My grandma once told me, "I know that prayer changes things, but at some point you gotta get up off your knees."
Of course, my grandma was of that Fannie Lou Hamer generation that knew that being "sick and tired of being sick and tired..." meant more than just talking the talk.  It's easy to see why they were called the "Greatest Generation."  A broken back never translated to broken resolve.  Not then.  But now?  Hmmm.
Guess it's a good thing they didn't have Facebook and Twitter 50-60 years ago, or shit
would never have gotten done.
She said to me, "Stop being disappointed.  Stop cryin'.  Stop talkin' about how this one or that one, or this thing or that
thing hurt your feelings, and how this ain't right and that ain't right.  Don't nobody care what you want as long as they get what they want.  You want something to change, go on and do something about it...but child, you got to get
out from 'round me with all that cryin'..."
While you're lying there prostrate on the ground, somebody else is kicking you in the face, because the
law says they can.  While your head is bowed in contemplation, somebody is breaking a stick over your back, because the law says they can.
The law tells us that just because something is wrong, that doesn't make it criminal.  (And to think, I once applied to law school.)  The law contains many tragic and unfair truths.  But more often than not, there is a chasmic difference between the truth and the right answer.
Yeah.  Prayer changes things.  Pray for our sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, and yet unborn children.  Pray for our leaders, law makers, and law enforcement.  Pray for the misguided, misunderstood, mis-in-fucking-terpreted.  Et cetera, et cetera, blah-blah, skippitty!  
But what the hell are you going to do when you get the fuck up off your knees?  Let's put a plan into ACTION to make this world better than it is.

I started this petition.  I'd like you to sign it.  I'm having some trouble gettng the link widget thing to work properly, but if you see it and want to support it, thanks.

The truth is that I'm tired of feeling harassed by debt collectors who claim that they just "bought" my college student loans, and want to "help" me resolve the debt into an agreeable repayment plan.  Whatever, man.

I still don't understand how what originated as a $40-$60K debt has ballooned into a $122K debt.  Really?  I don't accept it.  I don't believe it; and if I had $122K just lying around, I'd still want something other than the scripted conversation from a service rep to convince me that I owe all that money. 

News flash:  You can harass me.  You can berate me.  You can even threaten me with wage garnishment and witholding tax returns, and whatever else the hell an "involuntary collection measure" is.  But you cannot bully me.  After a year getting rockets thrown at my head, unable to sleep, eat, or take a shit in peace, a year of my life dealing with the deaths and injuries of my comrades, beat down, burned out, stressed out for months on end, ironically, supporting and defending some random debt collectors' rights to phone thug me in an "attempt" to collect money that I'm not even 100% sure is theirs to collect....I think it's safe to say that bullying tactics do not work on me.

Sure, I borrowed some money.  And three degrees later, I don't know anything more about how a petition works now than I did when I was watching the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons on Saturday mornings, watching Bill sing about hoping to become a law.  I suppose that the petition, with enough signatures, eventually makes it to Congress.  If that's the case, maybe Congress will support a bill that will become a law for the President to sign that will forgive the debt completely.  Awesomeness!

It sucks that you can't, at least not without some great level of pain and anguish, file some kind of bankruptcy to discharge such a debt. 

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS seems more than a bit of an exaggeration. Give me a break.  Or don't.  But leave me the hell alone about it.

So...with all of this recent hubub about petitions, and in light of the fact that any petition can be started and signed and seen, for any number of reasons, I started this one.

Like anyone who starts a petition, I think it's a worthy one.  I'm nicknaming it something the military student loan bail-out for combat vets.  I think it would be pretty awesome if that would happen.  Stimulate the economy, alleviate some stress, and make those bastards leave us alone.  Sure would make a difference in my life.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

In politics, most is spin, very little is truth, and perception is reality; but except for a very few, most people find politics too boring, or too confusing to dig into the weeds of it to figure things out for themselves.

Politics is so ugly, especially around election time. I mostly hate engaging in any sort of debate or dialogue about it, because the truths that are, will hardly ever been seen or discussed, and suddenly everything is personal. We only get accusations and innuendo, and elections depend on people being too emotional to be rational.

We've seen accusation and innuendo tear apart friendships, sever what you once believed were strong family ties, rip nations in half, while the truth stays buried, except to the players of the game. Voters are looked upon as pawns, and smear campaigns and red herring tactics are how they use us to their own advantage, to advance personal or political  agendas.

But the reason politicians play emotional cards, like race, religion, and social class, is because those cards always strike the most exposed nerves. THESE ARE THE CARDS that make people, normally peaceful, agreeable, and non-confrontational people, sit up and pay attention, and consider how they may be being affected by someone's words or intentions.

Doing this is the easiest way for politicians to get people riled up and to take sides; and taking sides, unfortunately, is what it takes to win an election.

Unfortunately, it's not just any one political party guilty of it. They all do it. Democrats, Republicans, et. al. We just only notice it more when "the other side" does it.

The race and religion card topics and tactics, as well as those that discuss the military (we're always a handy buzz-word to have), appeal to our basest natures, and people are easily manipulated by the emotions that drive our deep beliefs. It only takes one or two trigger words for the things that mean the most to us will be laid bare.

I've learned that when these "icebergs" are exposed, that the difference between perception and truth is non-existent, and what's underneath our surface thoughts gets revealed in none-too-pleasant ways.

Most of these "icebergs" are not even identified until someone (e.g., a politician, campaign manager) plays and exploits a card of a sensitive nature, and then wait for the voters to draw the lines in the sand. We may even surprise ourselves at where our loyalties lie and why.

All that said, remember that countless people have gone the distance for you; many beaten, battered, burned and blown to hell for your right to vote. Vote your conscience, whatever it is, and allow your friends and family to do the same. The bottom line is: If you don't vote, YOU'RE A POO-POO HEAD. Your mind may as well be on mute, so your mouth should stay on mute.