My trip into the Political Arena, lessons learned.

I have always loved Politics. In high school it was arguably the only subject I not only stayed awake for, but paid close attention to.
I absolutely love to debate and I am good at bringing the hammer down. I have a strong sense of justice and am fearless so I thought with the massive corruption in today's Politics I would stop running my mouth, and step into the Political Arena.
It seemed to start out good, with the typical support of friends, most are people who have encouraged me to run for as long as I have known them.
things changed quickly and people are of course fickle (I Know you are reading this so take heed) and soon I found the first big hurtle, one I could not surpass.
The number one problem I found, at least in Montana is the amount of Signatures needed simply to be placed on the Ballot. I would need to gather some 15k signatures as a independent simply to appear on a ballot, be it write in or otherwise. Now if you have party Support that changes to 5000, the party of course can supply those signatures. To make it even more difficult, those signatures need to be physical and electronic do not count.
Why Montana makes this so hard is beyond me as in Texas for instance one only needs 500 signatures to run for US congress, considering the sheer amount of population in Texas vs Montana that makes that task easier in every sense. The 15k signatures may as well have been 15 million, comparing population it seems to be about right.
In order to gather signatures this is where I needed those friends and well little happened. To have a successful campaign one needs volunteers, willing to push and help you with a cause you share. It seemed with the exception of a couple, I was alone.
Politics is difficult, which takes connections and elbow rubbing to make anything happen. I hoped that I could maybe go viral, but I learned fairly quickly in order to make something go viral, you have to spend money. The more money you spend the greater the audience who see's your post.
With whatever money is left over from my pay check I would put in a few dollars here and there, only able to gain the attention of a few hundred people at a time. Considering my main opponent is not only backed by a political party, but is worth several hundred million dollars, I may as well have been pissing on a California wildfire.
I also found that people need constant stimulation, merely presenting facts is not enough and I am arguably not someone great at selling himself. I am a factual person who is borderline boring and I realize that, it is just hard to correct. I am one who thinks hisotry needs to be pure as are facts, but people want otherwise.
IF we take the Republican Party they use nothing but low information tag lines "Socialists bad, guns and god good" which really if you boil it down is about all you get from them.
The Democratic party is only marginally better however having isolated their voting base with apparently "Rednecks are stupid you all need us to hold your hand" Mantra it is easy to see why they are struggling right now.
God is a powerful word which those of us raised in Judeo Christian America (That was never the intention of those who founded this country) are accustomed to. It states power and many people gravitate to it regardless if it is correct or not.
So this is where I lose out on reality. I am a Deist so I need facts before all in order to function, to me it is impossible to see the world otherwise.
So where does that leave me?
Well knowing I need to be more appealing and probably to stick to my writing. Where I fall short in person, despite having a sense of humor which can keep anyone on the floor laughing, I seem to make up in my ability to write.
I am not done yet, I have a couple more Idea's to present myself in the Political Arena, but right now I realize I am trying to climb up a muddy sslope dodging boulders in the meantime.
I will focus more on my writing, read more about marketing and see what I can do.
That is all I can do at this point.
Someone whom I have learned to value as a friend from the online world stated something else which one needs "To get money out of Politics" That person is undoubtedly reading now and I want him to know how much his fervent support has meant to me over this past year.
He is an example of someone who's political beliefs are not always the same as mine, but who's respect I gained through fierce debates and finding a common ground.
If only more would stop and think as he did, we would be able to accomplish far more in this country.
I fear that is lost as we are polarized to black and white with little gray.
Extremes of both parties dominate and it will take something great to provide interference to make the common mans voice heard again.

The Sandy Hook Massacre Anniversary

Today was the Anniversary of the Sandy hook Massacre and nothing has changed.
America still lives waiting for the next Massacre as if we are Afghanistan, Iraq or some other war torn Third World Country.
This is not normal, not by a long shot. We are the only country in the industrialized world who has this problem PERIOD!
Why are we not sitting down and having a rational discussion over this?
The Left wants more restrictions while the Right just says we need Mental Health care, both agree on that but guess what, with fucking tax cuts for the wealthy guess what you do not get? Yup thats right less Mental Health access yet again.
Yay!
SO now what?
Well we sit around and chest beat that we need our goddamn guns to defend our freedom that most people vote against time and time again.
Why are our firearms more important than the rest of our rights we so frivolously toss aside at a whim?
Look I am not out to take your guns, god knows I have wayyy more than anyone needs but fuck me, this means something big.
Little grade school children were massacred, MASSACRED for what?
Nothing at all, not that it is ever ok, but over absolutely nothing.
Lets talk, lets solve this beyond armed guards and goddamn snipers positioned everywhere. Yea and lets not be putting bullet proof goddamn blankets in classrooms either.
This is shit that should only be in a fiction movie, not real life.
Its time to end this crap.

