Baltimore

This is an angry rant post.  This is my opinion.  And most of you are not gonna like it.  But I am tired, tired, really tired, of reading everyone speculating and making scapegoats and focusing on completely the wrong issues of the riots.

For those of you who do not know, either because you don't live in the United States (most likely this issue is only important in the media here anyway) or because you do the sensible thing and ignore media (I wish I could do the same) Baltimore is to some degree depending on who you ask, in open riots and depending on who you ask, with varying degrees of violence.

The media has done what it can to gain money and ratings from the sorrows of the people in this City which could be the basis of a blog post in its own right, but that is not what I will be talking about today.  No instead, I will point out who really, really is to blame, and trust me, its the elephant in the room that everyone is willfully or not ignoring.

Its not Congress, its not Obama, its not even really the police, or the gangs of the City of Baltimore that are really to blame for this conflict.  Just like in Ferguson, it is the plutocrats, the wealthy capitalist overlords that the great George Carlin always reminded the American people actually controlled this country, and trust me, they still do as he points out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q

I highly recommend watching this as it may help you wake up and realize the true significance of the civil unrest.

Lots of people are parading right now, that these people are "entitled" that they think they have earned something and that's why they are rioting, and to some degree its true, they are entitled, just like you, me and everyone else is entitled.  If you don't believe that you are entitled, then take a step back and try again.  No need to delude yourself further.  Take the veil from your eyes now.

Now, back to the issue at hand, Baltimore is rioting right now.  And this is a cycle that has happened in the world for far longer than even the Jewish faith as we know it has existed. (so more than 5000 years)

Economics looks like this:  First an era of money flowing, the economy does well, then people start getting greedy at the top, they only want happiness for themselves, not for the rest, so then the economy crashes due to their flamboyant actions.  Life becomes hard for just about, everyone except of course, for those responsible for life becoming hard.  Next there becomes a wave of scapegoats.  In America, depending on who you ask, its the Jews, or the Muslims, or the Atheists, or the Christians, or the Republicans, the Democrats, Obama, Boehner,  the list is endless.

Now here is the kicker, this is once again a tactic of these wealthy rulers to keep the regular man divided against his fellow man.  But this does not last forever.  Now as Baltimore is demonstrating, people get fed up eventually.  When an entire group feels like they have been thrown overboard by the world, they turn to the most primal emotion (outside of fear) that the Human body is capable of:  Hate.  And hate is very powerful, just like other primal emotions associated with it.  This hate fuels the fires that turn to riots.

The next stage is a crossroads of sorts where one of two things will occur.  For this next phase to occur, more riots will happen, and I assure you THEY WILL HAPPEN.  Once the rioting has gotten to the point where the nation is grounded to a halt, then the rulers, the true rulers of this country will be forced to make a choice.

They can instigate another war with our enemies abroad, and send the emotionally charged men and women to fight for the country to vent the anger.  While the war occurs, the economy will magically fix itself.  The reason for this is because eventually some of those soldiers will be returning home (victory or defeat is irrelevant for this example) and if the wealthy don't want to be shot next, they better be able to keep these soldiers happy when they return.  America saw this occur with World War II where the depression magically went away when America joined the fighting.

There is another alternative, and I fear for this nation if instead we choose this far darker path.  Instead, the elites decide that they don't want to give up any of their power at all, and they will start using their superior weapons and the armies of the country to attack civilians and cow the entire nation into peace.  There has yet to be a time in history where this has worked.  Instead, what occurs is serial escalation where the civilian population uses those same weapons right back.  In this case, true anarchy really will descend upon America and in the end, we will not look to different than Syria looks right now.
Even worse, there is always a chance that a lunatic like this guy shows up:
and full blown Psychopaths thrive in Anarchy.  Once someone like the Joker (and trust me, these people are real) takes command of the rioting masses, Isis in some form really will come to America.  It doesn't have to be Muslim or Christian or Atheist.  The motive doesn't matter, what matters is that the violence will get much much worse.  The group won't even be Isis, just another extremist group that murders for fun, in a dire reflection of the one running the show.

