The Darwin Award Goes To… February 1, 2009

Sometimes, I like to sit in my underwear at the computer and just write about “things”. You know, stuff that just runs through your mind. The news will sometimes be my catalyst for writing on a topic. I read with much dismay about the family that exited this world through the help of “dad” and his gun. Dad comes home, gets his gun and puts a bullet in the head of his kids and wife with the thought that there’s a better world other than the one we live in. He robs himself, his wife and kids of knowing the future. What if his son was to be the next President of the United States or his daughter a physician? What if his other son went on to become a football champ or was even just a regular guy (a nobody) who worked at the local 7-11 and fathered four children – the murderous dad’s future grandchildren. I guess we’ll never know.

This is a case of suicide, some do it in the privacy of their home and others do it publicly. Some even take others with them, as they’re afraid to go into the unknown alone. Men will often kill themselves with guns, while women will take the “pill” approach. I don’t know how many people have ever contemplated suicide but, I bet the number is up there. Even if someone has ever had a fleeting thought of killing themselves (or others), it’s usually just a fleeting thought. Some wish others were dead until they found out the person died. You know, that “I wish so and so would just drop dead” and then they magically do? It happens.

How about those times when you wish you were dead and then all of sudden get a few chest pains and panic? You go to the hospital and find out is was just indigestion and then count your lucky stars. You chalk up the experience to that of a close call and now you won’t tempt fate in the future:-)

Have you ever had a moment when you just wondered if I wasn’t here, where would I be? It’s a deep contemplative moment that we might have but, shove it to a file drawer in the back of  our minds, as the thought of where we would be (if we weren’t here) is a bit too deep. What if all the oxygen got sucked off the planet tomorrow or all of the water was gone? What if an asteroid hit the Earth tonight and obliterated all of us to kingdom come? How about the Earth falling off its axis or the moon disappearing or better yet, the sun explodes? Happy thoughts huh? No, just wondering what would happen if we all knew we had 24 hours left on this planet and how people would react. Would we run to be with our families or stay put? We might call a bunch of people to say good-bye but, most of us would get that “circuits are busy” message and the usual “try your call again later“. However, later just might be too late.

Tonight, fifteen people in China won the Darwin Award when they blew themselves up by shooting off fireworks on a table (in a nightclub) to celebrate a birthday. One would think that everyone knows that it’s not a good idea to shoot off roman candles indoors when there’s a ceiling over your head. So, the angels came down and picked up another 15 souls – cause of death – stupidity. If it wasn’t so sad, it would actually be funny.

No, it’s funny and stupid at the same time. How many stupid things do people do without the intention of killing themselves – accidental suicide we’ll call it. In Florida, you don’t need a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Now, maybe the State of Florida thinks that no one would be so stupid as to drive a motorcycle without a helmet. Guess what? They’re wrong. There’s a highway a few miles from where I live and I can’t count how many 20 year olds have gotten on their crotch rockets and have raced down that highway at 100+ MPH. One kid hit a garbage truck so hard and so fast, there was nothing left of him to pick up but itsy-bitsy pieces. A few weeks later a fellow from the neighborhood picked up a brand new Harley. One problem, he had never driven a motorcycle before and on his way home from the dealership, he died in a motorcycle accident.

In Florida, the old west is alive and well. You can put a handgun in your car and keep it in your home or office – at the ready. Go to buy a gun in Florida and there’s just a three-day waiting period. The gun shop owner told me it’s a “cooling off” period. What if the person buying that gun is NOT cooled off in three days? On day four - he or she just might decide to unload their problems on an unsuspecting soul. You can set controlled fires in Florida and if some will remember (a few years ago), you could drive down route 4 in what could only be described as a thick fog, as a controlled fire got out of control.

What about car inspections in Florida? We’ll if emissions are ever to be controlled don’t look to Florida in leading the pack, as if you can start it, you can drive it! I saw a pick- up truck last week driving down Dale Mabry with six guys in the back, a tail light dragging in the road making sparks, black smoke coming out the back and of course, the guys in the back were drinking a six-pack on their way to work.  That’s about ten future Darwin Awards for that group alone:-)

Yes, life could end tomorrow if we make the wrong turn, are in the wrong place at the wrong time, buy fireworks (which seem to be as readily accessiable in Florida as a can of pop) and blow oursleves up or, simply stay at home and watch the Super Bowl:-) Then again, I just might go to church and count my blessings:-)

Gotta Love Family… January 31, 2009

Let me start off by stating that I’m an Obama supporter. No doubt, I read this morning that his half brother George was arrested in Kenya on possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. George’s first call was to CNN and NOT to the White House. This raises the question of how strong the “family unit” is within the Obama circle. Now, I’m going to go on a personal journey in this entry, as I have a few things in common with this story (sans marijuana), as it pertains to divorce, death and father’s who remarry and start new families.

