The Reverend Mourns

I received word this day that my nephew George Cortez of the Phoenix PD was shot and killed last night by a person or persons trying to cash a forged check. I mourn this day.

George grew up in a broken home until he and my sister were taken in by my parents. My dad was the father figure to George during those tough impressionable years. George turned out great. He had his issues but was a person that lived by KYFHO.

Friday July 27th, dregs of the society took his life. My nephew, a son, a father, and a husband was killed because three people (hearsay) did not want to work for a living. What a shame.

I am all cried out for this day but I am sure there will be more bad days ahead.

I remember taking George on his first road trip while we both mourned the loss of my father/his grandfather. I even let George drive even though he didn't have his license. As we drove down I-8 on the way to Yuma, I watched George's eyes get heavy and close, knowing that he would drift slightly to the "wake up" bumps that run along that road. I laughed at the look on his face when he hit them. When I asked if he fell asleep, of course he said "NO!!!"

I was proud of George for the way he handled himself through the death of his father figure. I was proud of him the day he graduated High School. I was proud of him the day graduated from the police academy. I am proud of him that he died a warriors death, in battle with the enemy of our society. He was trying to make a difference.

The day George graduated the police academy, my wife and I emptied our bank account to buy him the best ballistic vest on the market at that time. We felt it well worth the cost of eating Ramen for dinner more than a couple times a week.

Today I mourn.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

The piece of paper is just an excuse

I have been noticing a flaw in the job market. Nobody wants to accept responsibility for making a decision. They hide behind company policies. Here is the example.

I know of a woman who is a nurse. She currently holds an unemcumbered nurses license. She is an LPN or LVN depending on where you live. She has valid licenses in three states. She has a bachelors degree in psychology on top of the nursing degree. During her 15 years of experience, she has been a floor nurse, charge nurse, and a case manager. She has every qualification that an RN has...venipuncture, IV's, etc.

With all these qualifications, she still finds resistance in the workforce. She is finding that all of her hard work garners less respect than someone who just received her RN license (through an AA in nursing) who has zero experience. Less money too. A brand new RN that knows absolutely nothing about the real world, who hasn't proven themselves to be honest, reliable, or valuable receives a starting pay of $60K. An LPN as mentioned in this post applying for the same job caps at $50K. Here is the kicker...the position being applied for is an administrative one. There is no on hands patient care. I have reviewed the curriculum of both the RN program and the LPN program from accredited schools and I will tell you, there is no significant difference in the programs when it comes to the administrative duties of the position mentioned here. The differences that did exist were compensated 100 times over by this LPN's experience in the actual position; yet a company would rather hire a new RN so that when a mistake is made they can blame the Nursing Board for having too low standards.

Let's recap for fun. A new RN who just finished her ASSOCIATE'S degree in Nursing warrants more than an LPN whose education consists of and ASSOCIATE'S degree in Nursing, a BACHELOR'S degree in Psychology, and 15 years experience as a nurse/charge nurse/case manager and an established, reliable work history. Remember, C's get degrees. Makes no sense to me.

You can go to school all you want, but the real education starts after you graduate, but that appears to not count for anything. That piece of paper really does carry a lot of weight, but I would not want to rest my organization on it.

Following those industry accepted standards takes the responsibility off the individual and organization. Liability is a scary term in our litigious society. Again, we have brought this on ourselves.

Of the nurses mentioned in this post, I know what one I would want to be working on me. Too bad corporate america has to bash so many to protect itself from the people it provides service to.

Next time you search for a job and get offered less than you are worth, think about what I said. You are a liability and the corporation is trying to protect itself. Then think about how we got this way.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Two Minutes...

"How long do I need to put this in the microwave?" I hear this a lot and it is very disconcerting for me. The question says a lot about our future...have we been so conditioned to follow what "authority" says that we can no longer think for ourselves? Not only that but our society's laziness is put out in the open. First off the instructions are on the label of whatever crap you are cooking. By reading the label and answering that question for yourself, you are showing the world that you are one of the smart sheep. Still a sheep, but not one of the idiot, lazy sheep. There is possibly help for you yet.

