Bullying is awesome

There is much talk today about bullying.  Who's responsible and why, there seems to be a consensus in the media and with many parents that bullying is a new and terrifying phenomena that has not been going on since the beginning of time.  They use big words like "Cyber-Bullying" or some other domestic terrorist like reference.  Even the President of the United States has found time to weigh in.  It's now a threat to national security and it's all a sham.

I'm sorry, I really am, that your kid decided to take their own life as of the result of being bullied.  However, every kid that is bullied doesn't kill themselves.  Teen suicide is another phenomena that has been troubling the youth of our society since the beginning of time.  Suicide cannot be stopped, just like murder cannot be stopped. It's terrible and we should make every effort to see that mentally ill children get the help they need, but they are mentally ill.  When you take your own life, it is your actions, not others, that are to blame.  People are going to be mean to you for the rest of your life.  Teaching children to cope with stress more effectively is a far better idea than trying to stop human nature.

I will not deny that bullying can take it's toll.  I should know, I was quite heavily bullied for most of my childhood and teen years.  My friends and family can attest to that.  I've felt very very down before, but I took steps to cope with what was effecting me.  I cried in the guidance counselor's office over and over again about how kids were always making fun of me, assaulting me, spitting on me and just generally being mean to me.  It hurt very much and I was sad a lot.  The guidance counselors did what they were supposed to do, try to make feel better about who I was and attempted to get the offenders in trouble for what they were doing to me.  They never got in trouble, because when they were asked about it they always denied it.  I was angry that nothing could be done, but I knew that you couldn't punish others without evidence.

What kind of society would we be if we just let people point a finger at someone and say "He did it!" and then they are summarily punished/executed based on the tears and complaints of another?

Bullying is a life experience that is necessary to teach children how to deal with adversity.  How do we learn to stick up for what is right if we've never had to before?  When someone is bigger or smarter of whatever  than someone else they will find a way to use that to their advantage.  This country was founded on kicking the biggest bully in the world out of our lives.  In an amusingly cruel twist of fate, England is now an anti-bully and burglar loving socialist hell.
Case in point: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/outdoors/8318985/Shed-owners-warned-wire-on-windows-could-hurt-burglars.html

The government getting involved in trying to "solve" the bullying "problem" is teaching kids that you don't have to stick up for yourself, Uncle Sam will do that for you.  They are teaching kids that it's OK to be a victim, you just have to tell the teacher/police/mayor and they will handle it for you.  What about when they aren't there?  Can I tell a home invader that my guidance counselor will make them pay or should I put a swift end to them with my Mossberg 500?  Which would be more effective?  They are teaching kids that the only ones that take action are bad guys and the government.  Is this want we want? A society of sheep that do as they are told and are left to the wolves?

I let kids get away with torturing me for years and then one day I decided that I wasn't going to take it anymore.  In 11th grade, yeah it took me a while, I addressed a bully who had been harassing me since 6th grade.  He made his last threat to me and in the end it was brutal and effective.  No one else wanted to bully me anymore.  In fact, I had other former bullies try and mend fences with me to keep themselves from receiving the same swift justice.
I'll admit, maybe I didn't use the best tactics in overcoming the bullying that was affecting me, but it was effective and I was left alone.  We must teach our children to stick up for themselves.

Trying to stop bullying at the national level is as laughable as dropping smart bombs on a 3rd grader for pulling other kids hair.  If you want kids to stick up for themselves they have to have some degree of earned self confidence.  There can be none of this "every person is special and unique" shenanigans anymore.  Self confidence is earned, it is not intrinsic, an entitlement and nor can it be included for no additional fee.  An entitlement society will not stop the bullying, it will just create bigger bullies at higher levels.

Teach your kids to stick up for themselves and have them take part in activities that make them proud of who they are.  It's not the government's problem, it's yours.  A child with their own sense of identity can never be kept down.

Photoblog

I'm going to start posting photos from Ohio and other places of interest.... starting today.

An Oldie, but a goodie. Dial 911 and Die

When seconds count the police are only minutes hours away.

Self defense is a human right, even in Canada.

YAL and OFCC - Rally against unconstitutional law in Campbell, Ohio

Vindicator - Gun-law rally in Campbell

OFCC, Ohioans for Concealed Carry and YAL, Young Americans for Liberty, descended upon Campbell, Ohio to show our mutual contempt at Campbell's politicians thumbing their nose at the constitution.

Campbell has an ordinance on record that prohibits the sale of firearms within city limits.  Not only is this in violation of Ohio Law, preemption under ORC 9.68, it's against the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Some of us even brought firearms for sale during our protest of the cities unfair laws.