I have four half-brothers and one half-sister from my father’s previous five marriages. He separated from my mother just before I was born. Mom moved my brother and I to New York City and she made a life for herself as an executive secretary to a well-known architect. After a few years, she met another man, got remarried and we moved to the suburbs. In the meantime, my biological father was already on marriage number two. As in some cases, for those born in the mid 1950’s, “secrets of the past” are sometimes left unspoken. In my case, I was totally unaware that my father (mom’s second marriage) was NOT my biological father. I went through life (into my early 20’s) thinking that the man who raised me was indeed my bio-dad.

Then came the day my brother was to be married and that’s when the “secrets of the past” began to surface quickly. My brother needed to be told that he was NOT who he thought he was (in name – for twenty-five years) as he needed to be legally married and as he was not legally adopted by our stepfather, he was simply using the last name of our stepfather (as I had) for years without knowing that our mother had been divorced and remarried.

Our stepfather was a pretty powerful figure in our lives and in the corporate world. He had 100’s of employees and was a pretty stern fellow – all the way around. He was also very bright and decided that when he married a woman with two children, a few things had to be cleaned up before, during and after his marriage to our mother.

First, there were the birth certificates with the biological father’s name written on them, they had to go, so, the story is told that when were we one and two years of age, the New York apartment caught on fire and all of the important documents (like Birth Certificates) went up in flames.

Next, we could not go through life without a legal identity and dad had already thought this one through. He arranged to have us baptized and issued Baptismal Certificates. Let’s keep in mind that back then everything was on paper and one could get a driver’s license with a Baptismal Certificate if they did not present a Birth Certificate. However, one other piece paper worked in conjunction with the Baptismal Certificate and that was a Social Security Card, which acted as a second form of identification. With Baptismal Certificate in hand, we went to the Social Security Office (at age 14) to pick up our SSN cards and then with those two pieces of I.D. picked up our driver’s permits at age 17. Again, back then no one asked questions like “where’s your Birth Certificate?” It was the perfect storm to create the perfect storm 6 years later.

So, my brother falls head over heels for a beautiful woman, pops the question and she gives him the resounding “yes” tears and all. Mom and dad were none to happy with his choice in mates and they did whatever they could do to discourage the marriage. However, my brother was set in his ways and was not going to be told who to spend the rest of his life with (his mind was made up).

A few months after the marriage announcement, I was going to Germany for a three-month internship and needed to get a passport. Dad told me he would take care of getting the passport but, I decided to go get it on my own. Armed with Birth Certificate, DL and SSN card, I headed on over to the post office and they told me I needed a birth certificate, so, I got in the car and drove 75 miles to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. I presented all of my information to the clerk. As the clerk walked up to the counter (with birth certificate in hand), she asked me if I was sure of my last name. Huh?

She didn’t want to hand over the certificate. She told me to go home and talk to my parents. Now, I’m over eighteen years of age and knew I had a right to have it in my hands and I reminded the clerk that I had such a right. She reluctantly handed over the certificate and all the information was correct except for one minor detail. The name of my father was not correct. I looked up at the clerk and told her there must be some mistake and she informed me that all the information matched up except for the father’s name. I paid my few dollars for an original copy of the certificate and headed home to mother.

No doubt, many things ran through my mind during that very long ride home. My biological father had been in the marines and I wondered if he was killed in action. Interesting that my first thought of a father, I never knew, was that he was a hero of some kind and the thought that he died for my country gave me a feeling of both pride and sorrow. I could forgive my mother for the “secrets of the past” if my bio-dad had died in action and she re-married for reasons like love. However, there never seemed to be much love around our household growing up. The word was seldom used by father and always bestowed by mother. When I got home and confronted mom with the certificate, she  told me to go see my father. Interesting that she passed the buck back to step-dad.  

So, I get in the car and drive to his office and we got to lunch. He was an all business type fellow and this revelation needed to be handled at a lunch meeting. When I presented him with the facts, he denied it all. In fact, he denied it five times and then I pulled out the birth certificate and he turned a bit pale. He told me to go home and talk to my mother about it. OK, the buck goes back to mom.

Mom had a sorted tale of betrayal, denial and a few other things I won’t go into. What I found out is that the cover-up began before I was born so, what was the harm in not knowing? In other words, I was in the womb during the divorce wars and sheltered by the fluid of love.

In a nutshell (a large one) I find out bio-dad is alive and well, living 50 miles from our home. He was in the marines but, left after his first tour of duty (no hero), he was married and divorced five times since his marriage to mom. He had fathered a brood to rival any Mormon and his chosen profession was that of a plumber. One condition of his divorce (from mom) was that he would not have to pay child support if he stayed away. Nice deal if you can get and he took the deal, however, I learned (in later years) that he would drive up once a month to watch his two kids playing the front yard of their nice big house.