IS it Sexual Misconduct or Sexual Assault? Politics are involved we need to Take a breath, put down the Torches and Think

One of the hottest topics of the past few days is Sexual Misconduct, be it politician or otherwise women and men are up in arms and in some cases, that is ok, you probably should be. However as in any crime in America there are levels to the crime and the accused has a right to a trial. In typical American fashion, anyone in the press is executed long before they touch that stand before an actual judge, this is where we need to be very very careful.
Time and time again in history a Journalist, Activist Or Politician has capitalized on the sexual assault, be it real or otherwise.
One of the most famous which comes to mind is the case of Tawny Brawly. This is one of those cases that had six men in the hot seat and judging from the crime it was fitting. This young Black Girl had disappeared for a few days, only to be found covered in dog feces with racial slurs written on her. She claimed she had been raped by several white men, one wearing a badge.
She did not cooperate with Prosecutors however and a man named Al Sharpton would step in. With news mics stuffed in his face and fingers pointing he would proclaim the worst. The terrible incident would of make it to trial where as it turns out the story was completely made up. The lies took over emotions.
Which brings us to today.
All over the news is the usual American Witch Hunt, facts be damned Johnny is accused by Lucy and must be hung. What if he is not guilty and this is just another Tawny Brawly story? What if we just took a breath, waited for evidence and let police and prosecutors do their job?
IF we look at Judge Roy Moore and the accusations against him they are as terrible as they get "Pervert man raped a young girl" Indeed, if it is true he should be locked up where he belong. Certainly we do not want a Predator making laws. It seems like he is guilty enough as women come out of the woodwork to point fingers and tell their story, makeup running down their face we judge in horror. But there is no Trial and Politically we have went through this before, with only the Second President in the US history to be impeached, President Bill Clinton.
Now I will admit I was someone who wanted to see Bill Locked up, Accuser after Accuser stepped forward with allegations against Bill.
Republicans stood steadfast and insisted on family values and the pervert must be removed. The country was at a standstill for months, glued to their screens and dragged through the mud over Sexual Allegations which turned out not to be true. One of the accusing women would even go on to pose for Penthouse, so traumatized she was. Nevertheless when it was all over a President was found Guilty of Obstruction of Justice and a young innocent 18 year old girl named Monica had been accosted. Except she had not, she was willing and had romped with a willing horn dog male.
My point is this, while I personally think he took advantage of his position and maybe manipulated her, it was no reason on earth to Drag the Country through the mud. Why? Well fuck me sideways sally, it is politics, where dirt, any dirt is used to destroy someone. It also belies the fact that women, like men have hormones too!
Which brings us back to Roy. It sure sounds like he is guilty as hell, but that is what it is supposed to sound like isnt it? Roy just won a unlikely runoff against a Trump Supported Luther Strange. There is every reason to make sure Roy is kicked from the race and likely you will see Strange as a write in candidate. SO you say, why on earth would you stand by this Scumbag against these allegations? Again, these are only at this time allegations, while they sound damning and I think Roy is a fucking moron nutbag in general not capable of swamping your kitchen properly, he like everyone deserves the American foundation of the presumption of innocence. This is something which makes the US unique but is far too often tossed aside in our finger pointing and our hate. IF we also look at the timing of the accusations it begins to get pretty suspect.

The allegations of Sexual Misconduct are going to the other side with Senator Al Frankin. This case again seems pretty damning as on the news we see a picture of a smiling Frankin reaching out and grabbing a sleeping woman's tits. Frankin comes out with an immediate statement saying "I do not remember the skit happening like that, but my apologies" Now hold on a minute, what did he just say?
Words matter and the word skit came into play.
With a Leanne's name stuck in my head and I cannot remember why I use a quick search for a reminder.
Here we have a woman who's career started at Hooters, clearly she never wanted men to oogle or touch her. Then it goes on to lingerie modeling and Playboy. SHe goes on the Manshow, because you know purity and innocence goes on a TV show where men exploit everything. Then it really comes out, she was a political Pundit on Fox News.
Ohhh the dots start to come together.
As it turns out Frankin's word "Skit" meant something more than anyone bothered to think. They were on a USO tour back when Frankin was still just comedian. There on stage he held up a laced thong with a smiling tweeden. I had seen enough.
To make this accusation even more damning it is likely that Tweeden has just signed to work with Steve Bannons Nazi Media/Entertainment Sinclair Network.
Odds of this Photo being anything to get excited over are exactly zero at this point.
No her being a sexual Icon does not give any man the right to accost her, but it does cast doubt.
IF anything her accusations will make it all the more difficult for legitimate women down the road to have their case heard.
Words matter, actions matter and allowing the law to do its job matters even more.

