 
Growing Up in America

By J. Stephan Painter

Copyright 2012 J. Stephan Painter

Published at Smashwords

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Table of Contents

Who is J. Stephan Painter?

Synopsis

Chapter 1 – Why Listen To Me – The Prelude

Chapter 2 – Gregory "Pappy" Boyington

Chapter 3 – David Crockett

Chapter 4 – Sgt Alvin York

Chapter 5 – Andrew Johnson

Chapter 6 – Sam Houston

Chapter 7 – John Belushi

Chapter 8 – Ted Turner

Chapter 9 – Earl Campbell

Chapter 10 – Joe Frazier

Chapter 11 – Woody Guthrie

Chapter 12 – John Wayne

Chapter 13 – Chris Farley

Chapter 14 – Dan Daly

Bibliography

Who is J. Stephan Painter?

I was a young boy that grew up in rural East Tennessee at the base of the Smokey Mountains smack dab in the middle of Appalachia America. I was too backward to know that I was poor as well. My two older sisters and I were abandoned by our father at a very young age and we had to grow up hungry to say the least. I think that I was, and still am hungrier than most, even still at the age of fifty. But from my hunger and by the Grace of God I have learned that being a simple man is a state of mind, and not a lack of education or public worth. I have listened and I have learned that staying simple is staying true to what is real.

I have had an uncontrollable urge to write this book for many years. I know it comes from my life experiences, but I struggle with sharing my own personal life experiences with many people. I like to think that my life isn't attractive enough or complex enough to share. I also know that I need to establish credence for my knowledge and what I believe to be a certain God given wisdom. I know that I have made, and continue to make enough mistakes. I have lived through enough tragedy to write a book about myself. But the appropriate title would be Life's Lessons from a Dumb Shit, or Memoirs of a Crazy Man. I can't see either one of those book titles selling many copies.

From my life experiences I grew up poor, and then into trouble. I served as a United States Marine on foreign and domestic shores. I worked for the largest Electronics Corporation in the world at the time just to get a lay off slip as my job went to Mexico. I bounced for over ten years from job to job trying to become stable again in a destabilizing economy. I was forced to re-educate myself more than once just to survive, but I did it. I have found that survival ties in with constant education. Some of it is formal, and some of it is not so formal.

I finally found my own common ground working with teen-aged boys that struggle from some of my own personal and similar issues. I also provide my technical skills to a technical college teaching young adults, and some not so young adults how to survive technically in today's workplace. I teach computer information systems and office software applications. I now have over 15 years' experience as a professional counselor, and 12 years' experience as a technical instructor. I have learned to survive and make a living out of struggling. I am professional at struggling... trust me. Read close and you just might learn something that may possibly prevent some of your own potential struggles. I like to refer to it as "Life's Lessons 101: A Basic Concept: Growing Up in America."

My Synopsis

The title of this book is growing up in America because it is a blended writing of the issues in America that has gotten us to the critical point that our nation faces right now. It provides examples of both the mistakes and successes that we have made throughout the years. It describes the current social structures that we have in place. In it I discuss the mistakes of big business taking jobs overseas and forcing the re-education of our nation and trying to foster the false foundation that everything is going to be ok. I discuss some of the mistakes that our government has made throughout history that has gotten us to a nation that may not make it around the next bend without some serious repercussions unless we band together to effect change.

Each chapter takes the personal life of a significant person from our history and addresses an example from that person. Every one of them at some point in their life effected critical change in this country. Some of them carry the title of hero and everyone knows them as an everyday name. A couple of them carry the title hero and hardly anyone knows who that person is, while a couple of them are known as today's hero, and should have never carried the title.

From their examples I discuss how the nation either helped them or hindered them. I discuss how they were either successful, or failed in their pursuits. I address how we as a nation can learn from our past by staying in reality. We need to recognize where we are today, without dreaming about tomorrow, because tomorrow never comes, while at the same time we need to recognize that the best way to do this is to recognize the inside philosophy of the individual past of our ancestors.

We need to know that we are all in this together. We need to study where we have been and what we need to do to get to where we need to go. We need to recognize that this is done together and not separately. We need to do this by recognizing that every individual forges together to become one nation under God; indivisible.

I have chosen every person with strong intent and reasoning. Almost every person I chose had serious personal issues growing into manhood. It was from poor parenting and or poverty. I want to tell the nation that people can make a difference no matter who that they are or where they come from. Every one of these men makes that strong statement.

Chapter 1 Why Listen to Me? - The Prelude

I believe most people feel that over the past decade we have all watched this country decline. Unfortunately it is more of a slide for life than it is a decline. It has also been for a lot longer than just a decade. Most people over the past several years are just waking up to the reality of it and starting to feel the pain that it has created. It is human nature to go along your path and not worry much about the next guy as long as your life and its work are ok. We seem to live with the thought process to just be charitable, and give those struggling people a helping hand out; to do this is doing your part for the benefit of mankind. Unfortunately this is no longer the answer. It was a perfect response to a semi-perfect world, but that world just doesn't exist anymore; and truthfully it never did.

For the past sixty years it seems that we were living in what most people felt to be a perfect world. But over the past two decades some of us have been forced to deal with the pressures of what is our declining social structure, and it seems that there is no apparent recognition from others to what is happening. I believe this mentality is in the past and it was formed from an opinion that people felt the fallout was small and tolerable as long as the fallout wasn't happening to them. I believe everyone saw it, but didn't think that our country would slide far enough to affect the nation more than just the few, and that the few could bounce back with proper retraining and education.

Two decades later more and more people are starting to suffer from the mistakes of our nation, and the pain keeps getting worse. We are being forced to re-educate more and more people because of the growing pain of lost jobs and wages. It is spreading like a cancer, and our social structure is the organ that it is being attacked. If you just recently started to feel this pain I ask you to please listen to what I am saying and recognize that we are currently on a full throttle ride on the slide for life.

The slide needs to be controlled because this isn't a carnival ride, and unless we control its rate of decent the landing will not be pretty. My purpose is to help us all develop an understanding of what has created our present situation. I implore that you listen to me for this reason alone. Hopefully we can pull together and we can work harder to correct the issues troubling our nation's social and economic structures. I strongly feel that it is as much of a matter of philosophical definition and recognition as it is a matter of physically correcting the mistakes that we have made.

Our nation is losing jobs every day. Unemployment just keeps rising. It seems to me that the ones that are counting the jobs manipulate the numbers to make it seem not so bad, while it seems that the lost jobs are going to either other countries, temp agencies, or are being restructured. The jobs that we are getting in return, if we can get them in return are subpar and can't support the life style that we all have become accustomed to. We work harder and harder just to provide less. We have become a nation where an amazingly large amount of people have multiple part-time jobs just to make ends meet. These jobs provide us with little to no benefit other than survival.

A large part of our nation cannot afford to see a doctor when serious illnesses attack. To some no insurance is available, and to others what is available isn't affordable. The government's answer is social welfare. Don't get me wrong, I feel that everyone needs the right to be afforded quality medicine, especially in a nation that has been billed as the global superpower. But socialism isn't the answer. It isn't what has made us strong, and this mentality is nothing less than wrong for both the structure of our society and its people. It isn't healthy both mentally and physically. I know this because I like most of our nation suffer from the same fate.

The social and economic struggles that we are suffering are creating no less than a catastrophe of human nature. From my own life experiences for over two decades I know this to be a true statement of fact. What is happening to this nation turns my soul inside out. I have struggled with speaking my mind in this writing since 1998, just to write it down and hit the delete key, saying to myself who would want to read this crap anyway? Who wants to hear about your struggles? I hit the delete key and move on until something triggers me to write it again, and then again.

I have learned however that I am not writing about my struggles. I was nothing more than early fallout. I am writing about the handwriting on the wall that I have seen for over two decades. I feel that I was supposed to have already spoken my mind, because the world needs to hear it, even if it doesn't agree with the message it delivers. I have struggled with this feeling ever since I started feeling it, and to be honest I am struggling with writing it right now. It is not a message that I want to deliver. Please understand that I am no failure, no one that gets up in the morning to look for a job that no longer exists in the fashion that "was" is a failure either. I am actually fortunate to have been early fallout. I have adjusted and now make an affordable living for myself and my family.

My mind keeps telling me that no one wants to hear me preach doom and gloom; that I am nothing more than an idiot for thinking as much. But as I watch our nation decline more and more every year I feel that I have something that just needs to be said. I want to warn you that if you are weak of spirit, or want to bury your head in the sand, and feel compelled to throw this book out please don't do it even if you feel that it isn't for you. I tell the truth when I say that this writing is a struggle for me. I don't like what I say, but I strongly feel that someone has to say it, and that our nation needs to listen, because in the face of adversity the strong get stronger. Trust me when I tell you that we all need to get stronger. In this writing I feel that I am working to make myself stronger. Hopefully it is strong enough so that I can help others achieve as well.

In this book I attack what I see as obvious mistakes that our country and its people have made, and I strongly feel that we are still making them. I am not writing with the hopes of providing an instant cure. Hell, there isn't one. What I want to provide is the recognition that we as a nation are presently a sinking ship. If we work together we can bail out the water, plug the holes, and put ourselves back on the course. If we don't I am afraid that we are not going to make it to shore.

Years ago when this idea first began attacking me, and I do mean attacking me, I thought to myself how am I going to deliver such a message? It eventually came to me that we learn from analyzing our past. What we have to deal with in life is our reality. We need to stay in today, and not tomorrow. To do this we think about yesterday, analyze what we did both right and wrong to make sure that today is as good as we can make it. Then from this analysis we need to realize that tomorrow never comes. Don't day dream about tomorrow, just work on today, because before tomorrow gets here, it will be today.

I know this to be a correct thought process, but I thought to myself, that I am trying to address the issues of a nation, not the issues of myself. I struggled with my thoughts, and it came to me. The past of our nation is the people that have lived in our past. Our ancestors both recent and distant have left us with more than enough information to develop a sound analysis. We have examples of both success and failure that can provide us with good recognition of our present reality. Hopefully today we can soundly recognize our history, and start using it to prepare for the tomorrow that never comes.

My analysis is not intended to be a history lesson. I claim absolutely no fame to any educational concentrations in history. My intent is to deliver a lesson from history; not in history. While you read this, consider yourself to be in the class titled "Life's Lessons 101." I have done a tremendous amount of personal research over the years. I have already stated that I hit the delete key a lot, but my research isn't deep, so it is easily brought back. It is actually from gathering books from the children's section in libraries and basic Internet searches from two of the most common Internet search engines. I left my research shallow with a specific intent in mind.

I honestly find my research methods to be somewhat amusing. Trust me, librarians look at you strange when you request children's books on history, and they even look at you stranger when you ask for them again and again for detail clarification. I can see their gears turning in their heads saying to themselves what does such a seemingly educated man want with these children's books? What I wanted with my data was to let everyone recognize that this is the information that we are giving to our children.

It is true that tomorrow never comes, but we sure as hell need to plan for it. I ask you, do you take your kids to the library, and do they use the Internet to search for answers to school projects? This is why I went to the children's section, and did basic Internet searches. From my gathered information, I think that you will be surprised with what I found. Hopefully you can look and analyze for yourself how we got here, and where we need to go.

I also claim no accuracy to my research. In fact I claim the exact opposite. Oh no what is this crazy man saying? I can feel it already. I am telling you that this is the crap that we are feeding our kids. I am telling you that I can go out on the Internet, visit as much as 20 websites, find that they all pretty much plagiarize each other, and spew inaccuracies doing it. If you don't believe me, test my theory for yourself, and see for yourself how many Websites plagiarize each other's work. But from using their potential inaccuracies, I have developed what I feel to be a strong and important message that we all need to understand. The most important message is that we need to give our learning to our children. That is why this class is Life's Lessons 101. In this chapter I start with myself, whether I like it or not.

In 1990 as I watched what I thought was my career profession leave for Mexico, I said to myself that the writing is on the wall. As time progressed I further watched another large organization fail while their CEO came on national television crying about his mistakes, and to make things right he would turn down his bonus of ten million dollars. I thought about feeling sorry for him until I realized that he was paid approximately that much in a salary that year alone. Actually I felt no pain for him at all. I was watching this broadcast in the middle of the day because I was suffering from yet another layoff due to the corporate restructuring of America.

What I felt sorry about that day was the people that were about to join me on the couch watching boring assed daytime television. With this picture something is terribly wrong, and it is going to affect the future generations of this land even worse than it is affecting us if we don't stand up for ourselves and effect change. Because of our own attitudes our children's attitudes are in social decline; they have a "what have you done for me lately mentality," when in reality we have done for them more than any other generation in this country has done for its children in the past. In essence we have done too much.

We keep giving and giving while our bank accounts keep depleting. We don't know where the stability of tomorrow is coming from. Because we don't want our children to view us as failures, we continue to give to them our investments for the future. This lays a false foundation. A foundation made of sand instead of rock. When the floods come, and trust me a potential flood is coming; take a look around and you can see the troubled waters rising. Our foundation is going to fail if we stay on our current and present course of action.

We need to all band together and start filling sand bags to protect our foundation in its current state. I am afraid that it is too late to prepare a solid foundation before the flood waters hit. I believe that we have waited too long, and that they are about to hit, and they are about to hit hard. We need to prepare for the immediate future, and then start laying a solid foundation for the distant future.

When my first job left the country, I was forced to recognize that excellent jobs just don't land in your lap, unless you are damned lucky, and I wasn't damned lucky at the time. I had several mouths to feed, and no potential prospects. I looked for work, and what I found was a job that cut my pay in over half. The man that hired me said that the job is yours if you want it; I have been looking for a good technician. When he told me how much the job paid I responded with "I thought that you were looking for a good technician."

I could tell that I had just slightly angered this man, but I wasn't too happy about my current situation either, so in my mind we were even. I took the job, and I worked it until I could better myself. I left that job and moved forward... As I look back today, I look at him with total respect. I don't think that I have ever told him this, and I know that I won't in person. It is just who I am. Hopefully he reads this.

He gave me a job when I was in a strange place both physically and mentally. He gave it to me when no one knew who I was, and his business was just forming. I have watched him from a distance over the years and have recognized his success. He is a man that started from the ground up. He has lived through this nation's struggles as much as any of us, and maintains his business intact and functioning more than 20 years later. None of us could ask for any more. I owe him gratitude and thanks.

In fact he hired me three times. He hired me again and again when I always thought that the grass was greener on the other side. One might wonder why he hired me so many times, and I myself have wondered the same thing. I would like to think that it is because I am a loyal agent. What I mean is that when I am at work, no matter the circumstance, and even the pay, I give everything that I have. If it is broken and I can fix it, then I fix it. I know inside my own heart that I wake up with this mentality every day of my life.

I would however always look for greener grass. I would field phone calls from people that I hadn't even sent a resume to. They would tell me that they were looking for a good technician. They would offer me money, and I would take it. I tell no lies, when I tell you that I fielded six job offers in one month, from companies that I didn't even know existed, let alone applied for.

My mother was visiting when a phone call came in, and I told her what was happening. Her response was this isn't right Stephan, it doesn't happen this way. I left a job that was giving me less pay than I was promised for greener pastures yet again. They lived up to their bargain. They gave me a pay raise and a raise in respect; until shit hit the fan and I was the first one to go because I was the highest paid technician they had.

I was left with the question of "I thought they wanted a good technician." I guess I was wrong. What I got was a false promise. But more importantly I got a phone call from the man that I owe gratitude saying to me that he heard that I was out of work, and asked me if I wanted to start making money again. He never gave me a great amount of money, but he also never gave me a false promise either, for that I thank you Steve.

This struggle in me still goes on today. I have been living it for over 20 years. I keep looking for greener pastures, and trust me, I have eaten some pretty green grass, but the grass isn't mine. What I am trying to say, is that I feel that this isn't the America that I went to school and learned existed. I want to know what happened to the American dream. I have been forced to learn to adjust to present day America, and to recognize that its grass can be bitter at times.

I might have been forced to adapt, but I have adapted. I might have to work multiple jobs to eat, but I do eat, and I have to admit that I eat pretty well. I have learned to work for those that don't offer me false promises. I keep an eye out for greener pastures, as we all should do, but I look longer, and with better concentration to make certain the greener pasture is not filled with bitter thistles of false promises before I cross the fence. It took me ten years of struggling to get that process in my head, and it has taken me another ten years to fully realize that I need to share my hard earned knowledge.

I watch with pain in my soul as I see others as they begin to go through what I have been through. Sometimes I think that I was forced to go through it, and I know that is mostly what happened. But I also have grown to recognize that some of the mistakes were my own, no matter how much of a loyal agent that I felt that I was, I made my mistakes. Today I recognize that the United States isn't the country that I was promised. My failing to recognize "that if I want my nation to be the country that I was promised, then I am going to have to effect change" is what created a good deal of my own personal mistakes.

I know how to effect change. It is in my soul. I just have to develop the courage to share what is inside. As you read this you will learn that I am a huge fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some would say that I am more of a fanatic than a fan, and several of those people would be ones that have been to their concerts with me. They will laugh when they read this, but I am not going to explain. Some things are better left inside.

I am going to start by giving you the lyrics to one of their most famous songs, and I feel it was possibly written just for me and this day. It is called "Simple Man." It was written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant. "Mama told me when I was young, come sit beside me my only son, and listen closely to what I say. And if you do this it will help you some sunny day. Oh take your time, don't live too fast. Troubles will come, and they will pass. You'll find a woman, you'll find love. And don't forget son there is someone up above. Baby be a simple kind of man, oh be something you love and understand. Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can. Forget your lust for the rich man's gold, all that you need is in your soul. You can do this oh baby if you try, all that I want for you my son is to be satisfied. Boy don't you worry you'll find yourself, follow your heart and nothing else. And you can do this if you try."

I would love to take credit for those words, but they are not mine. They are from the minds of poets and musicians that have worked to send the message of success to this nation since before 1973. Today they are still doing it. I want them to know that we have listened and learned. That is why their words are scattered throughout this book. It is their wisdom that gives me the courage to say what I have to say. To them I say Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful), and please keep singing the truth.

I know this band's history pretty well, and I also know the path that I have taken. We all grow from both success and failure. If we listen to them, read what I have to say, and learn from our past it just might give direction, hope, and success to our nation's future. I can't speak for the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I can definitely analyze from their message that we are both trying to deliver the same message to this nation.

From "Simple Man" the message is being delivered that troubles will come, and they will pass. They are also telling us that we need to keep life simple in order for this goal to be achieved. There is no simpler, nor more powerful message that a mother could tell her son, or that a philosopher could give, but I want to crank this message up a notch and give it to a nation that is struggling. We have failed to keep it simple, with myself included. I like most have kept my eye on the rich man's gold.

Here's the thing about gold. Unless it is jewelry, it is kept in a huge vault, and we never see it. What we see is paper, and paper is tangible. It can easily be destroyed, and a printing press somewhere keeps producing more and more of it every day. We seem to attack that paper with greed and purpose. We have counted and depended on it like it is our survival. We have mortgaged and remortgaged not only our houses, but our lives. We are a nation that is in pursuit of happiness, but we are chasing the dollar, and that unfortunately is the wrong happiness.

True happiness isn't tangible. It comes from within. For the purpose of symbolism, "find a woman, you'll find love, all you need is in your soul." It seems to me that we feel that pursuit of happiness doesn't translate into work. Our happiness seems to depend on dollar signs, and the less that we have to work to achieve more dollars is the way to success. I tell you from what I see that is a true statement for about 10% of the nation, and unfortunately the other 90% of us have to work hard just to earn a dollar. When I graduated high school my mother shook my hand, and said congratulations son; now if you don't work, then you don't eat. I felt pretty hungry so I went to work, and I worked hard.

Trust me I already know what a lot of those that are out of work are thinking. "It is that the jobs just aren't there anymore." Believe it when I say that I can't remember how many layoffs that I have been given. I have said the same thing myself, and to be honest a part of me goes to work constantly waiting and knowing that there will be no surprise if I get another layoff. If it happens again, I will know that it will not be from my failures, and not from my being a bad employee. I know that the job market is slim to nil. But I also know that slim still means jobs, it just doesn't mean the jobs that we want.

I started this writing with two statements that I want to bring back right now. The first one is that we stay in the reality of today by planning for tomorrow, and analyzing our past. The second one is that for the past 60 years we have been living in a semi-perfect world. Well let's combine these two statements and recognize that from 1929 to 1945 our nation suffered the Great Depression and World War II back to back. Has it gotten that bad yet today? No it hasn't, but it easily could.

We are living with the same type of mentality that our nation did before the depression. Even people out of work and out of unemployment are living like ostriches with their heads buried in the sand hoping that the problem will go away and that when they pull their heads up all will be good. I have watched people watch their unemployment run out, while they say that a job offered "doesn't even cover my unemployment," so they don't take it. My question for them now is twofold: does it now, and is the job still available?

We have spent money irresponsibly just like they did before the depression. In the 1930s it got bad, and people ran out of hope. Many became homeless and even unsheltered. They ran out of hope, and it seems that it took a war to bring hope back. Is that what we want today? If we keep up with the mentality that jobs are beneath us because they require us to work beneath our skills and don't pay enough, I hate to tell you this, but that is exactly where we are headed. Consider me the warning sign telling you that there is a brick wall up ahead and you are about to smack it.

Unemployment is a good thing when necessary, but it can also be a level of socialism. It is a dependency upon the government to provide for us when we go past its intended purpose. Take a look at what socialism did to the Soviet Union. You can respond to me that they are rebuilding, and they didn't suffer a war. I will respond with that is correct but their union has fallen. They are separated nations. There is strength in numbers. I will also add that their people were never allowed weapons. Socialism can't exist with the people having the right to bear arms. If this nation separates its union again, there are way too many weapons in this country for it not to leave a mark that may be even more devastating than the last time we separated.

If the thought process of "change" is socialism with people depending upon the government to feed them, then you had better think again. I am going back to the too many guns theory and say it ain't goin' to be me tryin' to pry the gun outa Billy Bob's cold dead hands. Laugh at this thought process if you want, but understand I can't make a more serious or accurate statement.

This nation was founded on democracy, not socialism. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. Let me explain what I am trying to say. Pay close attention to what is going on within our government and you will understand what I am trying to say. Dependency upon the government to provide you work is socialism. Dependency upon the government to extend your unemployment because you can't find adequate work is socialism. The thought process of defending our nation, and having the right to bear arms in its defense, and working for the pursuit of happiness is democracy.

These two concepts are polar opposites. That is why we were in a cold war until socialism fell within the Soviet Union. Wait... did I say that socialism failed? Why yes I did. So you government officials that believe in more governmental control, and you ex-hippies that have switched over read closely, because I am going to say it again; socialism is nothing more or less than communism and it failed once. If we work to instill it, it will fail again. Skynyrd... thanks for the words of "That ain't my America."