Yes, we came from money and he did not. We got all the perks that he could not provide and this was one of many reasons mom bolted from the first marriage.

After the long sorted stories, I knew there would be much more to learn, however, I was asked not to tell my brother what I had learned, as they planned to sit him down in a month and tell him themselves. Remember, the nuptials were close at hand but, my brother could not be married until he was legal.

Thirty days to the day, mom and dad sit my brother down and break the news. He goes nuts, storms out of the house and all goes to hell in a hand basket. Now, mom and dad did one thing I just can’t forgive them for and that’s when they told my brother that I had found out that step-dad was not bio-dad a month before. To this very day, 30 years later, he still does not talk to me. I guess add an extra does of betrayal to “all-out betrayal” and one can’t get over it.

Both mom and dad die (30 days a part) 10 years ago and we attend funerals and memorials, but, my brother and I never communicate again. Bio-dad on the hand, has his own story of what happened and I meet him a number of times, go through the hugs and kisses (expected) and then we drift apart, never to meet again.

Here’s where the story gets interesting:-) While mom and dad are slumbering in their crypts and my brother does not talk to me, my half-brothers and sister become my family. You see, while bio-dad was out producing broods, the half brothers and sister were also going through divorces and marriages (and betrayal). In the end, all we had were the “loose ends” the kids left behind to fend for themselves in this quagmire of deception. No, none of my fellow half-siblings knew I existed until my early twenties (when I showed up on their door-steps). With the advent of Facebook, I’m sure there’s more of us about the place and I’m still searching the past for clues and plan to put a family tree together - with broken branches:-)

This brings us to Obama’s brother George (where we started). Nothing is ever what it may seem to be and I can see why George reached out to CNN, as opposed to his half-brother. Obama should keep in mind that bio-dad’s have a way of creating their own reality and that “reality” is NOT always shared with (or by) the half-siblings. The beliefs of the bio-dad are NOT always shared with the children and the stories are varied in both number and facts, as to the why and how bio-dad leaves mom and then easily moves on to the next womb.

George is reaching out to one of the most powerful men in the world – his brother. Yes, he’s a half-brother but, his brother nonetheless. Maybe he did get caught with marijuana and he wanted to be picked up in order to reach out. No doubt, he’s an attention-getter. Again, there’s always a back-story and each side has their own “truths”. Hopefully, George and Obama will come together and share their own “truths” with each other. Foregoing George and Obama having their own intervention, I’m sure the story will eventually unfold through the tabloids, a book or a movie of the week. Gotta love family:-)

Indian Casino’s – A Bane on Mankind… January 6, 2009

Harrah's Tampa, Florida

I’ve been reading a few horror stories about the elderly (in Florida) who are losing their homes and proverbial shirts at Indian casino’s – namely, the Harrah’s Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida.

There can be NO doubt that allowing the Hard Rock to escalate its bingo games to that of real Vegas style slot machines, not to mention, table games - is taking its toll on the elderly, the impoverished and lower class of the greater Tampa area. I don’t know what the Governor was thinking when he approved and/or made deals with the Seminoles to open up their little Vegas getaways (other than he figured he use the losses from the elderly and impoverished to balance the budget of Florida).

Harrah's Cherokee Casino

I have read a few articles that have stated that the Hard Rock  monitors its players and will pull them aside and counsel them if they (the Indians) perceive the patron may have a gambling problem. However, I’d like to know how many patrons they have actually pulled aside. I’ll bet (a bet) that you can count the number of patrons counseled for problem gambling  – on your fingers and toes. Let’s face it! No one is going to admit to any type of addiction unless they hit rock-bottom, when it may be too late. How many horror stories have we heard (or read) where an elderly person has mortgaged their home to gamble? How many have committed suicide, as they could not tell their children what they had done? Seems to me that if anyone has committed suicide due to a gambling problem then NO ONE is offering any counseling for these people.

Ban Casino Gambling In Florida

The State of Florida has the lotto, which is draining their citizens pockets and they have now introduced Powerball – where does it stop? How about a slot machione at every gas station and convenience store in the state? People buy lotto and Powerball tickets, as they’re tired and poor. They’re looking to cash in on a  dream, which essentially becomes a nightmare for themselves and their community. They lose everything they have and then claim bankruptcy or “off” themselves, as they’re done in this world and think that moving on to the next - is their only option. They do NOT seek out help, as they’re too afraid to admit they have a problem.

Gambling - A Cause of Death

Now, what do the casinos do to rope these poor souls in? Let’s see, they send them coupons for free play, which is anything but! They offer points for play (an incentive, which should be illegal),  they offer them gifts, discounts and free shows and events. In order to make the process of accessing money convenient, they have ATM machines all about the place and let people take money off their credit cards and will even let them write checks! They’ll even give you a credit line to drag you further down into the abyss of debt.