Bad Ass Unarmed Mandalay Security Guard Tried to Stop Las Vegas Shooter, alone.

In the midst of gunfire reigning down upon thousands of innocent people, there were lots of hero's doing some amazing things in these short minutes.
However one really stands out not for his incredible bravery.
This Bad Ass 25 year old security guard was on routine patrol when he heard shots ring out. This young man covered in brown skin and a shitty beard found the shooters room. He not only would radio in where the shooter was, he would try to enter the room, unarmed.
That's right, undeterred by a heavily armed man laying waste to a crowd of innocent people, Mr Jesus Campos tried to enter the room, the door was locked and barred however. That still never stopped him, he then tried to distract the gunman which is when this bad ass beaner took a shot to the leg.
Ok, that is pretty bad ass for anyone trying to stop a mentally deranged heavily armed lunatic, but Jesus was not done.
He would hang out until police came, gave them the room card, then helped the police the floor of guests. Police noticed his wound and this bad ass guard had to be TOLD to seek medical attention.
Here is the kicker, we know a bit about him but because this wet back is not a prissy white college dude or former vet with a nice Christian White name, and instead has the typical produce picker name, he will not be paraded around the nation and his picture will not be shared.
His story will be a blur for the immediate days following the shooting then it will be gone.
Mr Campos, if you are reading this, you are not a Boarder Jumper, Beaner or anything else I threw in this story to make people think, you are one hell of a human being whom at a time when other human beings needed you most, you took charge and did your best.
You sir are one of the Baddest Mother fuckers on the planet, you, are a true hero.
Salute to you!

Reconsidering my stance on Gun Control

I am someone who took the typical NRA stance up until the Election of Trump.
Some back ground, I shot 1000 yard competitively as well as Bullseye Pistol. I have more guns than most people have birthdays and I used to love every aspect of the firearms game, however things are changing.
If we look at this event in Vegas where we see 59 massacred and hundreds injured in minutes. To make matters worse we hear about a mass shooting every damned week. We are giving people the ability to slaughter dozens of people to anyone with a frigging drivers license who has never been to jail, that is pretty much it.
Why? Well I, like you and others supporting the Second and chest beated about "To stop us from a tyrannical government" But here we are with a mentlally unstable madman as president and what happens? Well tens of thousands of his supporters willing to do whatever he says at the drop of a pin. In other words we now have those paramilitary groups we always talked about in third world countries, so what now?
Well we need to sit down and have a rational discussion. The second Amendment certainly is not more important than the first, nor any of our other "Rights" However conservatives ignores literally every other single right and focuses on this one, why is that?
Is your ownership of a security blanket more important than your ability to speak out? To be protected from unreasonable search and seizure? Will it save you from Due process or will the mighty firearm give you medical aid?
I can say all this has changed for me, all of it, especially since my Sister who lives in Vegas missed this shooting while driving by the concert with a friend and simply deciding "It probably is sold out lets just go find someplace to eat" So what then?
She is a firearms owner, hunter and a damned good shot, so what would it have helped her, or anyone else at the event? Answer it did not.
There were firearms on the Bus of those who were performing at the concert, those firearms were not used as those who owned them knew it would potentially make them a target by police. This was the case during the BLM protest where five officers were killed last year. Police literally had to stop all the tough guy morons who were open carrying to make sure they were not the bad guy.
So wher are we now? Well we need to sit down and have a big boy discussion and decide if this is who we want to live.
I am not ok with it. I have back packed all over the world, including a warzone where I was arrested. It was a story I riveted many people with, however I now realize we are that warzone.
Your next point
As someone who worked with Explosives I am here to say you can mix Amonium Nitrate and diesel all day long and not have much of an effect without knowing what you are doing. There is more to it which I will not elaborate to for the mental instability area as you mentioned.
Now if he had known and done it, would it have been horrific? Of course, monumentally so.
But he did not, he used the easiest weapon to cause mass damage with, an "Assault Rifle" (Yes I argued that term for years myself too)
So again, now what?
How much longer do we defer and pretend we do not have a problem?
Is it only a problem when it is our own family and friends involved?
Yes we need access to mental care and badly.
But hey, the Conservatives voted against eliminating more certain groups of people with firearms from purchasing. THat ends that argument.
I think we need to sit down and look what other countries have done. While the NRA lied their damned asses off to us for Years and said "Australia cannot own guns" It turns out not only do they own firearms, they have IDPA matches too. However you have to go through extended safety training and leave certain weapons at a club, why is this not reasonable?
Lets talk, lets be rational, and lets leave the immature BS arguments and parodies on SNL where they belongs.

