The Morals and Values of Company X

Company X was a major player in the health care industry. Company X had many clients, handled many accounts, and made a very good profit margin.

Company X had a slogan that reflected doing the moral and ethical thing.

Like all good corporations Company X believed in profits, growth, client and customer satisfaction, and providing jobs to very qualified individuals.

Company X had a Board of Directors, A CEO, Vice Presidents, upper, middle, lower management, and the common line employees in their various functions.

The company bus was rolling along the American Economic Highway. It had been smooth sailing from the start, very few bumps in the road, relatively smooth terrain, and very few problems to worry about.

Then one of the drivers decided he didn't like the way his bus in the convoy was running. So he opened the floorboard and threw an employee under the bus. Kathump went the wheels of the bus over the unnamed person. It was nobody significant, and the driver of the bus said that it was necessary to throw one employee under the bus for the good of the whole.

The driver then decided to rearrange the order of the passengers of the bus. He took employees from the back and put them in the middle, middle employees to the front, front to back and so forth. He created several new areas within the bus to to help the functions of the bus run smoother.

With so many new arrangements the driver again had the floor boards opened up and threw another three bodies under the bus. Nobody really notice or much cared. It wasn't them and they were thankful for that. The bus driver pulled into a large vehicle wash to get the blood and debris off the company bus. The bus had a brand and could not be seen driving around with the blood and guts of those thrown under. It wasn't good for morale anyway.

Once the bus was underway and one more person got thrown under, the bus driver looked among his bus staff and found several people he would make micro managers. To oversee the micro managers would be managers, an associate director then the driver at the top. There was always a need to be ready to throw someone under the bus so the bus driver made the human resources job to throw unwanted or unneeded people under the bus.

When someone would ask the driver to give them a raise he said "no" or made an excuse. He would make silly rules to save a dime. Some of his very first passengers had been loyal to him from day one, but the only way they could get a raise is to install glass ceilings in the bus and take on a lot of responsibility. So the loyal minions that were most likable were promoted to micro manager.

There was one micro manager who had great thoughts and ideas and they helped the Company X bottom line. So they borrowed his ideas and utilized them. He was a good micro manager, but hated doing too much micromanaging. The driver did not like this neo micromanaging style and so he called a meeting of the management minions.  He told them he had gone to a bus line owner convention, come up with new ways of doing things. The micro manager he cared about least was thrown under the bus. But he was asked to hang on for dear life, because they may need to yell under the bus to get more ideas.

Now he was just another passenger, but now under the bus, and was asked to be loyal for the good of the Company X brand. 

Not being stupid he let go, let the wheels roll over him and found himself alongside the road. Fearing they might loose intellectual property or the man's brain, nobody knows for sure, they U turned only to find the spot where he let go there was no corporate road kill. Just a skid mark and a note that said "I dodged the wheels and I am not telling you how I did it."

The driver tried in vain as more minions got passed the micro managers  went out the windows, the emergency exit, or the front side door to jump to other buses and trucks on the American Economic Highway. Even the bus Attorney tried to sue some to no success for violation of a no compete clause, but all in vain.

Finally in time a call came in from corporate dispatch at Company X. The driver was hauled out of his seat, put under the floorboard, and crunched under the bus.  Seems the ethics monster had caught up with Driver Robespierre.  In the end he was expendable too.

The bus is still rolling and making money, but has lost much intellectual talent due to its policies of treating employees.  Because only the employees could make the company money and Company X had thrown out all  those expendable minions.

So is the ethics and values of Company X. No longer a major player, but a minor one, because they did not observe one simple principle. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Gratitude

It is often in "our own desert" that we "meet" God. 

With all of the things going on in March I have come to realize one thing is easy to overlook, gratitude.  We live in a society where everything is "on demand."  We have come to believe that you can get something for little or no effort.  We have become an entitlement based mentality.  Did anyone ever stop and think what this brings about?

One of those things I have noticed is lack of gratitude. Gratitude for what?  For starters just being alive.  There is health, family, a place to call home, food and appreciation for good hard work.  Who to be grateful to? There are our employers for providing us with a job from which we can get an income.  There are our parents who gave us life and sacrificed much so we could be who we are and believed in us and what we can become.

There are those who lifted us up on a down day. There are those that bore our trials with us even though they had no reason to do so.  There are friends who put loyalty before differences.  There are those who don't turn away when it would be easy to do so.

There are the good times when very little adversarial trials are in our way.  There are the things that we learn in easy and hard times.  There is humility when it is easy to become prideful.  There is the spiritual when darkness is all around us.  There is being accepted for who we are and not what we aren't.

Above all there is a Supreme Being to whom all the glory of this gratitude goes. He is the architect of our lives, the giver of all things from the most simple to the very rich. He says yes to more prayers than He says no too.