Florida's Seniors Most at Risk!

To top it all off, they have introduced penny slot machines – another B.S. ploy to play with the minds of their players (remember, pennies add up).

If that’s not good enough, they offer drawings for cars and cash on specific dates and times (specifically, when they know floor traffic counts will decerase). This has got to stop if this economy is to get back on track! If Harrah’s thinks they have an argument that they employ thousands of people – guess what? Yes, they employ people in the State of Florida at minimum wage! They have slaves working for them and have conned the American public into becoming slaves to their massive money machines. In most cases, Americans can drive one hour to get to a gambling establishment in this country and this is NOT acceptable.

Here’s what President Obama should do to clean this mess up:

a. Make it illegal to allow ATM machines in casinos.

b. Make it illegal for them perform credit advances on credit cards. In most cases, the patrons are paying high fees to access these funds, which they lose!

c. Make it illegal to offer incentives in exchange for gambling. No rewards programs should be allowed.

d. Make it illegal for casinos to send emails, letters, invitations and coupons to established or prospective customers.

e. Make it illegal to allow any casino to advertise on television or through mass media.

f. Make them establish “monitored” counseling programs for problem gamblers.

e. If a patron lives within 25 miles of any casino, they should only be allowed to enter that casino once in a 30-day period. The casinos can use those comp cards they pass out to monitor residential patrons. In Aruba, they have strict controls for their residents as to keep their citizens from gambling away their life savings. Aruba controls it POVERTY level with this program.

g. If casino’s do not monitor their patrons and it is found that an elderly person has maxed out their credit cards or have filed for bankruptcy, the casino should pay back every single penny to the patron – if it is found that the individual was NOT monitored nor counseled. One could look at this as a fine for failure to comply item F.

h. Credit card companies MUST stop allowing cash advances through casino cashier windows.

i. Banks should NOT honor checks made payable to casino’s under any circumstances.

j. Make it illegal for casino hosts to contact patrons. In most cases, they use buzz words and offer show tickets and free rooms to entice the “weak” into losing more money. Casino hosts may be one the lowest forms of life (career wise) on this planet.

k. Do not allow alcohol to be served to any patron who’s gambling – common sense on this one.

l. Make it illegal for any gaming company to manage an Indian casino. The size of the casino should be determined based upon the number of those who will work at the casino. In other words, Indians should NOT be allowed to grab some land and head over to a large casino management firm and cut a deal and live off residuals. If a tribe does NOT have enough members to operate a casino (or the funds), then they should be shown the door.

Pissing Money Away at Casino's

Now, think about it? Americans are paying outrageous interest on credit card debt acquired through gambling in casino’s. OK, I’m not the Governor but, I have brain and the billions being earned by the few - via the misery of millions - is simply wrong! If this country is to get OUT of debt and be prosperous, Americans have to say NO to gambling. Americans have to get back to basics. If you want to PISS your money away, think (first) about giving it to a good charity or, feed the homeless, however, don’t walk into another casino and PISS it away for nothing! You’re not helping anyone other than those who think they’re entitled to claim they have sovereign land.

Children, with parents in their 60’s on up - should be talking to their moms and dads and making sure they’re not pissing away money at a local casino. You have to take matters into your own hands, as mom and dad may spending your inheritance. They may also be contemplating putting the family car in the garage, starting it up and offing them themselves! Don’t think this happens? It does! Do some research on-line and you’ll find all sorts of horror stories.

While I’m NOT an advocate of alcohol abuse, I will say that a person with a drinking problem is limited to what they can do. When they drink too much, they simply pass out, however, when a person has a gambling problem, there’s no end in sight – until they’re broke. Add a drinking problem with a gambling problem and you have the ultimate addiction.

If we really want to get this country back on track – gambling has to be controlled and regulated to the extreme. No, the casino’s won’t like what’s written on this blog and that’s just too bad as they’ve been busy pillaging the pockets of the elderly, low income families and targeting the most vulnerable of our society – the POOR!

One last word…

Regulate ALL Indian Casino's

How many Indians do you see at Foxwoods in Connecticut? As Trump once said “not many” and he’s right on target. How many billions has Foxwoods earned and how much have they served up to other tribes in this country (the POOR once again come into the equation) not too many. They help themselves. As for the Indians, those who own casino’s, have made their fair share for past transgressions. If you don’t share your wealth with ALL other tribes, then you should be shut down – period. As for Americans, go check out just how “saved” Indian casino owners actually are. Those operating multi-billion and multi-million dollar casino’s get their prescription drugs from the Federal Drug Supply including, subsidies. For the elderly and poor, next time you go into one of these casino’s and think of putting one thin dime in a machine, ask yourself who’s going to SAVE you when you’re OUT OF MONEY!