France, Greece, Poland, South Korea, Brazil, and the United States... hi. :)

Until next time.

-- DBW --

Thank you, come again

Sup --

Full disclosure: I work at a major retail chain. The name is not important because this has nothing to do with either my company or my store specifically, but if you know me, you know who pays me. And this is neither the official, or unofficial, opinion of my company, it is mine and mine alone. Well, mine and pretty much every other person that works retail.

There is one thing that I hate about my job: guests. I know, I know, if it wasnt for the guests, I wouldnt have a job. I get that. But what I dont get, what bugs THE HELL out of me, is how, and why, guests can come into my job and treat it as either a playground for themselves or a day care for their kids.

On one hand, I can kind of... kind of... give the kids a pass, because, well, theyre kids. Their job is to do stupid stuff. By their parents, thats another story. 1) Where are they? 2) Why havent they taught their kids the difference between right and wrong, or at the very least simple respect?

Case in point: closing shift, Sunday, September 5, 2010

Its about 8pm at night and Im walking behind a family that consisted of a Mom, a Dad, and 4 kids ranging between 4 and 6. Each kid was carrying a giant playball.

Sidenote: If you work in retail, and if your store sells these playballs, chances are you despise them as much as I do. Kids come in all day, take them from the bin, and play with them. Most of the time setting them down on the floor and walking away when their parents finally come pick them up from "day care". Which means we have to pick them up and put them away constantly. I HATE these balls, and since they only sell for about $2.50 each, my company better be getting a massive return on them to justify their continued selling of them.

So Im walking behind the family, were all headed to the checklanes, and I was actually thinking to myself that it was nice to actually see someone buying them for a change. We get to our Snack department, and out of nowhere two of the kids take the balls they were carrying and just throw them as hard as they can down the aisle. The parents didnt say a word to either kid, and the group continued walking. Me? I actually said out loud: "What the fuck?!"

The group continues to the checklanes and the other two kids take the balls they had and throw them as hard as they could into our Girls department. Again, Mom and Dad say nothing. Me? I couldnt help but say "You mother fuckers!"

It was obvious that the parents had absolutely no intention of buying one of the balls, let alone all four, so what the hell did they think was going to happen to them? Did they think the balls were going to put themselves away? No, they probably figured, like every other inconsiderate assclown that shops retail, that it was the job of the employees to just walk around and pick their shit up. Cuz thats what I get paid for, right? But what gets me even more, is how could the adults condone the behavior of the kids? How can they just act like it was normal?

Honestly, if they werent purchasing merchandise, I would have picked the balls up and thrown them at the back of their heads. Ok, probably not, but in my mind I saw each kid getting pegged and dropping to the floor. But, I was the good boy and did nothing like that, instead, I picked the balls up and stood there holding them as I stared a hole through both parents. Basically: pay for the stuff and leave my store.

Before I wrap this up, I have one misconception to clear up: NO, I do NOT get paid to pick your crap up and put it away! That is something that I have to do, IN ADDITION TO, my normal job that I actually DO get paid for!

So the next time you walk into a store and decide not to purchase something and set it down nowhere near where it goes, or allow your kids to play with something and then throw it through the store, just remember that someone has to pick that up for you. Probably the same someone that could be assisting another guest with their shopping experience. Or the same someone that could be stocking the shelves with that item you came in for. Or the same someone that could be going up to help cashier to help you check out faster.

So the next time youre in my store - or any other store - and you get frustrated because theres nobody around to help you, dont even bother to bitch because theyre probably picking up after someone else. Someone... LIKE YOU.

Til next time

-- DBW --

3 down, 6 to go

So yeah, today I almost died.

Really.

Im standing at a stoplight, watching the other light on my right, waiting for it to turn yellow, knowing it will turn red soon after, and then my light will be green and I can continue on my journey.
Im standing there, standing there, standing there, and Im thinking: "Why is this light taking so long?" Finally the other light turns yellow, and I look to my left to see that a truck is coming, but its about half a block away and slowing down. Nothing is out of the ordinary.
My light turns green, I check to see that the truck has stopped - it has - and I then step off the curb and into the crosswalk. It takes a few steps, but I get to the trucks right headlight, second step and Im at the middle of the truck, third step and Im at the trucks left headlight. Im in the process of taking the fourth step to clear the truck completely and.....

BOOM!!!

I have no idea what the Hell just happened, but when that fourth step was completed I turn around to see that the truck I was just walking in front of is now in the middle of the crosswalk. The reason is because the driver of a car that was following behind the truck wasnt paying attention and slammed into the back of it, pushing it right into the path I had JUST walked.
If I was one step, half a step, slower... if I had stepped off of the curb a second later, I wouldnt be able to write this because I literally would have been dead. Crushed by a truck.