Socialism is good for the 10% that presently control this nation's pursuit of happiness. The rest of us are common men, which translates into "Simple Man." If you want to take control of this nation, then get up off your dead ass if you are out of work. Find what jobs are available. Shore our foundation up with sandbags, until the flood waters subside and then continue to work together until we have built a new foundation of rock.

You can say that this isn't possible, but I say it just isn't going to be easy. Our government has worked to provide us with false support. They have taken the foundation made of stone that we have, which is the constitution, and they are chipping it away from us with more and yet more governmental control. It looks pretty on the outside, because it is multicolored sand. I tell you that it will not stand; it is still sand. If we don't correct the problem their false support will wash away and our house will crash. It may even burn.

But if we all work together, when the waters subside and our sandbags have held we can gather the original foundation (the Constitution) and put it back in place. This is not going to be an easy fix, but it can happen. We all have to work at filling sandbags in a flood. One person can't do it. Beyond that, one person can even slow it down, and potentially create failure, especially if it is the wrong person that gets in the way.

I am afraid that a storm is coming and we need to provide team support for each other. Teamwork boils down to either - lead, follow, or get out of the way. Personally I don't care which you do, but I believe to prevent failure and to save this nation you are going to be forced to do one of them in the end. In the beginning I said that I feel it my job to deliver this message. I also said that it tears at my soul to do it. I hope you are starting to understand how I am feeling, because if you are, you just might be getting my message.

My message is about hope. It is about caring for your fellow man, and being concerned with were we are going. We all know that jobs are leaving us, and we all know that the economic structure of our nation is crumbling. We also know that our government has made bad decisions. To move forward we have to recognize these mistakes. That is analyzing the past, but at the same time, we have to remove blame from the equation. It is not any one person's fault.

It is the fault of a system that just has made too many small mistakes that add up. A waste basket is designed to hold litter, but it can only hold so much before it needs emptied and someone has to take out the trash. Our present system of government is a wastebasket that needs emptied. It isn't going to empty itself either. The system is corrupt. It is tearing us down. If you listen close you can hear people say how they aim to tear apart at the constitution. They will give signs that they think that the constitution is outdated. They believe it to be the way of the past.

I tell you that their way of thinking is what needs to be way of the past. It has been going on far too long. The people that are presently in charge are the people that have let our good jobs go overseas. They are the ones that have both extended and depleted your unemployment if you are out of work. They are also the people making six figures a year not worried about your struggles as long as they offer a little bit of help to the struggling. But that is not the kind of help that we need. The kind of help that we need is our own intestinal fortitude. It is the kind of help that comes from within our own souls. It is our heart, pride, and our purity. It is the symbolism of our nation's flag.

Remember what our flag stands for and fly it freely. Remember that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, "faith", and justice for all. The red on the flag is for the blood that we have shed. The blue is for the boldness that we have done it with, and the white is for the purity that we held while we did it. Don't let anything change. Let the blood that has been shed be all the blood that is shed in the name of prosperity. Do it with the boldness to stand up and be recognized, and do it with purity in your heart.

This is my message. It is nothing more and nothing less. I don't like to see the struggles that our nation is indeed going through. Unfortunately not everyone is seeing them or going through them. It seems to me that some seem to struggle throughout their entire lives while others seem to have almost no struggle at all. But what we need to recognize is that we are all in this sinking ship together. It contains the strong, weak, artistic, athletic, resourceful, poor, rich, and any other genre of humanistic quality that we can think of. It contains us all, and if it sinks... it sinks us all.

The answer is to learn from our past. As you read I think that you will be quiet surprised of the representation of historical figures that I have chosen. They represent all genres of life from this nation. They represent the powerful struggles that they went through to overcome adversity. However not all of them overcame. Several of them failed, and failed miserably. This is not meant to be a book to motivate you and tell you that you are the little train engine that can... this is not a book to tell you how special you are, filling you full of glamour and hope.

This is a book that is meant to enlighten you on the situation of life that our nation has brought itself to. It is a book about heroes. It is a book that tells us all who our heroes should be. Today as a society we have looked toward the direction of the wrong heroes. We have turned people into heroes simply because they have the physical size and presence to be good at a professional sport. Please don't get me wrong I love professional sports, but no professional athlete is my hero. Well there is one, but it isn't because he was a professional athlete that he makes my list. It is because of who he is, where he came from, and where he went with his life.

That man and I have a lot in common. Several of my heroes in this book and I have a lot in common. We all came from the same place. It is a place called adversity. I am no hero, nor do I desire to carry the title of hero. But I have placed people in my life that I view as heroes. The example of these people's lives has given me the courage and strength to make it this far in life. All I hope for is that I live the rest of my life out living by their examples, and I bring you their stories in hope that it can inspire others the way that my heroes have inspired me.

It is no mistake that most of the people that I have chosen to write about suffered adversity. They like me have a source to their adversity. It is a problem that most think has come around from our recent past, but it has been here from the conception of our nation. It is the problem of fatherless children. I know over the years that I have made many mistakes. I have made mistakes that I never should have made. My mistakes have a source, but don't think for once that I blame my source for my mistakes. That is being part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Lynyrd Skynyrd titled one of their albums "Vicious Cycle," and when I saw its title for the first time I knew that I had to have that album, and I had to have it then. The first thing I did was to buy it, and then play the hell out of it. I think that it is possibly the most powerful album they released, but all their stuff is good so I can't make that judgment. But every one of my personal heroes in life had a specific cycle that they had to break. Their cycles were abandonment and abuse. Not every cycle is abandonment or abuse, but we all have some sort of cycle that we have to overcome, and don't think for one moment that you don't. If your cycle isn't full of pain and misery, then consider yourself fortunate.

My cycle was the abandonment that I suffered from my father. For a long time I knew that my father was somewhere on this planet, but I had no clue where. When he did finally show up, it seemed that he didn't care if I were alive or dead, as long as he didn't have to pay child support or deal with any of my issues. This is the trigger that started my cycle spinning and from there what I did with it was my own damned fault. It seems that every personal hero that I have, had to deal with the same issue at some level.

As I grew into manhood it seemed that I was traveling down the road flirtin' with disaster to coin a phrase from the late Dannie Joe Brown and the band Molly Hatchet. I had my foot to the floor and was running wide open. When I got off the shoulder or scraped a ditch, I swore at my absentee father. I shed all the blame on him. It seemed that I was running out of hope and full of self-destruction, but all I was running from was the game of life.

I woke up several mornings wondering where I was, wondering how I got there, and wondering more why I still was alive. Just to be met in the end with a huge headache and the internal thought of you dumb fucking shit, why did you do it. I know now why I was doing it, it was simple. I was in denial. I didn't think that anything was wrong, and I was just waiting until the next party. I was in bad need of breaking my own personal "vicious cycle." It was a cycle that I didn't even know existed.

In 1998 I began working with kids that share my same issues. It was while working with them that I began to develop the tools that first helped me recognize that I had a cycle, and then develop the skills to use the same tools to break my own cycle. I broke out of the cycle, and began living life without placing blame on my father for my own undoing. The problems however weren't over. I still couldn't let go of his undoing. I tried to build a relationship with him, but when I did it didn't seem to me that he cared. He made a mistake and I refused to talk with him for the last four years of his life because in my mind that last simple mistake was the one that broke the camel's back.

My sisters would try to talk to me and tell me to just let go, but I couldn't. I was no longer blaming him for my mistakes, but I couldn't find it in my heart to forgive him for his. Had I truly broken my cycle, or was I just thinking that I had. My father lay dying on his death bed and both my sisters called almost begging me to call him. I finally broke down and did. With our last words we still came to no resolution. I went to his funeral out of obligation. I removed the shovel from the undertaker's hand and shoveled dirt on his grave while a lot of people were watching and wondering what I was doing.

None of them asked. I guess there is something to be said for not asking an ex-Marine any questions or passing judgment while he has tears in his eyes and a shovel in his hands. If you want to know why I have written this book, well I think I just gave you the answer. If you want to know why I threw it away more than once, well I just gave you that answer too. I want nothing more than preventing anyone else from making my mistakes. If I can help anyone break their cycle before they feel compelled to push dirt on their father's grave, then this book has made a difference.

I do know one thing, and that is that I have given up my life of reckless abandonment. I work hard to make certain that I effect change. I have been doing this for a long time. For the past 14 years I have struggled to help teenage boys that are much like I was to make change. I don't know how much longer that I can do it. In itself it tears at my soul. I become frustrated with the thoughts that I just can't get my message through. This is another reason behind this writing and why I continually throw it away, but it is also the reason that I keep coming back to it. I probably always will.

I have to go back to the wisdom of Lynyrd Skynyrd in a song they wrote just for me. It is called "Still Unbroken." "Broken Bones, broken hearts, stripped down and torn apart; a little bit of rust but I'm still running." That is who I am. It is nothing more and nothing less. This is not a book of my life's story. It is quite the opposite. I asked a friend for her help and she said that she wanted to read what I had after I had already written about four chapters; she said that she was surprised that it wasn't about me. I don't know maybe it is, and maybe it isn't. It is about the issues of our nation and what we need to recognize about them so we can live in today, not tomorrow, and use our past to effect change. God only knows that I am an issue living in this country. I am part of this great nation, so maybe it is about me.

Chapter 2 Gregory "Pappy" Boyington

Pappy was not the first hero I ever had, but he is definitely a major factor in my personal life. I made many mistakes similar to his. I don't know if knowing the mistakes that he made would have helped if I had known them sooner, but I don't know if it wouldn't have helped either. I was introduced to his heroic actions in my teenage years as the leader of the Marine Corps Black Sheep squadron. It was in the fall of 1976 as an NBC television series. As a teenager I truthfully had no concept of who the Black Sheep were. I just knew I loved hearing the actor that played on the screen as a Japanese Ace that kept calling "Boyington" on the radio to come on up and play. I want to take some time and tell everyone who I think Greg Boyington the man was; not who Pappy Boyington the hero was. Enough people have written on that subject. My research comes mainly from the book that he wrote about himself: "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

Gregory Boyington was born December 4, 1912. His mother was not married to his father. His real father didn't want to claim him as being his own son, and he didn't know who his real father was until he was in college. He grew up mostly in the states of Idaho and Washington, and was given the birth name of his stepfather. He later took the name of his birth father after learning that the man he grew up knowing as an abusive alcoholic wasn't his real father. He became Gregory Boyington; naming himself after the man that denied his being his son.

How does it feel to have so little love for the man that raised you that you will not carry his name into the rest of your life? One may question my thoughts at this moment, on who am I to say what a man that I don't even know was thinking. Let me answer my thoughts like this. Put yourself in his shoes. You just found out that the man who raised you since birth isn't your real father... no your real father is a man who knocked up your mother out of wedlock, and deemed that there is no way that you are his son, because she had a loose testament when it came to the men in her life. That just made you an official bastard... and you take on the last name of the man that officially made you a bastard... you tell me what he was thinking.

The story that I am going to paint about Pappy (albeit that he is a medal of honor recipient, a true war hero, and a leader of men) isn't exactly a glamorous picture. But it is a depiction of a life's issue that plagues the deep soul of our nation. It is a diehard example of a fatherless child growing up in a non-forgiving relentless part of the world that is the United States of America. Too many people judge boys, young men, and even mature men for their issues that come from this environmental growth that had no choice about where they came from.

What we need to focus on in life isn't about where anyone comes from, but where they are going. Unfortunately however it seems to me that too many people put their focus and store about the opposite. People seem to judge unreasonably. The story of Pappy is possibly the best example I have of this bullshit mentality, and before I go any further I want everyone to know that this man is one of my favorite personal heroes that I have ever held with admiration. There is a strong reason he is chapter one in this book.

Let's start with his childhood, and "He was raised from poor humble beginnings." Wow, what the understatement. I honestly found that quote on the Internet. Hello, his real dad didn't want him, and his stepfather was a flaming self-destructive alcoholic. Do you think there was abuse as a child? Do you think that his mother suffered abuse that was never discussed from the man that was his stepfather and her husband? In the time frame that Pappy was raised, such problems were not discussed outside of the home, and definitely not in public.

My God let's step back and take a look at what he did with his last name; if you ask me, that alone speaks volumes. I can only speak from my years of working with kids, and how they react. He was in my mind an abused child. These abuses I believe triggered the rampage that was about to become his life. Our nation has a strong history of success, but we also have a strong history of social and personal indulgences that make the rest of the world disrespect and even hate us.

We seem to be losing our strength and moral fiber. Cases like Pappy's in our past are currently today overwhelmingly numerous and are threatening the fiber of our nation. If you don't understand or believe me, I urge you to stop and take a strong hard look around and investigate the issue yourself. I challenge you to come back with a different answer. You will see this to be a true statement.

Pappy survived four marriages, and upon divorce from his first wife was granted custody of their three children. I do not know nor do I pretend to know the specifics to their situation. Both Greg and his ex-wife were considered to be alcoholics with severe drinking issues. Life is a vicious cycle it seems that we are educated with by our parents. Unless we work hard to break it, we are doomed to repeat it. I don't believe anyone to be free of this concept. If you are fortunate enough to have or be the most perfect parent in the world, I still believe that there is room for improvement. We all have to work to not repeat our parent's mistakes and I hate to inform you of this, but if you think you are a parent without your parent's issues pull your head out of the sand and take a closer look. You are sadly mistaken. You can make book on it.

Please don't think that I am trying to beat anyone down. To be honest it is quite the opposite. Looking into our own personal lives and using our past as a learning tool is what we need to do to break our own vicious cycle. This is how we grow; we are meant to improve from one model to the next. In humanistic terms you are the next model after your parents and your children are the next model after you. If you believe me that our nation is in social peril, then also I implore you to understand the role that you play as a parent.

If you are not a parent, then still focus on fixing yourself, even if you are naive enough to think you ain't broken. I am here to tell you that we all have issues, and our issues as a whole are degrading our society... in a nutshell... simply put... we are all broken, and we need to get the wheels back on the wagon.

From his own accounts Boyington developed a love of alcohol and piled up huge debts. He found himself as a Marine officer and a flight instructor at the Naval flight academy in Pensacola Florida before World War II became officially declared by the United States. Due to the fact of his indebtedness, and by his own accounts that he was down to his last friend, which was a dog that he wasn't even allowed to have, he joined the AVG (American Volunteer Group) to be a gun for hire and work as a mercenary pilot defending China against the attacking Japanese forces. The AVG was later named the Flying Tigers.

As he was leaving his Marine Corps career behind, I can't help but wonder what exactly was he thinking? He stated that not only had he no friends left, but the only thing that he was going to miss about his duty station was his dog. But yet he also said that his students gave him a hero's farewell. As I read his story told in his own words I began to think that I just might know what was going through his mind. I felt that I had been there before.

It is obvious that he had problems, and that they stemmed from his childhood. I think that he just might have found himself in his own vicious cycle. He was repeating the mistakes of the only father that he truly knew, even if he didn't want that father's last name. It seems to me that he was struggling to become a man. He was at this point still a boy but in a man's body. We all have different ages of maturity, and he had not reached his yet.

I think that he had created for himself a life full of problems. He had drunk himself into oblivion, and was running on emotional empty. I think that he was tired, and felt old already, even though he was still in his twenties. I think he felt that the world didn't give a damn for him. In his book he said that at this point he felt that no one in life seemed to know who he was, where he was going, and apparently didn't give a damn either. I believe it safe to say that he was wallowing in his on self-pity.

Pappy said he knew where he was going. He said he was going to fight the inferior Japanese pilot. The one that he had been told always had to wear corrective lenses, and didn't know how to fly. But I think that he knew exactly where he was going, and exactly what he was doing. He knew that he was running from his problems. He was running from being a complete failure. He had a failed marriage, indebtedness, and a failed career that he tried to keep hidden at the bottom of a bottle of liquor.

To be honest I think he was starting to recognize he couldn't drink his bullshit problems away, and he wasn't strong enough at that point in his life to face them either. Make no mistake about it. He was a man. He was a strong man, and he was about to show the world just how strong he was, but his time wasn't yet. Even though I feel he might have been running, I also feel China at this point in his life is exactly where he needed to run to.

As human beings, no matter what our environment and no matter what our issues are, we all have to recognize that we are human beings, not super human beings. We all become overwhelmed, and need a deflection from time to time. The most important thing about taking a deflection in time is to not waste it. When I say don't waste it, I mean to sit back and take accountability for your own actions, and reflect on the part that you played in creating your own crisis. You see, the crisis isn't the real problem. The real problem is the vicious cycle that we put ourselves through, and if we don't give ourselves critical self-thought then we are I am afraid no less than dooming ourselves to self-destruction.

Pappy found himself reporting to in his own words "a Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli act." I think Pappy viewed him as a spit and polish type of ex-Marine. Being an ex-Marine myself I could see here that he was going to struggle with this guy. He in my opinion was everything that "Pappy wasn't". What I wonder right now, is if Pappy recognized that he was so much more than the spit and polish ex-Marine that he found himself reporting to. There is an old saying, and it goes along the lines of beauty fades, but ugly goes all the way to the bone.

Now I am not trying to say that Pappy or even who Pappy was is ugly; on the contrary. What I am saying is that whatever he was it went all the way to the inside of him, and he hid it from no one. I am saying that he didn't need the spit and polish act to be what he was going to be. But I do bet having to report to this man helped him mature a bit, whether he struggled with the guy or not.

I strongly believe that Pappy knew himself. He knew who he was deep down inside. I believe that he knew that he was a very talented, God gifted young man, with a lot of issues. But I also think that his issues made him question himself and that was a huge part of his struggle with life. I believe that these times forced him to say to himself "what he would have been if...;" as gifted as he was, he was also a 28 year old screw up and he knew it. I believe when a gifted person screws up, it must be harder on them, because they do have to ask that question of themselves. We all have to ask what if, but we all don't suffer as much loss or as much potential loss.

When a person is at a crossroads, a weaker minded person will give up and walk away. There may or may not be harm in walking away. We all have free will, and we all create our own destinies. The potential harm is a two headed beast. First and foremost is how bad do you want to achieve your dreams? Walking away will almost assuredly crush your dream. Secondly, will not achieving this dream haunt you for the rest of your life? If it will, walking away shouldn't be an option. To coin a couple of corny phrases, this is where the rubber hits the pavement. This is where the tough get going and only the strong survive. The pressures of critical situations create higher risks of potential failure.

Pappy was destined for an adventure of the type and quality that only a very small percentage of the human race can say that they have or ever will experience. I think that there was no way for him to fathom the greatness that he was soon going to demonstrate to the world. His life was soon to change. The world was at war, and he was going to be a key player.

As a member of the AVG/Flying Tigers at the onset of the war Pappy was traveling the orient. He was learning that the world was great, vast, and not all of it was good. In fact I think he began to realize that his own personal issues that seemed to be eating him alive were tiny and insignificant in comparison. He was up in the air flying in the war before Pearl Harbor was ever attacked. But once Pearl Harbor was attacked he was to be thrown into his destiny whether he was ready for it or not.

He found himself in the middle of World War II. He was doing what he loved, but at what expense. He stated that he quickly found out that the AVG had underestimated their environment. He stated in his own words: "Those little Jap bastards could fly." After his first indulgence with the Japanese Pappy said that he was lucky to get home alive, and he was starting to hate himself. He said that he was full of self-pity, and that it was one of his greatest indulgences. He felt that the AVG were failing miserably.

To be honest I think that is how it happens for most of us. We all flourish somewhat in our own misery. We tend to center on ourselves, and our own problems. We solve some of them, and some of them we never solve. Before we know it our lives and destinies seem to just blend; sort of like being on autopilot. How we each handle our adversities seems to be the inevitable gauge of our own individual successes and failures. How well we prepare is also proportional to how well we react.

Part of me feels Pappy felt alone and trapped within the void that was the life that he had created for himself. As young Marine recruits we are all taught that the Marine Corps code of honor revolves around Semper Fidelis (Semper Fi.) It is a Latin term meaning always faithful. Pappy said at this point in his life that it had turned out to mean "every man for himself." I can tell you, as a Marine, and how we are trained to be, there is not a greater feeling of abandonment than feeling abandoned by your comrades in arms.

He felt that the AVG and politicians were controlling everything. To this day Pappy is noted for his "bad boy" mentality, and his not having anything for authority. I will be honest. I don't agree with the thought process from those that make this statement as if it is a fact of their knowledge. He might have truly been a bad boy, with a bad distemper, but if he truly had no respect for authority, he would have never been enough of a leader to go where he was about to go.

He did state more than once in his own book that he had nothing for politicians. He also stated that he was learning a lot about geography, and it was enough to pity the poor geography teacher. I think what he was learning a strong lesson in his life. It was just when you think you have it rough, look around and you will see someone that has it worse. Or he was simply learning that the world can sometimes be a shit place to be in, dependent upon where you presently are, and what time of the day that it presently is.

What was happening was he was starting to get a distaste of where he was. I think that he felt that he knew he had screwed up, but he felt that he had paid his dues. I think that he might have felt that he was tired of defending people that didn't want him there, and tired of working for people that didn't respect the talents that he brought with him, as well as not respecting his attitude. He felt that the AVG and its politicians had ulterior motives that didn't sit well with him, and it was time for him to go.

A statement of self-pity is one that a person makes when they feel that they have truly paid their dues for their own misgivings. It is a very common feeling that we all seem to have at certain points in our lives. It is fortunate for us all that we have the fact of free will, but unfortunately none of us have control of the consequences of our actions; punishment being fulfilled is deemed by those around us. We all will be judged by a jury of our peers due to our own actions. This happens at all levels; not just in a court of law.

Pappy knew deep inside that his prior definition for Semper Fi was just a case of bad feelings for his present situation. He wanted out of his misery, and had left himself a way to get back into the Corps. He was bound and determined to use it. At this point in his life I like to think that he finally achieved the manhood that he was looking for. His mistakes in no way were through being made, but his time in China had been a significant lesson. He had learned the cause and effect of his actions. He had served his punishment and paid his dues. It was time to get back into his life as a Marine.

It is all and good that Pappy had used this time to mature, but not everyone felt his maturity. Pappy was about to learn this hard lesson, if he hadn't already. Getting back into the Corps wasn't going to be as easy as flipping a switch. He had made enemies from his actions, and people weren't just going to hand him his Marine Corps Officer's Commission back on a silver platter.

His present AVG commander wasn't the same man that he had started with; he suggested that Pappy be drafted into the Army Air Corps as a second Lieutenant. Let me tell you that telling any Marine that they are not only not worthy of going back to the Corps, but are about to be drafted at not only a lesser rank, but at the lowest rank that any Marine of their standing can possess is nothing less than a berating slap in the face. Marines don't take that too well to say the least. Pappy ended up having to catch a boat out of China at his own expense because the AVG wouldn't even fly him home.

What is more; he recorded six air-to-air combat kills as a Flying Tiger, and being a mercenary unit his pay centered on his kills. With that thought in mind, they "lost" part of his paperwork. I don't think that they knew the true devastation that they were placing on him. The Marine Corps to this day credits him with those six kills. He still holds the record for being the highest scoring combat Ace that the Marine Corps has. Without those kills, he doesn't have that mark.