So to end this rant off.  The violence will spread.  It will get worse.  And to the wealthy who may be reading this:  I send a dire warning to you.

Just as you work hard to live paycheck to paycheck, these people, the poor, work hard just to survive.  You both need each other and one one group ignores the other, both will suffer for it in the end.

When the poor understand that they significantly outnumber the rich, they will torch and burn in rage.  Hate does not mean logical at all.  And I promise this wealthy elites of the world.  If they angry masses come to you in rage, they will care about your life just as much as you cared about theirs.

I hope this country learns its severe economic error before it is too late, but a a cynic, I have already reserved my front row seat to watch the show.

Nepal Earthquake

I decided I should put in my two cents into this issue while it is still fresh in our minds (IE before the Media creates a new crisis of the week for us to focus on) Nepal was hit by a massive Earthquake that has destroyed a large swath of the country, ended countless lives (more than 3000 deaths at the time of writing this post) and the lives lost are increasing.  Families have also become separated in the destruction.

Despite this, the world has responded, and not with more violence.  It is when thee types of disaster occur, when horrific tragedies on a scale such is this happen, that it is then, and only then, that the little faith I have left in the human race is renewed.

When disaster strikes, then and only then, is the true extent of Human kindness unlocked.  Countries from the around the world like Israel, The United States and many countries in Europe are doing what they can to help lesson the suffering of those in Nepal.

What I ask then from any who read this is simple.  Do not let what Ozymandias preached in Watchman prove to be true.  We should not as a species, need a crisis outside of our control that brings society to a crashing halt to bring good to the world.  We need to bring light to the darkness instead of reacting to this very same darkness.

Be that light today.  Don't wait for others to show good.  In this world of follow the leader, the only Shepard in this flock are sociopaths, so be the new Shepard and teach the flock to think for themselves.

To My Mother

Today I am in a sentimental mood.  Its also my Mother's birthday.  So this blog post is dedicated to her.

I was born with Autism and could not speak until around the age of 4 years old. (Yes hard to believe) But through the efforts of my Mother, a champion for having her child with Autism live a normal life, I was able to speak and as you all know, quickly surpassed most of my peers in that department.

I also had a learning disability when I was young, but once again, my mother turned that around.  when I was young, I hated reading, but due to the hard work of my Mom, I discovered I was just reading the wrong material.  (Along with my Grandmother, she is the reason I write Science Fiction today)

Doctors told her time and time again that I would never be able to function like a normal person and she was out from day one to prove them wrong.  And did she!  Now I live in Florida on my own with at the time of this post, two jobs, one additional job that I just put my two weeks notice in for, and an additional freelance job where I write articles.  I'm certainly doing better than many of my peers.

My mother is half way across the country from me now, but there is not a day that I lack  thinking about her.  Recently, I drove up to Carbondale, Illinois to visit her as well as my two brothers.  She was just as happy to see me as I was to visit her.

Today is her Birthday, and even though I am more than 1000 miles away from her, I made sure to remind her that I am her child and love her.  I called her this morning, taking advantage of being in a timezone one hour ahead of her own to be one of the first to wish her a Happy Birthday.

So on this birthday Mom, know that I love you.  Know also that despite how difficult I am, know that you are the best, and the Cool Mom.

Thank you for being there for me for the last 25 years of my life.  Have the greatest day ever!

The Giant Space Flea From Nowhere

Anyone who has played a video game quickly pictured one of these bosses the moment they read the title of the blog post.  The Giant Space Flea from no where is normally a sign of poor game design where the creators knew they needed a boss fight as is normal in video games as you approach the end of a level or an objective, but rather than have a story based battle, one of these happens instead.