Where have we gone as a society when the only thankfulness we can muster up is the obligatory type at a restaurant to the server?  Being grateful is second only to being charitable in defining a person. If we were only just a small bit more grateful to our fellow man and our God just think of the miracles that would follow?

What are we truly missing out on here?  We are missing out on the ability to be free or be in bondage. To appreciate rather than demand. To love rather than demand love. To be respected because of being the better person.  There is much more than just these things, but I truly believe our level of self actualization is tied to how grateful we really are.

We all must make our own way, yet no one can get to the goal without some assistance seen or unseen. It is not the great things, but the little things that  we must be thankful for before we can appreciate the big changes in life.

We watch the media and they say that we should all do it for ourselves and others should benefit us. We should do for ourselves the right thing so we can be of assistance to our fellow beings, not the other way around.

I get on social media sites and the stench of "look at me" is everywhere.  How about we look at us and then honestly assess our situation. If we want different outcomes we have to change the way we make things happen. We can't beat the same dead horse expecting a live one to take it's place.  We have to bury the dead horse and assess. What are we doing right? If we are doing the right thing keep it. What are we doing wrong? If we are doing wrong change it. What is we don't know where to go? Ask directions.

It is easy to say this stuff but much harder to do in practice.  A wise man once said the world would take the poor out of the "slums" and put them in better conditions. He then said that God "takes the slums out of the people and then the people take themselves out of the slums."

Thankfulness is taking the slums out of the people, out of ourselves. Then if we are in literal or symbolic slums we remove ourselves to better housing, communities, attitudes, jobs, friends, etc.  That gratitude is what I hope more members of society will see and practice. A simple "thanks" goes a long way when you mean it. Just imagine thank yous and humility combined? What a better world we make for ourselves.

If we want to be the center of attention, quit trying to make everyone see how much you have, your social status, your job, income, and physical attractiveness.  People are more attracted to character than to substance. If you desire attention get it the right way, not the "look at me" way.

Gratitude is the key to happiness and more blessings in our lives. I hope our society can have gratitude vs entitlement. The entitled person is never happy because they always want something and never stop demanding.  The grateful person opens up and is thankful for what they have and then have more room to receive, because they are more willing to give to others. It is the service that is tied universally to gratitude.

There is never something for nothing. Someone is writing a check. We should be grateful for what we have and we will get more in proportion to gratitude.

Spring Means Taking Care of the Cactus

With Spring just a couple of weeks away it is time to get out and do those green thumb projects. One of mine of course is Cacti. Winter killed many beautiful cacti with rot, still others remain that survived the cold wet winter.

First thing is to prep the soil from last year. Mix in new with the old and also top soil to bottom. The cacti seem to like nutrients that land on the soil as well as the bottom.

Make sure that the soil is well drained. Water retaining soil = rot. Also make sure any containers can drain excess water.  Cold hardy cacti will be starting to "wake up."  So don't forget to cut off rot and keep your cacti healthy. If your cactus is rotten, chuck it. Rot from borderline cold hardy can spread rot to otherwise healthy plants.

Let soil completely dry out before watering again. Also minimum for this time of year should be once to twice every two weeks.  Cacti in low light areas will need artificial light for indoors or access to a good light source by a window.

Also cacti are great for preventing break ins from burglars. If they want your stuff let them get stuck for it. I have always used a dog and cacti in tandem. So far, so good.  Yucca also require the same care as succulents, though not as hardy as cacti.  So much for Spring maintaining. Nutrients for indoor and outdoor include plant food, organicide for fungus, and of course beer and dog food my favorites.

So keep on having fun with painful planting. But in the end it is worth it for those spring and summer blooms.

Godfather Putin

There is much ado going on since Russia has invaded the Ukraine Crimean region amid the woes of the former Soviet Socialist Republic. The Ukraine has a long historical relationship with Russia and it is not surprising that the big brother of all the Slavs is invading little brother's territory.

In 1991 the Soviet Union ceased to exist and all Soviet Socialist Republics became free independent states. Moscow never gave up its ambitions for a sphere of influence. Changing over from a Communist to a Democratic form of government was not going to be easy and there were no guarantees that the newly freed independent states would make it. 

The Warsaw Pact nations were gone and only the Commonwealth of Independent States remained. Many former SSRs began to have Western leanings and soon just "go west." Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were out of the gate and in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO before you could say Russian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic.

Fast forward to the present day.  The Ukraine has been heading west as well and has been pursuing greater integration into the European Union style of doing things as opposed to the old USSR way.