I am going to give the most enlightening bit of information I think that I can give. The answer to the question at the beginning of this post is...get ready to change your life...the answer is "Until it is hot."

Now I want you to think about your first answer. If you answered "I see, that makes sense", then you may consider yourself on the path to enlightenment. If you answered "But how long is that?", there is little hope for you and you should turn in your voter card as I do not want your ignorance hurting this country any longer.

What the latter answer conveys is that you are willing to do anything that anyone tells you, including the important decisions like voting, raising a child, or consumerism. People who answered the latter will vote for the candidate with the best hair, or the cutest, or the one all their friends do. I was going to say without knowing the issues, but that would be incorrect. You will know the issues but you will consistently regurgitate the opinions of others on those opinions. Ne'er an original thought will come out of your mouth. The sad thing is that you will not even know you are a puppet.

Think things out for yourselves. This life is supposed to interactive so get involved. If you don't then you are just biding your time waiting for death. That is no way to live.

We listen to the "experts" who cannot come to a consensus on a single issue. Bottled water is the best for you, but if you drink bottled water, you are killing the environment because of what it takes to process and transport that water. How many of you thought this was some sort of revelation when the story broke? Everything seems so complicated because you are not doing any investigation for yourself, so there is no real knowledge.

The content of this post is the reason the society over reacts to a number like 517. This is the number of bicyclist who died from brain injuries (http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm). Sounds like a lot but that is .000006% of the bicyclist. Now statistics are another issue because if you do not know how to analyze this stuff, you will be led to believe what the ones who understand want you to believe. We are creating laws based on .00000206% of the population. No wonder there is a sense of entitlement in this country.

Let's put this in perspective for you. The odds of your child dying from a brain injury while riding a bike is 1 in 164410.05 while the odds of you hitting 5 numbers on the lottery and collecting $100,000 is 1 in 89677 (http://www.lottogenie.com/html/odds.html). You are twice as likely to hit 5 numbers on a 54 number lottery than you are of dying from a brain injury while riding your bike.

I don't know about you but I have never even come close to getting 5 numbers. I guess I should mention that the death figures include those who are wearing helmets; something the helmet companies don't tell you (they let you assume).

Do yourself a favor and quit regurgitating what others tell you to. C'mon 5 numbers!!!!!!!!!

Be good to one another,
Rev. Biggus

More "More Crap"

Was watching the news this morning. They were recapping the GOP campaign polls. Funny thing, there was no mention of Ron Paul. He is running for the GOP spot and somehow the media did not want to mention anything about him.

Doesn't this sound like a loophole to that equal time law? If every candidate gets equal time, the one who can garner more of the unregulated media time gets the most exposure. Of course this falls under the first amendment, but with great power comes great responsibility. The media has let us down. This is nothing new, but had to be said.

So now not only are the third party guys being stifled, but selected individuals from the two party/one goal system are being kept in the dark. Somebody doesn't want change and I am willing to bet that it is not the people of this country.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

What is good for the goose....

The link in this post (http://www.break.com/index/are-you-friggin-kiddin-me.html) takes you to a news report about FBI capabilities. All I can say is WTF!!! Yes even a Reverend says the F-word in situations as extreme as this.

The news report says that the FBI can activate the microphone on your cell phone by tapping into it on the GPS feature. Most phones today have the feature which can be turned off...no problem right. NO! The feature stays enabled for 911 calls and therefore can be traced.

Here is my beef. It is not that they can listen into my calls, because I pray that people will listen to what I have to say...they may snap out of their sheepy sleep and delusional perceptions if they listen. I am a law abiding person with nothing to hide. My problem with it is a moral one.

The government outlaws guns and is trying to outlaw all guns based on a chance. You, the reader, cannot own a gun because you may use it to do something wrong. That is the whole premise of their reasoning. I say what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The fact that they have the capability to listen my phone is good enough reason to make that technology illegal by their reasoning. They may use it to do something wrong.