Its a pet peeve of mine.  As a writer, I take great pride in characters I create, both heroes and villains (and those above such simple systems)  When a fight against a random monster with no relevance to the plot appears, it makes me upset.  I understand that a couple of these are needed otherwise there will be either too many characters that end up as bosses, or the player will end up fighting the same characters over and over again. (Tales of the Abyss I'm looking at you)

Some games do a great job of making the mix between the two types of bosses (Random and story based)  Notable examples include Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, and Tales of Symphonia.  A more recent newcomer that did a fantastic job of averting this problem is Legend of Zelda Skyward  Sword, which is quite an accomplishment when you remember that Zelda is filled with Giant Space Flea From Nowhere for much of the early games.

Still maybe I'm just being too nitpicky.  After all, I focus on the story aspect of Video Games.  Perhaps I should focus more on a battle from a good game play perspective.  After all, there are plenty of random bosses that present good challenges, and many story based fights that are nothing more than giant disappointments.

Training: New Athletic Goals

T3 is now behind me, but my journey to be in ever better shape has just begun.  Now that I have survived this tough trial, its time to look ever forward into what I plan to do next. 

Right at the front, my goal, one that I set before I even ran T3 was to do a marathon in all 50 states.  I am aware of races in many states that will allow me to get closer to my goal, but not all.  Also there is the thought that compared to T3, a marathon may be too easy on its own.  This means I will likely be training for long distances with a rucksack to pose a more true challenge relative to my abilities.

Another on the list of challenges I plan to complete is a triathlon.  However that requires a few more steps before I am quite ready.  This type of race requires competency in both cycling and swimming as well as running which I seem to have down fairly well at this point.  But cycling, first I will have to practice with a physical cycle as the bike at the gym is limited in what it can help me with.  A potential job is on the horizon, one that allows me to make use of the nearby Sunrail, and once I posses a bike, I can use it as a workout to and from work.  A win win.

There is also the challenge of the swimming portion of the race.  As T3 showed me, my swimming skills need some serious work.  I guess this is a good time to remember I live in Florida.  There are near infinite numbers of pools to make use of to increase my proficiency in the water.

There is of course the Tough Mudder, as well as Ultra Beast.  These are the races that are considered important for any aspiring Spartan Runner.  T3 has prepared me for these events and so long as I continue to train and stay healthy, these races are possible for me to finish as well.

The final goal for my training is the one that is the most important to me and the one that most greatly reflects my quality of life as a whole.  The ability to participate in any of these races or any of the countless other ones around the world without the fear of where my next meal will come from due to money expenditure or the struggle of taking off work for an event that can truly make a difference in my life.  The chance at really having freedom is more than just me being healthy, its about me finding a place in the world I can accept myself in.

Watch my progress and learn about the many opportunities of the team I run with as one of their Regiment Elites at Regimentrunning.com

A Mistake I keep Making

Lets face it, the title of this blog post gives away that I'm gonna be honest about myself here. (Or completely naive.  I'll leave that up to you to decide) There have been a couple periods in my life where I was a complete terror to deal with.  Times in  my life where I could not care about anyone else in my life.  Times where my suffering felt so severe that I was completely numb and maybe even a little dead on the inside.

In those times of dire need, people who have done nothing but be incredible individuals have done everything in their power to help me.  In a few of those cases they are one of the few things standing between me and losing myself completely.  Perhaps even stopping me from making a choice I would regret for the rest of my life (or the lack of a life.  Put two and two together.)

Even worse though, sometimes, my bitterness, intense cynicism, great jadedness, and overwhelming negativity have pushed away those most willing to help me.  I will admit as tears stream down my face, that this is becoming more difficult to write as I put each letter on the page.

As I still grapple with the lasting effects of one who has lived so long with depression, I find myself always looking backwards at things I regret.  Of people I want to make it up to.  People I desperately need to apologize to.  People I have wronged that deserved nothing but kindness from me.