That wasn't the end of his woes. When he finally got stateside, a faction of the Marine Corps deemed by some obscure order in fine print that stated since he left the Marine Corps in the time of emergency, he was a deserter. They were not going to let him back in. Pappy found himself as a combat veteran and not a fighting ace with six shot down enemy planes under his belt. Instead of being a war hero and an aviation ace, he was parking cars at 75 cents an hour. It seemed that no one wanted him.

At times like this is when a man finds himself alone; struggling with his internal demons. This is where only the strong survive. As a matter of fact even the strong still can fail, and they can and most assuredly will "struggle". But also at such times one can find themselves going through a time of self-reflective thought; the kind of thought that can state one's destiny.

Pappy said that he wrote a long winded letter to a politician, under the influence of the bottom of a bottle of liquor to finally get re-instated into the Marine Corps. Pappy didn't say in his book what he wrote in the letter more than it was long winded and alcohol induced. I think as much as he liked to get drunk and fight, and his hatred for politicians that one can only think about what that letter contained, and ain't much of it good from my thinking.

Either way Pappy was on his way to self-respect instead of self-pity. I don't think that he had fully achieved it yet, but he was at least on his way back to the Pacific theatre, and this time as the Marine that he was destined to be, not the one he had been. He wasn't far from scoring his first air to air combat airplane kill as a Marine, and I think he knew deep inside that this was going to be a seriously "rocking" feeling.

I actually think that this is maybe where he started having positive self-talk. I think he was starting to use the self-reflection of his past as his learning tool for the future. He was about to become that great leader that had always been inside of him, but struggled to be in front of the bad boy that seemed to have no respect for authority.

We all have an inner voice. That inner voice tells us how we feel about ourselves, and how we perceive the world that is around us. If we wallow in self-pity, then it will let us, but if we get strong and reinforce positive thoughts, then we will perform positive actions.

When Pappy got to the theatre he still yet had to be patient. Because of his age, his rank, and the situation, he found himself as a desk jockey pushing paper as an operations officer. He should have been pushing the throttle of his future Corsair as an air-to-air combat ace. I think it frustrated him to say the least, but he also set back and performed the tasks that he was given and bided his time.

I truthfully struggle discussing the thought that people say that he had no respect for authority. It is true that he was a hell raising son of a bitch, and that he possessed bad boy mentality. But it was also true that he was an officer in the Marine Corps, a Medal of Honor recipient, and retired as a disabled veteran with the rank of Colonel. Something eats at my soul, and I think that the guys who wrote that he had no respect for authority where either looking to glamourize their own writing of his story, or either never served, and just don't have a clue of the self-discipline that it takes to become a Marine of any rank. I am sorry if you disagree with me on this point, but here I take a firm stand.

Pappy said that there are truthfully no bad people, that there are only two kinds of people. They are the ones who know, and the ones who don't know. He also said that his main crime was ignorance. I think people tend to forget the definition of ignorance vs. stupidity. Ignorance means not knowing. Stupid means incapable of knowing. Oh yes Pappy still had some to learn, but through it all he was the farthest thing that one could be from stupid. Who would have thought him to be a philosopher? Either way I think that this is proof that Pappy was preparing himself for his destiny, and that China had definitely changed the man that he was and had served to help him achieve being the true man that he was destined to be.

Pappy found himself back in the cockpit of a plane. It was May of 1943. Unfortunately his internal demons were still attacking him. He ended up drunk, and in another fight. The end result was a broken ankle, relieved of his position as a squadron commanding officer, and sitting in a floating naval hospital under recovery. He knew that at his age another chance was no longer his. He had to say what if... again. Pappy said that if fate hadn't gotten into his way at this point, then he had gotten into hers. Either way Pappy or fate was in a long hard fight with each other, and Pappy was just about down for the count.

Accountability for actions; do you think he was starting to take it at this point in his life? I don't know if he was or not, but he was definitely back to being judged by that jury of his peers again, that none of us can avoid. He was bouncing from squadron to squadron. He was serving but not getting any time in the air. The Marine Corps it seemed had grounded him, and he seemed to have no home.

Albeit that fate seemed to be his bitter enemy, and no matter how hard it was, Pappy seemed to be trying to prove that fate was his enemy through his own self-induced actions and consequences. Pappy did have something going for him however; he was not only troublesome to his superiors, he was extremely smart, resourceful, and a scrapper. Somehow he convinced someone to allow him to put together enough broken and unclaimed planes to create a temporary fighter squadron that could replace squadrons transitioning out of the Pacific Theatre until the replacing squadron could take their place.

Pappy went through the list of available pilots from the pilot pool and "hand-picked" his own pilots. I don't know how much of this is historical fact, or how much of it is legend. But it is said that he picked all screwballs and misfits just like he was. They wanted to name themselves "Boyington's Bastards". I don't know how well this name set with Pappy, given the fact of how he derived his last name. I don't think the Marine Corps would have let it ride either way. They settled with "Black Sheep." They were given the temporary squadron number of "VMF214."

The Black Sheep were about to make a lot of statements to the world. One of the biggest statements was what it takes to make a hero. You may be thinking... heroes from a bunch of screwballs and misfits; yeah right! They were about to tell the world, that it doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't really matter how people view the ones that fall into Pappy's definition of the ones that are "knowing" or "not knowing." What matters is what is inside of a person when they are faced with the true adversity of survival. I don't think that they were looking to be heroes. I think that they were looking to make it through the war and get back home. I can't speak for a squadron of men that I don't have the pleasure of knowing. I can only say how I feel.

I know that on this subject that Pappy said "show me a hero, and I will show you that he's a bum." I know that Pappy was the leader of this squadron. I know that he was their motivator. I know that he trained them to be what they were about to become. They were about to become not a temporary filler squadron, but a permanent fixture that scored more air-to-air combat fighter kills than any other active squadron in history. As a squadron they scored 97 kills. They may have been screwballs, misfits, or even Boyington's bastards, but inside they learned how to fight and survive like men. They are part of what paved this country's destiny, and they were led by a man that they named "Pappy;" a man with his own self-acclaimed misgivings.

Pappy himself ended up with 28 kills. It is the recorded record for air-to-air kills by any United States air-to-air combat ace. It is however not without its conflicts and disputes. I don't want to get into the politics of which came first, and who was the best. I don't know if I agree with Pappy's statement of what a hero is, but I do know that I feel that it just doesn't matter. I know that a strong man rises in the face of adversity. From adversity is where combat heroes are born, or never discovered. I know that every situation is different. I also know that life is much the same. How you handle life's adversities is how successful that you will become, and we all have different measuring sticks for success.

I think that Pappy found himself ill-equipped to handle his success. I think that life's lessons had been pretty hard on him. I also think that the "not knowing" people put undue pressure on him, that he not only didn't know how to deal with, but that he didn't want to deal with. I think those unwanted pressures forced his famous statement of "show me a hero, and I will show you that he is a bum." I will say again that I strongly disbelieve in everybody's opinion that he had a strong distaste for authority.

Pappy was in a stressful situation that would almost cost him is life. He needed one more Japanese zero knocked out of the air for the record. It was a record that he said that he wasn't chasing. He had to deal with all the war correspondents, news media, and heavy brass that wanted another hero. I think that it was starting to really stress him out. I don't truly know what he wanted. I don't know if anybody truly did or not. I think part of him enjoyed the publicity, but I also think that a bigger part of him was just looking to the world for acceptance, and thought that this fame might finally get him his peace of mind.

When it didn't, I think that is when he made the major mistake of not listening to his inner-self. In his book I read where it was the morning of January 3, 1944 and he was sitting on the flight line looking over row after row of white crosses that marked the graves of the Marines that had fought and given their lives for the piece of beach that was now his flight line. He said that he was eating a can of beans feeling that something wasn't right. His inner-self was telling him to not fly that day. He also said that everyone was pushing him to get one more kill. He said that his wing man told him that he would make certain that he found himself in that position.

Pappy said in his book that no one seemed to understand what it was all about. No one understood what he and the Black Sheep were fighting for. They weren't fighting for accolades, medals, or publicity. They weren't fighting because they enjoyed it. They were fighting because the war had to be won. They were fighting just to get back home.

Pappy got his kill that day. He scored number 28, but a tired, ran down from the pressures of life, man ended up in the drink getting shot down and strafed by enemy fire. He ended up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp for the duration of the war. In a short time a hero was both born and killed. The world thought that he was dead. The Japanese never reported him as captured.

Did the pressures of his present life create a disharmony to foster a lack of attention to detail that day? Did Pappy make a fatal mistake that he had avoided up to this point? I guess only Pappy knows that answer, but I can tell you that it does. When we fail to stay goal focused due to external distractions, is when we begin to fail our mission to success.

After the war the city of Seattle, Washington gave him a hero's welcome. He got that ticker tape parade that a returning war hero gets. He said that the parade route ended up ironically going right by the garage that he had worked at during his college days, and his waiting to get acceptance from the Marine Corps again.

He said that he went up to the owner and asked him for a job. The owner responded to him with you have to be kidding me, right? Pappy's response was, "this time, but you never know when I will need one next." I think that his life had been such a roller coaster to success that Pappy didn't trust himself, let alone anyone else. I think that might have either been a serious question or his way of saying thanks for the help when I needed it.

I think that Pappy at this point in life he was tired. His life had been difficult to say the least. He wasn't born into a life of luxury. He wasn't made of the things heroes are thought to be. He had to grow up fast. His mother it seems was his only ally at times. His step father had filled his life with abuse, even if none of the abuse was intentional or not even recognized. It had to exist, or Pappy I don't feel would have ever changed his name. Whatever his reasoning was for his insanity, or his insane actions, Pappy had some extreme issues.

Unfortunately for our nation, this is not a unique situation. I don't know if Pappy was right when he said that there are truly no bad people. He was right when he said that there are only the knowing and the unknowing. He was even right when he said that his worse crime was ignorance. He made a lot of mistakes. He was lucky enough to walk away from his mistakes. Not everyone gets that luxury.

Mistakes like the ones that he made typically create deathly situations. It is unfortunate, but true. For whatever reason Pappy tried to solve his problems at the bottom of a bottle of liquor, he could make no excuses for his actions. He had to continuously fight off his demons for most of his life. It is a shame, but it is also the truth. It was a vicious cycle that he struggled to break. I don't know fully how his life turned out; I do know that it is none of my business.

The reason that I write about Pappy is that, I lived some of his mistakes. Like him I was given the luxury to walk away from my own mistakes. I can tell you neither his, nor my mistakes came without severe consequence. I can also tell you that we both survived to tell our stories. I tell mine to kids on a daily basis. I tell them through my actions. I work with them to hopefully keep them from making the same mistakes that I made.

We say that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. I believe this to be a true statement. What I do know is that almost anything can be fixed. If you are a parent, or hope to someday become one please remember that your child is watching everything that you do both the good and the bad. They will repeat what they see and what they are taught.

Pappy's life gives me mixed emotions. He was first a kid. He was a son of this nation. He was born into a circumstance that for a long time we as a nation and a society liked to think didn't exist. We spent a great part of our history pretending that type of problem didn't exist; not in our great nation. I feel like when we started recognizing our social problems of this nature we began to place blame. We tend to blame it on just the parents. In reality this is a huge mistake. It is true that parent's actions deserve consequence and in return parents seem to strike back at the social structure and its rules and regulations.

Unfortunately what we have is a social structure that is falling apart at the seams. The social system seems to be in everyone's business telling them what they are doing wrong, and how to do it. At the same time a lot of parents are becoming nothing more than immature children in adult bodies, not caring what they do, or what they are showing our nation's children. The media glamourizes a thug life mentality, which in turn only deepens the problem. We have been a nation that has shown the world strength in times of adversity, and now I think we just seem to be showing the world stupidity in the times of potential self-destruction.

It is important in these crucial times that we aim to educate, instead of aiming to blame. It is important that we as a nation step up, and take a self-reflective look in the mirror, instead of an external look over seas. We need to take a hard look at the streets of our own cities, and see what we are doing to ourselves. We need to recognize the message that we are sending to the world through our media. If we don't take a hard look at our times, the children of this nation are doomed, and with it our nation, because they are our future. Pappy overcame his adversities. He was a strong intelligent man with a lot of determination. That quality unfortunately is rare. We can't expect to place pressures upon our children and hope that they turn out to be national heroes. That is stupid, not ignorant.

Pappy's life was spent with a bull's eye painted on his chest. He picked the color of the paint, the brush, and painted it there himself. A lot of people took aim at that bull's eye. In the end it was both the Japanese air-to-air combat pilots, and the media's looking for a hero to report on back to the states that took aim at that bull's eye. It's hard to say who actually shot him down on January 3, 1944. As a society we look for heroes to worship. We glamorize the deeds that are performed in combat. We label them as actions that keep America free. If you don't understand or believe me, analyze how many bumper stickers that you have read that state "Freedom Isn't Free."

To this day when I think of Pappy and the Black Sheep, my Marine Corps pride swells. I know that I earned the same title that they fought to defend. I know that I made similar mistakes and was lucky enough to walk away. I like to think that just like Pappy I am one of the "knowing" types of people. I have stood in front of a Black Sheep fighter plane. I have stood in front of a plane with a Japanese zero painted on it. It has made me proud to have stood in both of those spots. I was an active duty Marine when Pappy passed away. Pappy was a hero, whether he wanted to be anyone's hero or not, he was and still is mine. Semper Fi and Rest in Peace Pappy... and by the way Pappy, Semper Fi... it does mean always faithful. I hope that your story again and again touches the hearts and souls of a lot of people; even those yet to come.

Chapter 3 David Crockett

Have you ever heard the Ballad of Davy Crockett? It goes a little bit like this: "Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee; he killed his first bear when he was only three, and the last bear I saw said he was after me...Davy...Davy Crockett... king of the wild frontier. What kind of hero was David Crockett? Well I tell you he was the kind of hero that legends are built from. He was the kind of hero that has been talked about to make little boys eyes gleam throughout the history of our nation. Well he ranks right up there with Daniel Boone, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, and all of the other pioneering heroes from our past.

Like every other little boy growing up in rural east Tennessee in the 1960s, I wanted me a coonskin cap, so I could pretend to be just like him. The thing about David though, is that he was a bit more than just what legends are built of. He was more than just my first childhood hero. He was a man with a destiny that helped shape this country. But at the same time he suffered through some serious childhood issues. As a matter of fact the types of issues that he had are still plaguing our country yet today.

Let's start by discussing how myths are formed that turn into legends. Let's start with "Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee..." He was born on August 17, 1786 a short time after the nation had won its independence from Britain. But he wasn't born on a mountaintop. Nope it was in the East Tennessee community of Limestone in a river valley on banks of the Nolichucky River in what was known then as the state of Franklin... named after the one and only Benjamin Franklin... who coincidently never lived there. "He killed his first bear when he was only three." Ok, if you say so. How about: "King of the wild frontier." A king; are you kidding me... wait till I tell you who he really was. I think that you will be surprised.

The river at the place of his birth is given a Cherokee name; the Nolichucky River. Translated into English, it is river of death. To me this is ominously fitting considering how he both lived and finished his life, but that is not what the river is named for. It is named for its treacherous rapids that attract white water rafters to the area. The state of Franklin later changed its name to Tennessee. People differ on what the word Tennessee translates from, or what it represents. A common thought is that it is Cherokee for "the bends," because of how the hills bend throughout the state. If that is the case one could ironically say that Tennessee was itself named just for David Crockett, because not only was he born on the river of death, but he also bent his life all the way across the state helping to settle its frontier.

This isn't why the state was named, but to me it feels proportional to his life. David Crockett was devastatingly killed in the Alamo, and only lived to be 49, but he lived a full life that most would be proud to call their own. But like I already stated, his life however was not without its childhood issues that translated into his adult life, and like he helped shape the state of Tennessee and the nation, his issues helped to shape his eventual destiny.

His father was a poor man with a poor business sense. He tried business adventure after business adventure with most of them failing. He was a farmer. He tried running a grist mill, and then a tavern. I guess in the end it seemed that making money off alcohol suited him. His tavern business was small, and they remained poor. His father although a businessman, didn't seem to be a very good one. On several occasions he assigned David out to work off debts that he had occurred from local citizens. It would take him months at a time to work off his father's debts.

David said that he stayed with the family until he was about 12 and a traveler came through, and his father sent him with this man to earn some money, helping this man travel eastward. His father hired him out to travel over 400 miles on foot every step of the way. The man ended up kidnapping David into Virginia and refusing to let him go back home to his family. David waited until a strong snowstorm in the middle of the night, so that the snow would quickly cover his tracks and he ran away trying to get back to his family. If it were not for the help and kindness of people on the highway, he would have probably never made it home.

There is something terribly wrong with this picture. Who would hire their son off with a traveler just passing through? I do understand that times were different then, and indentured servitude existed. It was a custom for children to be hired out as apprentices in turn being taught a trade, but that isn't what this was. It was a rental. The man rented out his own son. Not only did he rent this boy out, when it became obviously apparent to him that his son wasn't coming home, he just sat and waited for him to make it back on his own, if he waited at all. This is a classic example of fatherless upbringing. A child can be fatherless, even if the father is at home, and it seems that it even existed from the conception of our nation. Well old man Crockett, have another drink on me.

David's formal education seemed to last for only about four days. Once his father decided to send him to school, a neighborhood bully quite larger than David decided to punk him out. David said that school wasn't quite the right place to stalk his prey, so he skipped out a little bit early and laid in ambush for the bully. After disposing of the bully David was more afraid of the teacher thrashing him than he was of getting a quality education I guess, so he decided to hide out in the mornings and pretend to go to school.

After several days of missing school, the school master sent a note to his father asking why young Crockett wasn't in school. David said that his dad had a few horns in him at the time of reading the letter, and questioned him why he hadn't been going to school. When David told him about the bully, his dad decided that he would whip him much harder than the school master would have and went to fetch a hickory stick.

David decided that a beating from either man wasn't in his best interest, so he took off running. He said that his dad chased him for over a mile before he finally gave up the chase. He found himself again without a home, because striking out on his own seemed much better than a couple of beatings.

This is a classic example of both stubbornness and distorted thinking on the parts of everyone involved. Why was David afraid of a thrashing from his teacher? Was he more afraid of his father to begin with? Did he know that his father would be drunken and unreasonable? Was his father wrong for wanting to thrash him? I don't know if there is any correctness in any of the questioned scenarios, but I think I do understand somewhat. From his father's standpoint his child was embarrassing him in public, but at the same time he wasn't wise enough to recognize that David was nothing more than a product of the environment that he was brought up in.

David however was a child. He wasn't supposed to have the maturity to understand the situation to begin with. If anyone had a reason for distorting the situation it would be David. He was at least 13 years of age, and had never been to school. He had been farmed out by his father all of his life and had to deal with his father's drunkenness. He was poor and had never attended school. Not only did he not understand the educational environment, his situation made him a huge target once there.

David might have had distorted thinking throughout the situation, but he had wisdom beyond his years if you ask me. He was smart enough to know that he was right in the situation of the bully. He was smart enough to know that it was an issue that he had to unfortunately handle himself. He was also smart enough to know the end result of the beating or beatings that were about to come about. Sometimes I guess you can be wrong in your actions even if you are right about the process of events. We are all humans, and we all make human mistakes. We can't control the actions of others; we can only control how we respond to the action of others.

A bully has to be dealt with. But what is the right recourse? Do two wrongs ever add up to a right? Does reporting them to the right people really stop that bully? This is a tough call to have to make with even tougher consequences to deal with. I think that our nation seems to have lost its path with this type of problem. We teach that violence is never the answer, but we are a nation that has found its strength and recourse from the violent actions of defending the cause of right over wrong. What is the message that we are sending to our youth?

Because of being in David's shoes when I was a kid, I personally hate nothing more than a bully. I also don't think that telling the teacher that you are being bullied is going to deter the bully. You see a bully is someone that has weak and insecure needs. They feed their insecurities by consuming what they feel is actually weaker than they are. I am a firm believer that if you show a bully weakness they will continue to consume. They laugh at you when the teacher isn't looking, and more than likely the one being picked on will be a full-fledged victim before the bully will suffer any consequences to their actions. David's situation is a classic example to this fact. He ended up being the one in trouble, not the bully who started the trouble.

I do agree however that violence isn't the answer, but we as a society need to buckle down and discover what is. I can tell you where to start. A kid that is being picked on shouldn't have to report to the teacher that they are being picked on. If you are a teacher, it is your responsibility to know what is happening in your classroom. You bear the burden of finding the correct discipline in your classroom environment, without the assistance of the students. It seems to me that too many people in the educational environment today are either there just for the paycheck, have power and control issues of their own, or simply just don't care. This is an area in our society that we need to work aggressively to fix, instead of blaming children for being children.

David ran from home and ended up working for various people that he met on the road that would give him work. It wasn't a safe environment for him, but it seems that he met people of good heart and faith that admired his personality and work ethics. David was far from being a prince and future king, but he was learning that life's lessons were working to make him a future man of destiny. To me it is a shame that he had to learn that good men do exist on this planet in this fashion. But at the same time this is a classic example that greatness can arise from adversity.

After some time he ran into one of his brothers on the road that tried to convince him to come home and face his father; if for no more of a reason than for his mother's and sisters sakes because they were missing him greatly. He said that he had shed very few tears in his life, but he would not go back to that beating. He stated that he missed his family greatly, but was not willing to return. It seems that his father had hardened David in more ways than one, and it wasn't for the best.

I can tell you right now with confidence that this is the sign of an abused child, not a boy that is afraid of a whipping. The things that he faced in the wild frontier you can guarantee were a great deal more fearsome than a beating from his father. In his book he didn't say how long he was gone exactly, but he did say I believe that he had grown about a head taller, and was now 15 years old, and couldn't read the first letter in any book. He also stated that he never lived at home again, and would never visit his family even though he was only living and working 15 minutes away. On foot, and I am sure that is what he was on, that is less than two miles.

One thing that David got along the way on his journey was character. I don't know why but he felt indebtedness for his father's name. His father asked if he would work off debts that his father owed to a man. And David did. He also went to work for another man for over a year without any pay to give his father a present of 40 dollars. I believe that this goes a long way in stating that David had learned that there was good in the world as well as bad, and that he was going to be part of the cure instead of part of the disease.

When we look at kids that are in the system today, we have to wonder why and how they got there. Not all kids end up in the system due to poor or neglectful parenting. This problem is much more complex than that. But we also are in bad need of recognizing our issues and addressing them. If we don't, I am much afraid that future generations are only going to have much steeper issues to face. Aren't the killings and the gangs in the streets enough alone to recognize that our great nation is past due for critically needed change?

Parenting is not a part-time job. It takes constant dedication. One might say who is this man to tell me how to raise my children? My response to that is that I am not trying to tell you how to raise your children. By no means am I perfect; my family has its own issues as well. I have made mistakes in the past, and continue still today to make mistakes yet today.