Here in lies the mentality that the government sees themselves above the law. I am not talking about the law that those, you elected, create on a whim. I am talking about the right way to live (KYFHO). Now before anyone bitches about the term "you elected", I say that because the people I vote for have never been elected to office.

Also note that I delineated between laws and the right way to live. This stems from a comment made by Nancy Pelosi on that show with Chris Matthews. She was talking about the abomination of the Patriot Act and how America needed it even though the processes and procedures in it were illegal; those processes and procedures would remain illegal until they change the laws to make them legal. Talk about carte blanche. A violation of rights is still a violation if you change the laws. Laws dictate the leeway with privileges...a right is absolute and is not affected by whatever cornball law the fickle society comes up with.

If we start letting the human rights in this country fall to laws, there will be no consistency in anything. In our litigious society, laws are made to help one sector of the populace; the full intent is to better one sector without regard to the others (affirmative action, Arizona's smoking ban, etc). This selfish trend is taking over because the law makers have forgotten what a right is; in the eyes of the government, we have what we have because they allow us to have it. Sounds like slavery to me.

Be good to one another (and pass that on to your elected official before it is too late. They won't listen, but at least you can say you tried to do something about it. Too bad it is this same lackadaisical attitude that got us in this situation in the first place),

Rev. Biggus

More Crap

I was thinking about how the country is lazy. I have been watching the news and I hear "the republicans are screwing up, vote democrat!" or "the dems are screwing up, vote GOP!". They are both right, Washington D.C. is full of screw ups.

"Third parties" are a viable solution but the ones in power prey on the fear of the sheep playing the masterful game of misdirection to keep the public scared.

I could rant for hours on this subject, but I will spare you. Look into the other parties. Make your own choice instead of regurgitating your parent's or peers' opinions. You have great power with your vote...it would be irresponsible for you to just vote the way someone tells you.

The current government does not want to educate you because this is how they have been able to rape this country and its constitution for decades without resistance. I personally have had enough and my voting record shows it.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Secondhand conversation

I had an interesting conversation with a professional speaker, who speaks on the topic of drunk driving and how it affected his life. This speaker, whose name is Jim, was at an engagement where he was in the company of many other individuals whose lives were impacted by various vices. One woman had a son who was a drug addict; she was sure that her situation was the worst of the other speakers.

Background shows that Jim's son was killed by a drunk driver. This woman's son was alive but addicted to drugs. The woman made it known that her situation was the most horrible in her perception because she had no idea what to expect day to day. Jim told her that tomorrow his son would still be dead and therefore knowing what was to come was not any easier. This did nothing to sway the woman from believing that her life was still more horrible.

Jim told me that this woman was very rich which gave me an idea of what she meant by her comment. My interpretation was that this woman was thinking solely about how her son's actions negatively affected her life. There was no concern for her son, only how she was going to get along during this time of "crisis". Talk about a sense of entitlement.

The final justification posed by the woman solidified my initial theory. She had the gall to tell Jim, "You have no idea how we think!" Meaning the rich. I beg to differ. I know exactly how she thought. "I am rich and I shouldn't have to deal with this!".

This woman's true concern was how her son's actions were going to impact her financial well being. The true horror was thinking about how her son was going to cost her money whether it be through a lawsuit, an embarassment, or a killing blow to HER social status. Jesus!, her kid is still alive at least. She has the means to fix the situation but all she is concerned with is how her son is going to screw up the worlds perception of her.

This type of selfish thought is one more element of the downfall of our society. ME, ME, ME!!! I must get and keep mine by any means necessary and all other be damned! This is a sorry state in which to live. This woman disgust me.

I can imagine the conversation between this woman and her husband if her son dies in a manner that doesn't hurt their financial situation: to the public, "Oh pity me, I have lost my loving son"; to her husband, "Whew, we dodge another bullet. Thank god that worthless kid didn't embarass us."