The Nuclear Problem with North Korea started well before Obama

The North Korea nuclear program is hardly something new and surely is not the result of Obama failing to deal with him.
Their nuclear program can be traced back to the Reagan Era, you know good old guns a blazing save the world Reagan.
From the 80s on their nuclear research exploded, pardon the pun.
In 1992 the North Koreans agreed to start working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) terms. However once the agency found the North Koreans were not in compliance and issued a report to the UN in 1993.
From that point on talks foundered.
In 2003 talks would resume with the United States, South Korea, Russia, China and Japan. North Korea wanted fuel aid and normalization with Japan and the US.
The talks were hindered over the United States Banco Delta Asia.
The first Nuclear test would occur in 2006.
By 2009 with a North Korea Satellite Launch the talks fell apart followed by another Nuclear Test to which the IAEA confirmed they were now a nuclear power.
In 2012 NK announced it would suspend Uranium Enrichment and not perform any more nuclear tests while talks with the US continued. The agreement also included long range ballistic Missile Tests.
The US tentatively agreed to humanitarian aid so long as NK stuck with the agreement.
The following year nuclear tests would sadly continue from that point on.
In 2017 it would launch ballistic Missile tests again giving the world knowledge that a ICBM could indeed possibly reach the United States.
Why does all this matter?
Well first off when people blame "Obama" they do not know even a little bit of what has been going on, it hardly is his fault on any level.
There is a thing called mutually assured destruction. The theory is that once two enemies have nuclear weapons there will not be War as both countries would be annihilated.
We now know that two leaders, one in particular seem to not realize this little fact.
In the event of a single Nuclear Detonation above ground (especially an H Bomb) we can all suffer health affects from the detonation with adverse reactions on the climate as well.
The Marshal Island where our Hbomb test occurred is still uninhabitable some 50 years later.
Nobody wins in a nuclear exchange, Nobody.

I must accept it, Americans do not seem to care for Freedom.

Call me an idealist, but I truly believe in the founding principals of this country. Freedom, means something to me.
The Founding fathers were not just Idealists themselves, they were very well read Elitist's who risked everything for the common man.
They asserted common people should have rights, and a voice in their government, a novel Idea at the time.
Today I see nothing attributed to their wisdom or genius, other than fake Memes and Flag waving, none of which have anything to do with real Patriotism, and merely invoke a false sense of Nationalism. That seems to be ok for most however.


The founding fathers disliked Political Parties, they saw it as divisiveness, yet here we are today, with only two real parties who have a say. What makes it worse? It was not long after the foundation of this country that political parties took root, with the petty arguing and power grabs by the parties, other voices were often drowned out, something which is polar opposite to our freedom, the ability to elect people who represent our Ideals, not those of a single party.

Yet it was so. In the Civil war there was a single party who seemed to stand for the peoples rights, everyone's right, while on the other side a party strictly opposed those rights. Last year the same thing happened again. One party stood for at least some of our rights, while the other quit literally campaigned not just against one right, but against nearly every single aspect of the Constitution, and I mean everything. The bad guys would win, and still do.

Rather than dwell on the "Bad or Good" party, let us just look at what the common man thinks is normal, which would have absolutely appalled the Founding Fathers.

The NSA, where the notion that the public in general has to be carefully monitored as they could be the potential enemy.
Mind you spying is nothing new, however the founding fathers strongly disliked being carefully monitored, so this right here is bad.
Some realize it even more, usually only when their opposing party is in power though. Once their preferred party is in control, they readily open their arms and accept being spied upon.

Search and Seizure: This has been around for a bit, yet again is against everything the founding fathers were for. WHat would they say if they knew that EACH and every person boarding an Airplane was searched, some very invasively? To further slap our freedoms in the face is the face is the ready relinquishing of personal items "Deemed unfit" to be carried aboard the plane.
It gets even worse, some cities have actively engaged in simply pulling over and randomly searching and arresting "Profiled" people, or those they deem unfit. Folks I am sorry, this right here is one of the very reasons we revolted.