No one is perfect, and no one is without mistakes, but if we don't struggle to correct our mistakes, they will only broaden. The first step I believe is that we have to recognize what the mistake is. This is why I feel that David Crockett is one of my most important heroes. I don't believe that he had counselors out there telling him how his life was screwed up, and that he needed to make change. I believe that he recognized its issues and felt convictions to change or solidify the relationship that he had with his father, which is why I would like to think could be the reason that he worked off his father's debt.

Tennessee at this time was a wild frontier, and it was on this frontier that David Crockett laid the groundwork for his recognition and fame. He began to love to hunt. Hunting bears and being an excellent shot shortly became a great deal of his claim to fame. They would have shooting matches for beef. It was a profitable way for one to sell a beef. People would pay for each shot, and the more they paid, the more chances they had. He became famous for winning his share of these matches.

He suffered a lot of adversity in his life. He lost his first wife to sickness. He met and married a widow that had children as well, and they seemed to have settled and created a solid mixed family bond. He stated that he never acquired a great fortune. Like his father he did have a couple of failed business adventures. He at one time tried to develop a distillery, and later he tried to open a boating business of moving merchandize for settlers down the Mississippi River, in which his lack of experience almost cost him his life. Throughout his years David Crockett kept moving westward across Tennessee and settling in several parts of the state.

In 1813, David was around 27. His family was young, and the Creek Indians had attacked the nation at Fort Mimms in Alabama. We were already engaged with the British with the war of 1812. David began to feel it his duty to join the Tennessee "Volunteer" militia. His wife begged him not to go, but he knew that it was a duty that he owed to his country. Over his years he served several stints with the Volunteer militia. By the time he was killed in the Alamo he had been elected to the rank of Colonel.

Later David found the desire to run for political office. He held several local government offices within the state of Tennessee. It was during these small political campaigns, that he started to become famous for spinning a good yarn. This and the fact that he said he always kept two things in his pocket when he was trying to politic; a plug of tobacco, and a horn of whiskey. He said that if anybody were going to spit out their tobacco to stop and talk with him, he should at least be able to offer to replace that chew. I guess he thought offering whiskey was just good business sense.

Here is a point to stop and think. As I was reading what he was saying, I began to question his purpose. Not whether or not he was doing right, but what was his motivation. I believe that David Crockett knew that he came from dysfunctional beginnings, which led to his destination. I think that he was as proud of where he came from, as he could have been, but I also feel that he felt that other people poked fun at him, or didn't take him serious.

Whatever was going on in his head, it was later obvious, that he had a strong desire to better himself. My question would be why was he so driven? Did it stem from his coming into this world from poor beginnings, and that he was self-driven to prove something to those that doubted him? He said in his book that his main reason for poverty was the fact of his charitable nature. He would rather give everything that he had to whomever he felt was in need and only keep what he needed. The reality is that old David himself can only be the one to answer that question. We only know the what, not the why.

I am almost willing to bet that he came into this world hard and rough, and didn't want to see anybody going through what he had to go through. I wonder if he ever caught on to the fact that people need to help themselves. It is good to give someone a hand up, but it is bad to keep them supported with that same hand. I know through his actions he saw it in himself, but did he give pity to those that he saw going through similar situations. If so that was a mistake. There is a difference between pity and sympathy.

This is another problem that I see our nation is facing. We have way too many people wanting that supporting hand instead of the helping hand up. We all say the country is going broke, but I don't think that we all fully understand what is doing the breaking. I believe that we need social programs. I believe that people need help, and like David I am more than willing to give help. Those that know me well know this to be true. But at the same time I believe that in deed God helps those that help themselves.

David became extremely popular in his day. He was elected to two terms in Congress as a Representative for the Great State of Tennessee. He adjusted by tailoring himself to fit the profile of his peers. He tried to educate himself as much as possible, and he dressed the role of a professional man. He dealt with two powerful issues while in office. First and foremost he recognized that his constituents were poor farmers from the frontier of Tennessee. He tackled the issues that he felt concerned them. The next issue was the "Government" himself. This is the name that he coined for Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson was an extreme issue for him. They were both from Tennessee; Andrew Jackson was the current President of the United States. It was the consensus that he should support President Jackson, but Jackson was trying to separate the United States monetary withholdings and disperse it into several bank accounts across the country.

I do not attempt to understand why Jackson was doing this, but this proposed a problem for David's conscious. He strongly disagreed with Jackson's policy. He felt that it would weaken our nation, not strengthen it. He recognized that our nation was still young, and had not felt much more than turmoil in its present infancy. On the home front he was still popular, but on the hill within the "Government's" administration he was making pretty strong enemies.

This struggle turned out to control his destiny, predestined or not. It hurt him in the state of Tennessee, and in the congressional election. Right or wrong he made a public accusation; he accused the "Government" of rigging the election in his district, through underhanded political lies.

It seems that the Whig party was trying to take advantage of this. David toured Philadelphia, and Whig supporters pretty much wined and dined him. They presented him with the gift of a long rifle, which he would later make famous in the Alamo. Once when asked why someone would give a man such a rifle, he stated "for being honest." Everywhere he seemed to go, his character of being a simple man, standing for what he felt to be the issues that would help our country grow made him extremely popular. Maybe this in itself is another statement for us getting back to the basics. Take heed all future politicians... take heed.

I think that David was right when he said what he had to say about honesty. I think that as a nation we are a very giving people. We have given a lot to other nations. We have given our food, our money, and our lives in support of the good fight. That is what is deep inside of our souls. I strongly know this to be a fact. It is time however that we start giving to ourselves. We need to strengthen ourselves from within. We need to apply a strong dose of self-discipline and it needs to start at the freaking top, not the bottom.

I also know that on the surface we are starting to lose face. The beauty is quickly fading. The saying says that beauty is only skin deep and ugly goes all the way to the bone. I fear that if we don't start to make changes that will strongly alter our current path, the beauty that is within us will be replaced with ugly all the way to the bone. We have a cancer. It needs to be cut out. We can start by recognizing a verse from Charlie Daniel's version of his song Simple Man: "We've got crooked politicians and crime in the streets. I'm madder than hell and I ain't going to take it no more."

The end result for David was that he lost his congressional election in a close race that he strongly felt that he should have won. He felt that he had been cheated by Andrew Jackson and his "dirty politics." He was even mad at the people of Tennessee for not seeing the corruptness for what is was. I don't know the depth of his anger. I only know that he made a statement that has lived throughout history. Since the good people of the state of Tennessee chose his opponent over him, he said to the people of Tennessee "you can go to hell, I am going to Texas."

His book doesn't mention at all why he was going to the Alamo. Other than the fact that in his mind it seemed that a man could correct a lot of wrong by fighting for a just and noble cause, and with the land being offered to all that would fight for the cause of Texas. Since I am not a historian, and this is not intended to be a history lesson, I will leave any speculation to the professionals. I do know that he wrote of picking up two people on the way to the Alamo with him.

One was a riverboat gambler who made his living by playing "thimblerig," which is the popular game of sleight of hand that concerns guessing which cup that the pea is under. This as far as I am concerned is a moment of guidance into his personality. Thimblerig as he called the man was living by his estimation the life of a shady character, and that if he invited him to Texas with him, to fight honorably, that a man could be forgiven by those who had judged him incorrectly and this man could then make a fresh start in Texas.

I wonder if he possibly was considering himself as well. Let's take an analytical look into his life so far. He was an abused child. He lived most of his boyhood fighting to survive. Not only did he fight to survive, he worked his ass off trying to make the man that abused him happy? Was he looking for his father to be happy, or for his father's acceptance? People that have been abused have a tendency to look for the acceptance from their abusers. I think that maybe a part of them believes that acceptance will stop the abuse.

He wore this crutch throughout his life, and I believe all the way to the grave. David said that the reason that he was poor was because he would rather help his fellow man, than to have personal wealth. The reason that he was given that long rifle he stated was because of his honesty. Did he feel abused by society? Was he just looking for acceptance? When he didn't get elected again did he have distorted thinking in thinking that the people of Tennessee had abandoned him and he had lost their acceptance?

David also showed another sign of abuse, and that I believe was a low self-esteem. Kids that suffer from low self-esteem issues aren't in reality, and typically have certain types of abuses in their lives. They keep struggling for acceptance. They do many things. They show anger, anxiety, and depression. They tend to bolster their way through it by becoming the class clown, or spinning tall tales. They seek attention. Does this sound a little bit like the reputation of David, but at a grander scale? I surely think so.

I think David was an honest man. I think his tall tales were not lies; they were to get the attention of the people, and to be accepted; acceptance that he strongly needed. I think that he was so good at it, that it made him popular with the people. But I also think that when he felt rejected that his depression set in so bad, that he felt he had nothing else to do but strike out for Texas, and his friend Thimblerig was as much therapy for himself, as he felt that he was for Thimblerig.

The next person that joined him was a bee hunter that told David that he knew the Texas frontier, because he had been all over it searching for bees wax, which in that time frame was used for making candles and was worth more than the honey itself was. The bee hunter had a much more sound reputation, but none the less; he was young, and he wanted to travel with the famous David Crockett. Through it all David maintained his pride and his notoriety.

We know that Texas was having issues with Mexico concerning who should control the rights of the Texas frontier. Santa Anna had become the current dictator of Mexico. The Texans just several months earlier had fought for the rights to the Alamo, and had removed the Mexicans from their holding of it.

The Alamo was designed by the Spaniards to be a mission, but its construction was never entirely completed, and they eventually abandoned it. It seems that the Alamo could have served two things. For the Texans, it was possibly their first line of defense with the Mexicans. It would serve as a good fort against any possible invasions. For Santa Anna, which considered himself to be the Napoleon of North America, it was possibly a sore spot of disgrace for them losing the fort to the Texans.

Either way it would play out to be an extremely bloody battle in the liberation of Texas. So for whatever reason David Crockett and his entourage ended up trapped in the Alamo. It is here that he most assuredly accented his legacy.

Santa Anna's army began showing up in what is presently San Antonio from marching through the desert in winter, which no one I believe truly expected them to do so. They began forming, and playing head games with the Texan regular army and volunteers who had secured themselves in the Alamo determined to fight to the death if necessary. This did not matter much to Santa Anna, because he had several thousand troops, against the less than 200 troops within the confines or the Alamo, and he was offering "no quarters," which meant that he was taking no prisoners. It would be the death of them all.

Considering the legacy of David Crockett, history seems to conflict itself on certain points. The only survivors of the Alamo were a couple of salves, and a few women who Santa Anna left alive, and in poverty for the purpose of letting the world know what he had accomplished in the Alamo. It was reported from those that Santa Anna released, that in the morning prisoners had been taken, and one of the survivors stated that Crockett died early; there is another account of him being the last survivor. Is the question of the truth really at hand? Does it really matter, when or how he died in the battle?

To some it may, because if he died early in their minds, it possibly could tarnish his legacy. If he fought to the finish and was the last survivor it puts his name into books that only legends appear in. To me it doesn't matter, because for no matter how he died in the fighting, he was no more, nor no less of the man that he represented. To me that was of a man who came from certain poverty and circumstance that he etched his name in history to the level of one of our nations true pioneering heroes; the prince of poverty; a king... the king of the wild frontier.

Crockett is not one of my heroes, because he died in the Alamo. I am not trying to glorify his existence. He is my hero, because he did hoe a similar row that I had to hoe. He did seem to live his life having to prove to those around him, that he was capable. Crockett definitely had issues for a man in his day. He came from the wrong side of the tracks before any tracks were ever laid; the trail was only blazed. He is proof that a kid can come from certain adversity, and provide a positive performance for our society.

It is true that all the choices that youth make, whether they are correct choices or not, that they can grow into being positive role models. What we need to recognize, is that being a hero may or may not be someone's particular reality. In trying to be a simple man, which may be all the man that one may turn out to be, is the best policy of life. Go ahead and laugh all you want if you don't believe me. Make your life complex, if that is your nature. I can only offer advice. I can't live your life for you. As for me I think I will keep it as simple as I can.

I say to those fatherless children coming up in the world, if you try your best, whatever mark you achieve it will have been greatness. I pray and hope that my message helps someone someday recognize this concept.

As far as it goes with my early hero, and me I choose to believe that David being the last man standing is where I put my faith. They say that David and six survivors had survived the brutal fighting, and had backed themselves into a room in the church part of the fort. Thimblerig was lying there dying with his knife in the throat of a Mexican soldier. David was standing over him surrounded by the other survivors, with his famous long rifle "Betsy" all busted up from where he was using it as a club after he ran out of ammunition.

One of Santa Anna's generals supposedly offered to take them prisoners if they would just surrender. When they were presented to Santa Anna he quickly reprimanded the general for taking any quarters at all. He had however separated the famous American warrior/congressman from the others. As they began to administer the slaughter of the others they say that Crockett growled and began to attack the assailants. He was supposedly found with six bayonet wounds in his heart.

What is the truth here? I guess we have to live with the fact that even recorded history can at times only be hearsay. Personally the legend of David Crockett was there for me as a child to admire and look up to. As an adult this legend prompted me to research him in much more detail. His own book that some say that he did not possess the education to have written ended during the heat of the siege of the Alamo, and it definitely left a lasting impression upon my soul. As that I can only hope that this writing possibly can inspire at least one to recognize the needed changes that we face. I hope at least someone will recognize that our needed changes will come from within our hearts and ambitions, not our complexities and our abilities to put on a false front for the world to view.

Chapter 4 Sgt. Alvin York

I read where it stated that Sgt. Alvin York was the greatest hero of World War I; the most decorated soldier during World War I. Is there such a thing as the greatest of all time? Has anyone been around long enough to gauge such a feat? I can tell you that there is an obvious answer to that question. As soon as you start thinking you are the greatest is when something or somebody will take a huge bite out of your ass letting you know that life can hurt at times, and your ego just got in your way. I will also tell you that there isn't such a thing as the greatest at anything, and that it is safe to say that Alvin York didn't figure himself to be the greatest hero of World War I. Like any other hero he was humanistic with humanistic mistakes. I am going to focus on how the life of Alvin York makes this subject a statement of fact.

I argue that Lynyrd Skynyrd is the greatest band of all time, just after I said there is never the greatest at anything. I guess it is kind of ironic. You may ask how this is relevant to the subject. I say this because it opens up to the discussion of greatness, and their song "Simple Man" is pertinent and states my case. "You can have stacks of money to the sky up above, but you won't be happy son until you find your love... be a simple kind of man." There is nothing simple about striving for greatness..., but one can be simply great. Unfortunately it seems that greatness lasts for only a fleeting moment and those that achieve that fleeting moment are left with nothing more than the residue.

Alvin York was dead and buried at least 10 years before "Simple Man" was written, but he was a man that just wanted to find his love and be a simple kind of man, but living the life of a hero it seems ended up destroying his simplicity. Once life is no longer simple it can quickly become very difficult. It is easy to place blame. People can easily say it was the choices that he made, and people can easily say that the pressures that were placed on him created his environment. My question is does placing blame solve such problems? Well Alvin is dead and gone. In my eye he truly was a great man and was striving to be Lynyrd Skynyrd's simple kind of man.

If life's problems and lessons ever put pressure on anyone, I would have to say that it was this man. But to help others learn from his mistakes let's start at the beginning. Alvin York was born on December 12, 1887 in post-Civil War, Pall Mall, Tennessee. His family lived in a two room cabin. He was the third born of 11 children. The south was very poor during this time frame. It was more important to his family's way of life for children to help the family survive than it was to get a proper education. It was because of this that Alvin spent little time in formal education. His father died in 1911. His two elder brothers were out of the family home and raising their own families. This left Alvin young at the age of 23 facing the responsibilities of taking care of his mother, and having to raise his eight brothers and sisters still at home. He might have been born into a simple way of life, but if you ask me in his life, simplicity just left the building.

Everywhere you read it states that Alvin had become prone to drinking and barroom brawls. He had even been labeled as a vicious alcoholic. I think Alvin might have felt that God had dumped on him some responsibilities that were pretty heavy; especially heavy for a man of his age. I think that he may have been blaming God for his problems. He was dealing with the responsibilities, but I don't believe that he was dealing with his problems in the best fashion.

Alvin was raised going to church. He had gone to church all of his life, and he had never stopped. His father died in 1911, and four years later he was in a revival where he had a personal revelation from God. He stated that the moment was so strong that it felt like a bolt of lightning had struck his soul. It changed his life forever, and created a controversy that the entire world was going to end up debating.

Alvin became filled with strong religious convictions. Some say that he was struck by either lightning, the love of his dear Gracie, or the pressures of his mother. Either way, in his own words he found his strong religious convictions in that tent revival. I personally think that none of this happened, and it sparked critical analysis of the life of Alvin York, because he was later to be labeled as a conscientious objector. This debate centered on his life after his being drafted into the military. I conjecture that this debate went far beyond that, and it was soon to become a strong part of his destiny.

The United States was about to become deeply entrenched into World War I, and Alvin found himself being forced to register for the draft. Alvin did not want to be drafted and fight in a war for whatever reason that he had. Alvin answered on his draft papers "Yes. Don't want to fight." This immediately labeled him as an objector. History has written him as a conscientious objector. I truly don't know if this was the label of his intent. Later in life it was said that he stated that he never was a conscientious objector. There is no further explanation that I can develop other than an opinion.

A conscientious objector is someone that has deep religious or philosophical beliefs that prevent them from participating in combat. In the case of a national emergency such as war it does not however prevent them from serving in the military. There are plenty of jobs that they can still perform that are not combat related. Either way his request was denied. He appealed, and his appeal was denied as well.
The statement that Alvin made in his first draft notice in my belief sends up a major red flag of controversy. He doesn't mention in his draft registration that he believed that God didn't want him to fight, and this is where I am torn. Part of me feels that a lack of education may have been the reasoning behind him not getting his point across. Another part of me feels that he might have felt that he had too many responsibilities to live up to, and that he just didn't have time to be forced into defending our nation. I don't know where he was in his life. If I were to have been one to review his request, I think I would have turned it down as well. It is due to what he stated and how he stated it in his original draft registration.

No matter what he was thinking, he was being forced to serve in defense of the nation. Also understand that his minister filled out the paperwork necessary for him to be excluded from the draft. His mother did the same thing stating that he was the primary provider for their family. Whatever was going on in Alvin York's mind, and whatever he was thinking, if it had been just to not serve in the military, he could have gotten out of it, with either of those two documents. He refused to submit either one of them.

I believe that Alvin's inner convictions were creating him a lot of undue pressure. I also don't believe that all of his convictions were religiously biased, nor do I believe that they were all positively motivated. I see a man that was being forced to deal with his convictions, and having to do it at a public level. I can't speak for the official standing of the military, but I do know that a lot of enlisted men feel that conscientious objector means nothing more than wanting out, or too much of an ass wipe to serve.

Is this the proper way to be toward your fellow man? Absolutely not; but I know for a fact that it does exist. I am willing to bet that a lot of the people that he dealt with day to day before his enlistment, and probably during his enlistment treated him in much of the same fashion. Especially with the fact of the matter that he was known to get drunk and get into fights in the bars in his recent past.

Either way you can bet he was struggling with what to do. I think part of him was asking God for his guidance, and part of him was still questioning God of his expectations. He had lost his father, was given the huge burden of responsibility of taking care of his mother and family, and now a war broke out that he had nothing to do with starting. The government and the local community were putting pressure on him to serve. You can almost bet that he was asking why; God why. At times like this in a man's life is when internal pride tends to dictate the solution to our present problems. For Alvin to refuse the help of his mother, and minister doesn't surprise me at all.

I would like to say that a strong man refuses the help and does what is right in this situation. But to be honest, I think a strong man stays true to his convictions and fights them to the end. This however is a tough situation that Alvin found himself in. To point out what is possibly going through his mind I believe to be necessary, but I don't think it a correct gauge to Alvin's internal strength. I believe that it took a strong man to make either one of those decisions. Alvin went to Fort Gordon, Georgia as an Army private for basic training to prepare for World War I, and that is all that needs to be said.

I don't know entirely what happened during basic training for Private Alvin York, but I do think that I know enough to conjecture the end result. At some point, if not from the beginning during his training it became known that Alvin felt his faith in God did not allow him to kill. He felt that killing was wrong and against God's will. I read that both his company and battalion commanders were strong like him in their Christian faith. They worked to convince him that fighting to defend the principals of his country was not against God's will. It must have seemed like a strong test of wills; one scripture reference after another with everyone stating their case.

All military drill instructors are trained to know how to weed out the individual that doesn't belong. It is for the safety of others and the success of the mission more than it is to force someone that isn't fit to be in the military to be forced to serve. The end result was that they determined Alvin was a solid man in his faith and convictions. They also determined that he had the salt to be an excellent soldier. This was not a man that was just trying to get out of the military. His convictions and inner strife were real. He was given a furlough to go home to pray, and to be alone with his thoughts. If he still felt his convictions to not serve, then the Army would release him. The end result was that Alvin felt that God wanted him to serve his country. I don't know what happened to him on those ten days of leave to change his testament, but I know he ended up at the French front, and well to simply state it... a national hero.

Alvin York was an expert sharp shooter. Once Alvin decided to be both a strong Christian and to serve his country at the same time, it didn't take the Army long to recognize his talents and put them to use. He was quickly promoted to the rank of Corporal. I believe that Alvin had found peace with his inner self at last. I think he had resolved his conflicts. He knew where he was at, and why he was there. He had achieved his answers through prayer and searching his inner soul. This was about to be proven at a scale that only through the work of a higher power could be achieved.

It was October 18, 1918 and the world was deep at war. France had been heavily devastated by Germany, and the Allied Forces were fighting a fifty mile stretch of front that included the Argonne Forrest and the German Decauville Rail. The mission for York's battalion was to capture the rail and force the German troops back into the forest. Unfortunately they had to attack into a funnel shaped valley that narrowed the deeper they went into the valley. The walls of the valley had steep ridges and were laced with over 30 German machine gun nests. It was as if they were being herded in like cattle for the slaughter.

Alvin York stated: "The Germans got us, and they got us right smart. They just stopped us dead in our tracks. Their machine guns were up there on the heights overlooking us and well hidden, and we couldn't tell for certain were the terrible heavy fire was coming from... and I'm telling you they were shooting straight. Our boys just went down like the long grass before the mowing machine at home. Our attack just faded out... And there we were, lying down, about halfway across the valley and those German machine guns and big shells were getting us hard."

It seems that a senior Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) Sgt. Early took three squads of men to take out the machine gun nests. Nine were killed, leaving Corporal York as the Senior NCO in charge of seven other remaining men. The accuracy of the number count seems unimportant to me, but what happened next was extremely important to the destiny of Alvin York.

York stated: "And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush... As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me; I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting. I don't think I missed a shot. It was no time to miss... All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had."