I say, "TOO LATE". Your son has embarassed you already by showing the world your true colors. I may be a pauper in comparison, but at least I have my dignity.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Blow Me Up!!

Both men and women can learn a lot about life in general from Tom. Of course you will have to change your way of listening...

www.blowmeuptom.com

Tom Leykis is probably one of the best debators on the radio when he can keep his focus on the point and away from embarrassing his opponent. There are times when I can't stand him (most of the time, I agree whole-heartedly) but you have to give credit to the man's skills.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Not always serious

This was halarious!!!

http://watch.break.com/301187/Girl_Cant_Land/

http://yoursportsinfo.blogspot.com




Girl Cant Land - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!


Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Capital punishment

I was thinking about a comment I made in an earlier post about how Capital Punishment would be the norm instead of the exception. This got me thinking about how this could be misleading without any explanation.

The reason why I think this way is based in psychology. Gestalt would argue that a criminal is different from the law biding citizen. This would be like comparing apples to oranges. The criminal has a different perception as to what would be considered punishment than a law biding citizen.

The reapings of certain behaviors are acceptable when weighed against efforts of the sow. This is where punishment loses something in the translation. My whole philosophy is to make the punishment so undesirable that the criminal will not be willing to take the risk.

When I say criminal, I don't mean every person who has committed a crime. I mean those who are willingly and consciously doing what they know to be wrong as delineated in the spirit of humanity. Some common attributes criminals possess are the assimilation into anarchal societal structures, the gravitation to environments where power is the only thing of importance, and a tendancy for finding a way that the basic needs are met with minimal effort.

Prison is an ideal place for criminal to flourish. People say we need more prisons...well prisons do something to ease a sypmtom, when I think we should attack the problem at its causes.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Confused about '08?

I was looking through some of the other blogs to get an idea of how I should present mine. You have to be interesting for people to visit your site. What I found was a wonderful blog that is nicely crafted and provides some great information.
Visit http://allronpaul.blogspot.com/. My fellow blogger has done a great job on this site.

Not much more for today but I am only working on my second cup of coffee. More to come I am sure.

Be good to one another,
Rev. Biggus

Do your own due diligence

Legal disclaimer: This posting reflects the express concerns and ideas of the author. My name is Reverend Biggus and I approve this message.

ac·count·a·ble (ə-koun'tə-bəl) Pronunciation Key adj.
Liable to being called to account; answerable. See Synonyms at responsible.

Reference: accountability. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved May 22, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/accountability

Accountability is a real thing...it is in the dictionary. So why don't we see any willful examples of it? We are forced to accept its reality when we get caught, but until that point it seems that this concept goes by the wayside. I like to reference Metallica when talking about this issue. Listen to the song King Nothing. It talks about the norm in today's society. When things go to hell in a a hand basket, the first thing that happens is finger pointing. Integrity is a trait long gone.

Integrity is simply defined as how you act when nobody is looking. Do you do the right thing even though there is a good chance you may not get caught if you pursue the alternative? This is a loaded question because the "right thing" is a subjective term. Let me try to put it objectively...do your actions respect the rights of others even though you probably won't get caught pursuing the alternative? Another ambiguous question in our society. To answer this question one must understand the difference between a right and a privilege.

Possibly the best way to get an answer to the right vs. privilege question is listen to Michael Badnarik on http://www.wtprn.com/listen.html between 7am and 9am CST. He puts in into perspective in a matter of fact manner.

Let's get back to the topic. Accountability. Today's legal world makes its money by moving accountability from the idiot. Hence multi million dollar awards to smoker's families because of the individual's choice to put harmful materials into their bodies. The accountability was removed from the individual and placed on the industry. The argument could be made that individual didn't know that it was harmful...guess the individual should have researched it more. Let see, when I smoke I cannot run as fast; if I smoke too much my lungs hurt; when I first started smoking, it made me a bit sick. A person with common sense (and there are not many of us left) will make the determination that this is not good for me. I smoke and I know that it is bad for me. I knew this before all the warning labels and lawsuits, but wait, I have common sense. I am exercising my right to choose what I do to my body and therefore the accountability lies with me.