We were originally schedueled to have our rally in Downtown Campbell, but a last minute location change left some of our supporters scattered to the wind.  The mayor of Campbell decided at the last minute to move our rally to Roosevelt Park.

I believe this change in venue was done on purpose to misdirect both supporters of our cause and the media.

Regardless there was substantial media coverage and turnout given the weather, location and the short notice that most members of OFCC had of this event.

Rally in Campbell to Repeal Gun Sales Ban


WFMJ - Gun Sale Ban In Campbell Stirs Controversy
-I had a short little part to play in this video

The above video has a great shot of the money that YAL and OFCC were required to pay directly to the cops.  Varg Freeborn, of YAL,  is shown on tape having to pay the police for our 1st Amendment Rights in cold hard cash.

City Offiicals were scared that 100 or so responsibly armed citizens couldn't possbily keep order themselves and extorted YAL and OFCC into paying for "security".  

I don't like to play favorites, but I'd like to personally thank Chris Harben for being the voice of OFCC at this event.


Flickr - Photos of the Event by Erica Kahoon

Fifth Third Bank is run by criminals.

"$160.00 in fees for an overdraft of $4.67?  You can close my accounts here.  Good-day."

Fifth Third Bank charged me $33.00 in overdraft fees a day!  This wasn't from multiple transactions, just one.  It added up to over $160.00 in fees.  The fact that they think this practice is OK disgusts me.  I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one this has happened to. 

Maybe I should keep more in my checking and less elsewhere, but this is ridiculous.  Eight years without a problem and they rape me the first chance they get. Caroline from Fifth Third Bank basically said it was my punishment for not signing up for overdraft protection...

The Mafia is lighter on fees than Fifth Third Bank, seriously.

Fifth Third Bank is run by thieves, but is there any bank that isn't?  No?  Maybe there's a bank that employs less thieves?  Let me know.

Oh well, Fifth Third Bank is a CPZ anyway.  Off to a new bank now, but which one?

I'd urge anybody who does business there to take their accounts elsewhere.  You can tell how moral a company is by how they treat the average person.  1 trip to the gas pump and you might be next, that's what I did ($4.67 overdraft).

I'm not hurting financially from this.  I'm just angered from it.  I feel like I've been burgled (yes I said burgled).  It makes me wonder what effect these policies and fees could have on hard working people who are barely making ends meet.

A daily fee of $33.00 is inexcusable.

The Last Psychiatrist - Blog

http://thelastpsychiatrist.com

He needs to write a book, he would make a mint off of it.  I've been reading it for quite a while now.  I suggest you do the same, but don't take my word for it.  Just take a look.

His writing can make you look inside your own brain, if you are open to the experience.  If you do decide to have a peek, you are going to find out that you are a narcissist no matter what.  Good stuff.

The day before my 18th birthday...

I was getting up to go to college at my parents house.  I heard the TV on in my parents room and went to go see what my mother was up to.  My father was out of town for business purposes at the time.

My mother was in bed watching CNN and it showed the first tower after it was hit.  I couldn't help, but think "what a horrible accident!"  I asked her what was going on, but she wasn't sure, and neither was I.  I finished getting ready and walked 2 blocks to the bus stop on Vine st.

When I was picked up by the Laketran bus to go to Lakeland Community College the driver told me that another plane hit the second tower.  I was very confused as I was only 17 years old and my 18th birthday was only 1 day away.  What else could be going on.

When I got to accounting class no one was talking about accounting.  Professor Jim Racic and the rest of the class were discussing the implications and possible reasons for what had happened.  We also learned about the other 2 planes that had went down.  We were excited and scared.  I was more excited than frightened for some reason.  I guess that's just the teenage "invulnerability" at work there.

I thought we were going to war...  I was worried about my older brother because he had joined the Marine Corps in 2000.

Over the PA system we were all ordered to go to the main cafeteria part of the college and received a briefing from the College's Chief of Police.  We were told that they thought there was still more going on and that there was an issue at Hopkins Airport in Cleveland in addition to what had happened to the other 4 planes.  We were all dismissed to go home.  I met up with my friend Ashley and we left.

I'm not sure if anything ever came of the reports of trouble from Hopkins Airport.

Ashley and I departed the school together in her busted up old 1990 Ford mustang and went to her mothers house.  We spent the rest of the night watching the network news channels and trying to make sense of what had happened. 

I dropped out of school later that month and became quite depressed for some time (I did finish my degree later!).  

I will never forget.  The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.