After it was all over; German Officer, First Lieutenant Vollmer, which had been the one to give the command to surrender said that he emptied his pistol trying to kill York. He said that he missed every shot. The way that I see it, was that either he was a pathetic shot or Corporal Alvin York truly was on a mission from God. Personally I side with the latter belief. It can be nothing more than a miracle how a single man stands no more than 25 to 30 yards alone in the wide open while over 30 highly trained machine gunners empty their rounds at him, and a single lieutenant empties his service pistol, and York walks away with not even a scratch.

An Internet site dedicated to his story, which I believe to be pretty accurate (www.sgtyorkstory.com) states that he captured 4 German officers, and 128 regular soldiers. It is a play on words I know to say that they surrendered rather than that he captured them, but I feel it more fitting. Alvin York didn't want to be there. He wasn't out on a leisurely stroll saying to himself, oh what a strong soldier I am, I think that I am going to get blood on my hands and veins between my teeth and single handedly defeat the entire German Army today. No, that wasn't it at all. Nor was it what he did.

It was quite the opposite. The whole time that he was firing he was begging them to stop firing at him and to just give up. He said that he wanted to kill as few as possible. He was taking out one at a time until they quit. If God wasn't with Alvin York that day, then I don't know who was. If you have any belief in a higher power, no matter what you call your higher power, one has to believe that something higher than man was protecting him that day. In his mind however, I believe that he felt that it was his God almighty.

What Alvin did that day was to stand his ground in the face of adversity. He took battle sight and alignment with the service weapon that was issued to him and with stunned bravery and faith in God fired one round after the other until he had finished what God had planned for him. He said that God was the reason that he was able to get it done, and I believe him.

Alvin was quickly promoted to Sergeant and presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor for his deeds and bravery on the battlefield. His commanding General asked him how he did what he did. Alvin stated: "Sir, it is not man power. A higher power guided and watched over me and told me what to do." His commanding General agreed.

Another quote from Alvin was: "There can be no doubt in the world of the fact of the divine power being in that. No other power under heaven could bring a man out of a place like that. Men were killed on both sides of me; and I was the biggest and most exposed of all. Over thirty machine guns were maintaining fire at me, point-blank from a range of about 25 yards. When you have God behind you, you can come out on top every time." This I believe is where the legend started that stated the man that he was.

With his "Simple Man" mentality, "forgetting stacks of money, and finding his love" I believe Alvin York again found himself alone with his inner convictions. He was being hailed as a national hero. He had been delivered to New York City and had a ticker tape parade in his honor; money was being waved in front of him. It seemed that everybody wanted him to endorse their product. The governor of Tennessee performed his wedding ceremony. The Nashville Rotary Club wanted to give him a fully functional 400 acre farm. Hollywood wanted to make a movie about the story of the great backwoodsman, and people wanted to write his life story. All Alvin wanted was to marry Gracie, and go home. Alvin refused all the wealth and fame. He did however accept the 400 acre fully functioning farm.

I think it is human nature to place heroes upon a pedestal. We all want to live a fairy tale life, without all of life's struggles. When we can place someone on such a pedestal we can achieve this vicariously through them. A piece of us gets to fantasize about achieving greatness, and possibly dream about what we can do to achieve such greatness ourselves. I also believe that some are just thankful and appreciative of such heroics, and with it all added up it quickly becomes hero worship with us all failing to recognize the pressures that we place upon this person forcing them to live up to their fame. Especially the ones like Alvin that didn't want the publicity and fame. He just wanted to go home and live out the rest of his life, serving God, taking care of his family, and loving his dear Gracie.

Unfortunately people don't allow heroes to do that, and Alvin was going to be no different. He was now a public figure. I think that if Alvin had a crystal ball to peer into he just might have taken the money and ran when the fortune and fame were offered. Would that have been his answer? I don't truly know if I think so. I think that he would have fought that fight no matter what. This is however a mute point and history is history. Pressure was about to make his life difficult again. This time however it wasn't going to be as simple as standing up amidst extreme machine gun fire, face them down and get them to surrender... nope it wasn't going to be that easy at all.

The source of this problem was fame, and it can be relentlessly vicious. There is always the old adage that you can have a lot of friends as long as you're buying, but when the money runs out, so do your friends. It turned out that the Nashville Rotary club didn't give him a fully functional farm. What they gave him was a farm that they were making payments on, and it wasn't fully stocked either. Alvin refused all of the money and product sponsorships that were offered to him. All that he accepted was the farm. To make the farm work, he had to go into debt. When the depression hit, the rotary club could no longer afford the payments. So where do you think that this left a national hero? It left him at the mercy of someone else, is exactly where this left him.

We live in a society of not "what have you done, but what have you done for me lately." It seems that the early mid-1900s were no different. I think Alvin found himself a cause without a hero. He still had his strong convictions, but his money ran out and he was no longer buying. This made his friends run out too. Was it his fault that the depression hit? Was it his fault that he was given a non-fully functional farm that was also non-fully paid for? The obvious answer here is no. A deeper question would be was it his fault that he mismanaged his assets? This is a debatable issue. I don't know enough of the necessary specifics to make an assessment, so therefore I won't.

What happened was Alvin ended up in court fighting for more than his assets. Now he was a national hero, and he was fighting for his reputation as well. It seems to me that not only did his so called friends and supporters leave him, but they threw him in front of a fast moving train before they left. I can't help but wonder if it was the same train that brought him home from the war. Alvin was again left alone with his pride and convictions. This again is where pride seems to take over and make decisions for us instead of our convictions. It seems this is exactly what Alvin York did this time as well.

To be honest writing about this is where I struggle with my own personal convictions. I am writing about the mistakes of a man that I feel that I would have made the same mistakes myself if I were standing in his shoes or had to walk the same mile in his steps. To me the real criminals were the hero worshipers, the so called friends that placed him in front of the moving train. But at the same time we have to all face the fact that we are all given free will. This is the free will to make our own choices in life. What we don't have is the free will to choose our own consequences, and Alvin definitely had to face his.

Alvin's crimes at this point had been false trust and indebtedness. He had no way of fixing the blind faith that he had placed in people, but he could fix his indebtedness. Unfortunately it involved him jumping out of the frying pan and into the skillet. To a man with his convictions, one might say it took him selling his soul out to the devil. When it comes to consequences man may truly want to extract a pound of flesh, but the devil wants your soul. I truly don't know if it was that bad or not, that is between him and God. I am neither his judge nor his jury, but I bet it felt to him like everyone was judging him, and he was left wondering what exactly had he done wrong.

What happened next was Alvin let a couple of people write his life story. One of the author's wrote of Tales that Alvin had given him about his life and times in the hills of Tennessee. At one point Alvin said when asked about the Argonne forest: "we were just a small piece of a fifty mile front, and I was trying to let that go for my brothers and sisters of Tennessee." I have to ask the question of was he really kidding himself? Did he really think that people were going to buy his book without his continual discussion of the Argonne forest?

I really don't know what he was expecting, but I do feel that this is a classic case of having your cake and wanting to eat it too. I guess that some truly may get this privilege, but I bet most don't. It seems to me that he wanted for some reason to let his heroic act die, but now reap the financial benefits from it. But in reality what made this a harder sale, was that he was doing it all in the name of God. I think that he felt deep inside that God didn't want him to reap reward from his actions. I honestly believe those to be his deepest thoughts when he came home from the war. None of us will ever know the answer to how he was feeling then. We can only guess from the actions and choices that he made.

I personally don't feel that he would have went wrong either way at that point, but he had to choose a direction and take it. He chose his path, and then he wanted to change his course of action. They say that hind sight is always 20/20. I guess that in this point that it does make sense. I think however that Alvin made a bigger mistake. It seems that when he decided to go toward the money that he desperately needed because of his own mistakes, that he did it by using the name of God.

I truly think that God was with him in the Argonne forest, but I am not so certain that he was with him when he stated "letting go for his brothers and sisters of Tennessee." I am not so certain that his brothers and sisters of Tennessee were so much with him at this point either. I am sure that being in the public eye again, but this time with mistakes made and needing money wasn't sitting too well with those hero worshipers, and that might have been the reason that he was trying to put the past behind him instead of "letting go for his brothers and sisters of Tennessee."

The next thing that he did was to allow Hollywood in. That was the same Hollywood that he didn't want in before. It has been written that the only reason that he did it was to fund a nondenominational bible school. That is good. I even agree with the cost. I do have a couple of questions however. Did they pay him more than he needed for the school? Did he walk out with a pay day above and beyond the needed funds for the school? Did he allow them the privileges of ad lib and glamorization to make the movie marketable vs. factual?

The money part, I only have one issue with. It is said that lots of preachers want you to send your money to God, but they give you their address. I have no problems with him profiting from his heroic act. I actually think that he should have to begin with. That is my personal opinion. I do however don't think that people should invoke the name of God for profit. If he did that, then that is between him and God, and to be honest only he and God are the ones that know the details of the subject. I can let that question go pretty easily.

My second question however I have personal problems with. If he were doing what he was doing for the good people of Tennessee, his movie sure did a good job at making us all look like dumbass hillbillies in my opinion. Also one of the biggest things that I remember from the movie, was Gary Cooper who played Alvin York portrayed him under cover making a gobbling turkey call so that the German soldiers would poke their heads up and that he could pick them off like he was at a turkey shoot. If he lost control of this movie that represented such a travesty, then that was not only a mistake, but it was his mistake. Alvin York is one of our nation's heroes. He should have never been viewed as an illiterate simpleton. There is a strong difference between being a simple man without external complications, than being a simpleton, being poked at by the viewing public.

Again this is where I personally struggle with my own convictions. The past several paragraphs have been about possible scenarios, not my complete opinion on the situation. If the scenario that I conjectured is true, then I feel that Alvin York subjected his physical presence on earth to the pressures of needing money at the consequence of possibly losing his spiritual soul. I truly don't believe this in my heart to be the case. I don't think that he lost his spiritual soul, but if your faith is Christian, a lot of Christian faiths believe that such mistakes can cause this to happen.

I do feel that Alvin York had to deal with the pressures placed upon him as being a national hero. I feel that God placed him on that battlefield for a reason, and I know that neither I nor possibly anyone else knows the reasoning behind God's intentions. I strongly believe that Alvin York handled his situation incorrectly at several aspects of his journey.

I also feel that Alvin York is, was, and forever will be a national hero and an excellent role model for our nation's children to look up to and recognize both what to do to be simply great, and what also not to do as to prevent being adversely wrong. He stood at the forefront of a lot of good things in life. Alvin patterned his life after right and wrong. He patterned it so tightly that I think he gave himself no room for margin of error.

Alvin stood up in the face of adversity and placed without any underlying convictions a definition upon what was right and wrong. If anyone challenged that definition he used a level of wisdom that most people only dream to possess to assess their challenge and in turn give them his long thought out response. No one is perfect by any means, but I am willing to bet that a very large part of his assessments were extremely accurate.

History is full of people that have suffered from the same sufferings that Alvin placed upon himself. These types of people have been both men and women. They analyze things so finitely that they give themselves little to no margin of error. When they make those types of mistakes they tend to self-impose harsher punishments upon themselves and others around them. I believe even more so than either God or our social structure ever would in most situations.

What has a tendency to happen is that people make the mistake of believing in the pedestal, or even placing themselves upon that pedestal that is provided by the hero worshiper. What makes this a mistake are several things. When we place ourselves head and shoulders above others, and that is what a pedestal does at the minimum, we draw attention to ourselves. This forces the one on the pedestal to shoot for perfection, and not everyone deals with imperfections well. Being placed on a pedestal also draws more attention from people. They tend to expect more, and have a higher tendency to judge more harshly.

Either way it is a recipe for disaster. We all are part of the human race. From within we all have the capacity to do spectacular things, and we all have the capacity to be utter and total failures. Placing ourselves on pedestals, or even bowing to lower ourselves are both grave mistakes that have a strong potential for breeding failure.

It takes constant critical self-evaluation to prevent us from such possibilities. It takes us speaking the truth to ourselves, even if it is something that we personally don't want to hear, or don't want to have to say it out loud to ourselves. Trust me when I say the benefits definitely outweigh the cost of the consequences, no matter what level of success is achieved. When it comes to the eternal soul, there is no lower reward given in heaven to janitors, than that given to heroes, or even diplomats. All that make it through the gates of heaven are holy and sacred in God's heart and eyes.

Chapter 5 Andrew Johnson

So far I have discussed heroes. I have however already mentioned that this isn't a book of heroes. It is about the struggles, successes, and failures of our nation. I was born and raised in Greeneville, TN. It was the home and platform of the 17th President of the United States, Andrew Johnson. I grew up being taught in school about his successes, and a little bit about his failures. It is hard for me to say this, but Andrew Johnson is not one of my heroes. He never has been, even as a child, and even more so as an adult. I need to tell you why, but I also need to set the stage. Andrew Johnson even more so than Davy Crockett grew up a fatherless child. And unlike Davy, he didn't handle it with quite the same dignity.

Andrew Johnson had the misfortune of being in the spotlight at our nation's greatest tragedy. He was the man that had to replace the "Great Emancipator" President Lincoln. A travesty that no one possibly could have dealt with easily let alone a noted southern racist. He was destined to be impeached for his actions or lack of actions, which is dependent upon how you view the man that he was. I have always known the generalities of his story and thanks to the writing of the book Andrew Johnson by Annette Gordon-Reed from a series called the American Presidents I now know a lot of the specifics.

Unfortunately the author although she is a noted historian, in my mind demonstrates a possible misinterpretation when judging the character of President Johnson. I feel this so strongly that I believe that she may have set progression back fifty years. I agree with her assessments. I agree that he was definitely a racist, and that we as a nation should have zero tolerance for racism and bigotry. As human beings we bear the responsibility of asking why something is the way that it is. As United States citizens we are afforded the right to be judged by a jury of our peers. In her writing, I am not so certain that she did this.

My parents separated in 1968 while I was still a small child. My mother moved my sisters and me to the projects in Greeneville. This is a noted time in our nation's history as well. It was the year that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. My next door neighbor was a black kid, and I am sorry to say, but I had so far in my life had lived a very poor and a very sheltered life out in the country hills of East Tennessee. I had never seen anyone that didn't have the same color of skin and dialect that I had.

My new neighbor's name was Calvin. We instantly became best friends. I asked my mother why he looked different, and she told me that he was "colored." I said colored, what is that? I said he doesn't look like he has been colored to me. She chuckled and said he's black Stephan. I responded with he looks more like brown to me.

Racial strife was hard in the south at the time. Calvin and I both used to get picked on and beaten by other kids for playing together, but he had a set of drums, and I had a Tonka truck cement mixer that we both loved to play with. My mother worked to get us out of the projects and into a trailer park. It wasn't any better, but at least the trailer she could call ours.

I hated leaving Calvin behind. He was my best friend. His friendship made a life lasting impression upon me. As I have aged, I have been around the world and seen a lot that there is to see; I have learned that racism and bigotry exists in all walks of life. It does not solely lie in the hands of the dirty south, or the white supremacist. But as far as our nation goes, it stereotypically does. Here is where I scold Ms. Gordon-Reed; neither for what she wrote, nor for the accuracy of what she wrote, but for how she said what she wrote.

Andrew Johnson was the third child of Jacob and Mary (Polly) Johnson. He was born on December 29, 1808 in Raleigh North Carolina. "Jacob and Polly was both illiterate. It is unlikely, therefore, that either could have directly contributed to Andrew's intellectual life and growth." "His father was a bank porter, captain of the town watch, as well as the city bell ringer." I struggle greatly with what she wrote here. Do we have the right to subject that his parents couldn't contribute to his intellectual life and growth? Wasn't his father responsible? Wasn't he captain of the town watch and the city bell ringer? Wasn't he like any parent in the fact that he wanted a better life for his children than he had? Jacob Johnson "was esteemed for his honesty, sobriety, industry, and his humane friendly disposition."

Jacob Johnson watched a boat containing three men capsize while he was standing on a pier. He swam out and rescued all three of the men saving their lives. It is believed that it exhausted his health, and he died shortly after while ringing the town's bell. Polly Johnson was left alone having to care for two sons. She worked hard, but she was left poor and vulnerable.

His mother did laundry for a prominent lawyer in town. They say that Andrew looked enough like him that he could have been his son, instead of Jacob's. My question is in considering the strict social structure of the time, could this point alone have been enough to plant a seed of racism in his heart. Was he being labeled and targeted as poor white trash, even before his father passed?

"Polly Johnson worked outside the home, doing the same types of jobs that enslaved women did – being seamstress for other people and washing their clothing, although she was free and white, she was still vulnerable, as enslaved women were, to sexual advances of employers." "Could a President of the United States come from the family Jacob and Polly created?" "Giving him an "upper class" father might explain Johnson's rise." "The Johnson's were seen by the better sort in Raleigh simply as "white trash.""

"Things got so bad that Polly had to sell the labor of her children to a third party. In desperation she turned to the apprenticeship system. She bound both of her sons out. They both ended up bound to a tailor named James Selby. Andrew was bound to him until his 21st birthday. Johnson himself wasn't much more than a slave." "Polly and her boys were less "free" than other families who were not involved in the apprenticeship system. Thus the family was not reaping the full benefits of being white in the society where they lived."

"What beyond their white skin did poor whites have to show for being better than blacks?" "Having nothing themselves, they claimed superiority by asserting that a common skin color linked them to the talents, actions, and accomplishments of others who looked like them." "Not every poor white person felt this way. Some saw points of commonality with the people of a different color who labored and struggled as they did."

"It is clear that Johnson's character – his basic personality if one prefers – made him spectacularly unsuited for the task handed to him on April 15, 1865, the day President Lincoln died. But again, why?" "As we will see, his words and actions indicate that he never got over his childhood deprivation and the experience of being looked down upon by his so-called social betters. The experience crippled him inside, even if by all outward appearance he "overcame" his origins."

"He got into trouble often. He and other boys formed a gang. "Jesse Johnson's boys," that went around getting into mainly harmless mischief." "When he was fifteen a local woman threatened to sue him, his brother, and other boys who had thrown objects at her house. Rather than making amends the boys did something they had probably been longing to do even before; they ran away."

Let's stop here and analyze fatherless upbringing. Let's analyze how society plays its role into it. We so easily pass the blame. We find it so easy to say that thugs and criminals belong locked up behind bars. They should be held responsible for their crimes. What we don't do, is that we don't take the time to self-reflect on what has created, and continues to create the crimes that exist in our society.

Did you know that THUG is an acronym? It stands for "The Hate U Gave." How does that make you feel? Personally it makes me feel like shit, that our nation has dealt out enough racial bias, prejudices, and bigotry that someone in our society can legitimately stand up for this acronym and actually make a point. Look around the criminals are beginning to run, if not already are running our society. When did this start?

Andrew Johnson was now a criminal. He was on the run and was a wanted fugitive in the state of North Carolina. He bounced around several places until he finally landed in Greeneville, TN. As an apprentice he was given a trade. It was a skill that would follow him throughout the rest of his life, and even into his legacy. He was known as a sharp dressed man of his day. What he didn't have however was an education. At 18 Andrew Johnson married Eliza McCardle. He gave her the credit of teaching him how to read and write.

It is possible that President Johnson was born to be a politician. He read voraciously, he had always been interested in politics, even as a boy listening as men in his master's shop debated the politics of their day. As an adult he became fond of public speaking and debating. His first political appointment was an election as an alderman of mechanics in Greeneville in 1829. He was an expert tailor and businessman, but behind closed doors it seems that he was a poor husband and father. He was quickly elevating his status from "poor white trash." But what expense did he have to pay? "Johnson never embraced the role of leader and acted as though he had to constantly prove himself to those around him – as if he assumed they were all silently questioning his ability."

Andrew Johnson rose to political power with no family name or fortune; no-easy street childhood. He did it with hard work and innate talent. He was to some the hero of his day and time, and to others the villain. Whatever he was, he was a self-proclaimed representative of the "common man." From his origins it is safe to say that he wanted to represent the common man, but it also seems that he wanted nothing more than to not be one. It is true that he worked hard to get where he wanted to be, but something tells me that he left the fatherless boy behind to hide behind a mask of superiority. This possibly was the gravest mistake that he made. I believe it as well could be what stemmed his feelings of racial superiority.

The framers of the constitution never meant for the vote to be placed in the hands of the black man, nor any woman of any color. The thought that all men are "created equal" has somewhat failed to fully pass down that they meant that all "white" land owning men are created equal. Sixty years after the constitution, how did Andrew Johnson fit into this scenario? Was he a racist? Did the term even exist yet? To be honest this is where I struggle; black people at this point in history, whether it was right or wrong were considered to be nothing more than the potential property of a white man, both in the north and the south.

Andrew Johnson went on record as saying that black people were intellectually inferior, therefore placing them beneath his standards. He stood his ground on the framework of our nation's conception. Was he wrong? Oh hell yes, he was definitely wrong. Was he wrong for his time? Well maybe, and maybe not. He definitely lived with wanting to escape the boundaries of being poor white trash, which he more than likely viewed as a step above being black, but the issue of slavery during this point and time of our history was viewed as nothing more than our debate today of pro-life vs. pro-choice. This is not to down play the topic of abortion. It is meant to only provide an understanding of our history.

No matter which side of the fence that someone today stands on pro-life or pro-choice, someone else is going to present an argument against their view. Slavery was much the same way in the mid-1800s. Maybe even less of an issue, believe it or not. In 1864 when Lincoln was selecting a running mate, he chose Andrew Johnson as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Lincoln was on the record as being against slavery, and Johnson was on the record as being pro-slavery. Would we today as a nation place pro-life and pro-choice candidates in the same format and expect them to win the bid? Would a faction of the nation even care?

Lincoln freed the slaves, but he didn't do it at first. He also went on the record saying that if it could have kept the union together, then he would have kept slavery. Johnson on the other hand had the same belief system going the other direction. If it took giving up the right to own slaves to save the nation, then he would concede his political point of view as well. In my mind neither of these men was correct. I love our great nation. I don't ever want to see it fall. As a matter of fact this is the purpose of my writing. I have been trained to follow leadership, but unfortunately these two men were both wrong, and were in my opinion demonstrating poor leadership.

Within the organization that I work for we have a basic concept of three R's: (respect, responsibility, reality). Reality defines as "stay in today, not tomorrow, and use the past as a learning tool." This does not mean to keep beating the same dog day in and day out. That is not staying in today. As well it doesn't mean to move on without making a self-reflective awareness of our mistakes. The darkness that existed during the mid-1800's that tore our nation apart existed for a reason; a very self-destructive reason; a reason that I am afraid that we still deal with yet today. Unfortunately I don't believe that Lincoln or Johnson either one did anything to rectify it. Their lack of rectification is a big reason of why it still exists yet today. I also believe that what tore the nation apart wasn't slavery. It was a state's rights to govern without dealing with excessively imposed tariff's... does that sound a little bit like 1776?