When I am King of this planet I will make the following disclaimers:

Treat everything you put into your body as if it is bad for you.

Treat all coffee as if it will burn you severely.

People do not have the right to be compensated for hurt feelings.

An individual acting to defend his or her person, another, or his or her property shall neutralize the threat without fear of retaliation (legal or otherwise). When that retaliation comes (and it will) repeat threat neutralization process.

Be good to one another or suffer eye for an eye punishment. Capital punishment will be the norm, not the exception.

Any interpretations other than those like mine are wrong.
_______________________________________________

Very simple. Do not question it...I am the King. Frivolous lawsuits would end badly for the plaintiff. False charges of rape would end badly for accusers. PMS and a vagina will no longer be an excuse for shitty behavior. Domestic violence will be a civil issue after the first occurance because if you stay, you will be accountable for that choice. How can I be so cruel? Because personal accountability needs to be reestablished. "But I have a right to protection". You do, so protect yourself...either remove yourself from the situation or remove the threat from the situation.

The police are nothing more than a reporting agency. They don't protect anyone. Most of the time they show up after a crime has been committed. Don't get me wrong, the police have their role, but it is not writing tickets for not wearing a seat belt. Wouldn't it be nice to never have your car stolen instead of waiting for the police to find the vehicle trashed and wait for the insurance company, etc.

We as a society have failed. We no longer instill accountability; we actually promote the sense of entitlement. This I believe is the downfall of our society. We continually lessen the standards to compensate for the underachievers so that they won't get their feelings hurt; in doing so, our achievers modify themselves to the new standard. Now the over achievers are working at a level that use to be the norm.

Can you change the behaviors of those around you? No, you can only change yours, so the accountability in dealing with this problem lies with all of us. That's too bad. Unless of course you do your own due diligence.

Silver lining? Yes, there is one. Again, it is knowledge. You must know your enemy to defeat your enemy. I know my enemy, it is lazy, greedy, and weak. Now I can manipulate it to ensure my life goes as I want.

Be good to one another,
Rev. Biggus

Good Night All

Wake up tomorrow and do something nice for someone while asking nothing in return.

So Many Things

There are so many things in this world that don't make sense to me. How I can be called a racist when someone steals from me; how free* doesn't mean free; how the Dixie Chicks can be such blatant hypocrites. We had a time when things made sense. Where did that go? How did we become a litigious society absent of all accountability.

I had a garage sale a while back. I wasn't asking much for my stuff, heck what didn't sell was going to be given to the thrift shops. Like many garage sales in the west valley, many of the patrons were mexican. I met a lot of nice people that day. I got to help a single dad get his daughter a computer to do her homework during her visitation with him on the weekend. The computer companies were not giving him this chance. I witnessed the best and the worst in people that day. I figured I would thank the mexican family I watched steal my property in a public open forum, sarcastically as it may have been. What kind of responses did I get? That I am a racist because I hate mexicans. ???? What the hell is that all about. Nowhere in my message did I say that all mexicans were thieves, yet I may as well have donned a pointy white hat.

I confirmed a theory that I had that people only perceive what they want. Are people so desperate to find an excuse for wrong in our world or is this the conditioning that plagues us as a society? Everything always ends up us against them. What happened to living in harmony? If I would have pushed the issue would I have been arrested for a hate crime because I wanted justice from a thief (notice no mention of a race involved)? It doesn't make sense to me.

I can't count the number of items I gave away free at my garage sale and most likely I would have given the items away if asked with respect. I mean truly free. Not car dealer free or email offer free or even lawyer defined free. Free* should be illegal. $100 dollars free* money deposited into your checking account for free* as long as you deposit enough money and don't touch it for a year in order for the bank to recoup many times over the cost of that $100.