Due Process: Your right to a trial is something that is almost an afterthought now days. Both parties seem intent on picking an area where you do not have the right to being found guilty in a court of law. A court system which goes all the way back to the Viking area and in my opinion, needs a revamping. Yet even the basics of our Trial system are not good enough quit often.

Freedom of Speech: Now here is an area that is getting pounded especially this year. Laws are now either on the books or in the process to allow Protestors to be ran over. This is not something coming from a third world country, this is something right here, right now In the "land of the free" think of that next time you are drinking from your coffee mug with an American flag on it.

Freedom of Religion: Yup, that is right, our founding fathers were actually largely agnostic. They had lived under a rule where people had to worship a certain way, so they included in their Bill of Rights an exclusion to this, a Novel Idea which allow people to worship as they deem fit. They also made sure that the Government could not force their religion upon you.

SO where do I go next? Well without writing a book, I sadly have to end this blog today.

The next time you share that meme about "Mouthy self righteous people not showing respect" keep in mind, those exact thoughts were stated of our founding fathers. They were treasonous, mouthy, fiery, in your face type of people, the type of people who wanted to make sure you, the poorly informed American, had a chance to be informed and live a normal prosperous happy life.


SO please, the next time you see someone burning a flag, or even holding up a sign of protest, just drive on by and smile, smile with the realization that you are living in a country where things like this are allowed. It is the nature of Authoritarian regimes to stomp on those people, and make sure their voice is not heard.

Where do you stand?

That time I shared a Ships Cabin with the new Somali President.

I am not someone who is good with faces, but I remember this guy well.
I was crossing the Baltic Sea on my way to Finland some 21 years ago now. Wee had a ships cabin with four bunks in it, itt was nothing fancy, just your typical base Ferry Cabin.
In come walking this Black Guy in a suit. We all introduced ourselves and then we showed him the most Amazing thing in our cabin, the Window.
That's right folks, the window was absolutely amazing. Not because of the spectacular view, rather the lack of one. As we opened the curtains there was the indentation for a window, without an actual window. That is right folks, there were curtains over a window that did not actually exist!
It was then that our new Shipmate would exclaim "Simply Amazing!"
We chatted with him for a bit, and of course were blown away with a businessman from Somalia heading to Finland, it was our understanding that Somalia was war torn Hell.
The words he said in reply have stuck in my mind to this very day "Do not believe everything you hear on the Media"
That really is it, I could make up that I had some great financial talk with him, that he gave us incredible prediction of the future, but those would be fabrications, something I do not do.
However if I took anything from my brief meeting with the new President of a developing country, his words on the Media have stuck with me, and shaped me to this day.
So MR. Muhammad if that truly was you, give me a shout out. I wish you the absolute best in your new Presidency, with peace and prosperity in your future.

Signed, the American Traveler wearing the Leather Motorcycle Jacket

My Families Immigrant Story and why we need to let more immigrants in, not less.

In support of open Immigration in this country, I am going to give a brief history of my families, I encourage you to do the same.
Maybe if we can all talk about it, or it encourages others to look deeper into their own family history, we can come to the realization that Immigration is something that needs to be free flowing, not restricted venom within this country.

My family history goes back more than most I guess, and less than some. I know I had relatives who fought in the Civil War, for the North.
However the bulk of history starts under my Surname with the Arrival of my Great Grandfather from Sweden.
He came as most did back then, being the young strapping man looking for adventure and a better life for his family.
He would find work as a Cavalry Scout, which would bring him to Montana, there he would create a homestead, start our Ranch and save up money for his father to come over.
The ranch he founded would be riddled with adventure as he would battle often with not only with the notorious Black Feet, but also with the real problem, white Cattle Rustler Bundy types.
My great great grandfather would follow and find work in a mine, I have the sole possession he brought with him, a beautiful crystal butter dish.

Om my mothers side was something of a mixture. My great great Grandmother was a Child Bride in an arranged marriage to am an she had never met. The offer via letters was undoubtable a far, far better life than my family had in the war torn Yugoslavia. You see for centuries that country has been torn apart with petty fighting between the two prominent religions, Catholic and Orthodox.
She would come through Ellis island and marry a miner, have a couple children. Her first husband would be killed in the mine, as would her second. She would raise her 12 children on her own.