"Andrew Johnson had been on a determined march since boyhood to the improvement of himself, to rise in society." "Johnson's belief in preserving the Union was sincere. The idea of the American republic, and his role in it, was a deeply embedded part of his identity." I think that the issue on slavery wore on him greatly; "that the conflict over what to do with black people and chattel slavery intruded so often upon his political career when he wanted to talk about other things. His persona, real and projected, was of one who came to various offices as a voice for the working person, and the common man." Johnson felt "if there hadn't been slaves there would be no conflict over slavery."

"Johnson's political strategy showed the benefits of his independence from the party line and determination to win at all costs." "The original conception of the senate (one that has certainly been altered over the years) was of a body that was supposed to represent the interests of the country's version of an aristocracy. Only the best men – some said by breeding, others suggested education and talent – should sit in the upper house of the Congress."

Can this really be a true statement? Are we a nation that impeached a man that stood on the platform for the common man while our founding forefathers thought that congress could only be held by those from well-bred families, or higher education? Well here I go repeating Lynyrd Skynyrd again: "Red, White, and Blue" "Well my hair's turning white, my neck's always been red, and my collar's still blue" "My daddy worked hard, and so have I, we have paid our taxes and gave our lives to serve this great country." "Guess you could say we've always been red, white, and blue." Really; does the common man have a chance, no matter what his color or creed?

After the Civil War ended, "Johnson believed his job as President was to make sure that things went back to the way they were – except for slavery." Ms. Gordon-Reed wrote: "Johnson found among the worst, if not the worst. The man who botched reconstruction, who energized and gave aid and comfort to the recently defeated enemies of the United States, the first to be impeached by the House of Representatives, escaping conviction by one vote, in the Senate. America went from the best to the worst in one presidential term."

As many mistakes as I think Andrew Johnson made, I have a hard time calling someone either best or worst. I truthfully don't think that either can exist. I strongly feel that with this statement alone she aimed to tear a man's credentials down. Not only do I feel that she tried to tear him down; she attacked a leader of this nation. Was this her appointed mission, or was she writing from her own personal agenda? I even wonder why the publisher allowed this to be published within their collection of the Presidents.

"Throughout the entirety of his political career Andrew Johnson did everything he could to make sure that blacks would never become equal citizens." "One might be content to cast Andrew Johnson's time in the Whitehouse as a form of cosmic joke." "Racial enlightenment was certainly in short supply in Johnson's America, both in the South and in the North."

Is this an accurate statement, or is it an assessment? Does it speak historically, or subjectively? Andrew Johnson stood on the platform of the common man. He did believe that blacks had inferior intellect, which was a travesty on his part. She is right in the fact that racial enlightenment was in short supply, both in the north and the south. But it wasn't Johnson's America. The great emancipator selected him as his running mate. Correct me if I am wrong but aren't we a nation built for the people, by the people. Isn't this country meant to be a democracy with a leader in office that governs the people's desires for everyone's mutual benefit?

It seems to me that I learned in economics classes that about 10% of our nation lives in the upper class. According to my crude math that leaves about 90% of us (all creeds, and color) left as the common man. It also seems to me that Johnson didn't break open the seal of the common man being adequate enough to govern. That philosophy was already in place, but he did have the right idea. Johnson had ideas that although controversial at times were right on the mark. One of his biggest failures was that he had no problem speaking his mind, right or wrong, even if it led to physical altercation.

"The man who had such keen instincts about how to engineer his own rise and future by stepping outside of conventional wisdom was never able to translate those insights to matters affecting anything other than his own personal progress." "Johnson's attitude toward blacks or "niggers" as he termed them in private conversation was resolutely negative. There is no wonder the reconstruction under his aegis proceeded in the way that it did."

"Johnson's lack of forethought, and his poor understanding of the concept of progress in the world, would resurface in his days of President when he was called upon to imagine the future of the newly reconstituted United States." "Johnson gave amnesty to and allowed people to take power who could not possibly have sworn to that without perjuring themselves. Observers were stunned that the man who had evinced such a lifelong hostility toward the southern gentry, whom he called traitors, should suddenly want to put men who had taken up arms against the United States back in control of the south. Thousands upon thousands of northern soldiers had died trying to remove this class of man from power, and Johnson rushed to put them back in place."

It has been discussed that Johnson was indeed a racist. He without doubt felt that the black race was inferior. But was his attitude toward blacks what caused his problems? Ms. Gordon-Reed stated that he had keen instincts that caused his rise to power. Do we all of a sudden lose our instincts once we achieve power? Johnson created enemies while in power. He had the opinion that the south needed to be punished for their war crimes, but something triggered him to change his mind. Was it possibly his faith in mankind? Could it have been his watching the south having to live through the destruction that had been placed upon it? Did it possibly remind him of his poverty years as a child, and the lack of respect that his family had been given?

Either way I was taught growing up and going through school that he wanted to put the Union that he cherished so much back together and live like we did before the war. Before the war he had the same thought process. He brought the southern delegates together before they seceded trying to prevent the inevitable. It seems to me that his motives never swaggered, as he was well accused of. His opponents wanted to have a dominating control of the south, with the victor goes the spoils of war mentality.

As I walk through life no longer living in the south, I am occasionally informed that the south is still fighting the war. I guess my question is, are we, or is it a stereotypical perception that we are? Maybe we are. I know that I believe in the right for fair treatment from a fair government. I believe in fighting for this nation's flag and its principals. I swore that oath in 1983, and if someone invades our soil, I am willing to this day die in its pursuit. I also remember how this nation started.

So if you have that question, maybe I answered how the south has felt for a little over 145 years now. Is this a correct thought process? Over time in this nation we have had a lot of false thought processes. Racism was on the ticket in 1865, and it is still at the forefront today. It has in my opinion corrupted the infrastructure of our nation. We have formed multiple hate groups.

We have been sympathetic to the wrong causes on both sides of the fence. It is no more correct for THUG mentality to exist, than it is for any white supremacist groups. I shouldn't have to worry about walking through the "hood" no more than I should have to read were another hate crime was committed against a minority. I am sorely afraid that we need to take back our streets. I fear the future prospects of our nation if it continues with the same racial hatred. I fear another civil war on our horizon, and at minimum civil unrest.

This all stems in my mind from historical misconceptions. It seems to me that the history books have printed these misconceptions for years, and this one is no different. "Northerners had accepted southern slavery at the founding of the nation, with many people above and below the Mason-Dixon Line opting for inertia, choosing to believe that slavery was a doomed institution that would die out as a natural result of progress." Was slavery southern? Didn't northern states allow slavery as well? What was the time exactly that Lincoln freed the slaves? Wasn't it two years into his Presidency, and well into the Civil War?

At Lincoln's and Johnson's inaugural address, Frederick Douglas a well-known black abolitionist was present. Frederick Douglas saw it in his eyes, a brief glance he exchanged with Andrew Johnson during his inauguration speech. Enough to say "Whatever Andrew Johnson is he is no friend of our race." I do struggle here slightly. Could have Mr. Douglas have had a preconceived notion of Andrew Johnson? Did Johnson possibly have a preconceived notion of him? Could it be safe to say that their glancing stare of hatred could have possibly been nothing more than mutual disagreement? Is this a historical example of racial bigotry from possibly both sides; another seed of hatred being planted?

"His talent for invective and savage ridicule apparently disoriented his opponents. They simply did not know how to respond to him. It is also possible that his early audiences had never saw anything like this, or simply were not expecting to see such a display of bravado from a semi-educated tailor confronting his social "better". But a little bit of the "bully boy" style goes a long way," "Johnson did not always know when to bring his inner attack dog to heel. Instead of disarming people, he began to offend as much as impress with his verbal assaults."

"They also noted that most of his addresses were written by aides or associates, no doubt with his input, but with the major work of composition done by ghost writers." I understand that literacy came late for President Johnson, but did that make him incapable of the wisdom to put the nation back together. Was he so wrong with his forgiving and forgetting mentality? "It would take a man with great talent and will to recognize and deal humanely, but firmly when required with the competing claims and expectations of all the various interest groups at play in post-Civil War America."

"The Reconstruction Bill of 1867 said that southern states could come back into the Union if they accepted the Fourteenth Amendment and if they gave blacks the right to vote. States that did not accept these terms would be placed under military rule." "This turned out to have been an unpopular move among a large segment of the population, one that actually gave Johnson political capital for his effort to wreak further havoc with attempts to reform the South."

It seems to me that Andrew Johnson was a man in the middle. He had stated "slavery itself, has its foundation, and will find its perpetuity in the Union and its continuance by a non-interference with the institution of slavery," but now he was being forced to place military rule and government on his beloved southland going against what was at the root of his soul. Inside I believe from his actions that he strongly felt that the way people viewed him and his origins that the only class of people below his poor white trash ass was the blacks, and he was being forced to support them and their cause against his brothers.

Well if racial bias wasn't the cause of the South's secession from the Union; it is becoming quite obvious that the seed of discontent planted was now sprouting racial dissension. My question is why? Could it have been nipped in the bud here? Was it in Johnson's power as the President to do so? The southland was feeling abused by Northern rule. Johnson was trying to piece the broken vase back together with inferior glue.

It was like he knew that everything was going wrong, and if he could just glue the nation back with inequality for the black race he would have strong enough glue to hold it all together. What he had, was distorted thinking and a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately his recipe cooked up future hate crimes against our African American race, and we are still cooking that same recipe. Not only that, the recipe is out, and white supremacists aren't the only ones cooking it.

"Johnson became well known for making federal land available to landless whites at cheap prices through passage of the Homestead Bill." "Johnson's bigotry was apparently confined to blacks." "Johnson had raised to his political power from his take no prisoner mentality." But he was beginning to lose sight of himself. President Lincoln was willing to keep slavery to keep the union together, and Johnson was willing to let slavery go to put the union back together, even though I still think he felt differently.

History has recorded it this way, but a large part of my internal person wonders if that was actually how it was. Was preservation of the union over slavery an acceptable process for us to follow? Was thinking that if we hadn't disbanded the institution of slavery then none of this would have happened; the correct thought process? The obvious answer to both of these questions is no. But we all also know that hind sight is 20/20. We all should also be aware of how little either of these men valued the significance of the slavery issue.

I know that this may seem to be a bitter pill to swallow. As a nation we have been educated with an entirely different belief system on this issue. But we need to use our past as a learning tool, and to do that we have to take critical self-examination of our mistakes. We can't fix the mistakes of our past, but we can use this examination to prevent future mistakes.

I stated that the issue of slavery was not the critical issue that drove the states apart. Maybe however if it were the critical issue the Union would not have absolved. If the heavy tariffs weren't enforced upon slave owners, and slavery had been abolished how would it have affected our country? Would we have had 150 years of hate crimes? Would the North have wanted to impose heavy punishments upon the southern states? We can't answer these questions because mistakes were made that drove us in another direction.

This is what we do know. We know that Lincoln thought that slavery would naturally wind down and that Johnson thought that slavery would naturally go on and blend into our society keeping us a combined productive northern and southern sovereignty. Neither one of them acted on it. Not only did they not act on it, they allowed heavy tariffs that clouded the issue and forced us into tragedy.

Today our situation is no different. Racism is prevalent and needs to still be dealt with. We think that our nation is blending, and it is true that a good section of it is. But at the same time we seem to be drifting farther and farther apart. We have gangs in our streets that are comprised of racial bias. They are elevating beyond the streets, and into mainstream business culture. Our government has made bad financial decisions concerning minority and majority issues. Hatred seems to be growing. Our prisons seem to be filling faster than we can afford to support them. We have a festering cancer that needs cut out.

Placing blame on Andrew Johnson is easy to do. It seems to me that we have done this since his impeachment. Unfortunately placing blame doesn't fix the problem. What fixes the problem is going to take a strong unified effort. It isn't going to be done through the election of a black president. I am sorry President Obama this is not aimed at you. This is going to be fixed in our streets. This is going to be fixed in our schools. We need to take our streets back. Our media needs to change. It seems every day I wake up, I hear a teenager listening to "thug" music and glorifying destructive behaviors. Also recognize that when I say "thug" it has no racial barriers.

I go out and mingle with people of all ages in public places. I see a culture of young adults that "are going to do whatever they want, because they don't give a fuck." These are their words, not mine. If this shocks you I am sorry, but believe me that it exists. To be honest it angers me. It angers me to the point that I want to just whip their asses and put them if their fucking places. But I know that chaotic violence isn't the answer.

I don't know if I know what the answer is to be honest. I know that I work within a profession that fights it on a daily basis, but with a combination of poor politics, funding running out, poor parenting, and a system that just doesn't seem to always care, it seems that we are fighting a losing battle. Hopefully enough people read this that it drives a spark to recovery.

Let's get back and look at what happened around the Civil War and recognize that both Lincoln and Johnson thought that the problem of racism that came from slavery would fix itself. They both thought and felt that they were correct, and unfortunately they were both desperately wrong. Lincoln didn't free the slaves until he was running out of hope and the nation was in the middle of the deadliest tragedy that our nation had yet faced. Johnson got himself impeached because he let his own biased issues of inequality override his judgment. And he had a judgment that was considered to be so sharp that even those who hated him had to respect it.

Do we want to repeat our mistakes? We know what has gotten us here. We also know that the problem will not fix itself. If you want to bury your head in the sand and pretend that trouble isn't brewing, just remember that the blast of a nuclear bomb is known as "ground zero." That isn't a place that I want my head to be. As I watch the young people that just don't give a "fuck" and have ownership mentality thinking that society owes them whatever it is that they want, and I see teenagers flashing gang signs I know what caused the problem. I guess that is why it angers me so much... we caused the problem, we have no one else to blame but ourselves, and we can be the only ones that can fix the problem.

We fix it by taking care of our own little piece of the world. That is our children. It is our homes. It is our economy. It is our work ethics. It is everything about our daily lives. It is our respect of our fellow man. It is the caring about the successes of others, and not just ourselves. It is cleaning up the crime in our country, instead of just picking on teenagers with bad attitudes.

Believe it or not Lynyrd Skynyrd put the answer in a song. It is called "Simple Life: Hey when was the last time you sat down and had dinner with your kids? Talked about what's going on in their lives? Hey when was the last time you just stopped and helped somebody out? I bet you can't remember. A lot of people are saying that we are changing for the better, but that don't interest me. I like the simple life the way it used to be. We left our doors open, we didn't need no key. I've been around the world, seen all there is to see. I'd trade all those memories for one more day of how it used to be."

Yep the answer is that easy. If we as a collective whole start taking care of our own responsibilities and quit depending upon the social structure of our nation to guide and correct our children we will start to correct the sinking ship. Problems are not going to go away overnight. In the words of John Fogerty: "It took years of effort to become the mess that you see." We can't do it all by ourselves. Our nation is making mistakes at the government level. We need to quit the bullshit bickering over senseless issues and attack the issues at home.

We became a strong nation from flexing our internal fortitude against the world fighting the good fight against tyranny and evil. In the process we have neglected our own back yard. We give billions of dollars in foreign aid, while our nation's own children can't afford quality health care. Our unemployment issue climbs because our government allows our nation's elite 10% to send manufacturing jobs overseas so that they can increase the amount of money into their pockets while the common man's unemployment is running out because he can't find a quality job. The economy has gotten so screwed up our almost bankrupt government is bailing out bankrupt businesses that have been a founding dynasty of our nation.

We bashed and impeached Andrew Johnson for his mistakes, and fail to remember his philosophy of keeping it real for the "common man." What the hell is wrong with this picture? Let me tell you. Without the common man being a success in our society mister rich man, you got no place to peddle those goods that you manufacture abroad. The more you take from us, the more you take from yourselves.

In 1834 Andrew Johnson was awarded the office of Mayor of Greeneville, TN. His tailor shop was known for many political meetings. There was however an incident where Johnson was accused of assault and battery, but his accuser didn't show up to court the day of the trial. Johnson always represented the working man, but dressed the role of a southern gentleman. He rose to political power from a "forceful love of debating." He had a take no prisoner mentality. Some would say that he was ruthless.

Andrew Johnson purchased his first slave while in Nashville. Her name was Dolly. Rumor has it that she asked him to purchase her, and she gave birth to three mixed children. He was also known for buying her and the children lots of gifts. Was it possible that he had love for her, and that the three children were his? If they were did they get to call him daddy? Did she love him? Did she get to express her love for him? Did he love them, and his expression of it was in the gifts that he gave? Was this situation right, or was it wrong? Was it accurate and acceptable for the time frame? The reader needs to be the judge. "Whether Johnson was involved with Dolly or not, his relations with her family show that even implacable racists can be kind to black people under certain conditions."

At the time of southern secession, Andrew Johnson was the only senator from a state that had seceded from the union that remained in the United States Senate. What does that say about his character? What does that say about his convictions? When we speak stereotypically; by the way, this is always wrong. It is a common conception that the Civil War was about racism and slavery. It seems to me that if this were a point of fact then a white supremacist would have left the union with everyone else.

In 1842 Andrew Johnson was appointed to the House of Representatives. He always considered himself the candidate for the working man. Much like Andrew Jackson he felt it his duty to keep tight strings on the nation's purse. Ms. Gordon talked as if this was a bad thing. But correct me if I am wrong, but I was always taught that we elect officials to govern, and they govern expenses and spending, as well as delegate the laws of the land. How is this flaw in character? It seems to me that we need more of this instead of less. The national debt and excessive spending seems to me to be running rampant and we need someone to tug extremely hard on those purse strings. I don't believe this to be a popular opinion, but I do believe it to be a necessary one.

Johnson initially approached the Whig party in Tennessee about running under its banner. This didn't however seem to fit his character. The Whig party had seen President Andrew Jackson as have being "King Andrew," and didn't care for his past politics, while Johnson deemed him as one of his personal heroes. The Whig party supported big business, at the expense of the common man. To put it lightly, they went against his salt.

When another candidate was selected over him, he more than likely didn't find it too difficult to switch party alliances and join the Democratic Party. He fast became a strong democrat. He was so strong in the Democratic Party of East Tennessee that they named him as their only man. Was being thrifty at his point in history a way of life? Have we so much lost that mentality that we are on a sinking ship? A good way to know if the ship is sinking is to watch for the rats to scurry to the top and then jump overboard to save themselves first when all is lost.

While Andrew Johnson was serving in congress "he supported the Democrats in their insistence on the federal government's inability to interfere with the institution of slavery with a syllogism common in the south: the United States Constitution protected the individual's right to private property, slaves were private property." It seems as well that he had no problem speaking his mind and making enemies on the hill. President Polk wrote that he was vindictive and perverse in his temper and conduct. This sounds like to me that he was fighting at all costs for the common man and his own personal belief system, whether it was right or wrong.

It is definite that Andrew Johnson struggled with his political issues. It is a strong understatement that he was a controversial topic in his day. We have discussed how he got where he did, but we haven't really discussed how he handled the pressures of his life internally. Like so many when times got tough, instead of the tough getting going, he went drinking. It is believed that he was a hard core alcoholic.

If this is true it explains a lot. Alcohol serves two major functions in support of, or destruction of a person's character. First, it relieves stress. I know this to be a fact. Secondly it is known as an uninhibitor. This means that as a person tends to drink, they become less cautious of their actions. Could he have drank his way through politics, and kept it well hidden for the most part? Could alcohol have been the driving force that helped him relieve the stresses of his own inferiority complexes? If so how much of an alcoholic was he? Well my 7th grade history teacher told us that he was known for throwing wild assed parties in the white house, even swinging off the chandeliers from time to time; my interpretation, not hers.

I think as far as my opinion goes, I am going to agree with most of my last few questions in a positive manner with taking exception to the keeping it hidden for the most part factor. With the lack of technology in the communication methods of that time frame, and the critical issues that the nation was dealing with at the time I would say that the nation as a whole didn't have a clue, but those around him knew everything that he was doing, how he was doing it, and based assessments of his character upon his actions. I am willing to bet that those assessments were so critical that it cost him the political power that he had worked tremendously to achieve.

At his inauguration as Vice President of the United States, he made one huge mistake. "This time, however, he was about to give the most important speech of his life, when the eyes of the world were upon him. And he was drunk." Even Ms. Gordon-Reed, who seems to hate the man, seemed to show a little bit of pity here. She mentioned where he might have been set up by a political foe, and she mentioned that President Lincoln spoke highly of him, and made a note that Johnson had in my interpretation of the writing made nothing more than an embarrassing mistake. I am sorry President Johnson, but I can't go there.

Alcohol for many years has been an accepted tolerance in our society. It is a legal drug, and please don't make a mistake about it, it is a drug, and one of the most harmful, if not possibly the most harmful. I must admit that I love a cold beer. I also love to indulge in a drunken stupor ever now and then, even if others view it as wrong. Alcohol is a great stress reliever, and sometimes being uninhibited is healthy.

When it gets wrong is when it boils down to how you handle it. Do you feel like you need a good stiff drink to function effectively? If this is your feeling, you are no longer in control, the alcohol is. When you wake up wondering how you got where you were, when you are on the job slurring your speech, or even just breathing alcohol breath on someone, you are making an impression. It is an impression that is going to be detrimental to your career, if not devastating.

I hate to think that the President of the United States would ever make an executive decision while under the influence of alcohol. I wasn't alive in 1865. That is obvious, I wasn't there to judge if this was the president that he was. But I do know that if it was, then impeachment was exactly what he needed. In today's time if you are a person that has a position of importance in our nation, or you are placed in the responsibility of the safety of others. Please know that there is a time and place for alcohol consumption, and being the life of the party. For me it typically centers on a game of pool and loud music. But that is where I keep it. Please for the safety of our nation and others do the same; keep it in its place.

I think I understand who Andrew Johnson was. I believe that he was a great man that achieved insurmountable proportions in his life. He had issues that he couldn't get over. He grew up an illiterate poor man. He was a slave when slaves were supposed to be black. Unfortunately he didn't realize that slaves weren't supposed to be slaves at all; not just him.

Even with his issues that he couldn't overcome, he achieved greatness that others can only dream about. He achieved an office that to this date only 48 men have held in the 235 years that we have been a nation thus far. You can say what you want about the man, but he did it. One can speculate what he was thinking, saying, and doing to get to where he got, but I think that we have said that about at least 47 of the 48 above noted men.

The bottom line is that Andrew Johnson was a victim of one of the worse diseases that has ever plagued our great nation. He was a fatherless child. That disease hits no one without leaving its mark. The only difference between it and Polio is that Polio leaves physical scars, while abandonment leaves mental trauma. The one thing that we can learn from Andrew Johnson is that from his trauma he planted seeds of hatred.

Unfortunately, I don't know if the hatred was his. I believe that the hatred stemmed from his and Lincoln's inability to deal with the issue of slavery. In 1865 slavery wasn't an issue of racism within the south. It wasn't an issue of a man's right to own another person. Black people even by our constitutional standards were not people. They were property. It isn't a history that people of today created. It is however a repercussion that we are being forced to live with, and it seems to be getting worse and worse every day.

Reality is that slavery wasn't an issue, but it should have been. The leaders from the north should have been a little smarter than placing extravagant taxes on slave produced products. The south should have been smart enough to keep the union together and solve the issue at the federal government level, and not trying to throw another "Boston Tea Party" uprising.