Vladamir Putin was a former KGB or Soviet Secret Police man. When the Soviet Union crumbled he was a displaced commie.  What to do? Can't go back, roll with the future. Putin changed is commie apparel for fascist apparel. If you can't beat them, join the Russian mob.  Putin became much richer and more powerful under corrupted capitalism than he could have ever been under an old communist regime. Vlad's  dreams never changed, his methods did. With his new "freedom" Putin could put away his goosestep for cement shoes.

When Putin was with the KGB and he had enemies what did you do? Get rid of them. What do mob bosses do when the competition oversteps its bounds or members thereof lose usefulness? See you at the bottom of the river.

The Russian mob is quite powerful now in the organized crime world. At its head, none other than Vladamir "Vodka on the Rocks" Putin. He was President, did a stint as Prime Minister and then was back into being President.  He is corrupt capitalism at its best, just like the mob. He deals in racketeering, money laundering, insider trading, commodities cornering, and price gouging.  If someone doesn't like it well they go missing so to speak. The Ukraine is too big to go missing, but it can be invaded by the rival Russian Mafia.

The reason why Putin has the Red Army there is not to make it a communist state. Communism is so yesteryear. He is there to bring the Ukraine into the full brotherhood of the new global state mafia. Fellow bosses in China, Vietnam, Cuba, Syria, Kazakstan are all wanting to keep the crime families in check. In the mob you simply don't walk away. Neither in Russia's "territory." Georgia learned this with Putin's Capos and now the Ukraine is learning this.

Putin is successful at what he does because unlike his old commie buddies he could repackage himself and change with the times. Putin is nothing more than an international kingpin and the Ukraine is a rival mob family that wants out. Well there is that old "oath" thing.

We can't have SSR after SSR join up with the West. Eastern and Central Europe did. Now its time to put the boot on the neck of the Ukraine, invade, fire an ICBM or two. That's it.

What about the West? What about them? Obama, the supposed leader of the free world can't lead and his policies are a disaster even by Vladimir's standards, so Putin is doing his mob thing in the open.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste." was an Obama Administration favorite quote.  Putin couldn't pass up the chance at expanding his sphere of influence. Oil and gas are the things being sold at Putinafia prices and he need not worry about the USA, EU nations. China et al are at the table enjoying the whole show.

This is what happens when leaders of nations don't lead, like Barack Obama. They look like fools. Had this happened on Ronald Reagan's watch Putin would be looking at serious meddling by America that would have kept him in check like when the Soviet's invaded Afghanistan and looked hapless. Well the West should take a bow. Sanctions says Obama. Putin is shivering in his shirtless pasty skin. Until real leadership comes back to the United States and the West, Vladimir Putin will flex his flabby muscles and our leaders will look like Larry, Curly and Mo.

Religious Adherents Are More Dangerous Than Religious Deviants?

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) vetoed a bill that would have given citizens greater protection against being sued for using religious belief as a defense yesterday.  Why is this making national news? It stems from gay couples asking for market services such as wedding cakes, and when someone says that homosexuality is a violation of conscience, the "discriminated victims" can sue the person who refused services or get bureaucrats to go after them and potentially drive them out of business.

What we have is people choosing into a lifestyle behavior conflicting with personal religious practice, not just belief. When a wedding cake maker refuses on grounds of religion not to make a gay wedding cake, he or she is practicing their religious belief system. The homosexuals on the other hand are not necessarily practicing their religious beliefs.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution and enshrined in 50 state constitutions guarantees freedom of religious practice and freedom from harassment of government for engaging in one's religious beliefs and practice.  How are two homosexuals "harmed" by a baker not baking a gay wedding cake? They are not. They can pursue services at another bakery. Not every bakery will turn them down, especially not the big box store types.

In the end common sense would have to show actual REAL harm to the homosexual couple by anyone refusing services based on religious grounds.

For example if a gay man shows up with AIDS at an emergency room the doctor is obligated to treat the man regardless of his views on the man's sexual behavior or orientation. Refusal of medical services could render the patient seriously ill or worse dead.  That is REAL harm.

If a cake maker refuses to do gay weddings where is the real harm? Hurt egos? Oh cry me a river.  The service on its face is not even vital to society functioning, let alone two human beings contracting a relationship.

What happens when the priest, bishop or rabbi is approached and refuses because of the religious occupation or standing where they are obliged to live their religion as an act before God and not the wishes of common citizens? Do they get sued for saying no, that in fact a man or woman of the cloth is obliged to offend God before people, perhaps not even of their religious persuasion, because some couple's feelings are hurt?
It is truly a sad day when a person who is a barber, shoe maker, baker, butcher or even private attorney is forced to violate conscience of self over conscience of another.