I do not know the astuteness of the rest of my moms family, but I do know they were very prominent businessmen within our hometown. Their building still stands with the name down the side, they were by all standings what the American dream was about, very successful. To prove that success, I have my Great Grandmothers phonograph. It was a cutting edge model at the time, the first year they had the horn not visible, it cost a staggering 300 dollars! That was a years wages in 1910, think about that for a minute.

Now mind you this is a brief history, but I wanted to share.

It is important to remember that the bulk of our history comes from people fleeing the wars in Europe, they came as refugees, or simply people to poor to ever have anything in their own country, America was their way up.
It is still that way today. As we fight or battle over the rights of the underprivileged migrants coming to America, and whether or not they are "Deserving" Remember it is an old fight.
Most European Ethnicities hated each other. They hated each other so badly cities were divided up according to ethnicity. It is also where lots of derogatory slang terms came from that we think nothing about today. "Welsh on a bet, Jew him down" etc.
So when someone tells you "Muslims cannot be trusted" tell that person they know not history as Catholics felt that way about protestants, Finish against Swede and everyone were against the Chinese and of course the Irish.
Nevertheless America was and is a country of Migrants, so those doors were always open.

What would end up happening of course from the melting pot would be great Ideas coming together for some amazing things. Tesla was a Immigrant who came to America with his crazy visions of electrical devices, as was Steve Jobs father, who was a Syrian Migrant.
Einstein was a refugee, Imagine our science had he been denied?
Boarder trade is so important, it expedited things you take for granted today such as the lightbulb. That is right, there was great competition abroad over who developed the light bulb, was it invented in America at the Edison research facility, the 3M of today? Or was it created in Britain? Patents are only way of tracing, which still create great arguments as to who was first. All we know for sure, is the great exchange of Ideas, or simply seeing another invention, others spur off it and we advance as a world because of this.

With open boarders, and open trade we will continue to expand and be great, once those two great faucets are closed, a country becomes stale.

you see Multiculturalism is what great Empires thrived on. It is why the legendary Silk Road was created, it is also how Rome and others before it were the greatest civilizations ever. That is my friends the essence of civilization, laws, order and understanding to each other.

I will put forth some links for your consideration. Yes I am putting up a couple of "Fictional Movies" however they are a fairly accurate representation of early America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-YVIEkf6Cg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZjEnY7CRo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn3e37VWc0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCxiD4qREM


What is yoru family story? Please share.

What Immigrants and Refugees actually go through to come to the US

I had been planning to ride a train from Vietnam to Malaysia, however two days before I was supposed to fly out, I chatted online with a cute little woman from the Philippines. I cannot fully explain why, but I changed my ticket to go back and Back Pack that country again instead. We were only supposed to meet for coffee, yet she ended up following me all about her countries islands, and eventually back to the US.

Since I have a first hand view of the "Immigration Process" I will help you out as likely you, as with most people have naught a clue, why would you?

She is what is called a "non Immigrant" meaning she came here on a Fiancé Visa, yea it is a bit confusing as she is still a Immigrant, but not, I wont get into that I have not fully figured it out myself, so here we go with the steps.

Soo you know, at anytime the Government could deny her process, a missed date, a misspelling anything they do not like could deny her.

The first step I had to file with the US government a petition to bring her here. In that petition there had to be Emails or letters of contact, and lots and lots of pictures together. There went a few hundred dollars. And the wait begins.
During this time you are not allowed to contact the US Immigration office, they cannot be bothered.

After the initial set of screening, she then signs up for a medical examination. That examination cannot happen at just any doctors office, it has to be an approved one by the US Government, fair enough. That one clinic was in Manila, so a plane ride away.

The Medical screening lasted three days. During that time she was examined, poked, and blood drawn. X rays were taken as well as Verbal interviews.
In her case she had scars on her lungs from TB, that would set us back another few months as she now needed Mouth Swabs to prove she was clear. Despite the Xrays showing she did not have it any longer. More blood was drawn and hundreds of more dollars spent.
Fair enough

Now back to her Island to wait, and wait, and wait. Then a interview with the US Embassy, which is back in Manila.
The interview is fairly quick and makes sure your love is legit and you are not just coming over to be a quick US citizen.

To ensure that your love is legit they issue you a 90 day get married or she has to go home Visa. That's right, you have 90 days to get married or your live, male or female goes home. Good job not rushing you into things.

Now before we get too far ahead of things, you have another interview in the airport by customs. That agent can refuse for any reason, so maybe your hair sucks that day, or maybe he/she had an argument with your spouse, you ate fucked at that point. Now you go back home, or are allowed. For this story it worked out.