Lincoln and Johnson should have been smart enough to realize that the issue of slavery would not fix itself, and neither would a state's rights to govern themselves against imposed tyranny. The end result was a war that has been blamed on racism; even though it went much deeper than that. Johnson should have been a little bit more tolerant in his nature and willing to work with people instead of being a closet alcoholic and white supremacist.

It seems to me for his being so smart in most of his natures and his common sense mentality of creating a nation for the common man that President Johnson also had an uncanny ability of being stupid. With those abilities combined with the north wanting to claim spoils of war instead of piecing our great nation together, they planted seeds of hatred, racism, and bigotry. It is a weed, an overwhelming weed that has infested the entire garden, not just the favorite section of it. Our nation is in bad need of a high level weed killer.

I employ our entire nation to listen to this. Hate is taking this country down. We complain about a lack of jobs. We complain about "the man" taking more and more control of our society. All minorities and even white trash complain about these issues. Well here is your answer. Quit your fucking bitchin and get your lazy ass off the couch and do something about it. You can start by loving and forgiving your fellow man and or woman for their transgressions against you, and vice versa. Put down the guns of violence.

If you don't have something, don't steal it. Get out and work for it. Even though jobs have left our nation, jobs are still out there. Go find yourself one if yours has gone. We are going through adversity in our nation. Do you really trust starving yourself, waiting for Washington to finally get it? I know I sure as hell don't. If you want help, then help yourself. Yes, you are right; the ones in charge seem to just not get it. They seem to battle over bullshit while they let our nation's prosperity shit itself in the wind.

Now for the other side of the house; you know if I am talking to you. You're the one that thinks I am a major dickhead right now. You're part of the faction that is tearing our great nation apart at the seams. Not only are you doing it, you're too fucking stupid to realize that you're doing it. You actually think you have all the right answers. You are the descendants of the faction that impeached one of the greatest presidents that we have ever had; not one of the worse, if not possibly the worst.

He had the concept of building an institution at all expense to make it great. He had the concept that this nation was built by and maintained by the common man. Wait; is that a nation for the people, by the people? Yes, he had issues. He had issues that were so deep; it very well may have been justifiable reasoning to impeach him; especially if alcohol was running his life while in the white house.

But don't for once take away from his heritage; the heritage of wisdom first and education second. When it was all said and done Andrew Johnson had it right. He was eccentric in his nature. He was so eccentric and so much in love with this great nation that he said when he was dead and to be buried he needed nothing more than the flag of our nation to drape his body, and a copy of its constitution to serve as his pillow. I think he was aiming that at those that just don't get it. I personally think he left one thing out. I think that he should have added being buried upside down... so you people that just don't get it can still kiss his ass.

Chapter 6 Sam Houston

Samuel Houston who was known in Texas as "Old Sam" was born on March 2, 1793 while our country was still in its infancy. The United States was about to struggle with a great deal of growing pains, and God blessed us with a man of great wisdom that would help get us through the troubling years to come. He became a war hero from fighting in the war of 1812. He aided the Cherokee nation through its trail of tears, and in a large part created the great state of Texas. But in the end as a nation we ignored his wisdom; an ignorance that drove us into Civil War. The people of Texas not listening to him seemed to devastate his spirit so much that it may have led to his death.

He was born in Virginia and lived with his mother, four older brothers, a younger brother, and three younger sisters. Sam's father spent most of his childhood in the militia and was seldom at home. When Sam was thirteen his father announced that they were going to sell the farm, pull up stakes, and move to eastern Tennessee. But after the farm sold, and before they could move his father passed away. He left a complete family of fatherless children.

An advantage that Sam had over most fatherless children was that he had a strong willed and determined mother. She knew how to bring her children up right, and taught them the right way. She knew the farm had been sold, and felt that her family's destiny would lie in the hills of East Tennessee. She continued with her husband's plan and packed up the family and moved to their 419 acres of Tennessee farmland that was waiting for them.

Once in Tennessee it didn't take the family long to understand that young Samuel just wasn't going to be much of a farmer. Not only that, he detested it. Sam was a boy that loved to day dream and read of heroes. He would pretend to be those heroes. One of his favorite heroes was a famous Roman general named Caius Marius that had started out being just an ordinary boy. His brothers growing tired of his antics and lack of productivity finally decided to hire him out to a storekeeper in Maryville as his clerk. It seemed that Sam didn't care much for this type of industry either, and he shortly ran away from home.

While Sam was on the run he met a young Cherokee boy and they quickly became friends. Their friendship was so deep that Sam began to live within the Cherokee Nation. He lived with the Cherokee for three years. He was noted as saying that those years were the best of his life. The Cherokee Chief John Jolly loved him so much that he adopted him as his own son and gave him the native name of "Raven."

Sam studied and learned everything about their culture. He completely blended in; he hunted with them, dressed like them, and even had his own medicine animal that had special powers and watched over his life. It was the eagle. In all practicality Sam Houston was Native American. He was one of the few white men that adapted to the Americas, instead of forcing the Americas to adapt to him.

Sam always had big ideas and ambitions. He knew down in his own heart and soul that he had a destiny. He didn't know what it was, or where that it would take place, but he knew he was destined for greatness. I personally believe that only a handful of humanity possesses this type of soul destination, and I believe that all of the ones that do, know it at some spiritual level. His destination was to shape America's frontier and provide his God given talent of wisdom in the service of the nation. He did this however with the look of a pioneer, but with the heart of a Native American warrior.

The War of 1812 was at hand, and England was essentially forcing us into another Revolutionary War. England hated losing and couldn't seem to keep out of our business. They wanted power and control of our nation, while we wanted to control it ourselves from sea to shining sea, when we were just barely at the Mississippi River. The Native American was caught in the middle. They were being forced to choose sides. Either side they chose still wanted the power and control over them. It turned out to be a losing cause either way for all involved, including the country that was the United States.

It was time for Sam to step out into his future and become a man. He enlisted into the United States Army as a private, and marched off to war. When he left home this time his mother gave him a ring with a single word inscription. It simply read "honor." This is a simple five letter word, but it seems that it is difficult to maintain to say the least. How can something so simple seem to be so difficult to achieve? Well for Sam it wasn't. Within a year of service young Samuel had left the enlisted ranks and achieved the rank of ensign. For those that don't understand military rank structure. This is the entry level rank for commissioned officers. A lot of men throughout our history have achieved the mark of elevating from an enlisted soldier to a commissioned officer, but for Sam to have done this within a single year is phenomenal.

In March of 1814 he was with General Andrew Jackson, and he was about to begin charting his destiny. They were about to fight the Creek Indian nation that had sided with the English. They were in Alabama and Sam was about to become a war hero. He was about to demonstrate the intestinal fortitude that was going to thrust him on his way to fame. It is that same type of intestinal fortitude, honor, and pride that have helped make us the nation that we are today. We feel that we are the most devastatingly fighting culture that has ever lived. We have shown the world. We are still at the top of the mountain, but I am afraid that we are losing it in a bad way. We need to pull ourselves back into the race by bonding together again to prevent potential loss that will no less than devastate our livelihood. We are in bad need of getting our pride and honor back.

The Creek, also known as the "Red Sticks" were entrenched in ravines and a thick cover of down fallen wood. It was a fortress that seemed impossible to overcome. General Andrew Jackson had his army on the attack however. The first American that breeched their fortress was a Major Montgomery. He was instantly killed. The second was Ensign Sam Houston. The Red Sticks weren't so lucky with this one. Sam led a spear headed charge. He took a barbed arrow head to the groin, and like the "Energizer Bunny" he just kept on going..., and going.

Sam was about to demonstrate a clinic on what war heroes are made of. The battle was bloody and fierce. He knew his goal. He had set the bar high, and was refusing to not get over the hurdle. He quite simply lost his sense and sensibility. The line between sense and sensibility is a place where the meek shouldn't travel. It is a thin line which typically has no space for miscalculation. They tried to get him to withdraw but he refused. Houston fought fiercely until the skirmish was well at hand. He was wounded so badly that they couldn't get the arrow out of his leg. It had to be cut out leaving a huge hole and a large amount of blood loss.

The battle was almost over, but some of the Creek were left hidden and well-fortified in a small fortress that hadn't been overtaken. The enemy couldn't even be seen. No one would step up and take the charge of overcoming the fortress. Sam had been almost drug from the battle. He had refused to quit. Now he was determined to lead a charge that no one would take. You can bet he didn't want to take that charge any more than anyone else, but intestinal fortitude, pride, and honor are what were inside him. I am sure it is what was telling him that it had to be done. He led the charge of the fortress.

In the process of the charge Sam ended up shot twice in the shoulder and once in the arm in addition to his groin injury. His men refused to go any further. They eventually set the fortress on fire with flaming arrows. You might wonder why they didn't flame it before. The answer is that it is in the end always about humanism. We are here to fight tyranny. We are not the bad guys. Charging the fortress took fewer casualties from the enemy. Burning the fortress killed them all for God to sort out.

Sam was still breathing, but barely. They placed him on a rick and drug him back to camp. But they still left him for dead. He didn't have much of a chance by anybody's opinion. They gave him little to no medical treatment. Either Sam refused to die, or God forced him to live, because Sam was an obvious shade of white vs. the dark in the war of good vs. evil.

It is an unfortunate part of the world's history that war has to even exist, let alone the tragedy of utter and total destruction of human life to get the job done. Mankind however is stubborn. The fight that exists in the world is nothing more or less than skirmishes between good and evil. It has always been that way. The stage is set for good to triumph over evil, or is it? Both sides are just that damned stubborn to not give up.

It seems to me that the more these skirmishes exist that the standard colors of black and white no longer exist. Good is still good. It is still out there, and so is evil. Mankind however seems to be blending away from right and wrong. Even the good guys anymore seem to be corrupt. Mankind in its struggles has blended into an ugly shade of mucky gray. It seems to me that pure black and white of either shade no longer exists.

I remember being young and in the Marines. We had to serve in Denmark for several weeks on a training operation. We were shown a thick concrete building that was constructed by the Nazis after they had overtaken Denmark during World War II. Near the end of the war the allied forces surrounded that building. They bombed it, and they bombed it. It was so fortified that the weaponry of the day couldn't penetrate its construction.

The Nazi's were obviously evil to the rest of the world at this point, but they were so caught up in their convictions that they had to be surrounded for a month and starved out. They had to run out of food and water before they would give up their thought process. Where does sense and sensibility begin and end. It ends at a thin line where the meek have no place.

Was Sam now a war hero? Were the Creek fighting for the right cause? Were we fighting a senseless war over nothing; to the death? The answer to all of these questions is yes. As humans we all have free will. We all have a conscious that helps us discern right from wrong. As humans we have a history of warring mentality that goes even before any recorded history.

This warring mentality still exists today, even though we have progressed, but have we progressed far enough yet? It seems to me that we have progressed, but like I stated we are starting to gray that line of sense and sensibility more and more every year. The line is widening. The meek are starting to get closer and closer to a line that they have no business walking on. They are walking were one miscalculated move can devastate their existence.

We have fought in the name of progression. We have fought within the entire world to determine right from wrong. It has always been the mentality of to the victor goes the spoils of war. The winner determines what is right, and what is wrong. For the most part we have placed a visible stamp on right and wrong that has been accurate. It hasn't been with perfection, but it has worked. Unfortunately every coin has two sides. While stamping out evil, we have also gotten rid of some good, and evil still exists, and seems to be gaining strength every day.

Mankind continues to stager down the same road gaining reckless momentum as it travels. We want to think that we have learned from our past, but I am sorry to say that we have achieved a lot, but we still fail to grasp the major concept. To me it was evident in the slaying of Bin Ladin. It is unfortunate, but we as a nation have turned Bin Ladin into nothing less than a martyr. I am fully well aware that I am about to step on some patriotic toes, but please remember that a Marine is saying what he feels that you need to hear. Please hear me out, and leave all of the bullshit conspiracy theories at the door so that we can think straight.

Our critical history began with Bin Ladin in the 1980's. The Soviet Union which has since fallen apart had at the time invaded a country with a no back down mentality, which lacked the weaponry to fight off such an invasion. We were near the end of the cold war, and we knew it. We gave weapons to the Afghan's, which were then led by Osama Bin Ladin. He was a man who loved to fight so much that it wasn't even his own country. We were fighting the good fight, or were we? Would the Soviet Union have fallen on its own without us aiding it along?

Was it about dollars and cents? Was it about the fact that the Soviet Union had supplied the Viet Cong with weapons during Viet Nam? Did we do it to get even? Were we trying to give the Soviet Union their own Viet Nam? At this point it doesn't help to go any further. If we go any deeper all we are doing is placing blame instead of seeking solutions. Our goal is to learn from our past and move forward.

The end result was that we quit supplying arms to the Afghan rebel troops. This pissed a man off that had deep pockets and what turned out to be an evil prepotency to war. But in his defense we were supplying him with arms and we cut the cord so to speak. We forced them into a losing conflict in his mind, even if he and his rebels never stood a chance. Just like Hitler, Bin Ladin was able to motivate people into fighting his cause. The only major difference this time is that Bin Ladin actually had a leg to stand on. If we were going to help them we should have seen it through, or not at all. The line that separates sense and sensibility was officially gray. It is no longer black and white, and we supplied the paint to discolor it.

We armed men that would not have fought without our aid. They shed their blood and died for our cause, thinking the whole time that it was their cause. In the end they felt that we made them false promises. The Soviet Union eventually withdrew from Afghanistan, and the cold war ended. Unfortunately however, Afghanistan didn't withdraw from the Soviet Union or us for that matter. Our cold war ended up doing nothing more than piss some faction off and provide another stubborn reason to fight a cause to the death. All we did in essence was start another war, possibly World War III.

Arguably a large faction of today's terrorism spawned from that Afghan conflict. It hasn't been just the Soviet Union and the United States that has been under constant attack. It is the entire world. It seems to me that we all know the results of 9/11, but we fail to recognize the cause and effect that we created. We placed ourselves in the middle of a conflict where someone was trying to dominate someone that refused to be dominated. This is the good fight. I have to agree with that. But when you choose to fight evil and tyranny; then fight it to the end. See the fight through, or do not see it at all. Put on blinders and walk the other way. Fighting a fight half-way is worse than not fighting it at all.

With Bin Ladin we were attacked by an unjust man fighting an unjust cause. His war was over. He at some point had a cause, but it had long since passed sensibility. It took us ten years, but we got our man. Or did we? I know what you're thinking; leave your conspiracy theories at the door. The man is dead. I fully believe that. If we wanted to fake it, we could have done that long ago. What I am trying to say is that we pissed off a lot more than just Bin Ladin. Someone else I am afraid will be brave enough to fight the insurmountable fight and attack again.

I think that we as a nation made a grave mistake when we rejoiced the death of that man. I worry that this is another factor that defines him as a martyr. To me he should be nothing more than a major casualty of war. The war isn't over by any stretch. I personally feel no honor was achieved from such a celebration.

When we celebrated World War II, it was a different time and a different enemy. Hitler and his cause had been stamped out. This one isn't. I am afraid that we just pissed an unknown enemy off. It is too late, Pandora's Box I am afraid is opened.

Taking out Bin Ladin was exactly the right thing to do. We brought tyranny to justice. We dealt the right justice. Being part of the team that got the mission done wears the badge of honor; justifiably and proudly, even if it was the stinking Navy. Until the day I die, I want nothing more than to be remembered as a man willing to be a patriot, and a man that thanks patriots for doing the necessary job of stamping out evil.

Please however take strong caution in what I am about to say. This piece of tyranny is not stamped out just yet. We have possibly only angered it worse. Mankind is stubborn by nature. We can be stubborn knowing that we just may possibly be wrong. We are so stubborn we have proven that we will fight our cause to the death. This is an issue of mankind, not just Americans. I am afraid we need to strap onto something and hold on tight. We rejoiced the death of a man, not the end of a struggle. I am afraid that this fight isn't over yet.

Back in 1814 Sam Houston fought that day refusing to bend his will. He refused to stop, even when no one else would go any further. He had been shot in the groin. His wound was severe enough for him to be ordered out of the battle. He refused to yield. It cost him dearly. He ended up shot three more times. He was fighting the good fight, and he knew it. I believe that he knew the end result if someone didn't get the Creek natives to surrender. I believe that it was something that burned deep enough in his soul that he was willing to die for it, and he nearly did. In the end we had to destroy the Creek fortress and destroy them all anyway. Where did Sam's sense and sensibility start and end, and where should it have?

After Bin Ladin attacked the twin towers we made a list of America's most wanted terrorists. We placed them on a deck of playing cards. Unfortunately cards wear out, but you can always buy more. They will even come up with new faces to place on them. I am afraid that if we don't stop our destructive habits, the wrong faces can, and will be placed on the next deck. Will we have to pay for our own transgressions, even though we are performing them in the name of good?

The Cherokee were moved several times by the false promises that our government had given them. After the war, Sam was commissioned by the government to get them to move again. After all he was a Cherokee wasn't he? He was on the side of right wasn't he? He was the perfect man to lie to them. Ten years earlier the government had offered them money to move. The government still hadn't paid that money, and was now asking them to move again. They knowingly asked the chief's adopted son to offer them a bag of beads in the form of yet another false promise.

Sam was a man that had been blessed with the gift of wisdom. He knew that the government was full of shit. He also knew that the Cherokee were better off moving with as little involvement with the white man as possible. He knew that they were facing insurmountable odds. He didn't desire seeing his family destroyed over land. He had seen this devastation up close and personal.

Dressed in his native attire he asked his people to leave their homeland yet again. This was a man with a heart of gold, going against his knowledge of right and wrong. He was doing it to save what was his real family. The Cherokee wanted to air their grievances with the government. Sam decided to honor their wishes and took them to meet with the Secretary of Defense Sam Calhoun. Sam Houston wore his native dress. Mister Calhoun was polite and diplomatic until the Cherokee were dismissed and he was alone with Sam. He thought it a disgrace and wanted to know the meaning of a commissioned United States Army officer appearing before him dressed as a native "savage." This mentality forced Sam to resign his commission and leave the Army.

Sam Houston was not only wise beyond his years, he was charismatic. He was a war hero, a dedicated lawyer, and a politician. He held numerous elected positions in Tennessee. He was the prosecuting attorney for the district of Nashville. He acquired the rank of Major-General in the Tennessee State Militia, Governor of Tennessee, and was later voted to represent the state of Tennessee in the United States Congress. He on many occasions showed wisdom, determination, and strong convictions. He was taken from the mold of a national hero.

Sam was raised by the conflicting cultures of his time. He had a strong willed mother that knew right from wrong, and he was adopted by the Chief of the Cherokee nation that knew all too well the wrong that was being imposed upon his people. Was this the foundation of Sam's wisdom, or was it a God given talent to a man that needed to be there to provide strength during the adversity of an expanding nation? Either way Sam drove himself to near death or to the brink of collapse trying to prove to everyone that he had the much needed answers.

By the summer of 1829 he was at the point of exhaustion and had as well contacted malaria. Death was at his doorstep once again, just to be chased away. He was fed up with the white man and their social structure. He once again lived with the Cherokee, and they nursed him back to health. The Cherokee nation truly was part of his integral family. He was their loyal agent, and their only weapon against the United States Government and its unquenchable desire to own all the land from sea to shining sea. But it paid a heavy toll on his free spirit; such a toll that it almost killed him.

The pressures had Sam distraught. They clouded his judgment. While in a session of congress, William Stanberry of Ohio accused him of being part of a scheme to obtain contracts for Indian rations. Sam took this personally. Not only had his honor been besmirched, but everything that he had worked to protect was in question. He challenged this man to a duel, and the man declined. Instead he started carrying side arms as if Sam was criminal enough to attack him in cold blood.

This angered Sam even more. An honorable man doesn't kill in cold blood, and his foe had just made a statement that questioned one of the most honorable men in our society at its time if not the most honorable. This man had just insulted the wrong stressed out man. Sam met him in the street, called him a scoundrel and whacked him over the head with his cane. Then he bent him over his knee and gave him a public spanking.

Mister Stanberry demanded public retribution. He demanded Sam be arrested and tried for giving him a public thrashing. Sam was tried in the House of Representatives and defended himself. I guess a client who hires himself as a lawyer has a poor lawyer. Sam lost, and the speaker of the house had to fine and reprimand him. He was reprimanded with "I do reprimand you accordingly." He was also fined ten dollars. I guess I am not the only one that thought Mr. Stanberry deserved his spanking. Sam may have been fined that ten dollars, but it did one thing. It put him back on his national stage. It placed him back on top, and he was soon to be on his way to Texas to help settle yet another frontier.

Texas was full of rough and wild frontiersmen that wanted to live like United States citizens. They did have a major flaw with that sort of thinking. Texas belonged to Mexico. It was not for sale. For them to even be in Texas they had to leave the United States behind, swear allegiance to Mexico, become Mexican citizens, and join the Catholic Church. With the knowledge of our history, and how we got where we are today, it is easy to say that this was about to create change. The question to be answered was what would this change cost?

By Sam's definition the frontiersmen were impatient and unorganized. They wanted to be declared as a free state of Mexico. Santa Anna was the present Mexican dictator, and wasn't about to let freedom ring in Texas without one hell of a scrape. Sam had been the Governor of Tennessee, a congressman, a district attorney, and a war hero. He was an easy selection as the Commander and Chief of the newly formed Texas army.

The Texans continued to be impatient and disorganized. It seems that they couldn't follow through with their own judgments when things weren't going as they had hoped. They ended up relieving the man that they selected as governor, and this in turn by default relieved Sam as their Commander and Chief of the Texas Army. It seems that Sam found himself yet again having to solve another recipe for disaster.

As all of this was happening, several months earlier a group of Texans had chased Mexican forces out of the Alamo. This left the Texan frontiersmen with a false sense of reality. It seems that they thought they had actually defeated the Mexican army and had sent them packing. This was the farthest thing from the truth, and hell was about to march up from the south, and right in the middle of winter.

Colonel Travis had been given the duty of arming and defending the Alamo. He had been given around 200 troops with a large portion of them being volunteer militia, and not considered regular soldiers. Among the people in the Alamo were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. They were pioneering heroes, but the odds were about to be stacked against them. Santa Anna came north with several thousand soldiers to get his Alamo back from the Texans.

Santa Anna tinkered and toyed with the men in the Alamo. The first thing he did was to offer no quarter. The only way to walk out alive was to surrender immediately. Texas was so disorganized at the time that he was allowed to toy with the men behind the walls of the Alamo for two weeks before he finally attacked and brutally massacred them all. I guess as a human I ask two questions here. Why did this have to happen, and why was it allowed to happen? Is the first answer greed and ego, and is the second answer stupidity and ignorance?

The answers are quite simple. Santa Anna demonstrated a lot of greed and ego. He considered himself to be the Napoleon of the America's. It was all about power and control, and the fact that he wanted it all. The second answer is a much harder pill to swallow. The Texans had set a goal, recognized what needed to be done, and didn't have the patience to follow through with it. They put the right man in charge, and then relieved him before he even had time to react.

