Total Amazement

I am sitting in my office watching my 9 month old son play in the kitchen in his walker. It amazes me that the good Lord decided to bless me with the care of such a wonderful little boy. Every day there is something new he is doing or figuring out. Today it was how to open cabinet doors, get to work with the baby locks Dad. I don't think it is possible to truly understand unconditional love until you have a child. You can experience it, you can love your parents unconditionally, but you do not truly understand the magic of it until you are a parent yourself.

My Letter to Representative Trey Gowdy

Mr. Gowdy,

As a supporter and constituent of yours I would like to address an issue that is very important to me. I personally believe in the supremacy of the Constitution of the United States of America in all matters involving the federal government. That being said, passage of any law which violates the Constitution or any of the properly ratified amendments undermines the founding principles of our great country and in my humble opinion, constitutes treason. The Constitution itself lays out the proper process to update and modify the powers of the federal government and the rights of the people. It is an arduous process but we must abide by the rules. I ask you as my representative to carefully verify and validate the constitutionality of any and all bills which would receive your support. You were elected to represent my interests within the allowed powers of the federal government as specified by the Constitution, please do not assume that I ever expect you to stray from that path. Please refuse to legislate outside the scope of the allowed federal powers, and please encourage your colleagues to do so as well.

Joseph E. Bush

Philosophical Ramblings: Part 1

Maybe I am just more aware now that I was before but there is horrible stuff happening to people that either wasn't as widely published before or is new. House breaking, murder, rape, assault, it is enough to drive you crazy.

I personally choose to arm myself to defend my family and friends. Carrying a firearm is more than a choice, it becomes a life philosophy. There are people in the world that have a problem with this. They call me a gun nut. They think I am drunk most of the time and am itching for a fight. They don't believe that i could possibly be qualified, or trained well enough to make the decision to defend myself and my family .

I do not look forward to a defensive gun use, I dread it. Yet it is a grim task that must be done quickly and done well, therefore it must be prepared for. Defending others from violence cannot be accomplished with candles, vigils, or tears. Decisive, effective action, in the moment, is the only way.

Once the violence has begun there is a progression of events, and my personal order of operations is as follows: remove yourself from the situation, respond non-violently, respond violently, become a victim of violence. If at all possible, get out of the situation. If you cannot avoid the situation, try to diffuse the situation with words. If this fails, be prepared to respond to violence with violence. If these options fail to work, you or someone you love and care about, will become a victim of violence.

Joe

SUCK

You know it really sucks when you are bummed.  It sucks even more when you can't seem to find anyone to talk to about it.  You call and no one answers their phone.  You IM and must have just missed them.  This only adds to the bummedness.  You start to think that somehow you have pissed a bunch of people off in a very short peroid of time.  Logic says that couldn't have possibly happened, but damned if your gut dosent tell you otherwise.  It only makes it worse when your brain starts to sort through the events of the past few days and begins to tell you that you may have pushed someone away, when in actuality, that was the last thing you ever wanted to do.  Then you start to think you are going crazy.  Stupid brain imagining things.  So you decide to write it all down and post it where no one will read it but at least it is out there.  Que up some Pantera on the playlist and type til you feel better, or so you hope.  This is my place for confession, for pouring out my soul and hoping that I can sort it all back out before I need it again.  My boss makes me paranoid if I have to be in the same room with her for more than about 5 minutes.  It gives me these horrible headaches behind my right eye most of the time.  Didn't used to be that way, I was one of the wierd employees that enjoyed my supervision meetings.  I have drawn parallels between my life and the life of the biblical Moses.  Sitting here in Midion wondering what is next in the plan.  I think I have seen my burning bush.  I hope that is the fire I felt, the light I saw.  Something calls me back to a place I was before, to do what, I am not sure.  I felt like I was called to this place I am now in.  I have been happy here and feel like I have accomplished much good for both myself and for others, but I feel empty, something is still missing.  So I feel the call to return to the city I left in saddness and dispair, to change course and head in another direction.  Switch to Sixteen Horsepower, need a little more mournful voice than Phil Anselmo.  Taking your gun and vanishing sounds like a good plan right now but I cannot abandon my charges.  They are my anchor, both keeping me from drifting away and possibly dragging me toward the center of the earth as well.  Freedom soon will come, then we'll come from the shadow.  Powerful stuff.  Now French I do not understand.  I worry about myself, letting the desire of what I have had in the past outweigh the desire to keep my sanity.  Sanity is a good thing.  I want to keep it, so terribly bad.   Two dreams, one that is afraid of what will come and one that is too afraid of herself to let go of what is dragging her down.  Wish I could go into the shadows and hide.  

Joe