Tomorrow; Angie Gets Married.

I love you Angie. In approximately 19 hours you will be a married woman. I wish you the best. I pray that you will be very happy. It will not be the same around here without you. Your Mom and I will definitely miss you. Please be positive that we love you very much. Congratulations to you and Jerry. You make a great couple. Tonight at the rehearsal, it was a beautiful time. Great food, friends and family. Tomorrow will be even better. Congratulations Angie. Have a great future. I love you so much. Love, Dad

ps........I remember when you were around 3 years old, you used to like to ride with me to church in my old blue Ford Ranger. You really enjoyed sitting on the bed of the truck because it had a camper shell. You are/were so special. ILY, Dad

Thank you Welles, You Are A Hero

He could have easily exited the building after United Airlines Flight 175; hijacked by Islamic terrorists; hit one of the twin towers. If he had just gotten himself to a safe place, to escape death, who would have faulted him? He could have easily done it. No, this courageous young man chose a different route. He chose to save lives. He exited and entered the building at least 3 times.....to help evacuate trapped victims. He died when he entered the building one last time before it collapsed taking the lives of firefighters....and Welles. Welles Crowther was not a firefighter or a police officer. He was an investment banker. Nine years ago today; he helped save 18 lives. Somehow; at this moment; I am not very interested in hearing the political rhetoric surrounding this tragic event. I prefer to just take a few moments and think about the unselfishness of this young man. Does he not deserve our thoughts and rememberances?

The Bureaucrat (Part 2)

His first rule is "I must keep my job." Actually, how can I blame him for that? Nevertheless, his motivation is not service, necessarily, it is what I just mentioned, and his actions allude to that. "I must please my supervisor" is his motto. Honesty is not something that plays an essential role. It is only important if it can make him look good or possibly get him a promotion. Transparency is not a concept that he embraces. He loves his privacy. He loves his job. He is a bureaucrat. What do the guidelines say? What is the standard operational procedure?
What do the regulations say? He knows what they say. He is aware that some are being violated. But he says nothing. Why? The violations are advantageous to several of his supervisors. He "knows nothing about it." He is a "by the book guy," with some exceptions. He may be aware that some of the regulations do not apply for certain circumstances, therefore some of the violations will not be noticed or discussed. Nevertheless, he will do everything to keep himself in the clear, in case something "comes down." Certain things must just be ignored. They must not be presented. They must not be discussed. To him; honesty is just sometimes the best policy. He can defend his position. He is a bureaucrat.

Bato Loco

He was a true "Bato Loco" therefore he didn't live very long. Sometimes they call him an O G. Sure, he may look the part, dress the part, and even talk the part; but image is not that important to him. He is a world apart. He is not afraid of the police. He is crazy. He is angry. He is bitter. Since self-preservation is not necessarily a high priority, he is at times considered a man of courage. He is armed. He is dangerous. He has killed men before. He is willing to do it again. He is an ex-convict. He quit school when he was in junior high. He has never set foot on a college campus. To him it would represent a betrayal to his "commitment." Commitment to what? To embrace something that has nearly killed him, but that he feels comfortable with. Yes, it is a life of confusion. It is a life of solitude. But it is the life he has chosen. He could not even be in a gang, in or out of prison, "I do my own time," he said. "He is weird, but don't mess with him," some convicts would say. He does not like authority, and that includes gang authority. As a convict He had spent months in the "hole." Life in society did not agree with him. He had been released from prison for about two weeks, when one night he robbed a 7-11, he shot and killed a clerk. The police saw him in the parking lot. He hid behind a car and started shooting at them. He had two pistols but he soon ran out of ammo. The police told him to surrender. He actually threw his guns at them. All the shots fired at him had missed him. He selected one police officer and charged him with a knife. There were 3 squad cars and 6 officers at the scene. This is odd. Although he was shot multiple times, He managed to throw his knife at one of the officers. It penetrated the officer's bullet proof vest, but it did not harm the officer. The bato loco obviously died at the scene. A great teacher once said: "He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword."

Gangsters Are Not Tough

Most gangsters are self-centered, ignorant, confused and pathetic individuals. If they were tough, they would not seek out other losers like them. The gang image gives them a form of security. It does not work too well when they are alone. They are not tough when they are by themselves. If they are so tough, why do they carry guns? Are they tough without their guns? Sometimes they are not even tough when they are with their gang. They are cowards by themselves and they are cowards with the gang. They hide. They run away. Too many of them are confused. They think disrespect is valor. They do things in secret because they are cowards. "I'll die for my homies," is a lie. Afraid to look for a job. Afraid to talk to people. Sometimes it is just a youthful indiscretion. They change. They must change. The gangster life is not the life to live. It is for losers and the fearful. Who wants that? Gangsters are not tough. Most just don't have any people skills and/or moral parameters. They can change........if they want to.

Charles Albert Tindley

Charles Albert Tindley was born a slave in the state of Maryland in 1851. At the age of 5 he witnessed his mother receive a severe whipping by their owner. She died while being held in his small arms. His father was sold and he never saw his father again. Tindley had never learned to read. It was forbidden for a slave to know how to read. Around the age of 14 he was emancipated. When asked what he would like to do, he answered; "I would like to go to Church." Someone then asked him: "Of all the places you can go; you want to go to Church"? Someone gave him a Bible. He thanked them, but told them he could not read. Some say he taught himself how to read. Others say some Church ladies taught him how to read. As time went on; Tindley had a life changing experience with God. By the age of 17, he knew how to read and write. He was a driven young man. He worked as a janitor while attending night school in order to earn his divinity degree through a correspondence course. In 1902, he became Pastor of the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Penn., the Church where he had earlier been the janitor. At the time of Tindley's death, that Church had 12,500 members. It was the largest Church on the East Coast. During his lifetime, Tindley wrote over 70 hymns. "I'll Overcome Some Day" is the basis for the American Civil rights Anthem: "We Shall Overcome," that was popular during the decade of the 60s. I am of the opinion that this former slave and child of slaves became a great man. His biography should be on the list as one of the options of required reading for every secondary school student in the United States. Look at his life. Look at what he had to overcome.

A Mosque At Ground Zero?

I visited New York City in 2007. I think it is a beautiful place. Much culture, much art, much history, much population and many businesses, skyscrapers and an excellent public transportation system. We visited Ground Zero in Manhattan. I was impressed as well as depressed when I saw where the great Twin Towers once stood. I might be wrong, but I concluded that the people responsible for this travesty/tragedy involving the destruction of lives and property were people who do not come from places that have skyscrapers, subways, opportunity and freedom. The Twin Towers were destroyed because of jealousy. The jealousy of the destroyer. Will a Mosque really be built there? I have 6 questions. Is Islam a threat to America's freedom? Does Islam tolerate other religions? Does Islam tolerate the evangelization of non-Christians by Christians? Does Islam tolerate freedom of speech and the press? Would it be as easy to have the construction of an evangelical Christian Church be accepted by local civic authorities as it was for the Mosque? Is the construction of a Christian Church back to back with a Mosque a viable idea? Incidently; there are over 100 Mosques in New York City.