Now that you are married you have to immediately file a change of status and apply for your green card. Another interview at the closest Immigration station so more driving, more money and another fee. Then more fees, and several years later you are finally a US citizen, uhgg.

Should you miss a step, which I can assure you is very easy, you are now one of those nasty Illegals the Right loves to throw about.
How easy is it? Well when the Government sends you letters, they are not even certified. We missed a letter which gave a date for our appointment at the Immigration office. Luckily the office was very accommodating and as you can Imagine, not very busy in Montana so we got right in and everything ended up being ok. Had we not started making calls, we never would have known.

Total so far in two years and still five years away from citizenship, just under 4000 Dollars.

In the case of a refugee they go through the same process to a point, but they have I believe it is a two year wait before they are allowed to come here. In that time frame emails are scoured, embassy visited (Unlike the Movies a US Embassy is not in every city on every corner with open outstretched hands) on and on.
I cannot Imagine what it must be like to not have any form of Transportation, and having to walk through minefields to get to an office of a interview to wait more months to hope you can bring your family to safety.

Now that the new Travel nonsense is in effect, and the worst of it thankfully overturned, lets talk about my wifes new process to go home for a visit.

Up until this point she simply had to show her Passport and off she went. Now she has to go to the Immigration office for another interview, then get approved for a Visa to leave the country, yea I know. Once she is in her Country she now has to fly over to Manila and have another interview before she can come home again. Hundreds more dollars thrown about for what? Was the process not good enough to begin with?
Maybe the sadistic right simply wants more hardship and more stress on anyone who is not "A white American" What nonsense.

There are other forms of Migrants. Many have to fly back home to have a interview at the US Embassy to come back to the US, think about that for a minute. Think long and hard about that. This nonsense has went on long before Trump, and has to end.

I encourage you to show your support for Migrants, and for what these families have to go through.

Immigrants bring lots of good to this country. Tesla was a Immigrant as and Einstein was a refugee. The list is quit huge, Apple would not have came to be had it not been for his Syrian Parents migrating to this country,.

Historically countries which had open boarders and a broad culture base expanded and were prosperous as new Ideas were exchanged.

Open your hearts and your minds, only good will come out of it, I promise.

How to survive a bad workplace, and when to look for another job.

I guess we have all been there, working under a boss or around co workers, it seems to be nearly impossible to avoid. Make no mistake despite my title, you will have to suck it up now and again, however that does not mean you should tolerate it for good.

As a Manager and even a Company owner, I have an Idea what I want out of employees, as an employee, I know how I want to be treated, here are some tips.

When you go to work, you are giving someone your time, which is a substantial part of your life in order to complete a task in which you are rewarded monetarily. This is why it is important to enjoy what you do. A staggering one third of your life is spent at work.
Think about that for a minute, one third of your life is gone, do you want to waste that time listening to the biggest condescending jerk on earth? Not I.

Stress is a killer, avoid it.
Whatever you do at work, do not let things get to you. I understand it is not always that easy, but find a hobby, something to keep your mind off work, make sure you exercise, it helps mitigate stress and of course is good for your cardiovascular system.

Keep your nose to the grindstone:
You will find that life in general is just unfair, you will have to deal with those bad apples. Focus on your work, complete your task, punch out and go home. While hard work really is rarely rewarded by others, there is not a better feeling than knowing you did the best job you possibly could.

Take care of yourself before all others:
This is something I recently heard, and it makes complete sense. Eat healthy, exercise, stay mentally sharp and like I said avoid that stress. Never ever allow your body to be destroyed at work, do not do something dangerous. If you are injured at the workplace money likely will never take away that injury, trust me I know. If you are asked to lift something heavy, do not be afraid to ask for help or to find an easier way to do it. You may get some flack, but OTHER people are not living your life, keep that in mind.
Your sole point of going to work is to be able to make money to live and do what you want in life. You cannot do that injured.

Do not let yourself be used:
While you should keep your nose to the grindstone, do not be that person that does all the work for others. While a good boss should see what you are doing, most will not, and use work as their grab ass time with their pets. Never count on it.