It I go to an auto injury lawyer looking for criminal defense can I sue him for not taking my case it he chooses not to practice criminal law? Its a sad day if that attorney can be sued. I wouldn't seek him out anyway if I am charged with a crime. He would be a poor defense attorney. He chases ambulances for a living, not getting alleged criminals out of jail sentences.

If I am walking down the street with my child and I see two gay men kissing in public and I privately turn my child away from their behavior which to me personally is offensive, going to be sued or have my kid removed because the gay men were offended?

People love to compare these situations to the civil rights days. They are sadly misleading people. When a black person cannot get food, gas, a hotel room, or use a restroom due to the color of his skin, over which he has no control, real injury was possible and did happen in the Jim Crow South. You cannot control your race. You can control your behavior and lifestyle choice no matter your sexual orientation.  A gay man can choose to live a straight lifestyle and as straight man can choose to live a gay lifestyle.  It happens in reality for reasons that vary as greatly as the individuals who make those choices.

One can argue that religion is a choice. This is true. It is a choice. But most people are tied to their religious beliefs from bonds that range from generations of living a faith to their own relationship with their Maker. It goes far beyond just a choice. Homosexuality however is not handed down from generation to generation and in almost all religions is not the conduit through which a man or woman connects to the divine.

Therefore the argument falls flat on its face to equivocate homosexuality rights with religious conscience. Where does the madness end?  If someone goes into a convenience store without a shirt or shoes can they claim injury now when the sign clearly states the rules of service? Can nudists sue the clothed for being offended that the clothed will not join the nudist cause? It all sounds like madness. That is because it is madness. This is what is happening every day in cities and towns. People are demanding services that one should not be compelled to render if it violates conscience in most circumstances. Common sense dictates when conscience is subservient to mandatory service, such as saving a life of another human being, even though you may have biases that make you uneasy about who you are serving.

The First Amendment protects the religious adherent over the seekers of market services.  Should I be sued by a prostitute because I believe that behavior to be immoral and illegal because she can't charge me for refusing to have paid sex with her? It truly is a sad time we live in when the offended have greater weight than a person who means no harm and wants to give or withhold service for common sense reasons, is now the villain for just being themselves.

Next up are politicians who sue and win elections because the voters and electoral college were too stupid to see who they really wanted in office. Wait we had that one in Bush vs Gore at the Supreme Court in 2000.

Looking Forward, Looking Back

It truly has been a long time since I blogged. I figure it is time that I start up again, because its one of those things I do best.

Tonight I have had a lot of thinking going on in my brain. This is normal, but tonight has been exceptionally rare and the volume of thought very high.

I have had two of the most challenging years that I have ever had. I have been up and down, on roller coasters, hiked deserts, hiked mountains, been on islands, and floored my car out on the Bonneville Salt Flats at 110 MPH.

And it is getting late to call 2014 a New Year, but now is the beginning, not January 1.  In my associations with many people I have met those who are stuck in their past, some that are forward thinking, some who have no direction whatsoever, those in and out of trouble, the optimist and the pessimist.  Most people could be somewhere in the middle, as could I.

I remember my ex wife saying that I was always on the computer, and this is true. Now aside from the devil incarnate Facebook and work I don't do much of anything with the computer. The irony in that.

What I have learned about myself is that I seem to walk a lonely road. Not by fate or by my own design. It just seems to have been my journey in life.  Maybe its to help others, maybe its to learn some cosmic lesson. I have friends and family, but I still have walked alone.  I have been in crowded rooms and yet I might have well been there alone.

I have a good friend who is a real sweetheart, and that is because she is.  She has helped me out, when she too has walked this lonely road. I find it amazing that someone who has been through so much, still can offer a smile and a kind word.  She even has opened up to me, which I thought was an accomplishment.

The reason I bring her situation up is because she is so wanting to move forward, but being held back by her own troubles.  We all are in that boat. I know that I am. What does moving forward mean? What does living in the past mean? What does living in the present mean? What about looking forward with hope, learning from the past, but not living it, living in the present as if this were the only time to appreciate what we have?

I hope my friend somehow sees this blog entry as do others. I have another friend who has never looked back except to learn. He is like a brother to me.  I look to him to emulate the father I want to be to my children.  He is always a forward thinker, nostalgic at times, but still lives for today. He has his flaws and imperfections, yet he lives each day as a new day.  I pray that I can have that attitude for myself and of myself.

I wish that for my friend as she moves forward with so much to give and see that walls smother you, they don't help you. I have my own walls, most are not good defenses, rather obstacles to my well being.

As I begin this blog I hope to have the large readership I once did while taking it in a futuristic direction. It will be nice to build it up and see what creations come out of my mind in all its dysfunctional glory.

Its good to be back again and moving on, even with vines all over the trail that need cutting through. Its good to be alive and feel than not feel. Its good to be!