Im now in the middle of the crosswalk, and I finish walking across the street, but Im watching the guy in the truck and the girl in the car to see if everyone is ok. Guy is moving around - his truck is mostly ok, girl is moving around and appears to be physically fine, but he car is fucked up bad and she starts to cry, really cry, when she gets out and realizes whats happened.
By this time the truck guy was out and over to her, on his phone calling the cops, so there wasnt really anything I could do to help either one of them. So I continued on my journey - after I had Tweeted that I had almost died, of course - and scratched another of my 9 lives off my list.

Til next time...

-- DBW --

The civility of terrorists

If I said: "Someone masterminded a terrorist act on US soil by using a vehicle as a weapon and destroying a building with it, killing far too many people, all because he opposed the Government of the United States" youd think of Osama bin Laden and 9/11, right? Or perhaps maybe youd even think of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?

Now, would it surprise you to know that I wasnt talking about Arab terrorists, planes, and New York buildings? In fact, I was referencing an American terrorist, a rented moving truck, and a Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City.

On April 19th, 1995 Timothy McVeigh loaded a rented Ryder van with 5,000 pounds of fertilizer and racing fuel and parked it in front of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. When the bomb went off, 450 people were injured and 168 were dead, including 19 children who were in a day care on the first floor.
The reasoning for this terrorist act was that Timothy McVeigh wanted revenge for "What the US Government did at Waco and Ruby Ridge" and he hoped to inspire a revolt against what he considered "a tyrannical federal government."
He has been quoted as saying: "The administration has said that Iraq has no right to stockpile chemical or biological weapons ("weapons of mass destruction") - mainly because they have used them in the past. Well, if thats the standard by which these matters are decided, then the US is the nation that set the precedent. The US has stockpiled these same weapons (and more) for over 40 years. The US claims that this was done for deterrent purposes during the "Cold War" with the Soviet Union. Why, then is it invalid for Iraq to claim the same reason (deterrence) - with respect to Iraqs (real) war with, and the continued threat of, its neighbor Iran. If Saddam is such a demon and people are calling for war crime charges and trials against him and his nation, why do we not hear the same cry for blood directed at those responsible for even greater amounts of "mass destruction" - like those responsible and involved in dropping bombs on the cities mentioned above. The truth is, the US has set the standard when it comes to the stockpiling and use of weapons of mass destruction."

There is no hard definition of "terrorism" but under Federal criminal code 18 U.S.C. 2331, the United States has defined "terrorism" as: "Activities that involve violent... or life threatening acts... that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State and... appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping..."
And under this definition, McVeigh was tried as a terrorist, in a civilian court, and was convicted of all 11 counts of the federal indictment and was sentenced to death, which was carried out on June 11th, 2001. But he did not leave this world before saying: "Isnt it kind of scary that one man could wreak this kind of Hell?"

So whats the point of this? Well, seems that there are politicians who are trying their hardest to block trials of people - "terrorists" - being held in Guantanamo Bay. At least, they want to block trials in civilian court even though some of these people - like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - are accused of the very same thing Timothy McVeigh did. Coincidentally, Mohammeds crime came three months to the day after McVeigh was put to death for his.
So whats the difference? Why is it ok to capture, try, convict, and execute one terrorist and not another?
"Because theyre war criminals and any trial should be held in military court. besides, military trials are quicker." No, no theyre not - there was no war, they did not act with the authority of a particular country, they acted alone because of their personal beliefs, and Timothy McVeighs trial was not in military court. And if military trials are quicker, then why the hell havent they happened yet?

Now heres one possible reason: military trials are closed doors, whereas civilian trials are open for the public to see. "So, what does that mean?" It could mean that these politicians - mostly Republicans - want these trials kept quiet so as not to cause issues for a certain former President and his administration.
See, its pretty much accepted that during the course of our "war" with whomever were at war with, we did some very very bad things. Things that are not only embarrassing to our country, but also highly illegal by our own rules as well as the generally accepted rules of civilized nations of the world. And while its one thing to talk about these at the water cooler at work, its quite a bit different to have to admit to these things in a court, under oath, for the record, and for the world to see. Only way to make sure that doesnt happen is to have a military trial, which would come complete with conveniently closed doors. "If you cant hear us admit to doing it, then maybe we didnt do it at all."

But like I said, thats just one possible reason, but Im sure the truth is much more innocent, right?

Right?

Til next time...

-- DBW --