Do not allow yourself to be degraded:
I absolutely refuse to be treated like shit. I can tolerate a lot but do not degrade me, and do not treat me like less of a human being than others. Keep that free spirit attitude, be polite but firm and do not be afraid. Once someone smells fear, they feed off it and your life will be hell from that point on. Once you stand up, they will retract.
My first real job was at a truck stop. My first manager was incredible and I learned a ton from him, things I still apply today. The second manager was a slime ball. Needles to say he was sleeping with waitresses for them to keep their job, he fired them anyhow.
I would end up kicking in his office door at one point, which of course was the end of my work there. I do not care, he is just lucky he left seconds before I got there. I spent the rest of the summer riding around om my motorcycle, Boo yaaa!

Do not argue:
Arguing rarely gets anyone anyplace, the best thing for you to do is just sit there and nod your head, which is what your jerk boss wants anyhow, just a yes man and a way to make his own fragile ego feel good.
Even if you are right, you will not win, kind of like arguing with your spouse.

Be Patient and give people a chance:
We all have our bad days, and even our bad weeks, do not judge them unless there is something egregious which happens. Odds are they will get over that hump, or maybe not, either way give it that curve and see what happens.

Do not be afraid to leave work:
As I started out, you give your time at work. Time as my grandfather stated "Waits for no one" do not waste months or years at a bad job. Plan things out and make your move. This is a good reason to keep your debts at a minimum, if you are too saddles in debt, you are going no place.

The average career in America is only six years:
This is a good thing to consider before buying a house or burying yourself in debt. The American work place is a vast complex machine now. Keep mobile, and remember the world opens doors for you.

Your happiness is contagious, so is your misery:
IF you have a bad job, that will likely reflect at home, adversely if you have a great job, that will as well.

Remember when I took my six day Desert ride and spent a month in the Philippines? Yea I quit a bad toxic work place which literally was making me sick. What memories do you think I will take away?
The only thing I regret was sticking that job out longer than I should have.

Keep your chin up, life is hard and likely you are the only person who can make it better, be strong you can do it.

http://thoughtsoftheages.blogspot.com/2014/01/tribute-to-mom-six-days-of-desert.html

From someone who did not like babies and infants, this is why I cannot wait to be with mine.

I admit it, I have always been something of a scrooge, especially where babies and infants were concerned. Mind you I always wanted to be a dad, I just wanted to skip the first three years and fast forward to when they did more than poop and scream.

Friends told me I was wrong, "Hey kids are great, you will change your tune when you have your own" Nonsense, I have swam with whale sharks, stood on the Parthenon and looked upon the city of Athens, how on earth could babies even compare? Man was I wrong.

My first came as something as an accident, you see doctors said I likely could never have children as I have the testosterone of a 70 year old. while the two are not necessarily connected, it is a pretty good indicator.
Then along came my first child and it was amazing. There I beheld a mini Me, my creation something I never thought I could or would have. IT only got better from there.

I discovered that diaper detail really was not that bad. Before you say anything know that I have worked in the sanitation industry for nearly two decades before my first came about, so working around "Poo" was nothing new to me. Wit hthat said changing a babies diaper previously had made me gag. However the sayers were right yet again "It is different when it is your own" Perhaps there is something with our senses that allows us to more easily deal with our own, or perhaps it is just the old farm boy doing what needed to be done, nevertheless I enjoy changing my childrens diapers.
A man once told me about changing his childrens diapers "it is a intimate experience all men should experience and enjoy" While I am sure something is lost in translation as English is not his first language, there is something to his statement, and I am not exactly sure what.

I also enjoy the crying, it makes me smile. I do not know why, but when I come home and my little ones are fussing it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, the wife thinks I am crazy.

Overall parenting has been a blast, watching each and every stage is the best, seeing those longing eyes wanting you to hold them never gets old. I now am the guy who carries a phone with hundreds of pictures, ready to share them at a moments notice with anyone who asks.

You get to come home and watch them progress, their first steps are amazing and first words beyond euphoria. The childrens songs despite your hatred of them, are a valuable learning tool for them, so embrace those corny songs as much as possible. Besides, watching your toddler dance is absolutely the best.

Is it better than traveling the world? I dono about that, but I do know it makes having traveled a chunk of the world far, far more meaningful. IT also means that I have more kick ass stories for them, more experiences to share, and the best audience ever for my stories, my own loving children.

So if you are considering, or even having problems as a Parent, just look at your children and remember, it is all for them. If they are crying, fussy or being hard, try different food, avoid spanking, use time outs or other displine instead, and overall just try to enjoy them. Odds are if something is wrong, there is a reason for it, so listen to their cries and concerns, they cannot care for themselves so you are their link to growing into something wonderful.

I hope this short but heart felt blog helps others enjoy parenting, after all, if it was not for babies, how would we continue as a species on earth?