In most of the cases, there is still time for me to make amends, still time for me to inform these people how much good they have done for me when I was lost in the darkness.  But because I was deep in this overwhelming void, I managed to attack friend and foe at times.

But, in a few of the cases, either due to tragedy or the natural order of things, some of these individuals no longer walk the earth.  In this case, while I can continue to live the life I have in part to these individuals, I will never get a chance to thank them for all the effort they put in, and even more so, the sacrifices they made to their sanity in trying to help me when I was at my lowest.  Lets be honest, those who know me well realize that I'm not an easy person to deal with even now.  So think about what a delusional screaming and very depressed me must be like dealing with on a constant basis.  Its not pretty.

At this point, I want to name some of these exceptional individuals who did nothing but show me kindness, and I shoved them away.  This is one of my greatest regrets.  While I can strive to be a better person every day, there is no mistaking that I have shoved some of those who deserved nothing but love and kindness for all the hard work they put in to help me ensure I am who I am becoming today.

Rest In Peace Jeff Hoke, Joe Rembusch, Rosie Williams, and the countless others who have tried to help me become the best person I could be, despite the fact that I selfishly pushed them away.  I am so sorry that I never got a chance to truly tell you how much I appreciated every sacrifice you made to make me a sane and functioning individual.  

I hope that the memories of your lives shine as a beacon of hope over a world that is so lacking in the emotion.  Like me this world is awash in anguish and cynicism.  This world needs more individuals such as yourselves, willing to do good, even when it does not seem like the logical thing to do. Wherever you may now be, I hope you continue to bring light to the darkness.

Why Minorities Must Stand and Fight For What is Right

Yom Hashoah is now over for this year.  And in places all around the world, people took time out of their days to remember the tragedy that took the lives of 6 Million Jews.  But we should not stop there.  For there were other minorities that were also murdered in those same camps

Gypsies, Autistics, Schizophrenics, Gays, and other countless minority groups went right alongside the Jews to fire, to noxious gas, and to mass shootings.  And when we look at the world at large today, that same tragedy looks like it may repeat itself.  The question is not when, but who will be the one to start it again.

And there are quite a few groups that would love to be the one to start the match.  Will it be Iran's Ayatollahs who even now have the ability to create an arms race in the middle east with Saudi Arabia while also funding Hamas and Hezbollah.  Will it be Saudi Arabia who secretly created Isis to attack Iran for them as Human Shields? (although they seem to have created a bigger monster than they realized)  Will it be the combination of Isis, Boco Haram, and the other groups of terror that are far too well funded to be stopped quickly?  Have we seen the last of  Al-Qaeda? And what of the Tea Party in America that pretends to aid Israel while funding Saudi Arabia and Isis to ensure that their fanatical view of Christianity will one day take hold of Israel?  There is also the problem with Russia who has shown who they support when they gave weapons to Iran.  And what of Fundamentalist Atheism, which seeks the destruction of all organized religion by any means necessary and is one of the great groups leading the charge to allow Iran and thus Saudi Arabia nukes in the first place.

When you look at the issue, the Middle East is the new Balkans in regards to the powder keg that will ignite the next World War.  And from an economic standpoint, it is quite clear a war is coming since the cycle goes: War, Economic Surplus, Economic Depression, Antisemitism Resurgence, War. My fear as well as the fear for all minorities is that whenever one of these wars break out, these groups will always be the first and greatest number of casualties

That is why I call on anyone who is a minority to stand proud.  share with the world who you are, and do not fear them.  Those who wish you harm already know who you are, and staying silent will just allow your enemies to pick you off while your allies remain ignorant.

But remember this when you have doubts about yourself:  Every breath you draw, is another breath that your enemies have failed to steal from you.  Every day you live, is another day the Nazis and other hate groups have been beaten.  Every time you eat food is another day where minorities are not starving to death in Ghettos.

Fight for who you are, for your enemies will surely do the same.