My economics teacher taught me TNSTAAFL. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Companies do not give you things unless it is in their best interest. Test it out...next time something is advertised for free, try to get it by doing nothing but walking in and taking it. If it were truly free, there would be no problem. You always have to give something, whether it be a three hour seminar on the resort that promised you a free* get away or the multiple offers you must participate in to get that free* XBox that every email scammer wants to give you.

The Reverend's lesson...Nothing is free. You must work for everything you get. Whether it is purchasing the winning lottery ticket or selling your body for that next rock, you will pay something.

Most of us are good people that have lost their way but there are some out there that are just plain idiots. I worked with a guy who couldn't go a pay period without overdrawing his checking account, yet he couldn't wait until he got his 22in rims on his truck. His justification was that gas mileage and handling were better. Even though he knew that his reason was truly vanity, he would put up the facade. Was he embarrassed by his vanity? I think he was. I called this kid an idiot on many occassions and the closer we got to payday, the more attention he paid.

The Dixie Chicks are another type of idiot. Old news, I know but it is a wonderful extreme of idiocy. Natalie claimed that Toby Keith was bad for America because he wanted to put a boot in the ass of those who provoked us. Must be that whole "it takes a village to raise a child" crap. So Toby is bad for the country because a desire to pull a Red Foreman, but Natalie thinks she is a role model even though she brags about killing Earl. Disclaimer: I know that neither individual actually did these acts. I was bringing their songs into the real world to make a point. I have no doubt that even with this disclaimer, some of you will think to the contrary...read the 3rd paragraph again.

It all makes no sense to me. How can people walk this earth with blinders on? My world is so much better than what I see out there...you all should come over and enjoy it. The rules are simple...be good to one another (aka: KYFHO). Simple, eh? See you here.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Perfect example

Listening to the radio this morning revealed an abomination. The Phoenix Suns lost their series, right? There are actually people who are emailing radio stations soliciting a website, www.nbaboycott.com or something like that because they felt that the officiating was not to their liking. Their whole pretense is to get a petition with 50,000 names on it contesting the outcome of the Suns series due to poor officiating and sending it in to David Stern.

There are many things wrong with this scenario. First off, Names on a website do not equal a petition. Who knows if these names are legit? Second, the NBA boycott will work like those don't buy gas emails you hear about...everyone will be on board until it comes time to pony up. Third, this is another example of people not liking that life is not fair. Guess what, life isn't fair. If this boycott doesn't work, how far behind are the lawsuits?

There is a lot of complaining that pro sports have turned into a farce. They have because we support it. We have allowed to the loud mouthed drama queens into the sport because they are flashy, then we complain when what used to be a competition between two teams becomes a stage for a few names who garner special treatment from referees because of all the accommodations mandated by sponsors.

What the sports fan has to realize is that the influence guiding the direction of the game is money. You don't have it and the sponsors do, so who do you think is going to win that argument? Internet boycotts won't work. Fans complaining while watching the games won't change the influence. Quit watching the games and quit going to the games...that will take the money away. Quit buying the jerseys and the season passes on tv. Quit talking about doing something and do it if it makes you so mad.

If we would all follow that advice, think about how good life would be. We wouldn't have an abomination for a Constitution. We wouldn't have to be embarrassed by our literacy standards. We wouldn't have to shell out half of our earnings to support a fattened government. This is all a pipe dream though because we can't even fix ourselves. Let someone else take care of it while we complain...its the American way. Our organizations are smaller versions of our society and the current situation shows that we reap what we sow. As a society, we make a show of doing something knowing that it is ineffective because it is easy. Doing something that really makes a difference is never easy so we figure we will just let other people do that.

In my first post, I said that there was a silver lining to every cloud, so what could the silver lining be with this? The silver lining is knowledge. I know what not to do if I want to avoid becoming a sheep, which makes my life happier.

Be good to one another,

Rev. Biggus

Introduction/Therapy

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.