This is a common failure. It seems that when we want something too badly, we tend to get tunnel vision and focus only on the target. This can be a good thing, when you are on the rifle range, or when you have adequate concealment with appropriate cover. But otherwise it is a common mistake that can have adverse consequences, and not just on a battlefield. While dealing with tunnel vision we tend to ignore the obvious by forcing our eyes on the prize.

The problem is some targets shoot back, and so do their friends and allies that we place into blind spots. It takes wisdom and knowledge to lead, and not just one or the other. If you don't possess both you are better off listening than you are leading. The Texans were blessed with an excellent leader that had been proven and tested to have both. They had other good leaders as well. The end result proved this, but they still made the mistake of placing their eyes on the prize and neglecting the rest. It was this disorganization that created the massacre at the Alamo.

My question is, where do we stand today as a nation? With military strength we are definitely there. We have few issues. Our technology is outstanding at all levels. We have worked hard to be where we are at, and our successes are the proof. It seems to me however that within our social structure and the governing of our nation we continue to struggle. We seem to take things for granted and focus only on the immediate prize. Our infrastructure is decaying. We are wasting money, and quickly going bankrupt. I am afraid that we can't continue to operate this way.

We are a nation that is full of wisdom and adventure, but we keep repeating the same mistakes of not placing the right people in charge that can, and will get us through this crisis. I am not talking about the election of a president. He is only one man. Blaming the past several presidents is a major mistake. I am talking about our other elected officials. The ones with their own agenda but come to your county fair and make all sorts of false promises. They ride in our parades and throw candy to our children. My mind tells me that it is too late, but my heart tells me that a strong nation can and will survive. We just need to recognize the stupidity and bullshit tactics of the ignorant and get rid of it.

What we need is a collection of modern day Sam Houston's. I know they exist, but I also feel that the people with the wisdom might have given up. They have recluse themselves to protecting and caring for what they can control. God only knows how much I hope this to be an incorrect statement. I hope that if you read this, and you know you have been blessed like Sam was, that there is a reason that you have been given that blessing. Please step out and put it to work. Our nation I am afraid depends upon it. If you haven't been given the gift of extreme wisdom and knowledge then recognize that as well. Take a step back and let the leaders lead. An organization's success depends on dedicated followers just as much as it does its leaders.

Texas gave their enemy little to no respect and it bit them in the ass. Right now we are doing the same thing. We are our own worst enemy. Texas however finally got it right. They blazed out a declaration of Independence, and selected the right man back to being the Commander and Chief of their army. Sam Houston had proven to be a man of patience, diligence, and great wisdom. He was about to prove it again. He was about to out-fox the enemy. He was however about to be tested by his men's impatience again, but this time they had the hindsight to listen and learn.

Our nation over the years has overcome adversity many times. It isn't a new concept. It just seems that we have gotten off task a bit on the way to where we are today. We simply just need to find ourselves again. No one person can accomplish putting our nation back on the right track. But one person can give us an organization that well trained and wise leaders can follow. I know and love this nation and its history. I know that person is out there, and it is time for them to step up and lead.

If we don't do this, I am afraid that we may lose to the enemy. This time however the enemy is internal strife. This is not at a physical war that I speak of. I believe strongly that it will not be the force of an enemy's military strength that will bring us down. It is the fact that we are raising a generation of youth that somehow has lost the concept of survival and seems to think that we owe them everything that they want. They seem to think that if they fail, then it is our fault. We are in the middle of a social crisis, and we are being attacked from several directions with all of them being from within.

When the Alamo was lost it was heavily outnumbered. The Texas convention members wanted to rush out and save the Alamo. Sam it seemed bore the burden of the unpopular thought of developing a government with organization before proceeding. Even though unpopular everyone listened, and Sam proved to be correct. I am afraid that our leaders today are going to be forced to make critical and unpopular decisions. For our success we are going to have to listen and follow through.

Sam planned strategically his defeat of Santa Anna. He was tremendously outnumbered in troops, as well as his beliefs. He continued to wait until precisely the exact moment. Again his troops became impatient. They began to see the inevitable defeat of the enemy and they wanted to rush in. Sam stood his ground and was forced to face adversity from within from his own subordinates. When he finally gave the command to attack the entire battle lasted only 18 minutes with minimal casualties within the Texan army. All it took was organization, diligence, patience, wisdom, and knowledge. Are you the one out there with all those traits? You know if you are. It is time to step up. It's time to be grace under fire... who are you? I know you exist...

In the first round of fire Sam's ankle was shattered. In the second round of fire his horse was shot out from under him. He got another horse, and it was shot out from under him. Eighteen minutes later, on a third horse, and with a boot filled with blood Sam guided with a warriors mentality the defeat of the enemy. Our nation needs badly to find the next Sam Houston. We need someone that can have the stamina to overcome all adversity, and the will to make a strategic plan and stick to it. This leader needs not to lead an army of battleground warriors this leader male or female needs to lead businessmen that can put us back on the right path of financial success. This leader needs to have the wisdom to guide us in the correction of our social structure.

When the Civil War was at hand, Sam Houston found himself at the forefront of the nation yet again. He had been born a southerner, and had lived his entire life in the south. He knew that the north had more men, more money, and more power. He knew that the south was doomed to go down in ruins. I think that he also knew the people that he had fought with and had trained would fight it until the bitter end whatever the end would be.

Sam's followers had aspirations for him and the presidency. I am torn with the concept of does a person choose an office like this, or does it choose the person? What I mean is a person that is filled with great wisdom and the capabilities of being a substantial leader knows truly inside of themselves what they are, and who they are. They know their capabilities, and they know their limitations. Those around them know it as well. They know who to choose and the person that is capable whether they want the nod or not. That special person knows if they can handle such a responsibility if it is placed upon their shoulders.

Abraham Lincoln was the candidate selected by the Republican Party. At the time the party was new, and well hated by the south. It was full of anti-south and anti-slavery sentiment that wasn't going to sit well within the south. Sam personally had nothing against Lincoln, but he strongly felt that if Lincoln were elected, that the south would immediately secede from the Union.

Sam was selected as a candidate on the Democratic ticket. He said that he would accept this nomination only as a national candidate, and not a southern one. It seems that he was exercising his wisdom again. Sam knew that war was possibly inevitable, but maybe even though he was aging, he could one more time overcome adversity and possibly save the nation.

The Democrats in Sam's mind couldn't get it together. They ended up with four candidates running for the office against Lincoln. Sam withdrew, and as well withdrew to his own solitude. It seemed that he was about to give up. It was like his life's work of saving the nation was going to collapse with him in his seventies. Was he wrong for thinking this way? Was one of our nation's greatest heroes just throwing in the towel? Was he really waving a white flag?

Had Sam stepped out of God's plan for him? Did Sam not know who he was? Couldn't he have put his faith in God to work it all out? As a young Marine I was taught that we were to place God first, country second, and the Marine Corps third, and everything else was irrelevant. Ok, maybe not the irrelevant part. But I think Sam knew this concept. I believe it was part of his conventional wisdom package that had made him successful. I don't know why Sam gave up, but for some reason he did.

It turns out that Sam was right with one thing. The moment that Lincoln was elected the south said fuck you to the nation and its impositions that Lincoln was allowing. I strongly feel that Sam was the candidate for the job. I also strongly feel that he would have saved the Union if elected. I believe that he would have ended slavery and came to a resolution to help both sides. It is a sad thing to say, but his not giving up might have saved us 145 years of hate crimes, racism, and bigotry. We can't rewrite history or make legitimate suppositions, but for some reason I can't help but think it.

When the south seceded from the Union, Sam was the present governor of Texas. When their legislative branch decided to secede from the Union, Sam wasn't on either side; the Union or the Confederacy. He thought that it was all fucking stupid. He felt that Texas had stood on its own before, and that it could do it again. He stated that it should be up to the popular vote of the people of Texas, not a bunch of legislators to decide. So Texas had a vote, and the decision to leave the Union won in a landslide. The United States simply was a nation in turmoil it was an easy decision for the people of Texas to make it seemed.

After the vote the legislators chose to join the confederacy. Sam stated that the vote was not to leave the Union, but to leave them both and to become an independent sovereignty again. He was overruled. When the gavel banged for the Governor of Texas to answer the call to announce secession from the Union and to join the Confederacy, Sam couldn't do it. He not only couldn't do it, but he refused to do it. He resigned his political office and retired to home with his convictions.

Was Sam Houston a defeated man? Part of me says no, and part of me says yes. He stood by the decision of Texas. He stayed loyal to the south and his home even though he disagreed with their tactics and cause. His son went off to war to fight for the south. But at the same time he supported his decision, and he stuck to his guns in saying that the south couldn't win a war of attrition against the north. He said the south would lose, and that they would lose hard. He also knew that Lincoln was not a man that could keep the nation together.

Here we have another lesson to learn from the Civil War of our past and its mistakes. This lesson however is the most critical of them all. It comes from a man that had no power in the war, and wanted no power in the war. But he had proven history, and great wisdom that we as a nation again failed to listen to.

We failed to listen to the man that had spent his life proving his wisdom. He was a man that backed up his fight. He told the nation the mistakes that we were making right up to the end, and we didn't listen. Did this cause a great man that had fought the nation's mistakes all his life to give up his will to live in the end? He died in the middle of the Civil War. They say he went to his room and just paced for hour after hour fighting with the demons of his solitude. I don't know you tell me, what we should learn from this?

Chapter 7 John Belushi

John Adam Belushi was born on January 24, 1949. He lived a short, but yet a large life. He was found dead on March 5, 1982. It has been 30 years now, but I dare to say that almost everyone knows the legend that was his life, and knows even more about the legend that was his death. He was one of the purest comedic actors that have ever lived. As a career highlight he jumped into fame as one of the original cast members of NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL). In addition he starred in the movie Animal House, was a member of the Blues Brothers with Dan Aykroyd, and did so much more. However we are not here to talk about his stardom, but the effects of his stardom, and the devastation that it created.

John Belushi was born to an immigrant father that came to America to capture the American dream. His parents were Agnes and Adam Belushi. They owned a restaurant near Chicago, Illinois. He has a sister named Marian, and two brothers Jim & Billy. He married his high school sweet heart Judy Jacklin on December 31, 1976. It seemed like he was the all American kid from his home town of Weston, and in reality he truly was. But his train derailed somewhere along the line, and created a great American tragedy, instead of a great American larger than life fairy tale.

Like his father, he too was living the American dream. He was living it so large and fast however that he literally expanded beyond his own proportions. His celebrity status became so large, that I don't think that he was prepared to handle it. He developed a fast-paced and exuberant life style that eventually led to his death. John was a shooting star. If we think relative to time, he was nothing more than a bright blink in the sky that burned out much too quickly. We have all seen this type of shooting star. It's the one that is large enough to cast a trail of its own sparks as it cascades down. It seems to develop its own character and draws much more attention than even most shooting stars. In essence it creates other shooting stars that follow its lead and burn out just as fast.

Let's step out and examine what I just said, because this is at the core of why I am writing about John. He rose to fame, and he did it fast. John had a personality that was totally charismatic. He had a way of emulating anything that he wanted to be, or any subject that he wanted to demonstrate. He sold it. When I was a kid, and I heard the Blues brothers on the radio, all I could do was walk around singing Soul Man, and thinking about how a rubber biscuit was going to bounce back. The last thing that I wanted to do was to go hungry. I think every teenage boy in America watched Animal House, and posed with food in their mouths saying what am I? I'm a zit and then splatting it. This is the trail of sparks that he left.

John Belushi was larger than life. I struggle with saying that he was a role model versus saying that he was an example. I believe that the point can be argued that he was neither or both. I have to take the stand that he was an example. John was nothing more than a product of his environment, but at the same time he was a natural leader. He may not have wanted to be a leader, but he was. The philosophical nature or debate of leadership over the centuries is the one that are leaders naturally born, or are they educated into being good leaders.

I would have to say that leaders are born to be educated. John was born with the charisma to motivate people. He had a natural talent for making people laugh, and to especially think about what they were laughing at. He was truly born to be a natural leader. I don't think that anyone that watched his antics and were at the impressionable age while he was performing them can dispute this statement. But even then, even a natural leader has to be educated and trained on how and when to lead. We just covered an example of this with Sam Houston. A different type of leadership, but the core philosophy stays the same. Sam educated himself in the art or skills of leadership, and he was born with the same God given talents that John had. They both had larger than life personalities, and they both drank it up in excess.

From this type of excess is where either John failed society, or society failed John. We had just lived through the sixties, and the youth of our nation were going into the next generation of rebelling from parental authority. He might have been an original cast member of SNL, but he wasn't the first to socially rebel. He had an example to follow, so did the others that have come since him. Just like the bad examples that he saw, he left another one to be followed.

John's first big break was in 1971 where he joined the Second City Comedy Troupe. In 1972 he was cast into National Lampoon's Lemmings. It was an off-Broadway stage show that was a mock/parity of Woodstock. It listed three days of peace, love, and death. I personally didn't get to see this skit. So I can't expand on it, but part of me wonders if this skit itself wasn't the shooting star that he sparked off of, or if he created his own stardom. This is an example of being a role model versus being an example. It is apples and oranges to be honest. It is irrelevant which he was. They both burn out too fast either way. What we do know, is that he possibly played this role all the way until the end.

John Belushi is an example of extreme commercialization without the foresight and recognition of its cause and effect. Another example of this is the advertisement campaigns of Nike. When Michael Jordon appeared on the scene their slogan was "Be like Mike." It evolved into Charles Barkley saying "I Am Not a Role Model," and later turned into "Just Do It." Was it their goal to influence the nation's youth, or was it their goal to sell shoes and apparel? Either way they accomplished both goals, and I think that "I Am Not a Role Model" was their poor attempt to try to correct the situation that they created.

After the way that John Belushi died, would anyone say "Be like John?" Should have anyone said "Be like Mike?" The answer to both questions is no. Michael Jordan is an excellent role model, even with his issues that became public. We all have issues, and I don't care what anyone says. If anyone were to say to me that they don't have any issues I would stand up and prove them to be a liar. We should be using role models as an example to educate our youth on being themselves, not educating them into being like someone else; especially just to sell shoes and apparel. In essence as a society we did the same thing with John Belushi; it just wasn't out in the open like it was with Michael Jordan.

From 1975 – 1979 Belushi achieved the biggest bulk of his fame. In 1975 he joined Saturday Night Live as an original cast member, which became the number one show on television. In 1979 he had the number one movie at the box office with Animal house, and the Blues Brothers had the number one selling album. I don't know if there was another genre left that he could have claimed fame in. From this stage he sold sex, drugs, and rock and roll as a life style choice to success. Unfortunately as much success as he was having, behind the scenes he was demonstrating an equal amount of failure, and our media culture was selling his soul to anyone brave enough to bid. Those around John knew that he was doing everything in excess, and I believe most of them did little to nothing to help him put the brakes on.

John Belushi was a man that was in need of desperate help. I am willing to bet that his entire family and the people that were really close to him saw the train wreck that was about to happen, but no matter what they said or did could do anything to slow him down. With all of his natural talent and charisma, John was still a creation of the media, and someone had the capability to put the brakes on, but they chose not to. John Belushi to these people was a commodity for sale and America and the rest of the world was their open marketplace. It was all about the dollars and cents that generate life style choices for the ones that achieve? Was it just not caring enough about your fellow man?

On March 4, 1982 John Belushi, Cathy Smith, and former SNL writer Nelson Lyon spent the evening partying together. They had been drinking massive quantities of liquor, and had snorted large quantities of cocaine. They had gone all over West Hollywood looking for one party after another. Later John and Cathy went to dinner, and then back to John's hotel room. Cathy Smith later reported to authorities that John several times asked her to intravenously inject him with "speedballs," which is either a mixture of cocaine and heroin, or cocaine and morphine.

While they were in his room they were visited by Robin Williams, and later by Robert DeNiro. It seems that Robin wanted nothing to do with Cathy. He thought that she was crusty and a lowlife. He wondered what John was doing with her, so he just did a few lines of cocaine with them and left. Sometime after 3:00 am Robert DeNiro who had been trying to hook up with him all night finally came by the hotel room. He didn't like the scene either, so he left.

John and Cathy shot up needles until she decided that she just had to leave. She placed him in the shower, put him to bed, noticed that he was breathing "funny" and then took off in his Mercedes. The next morning his personal trainer Bill Wallace found him on his bed in the fetal position with the sheets all twisted up around him with his pillow over his head. He removed the pillow to see that his tongue was hanging out and the blood had quit flowing and was settled at the bottom of where his face was on the bed. John was dead, and there was no bringing the shooting start back to life. He had crashed and had landed on planet earth.

This is a classic example of choose your friends wisely, and your acquaintances even more wisely. Let's start with the acquaintance, Ms. Cathy Smith. She was noticed by Robin Williams to be "crusty." What exactly does that mean? Did it mean that he noticeably noted that John was hanging out with the wrong person? It most certainly does. She was an "unknown" that was allowed to be in the company of a superstar. Not only was she there mixing with elite company, she seemed willing to do anything that he asked her to do. Was this possibly hero worship?

Did that make her "crusty?" I would have to say no that it didn't. She may have been crusty, I don't know, but the situation did give an avenue of approach for the "scape goat" that she was about to become. Robin Williams came over and saw them together. Not only did he see them together he was there long enough to develop an opinion about her character, and do several lines of cocaine with them. When he decided that he couldn't handle the environment anymore he left telling John that if he decided to get up off the floor before the night was over to give him a call.

Robin Williams' judgment as far as I see it right now is in question. Was Robin Williams a friend or an acquaintance? Either way he wasn't in hero worship. He was a man that didn't like what he saw and ran from it. I personally feel that when you see someone in the shape that John obviously was, no matter whom you are, you need to react. Was Robin Williams a fortune teller? No he wasn't, but the situation shouldn't have required one either. John Belushi was on the floor, he had been drinking heavily all evening, doing lines of cocaine, and firing up speedballs. This situation had potential overdose written all over it. Instead of judging Ms. Smith's character, he should have been judging her actions, been a friend, and reacted to the situation by getting the appropriate help.

At 3:00am another friend shows up, which was Robert DeNiro. He observed the situation and immediately bolted. Was John still on the floor? Was he still being fired up by Ms. Smith? I guess Robert is the only one that can answer that, but she had to place John in the shower, and put him to bed. Something tells me that he saw the same thing Robin Williams did and wanted nothing to do with the situation. He should have responded to the situation in the same manner that Robin Williams should have. Did God send two guardian angels to save John from the evil that was his internal self, and they both failed miserably?

The end result was that Ms. Cathy Smith was no more or no less negligent. She was tried for murder and plea bargained down to manslaughter. Should she have been held any more responsible for his death than anyone else? I guarantee that this is a debatable topic. She stuck the needles in his arm. She put him in the shower, placed him in his bed, heard his erratic breathing, and then abandoned him while she went for a joy ride in an expensive car... with all that, I still say that she bore no more responsibility for John's death than Robin Williams, or Robert DeNiro. I also want to go on the record and say that the only person responsible for John Belushi's death was John Belushi.

He killed himself because we are all held accountable for our own destructive traits. John's accountability was the natural consequence of death. We could say that the media created his issues, but I would say that they were nothing more than an avenue, that needs to become more aware of its street traffic. As a human I believe that John had a lot of character and personality. He was the type of person that engulfed life and its environment whole heartedly. He had a veracious appetite for life and all of its options.

He kept choosing poor menu items from the restaurant of life, and it killed him in the end. There was really nothing that anybody could have done to stop his train wreck but give him advice and help when it was needed. As a social structure, I am sure that the advice was there, but I also believe that his death proves that the help wasn't. Neither advice nor help can stand alone. One serves the purpose of the other. If you help someone without giving them reasoning, then they will repeat their failure. If you give advice without showing support and help it is nothing more than flapping your jaw in the wind.

The media keeps filling our youth with bullshit. They keep telling them that they are stronger and more important than they are. We have well progressed beyond the train wreck that was John Belushi. The trains today are much faster, stronger, and bigger. Life and its potential tragedies seem larger. A faster train doesn't create worse destruction to an individual, but it does affect more individuals thus creating a much greater tragedy.

Today's media promotes violence, excessive behaviors, and an "I don't give a fuck" mentality. Our social structure shows that we are losing our self-discipline, and that a large part of it just doesn't care about the welfare of humanism within our own borders. This may or may not be the recipe for destruction, but it definitely adds a couple of hazardous waste and combustible fuel cars connected to the seemingly runaway train that is our nation.

How did John Belushi kill himself? Consensus says heroin and cocaine addiction, and a drug overdose. It is very difficult and almost impossible for a young healthy person to kill themselves through ingesting a lot of any substance. About the only reliable accounts of cocaine overdose we have are those involving individuals smuggling huge quantities of the drug and are carrying it in their digestive tract, while it ends up bursting within their bodies.

Some medical examiners discredit any notion of death from a heroin overdose. Deathly overdoses almost happen exclusively to long-term users. This states that John Belushi's life style killed him, not the girl giving him the injections of his poison that night. John Belushi was never an advocate of moderation. It seemed that he lived his life in line with the personality of his Animal House character Bluto from his early career, with his excessive eating and drinking.

Even in his beginning days as a comedian he had already had a formidable drug habit that seemed to increase as his rise into stardom increased. John's rise and fall was fast. His improvisational style sometimes had a nasty and dangerous "politically incorrect" edge. Unfortunately, during the early 1970's such traits were prized rather than discouraged. John Belushi was among the few comedic actors that could exploit violence and social upheaval as a source of humor. One man cannot change the world overnight, but he can do a lot to it in the time that John had to impact the world.

In 1973 John and Jacklin moved to New York, where he continued to work with National Lampoon on a half-hour comedy program that was syndicated across the country. It was there that he appeared with Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Chevy Chase. The cast of people that he was connected to at this point in his life was phenomenal, and he was possibly the brightest star amongst them all. It is nothing less than a total shame that such a bright star was so hell bent on being so self-destructive.

Unfortunately for our society John Belushi was neither the first nor the last on such a quest. Heath Ledger followed in similar footsteps, and many others have as well. He was powerful in his craft, and for whatever reason it got away from him. Hopefully there are bright stars, or future bright stars out there to read this, and can glean knowledge and understanding from what I am saying. Hopefully they can learn how entertaining and special that they can be, and how much the world will miss their presence after they have gone. I know when I watch the role that Heath played as the "Joker," I think of him as a phenomenal talent that we will never be able to view his brilliance ever again. I can't help but think what a total and utter shame.

Hopefully today's gifted people recognize that it truly isn't about the fortune and fame, or the media's representation, but it is about the rare gift that God has blessed them with, and recognize that it is only given to the few, and that they are expected to use it for the benefit of advancing the knowledge of mankind. The gifted and blessed are placed here to teach. Both John Belushi and Heath Ledger failed to finish their purpose on this planet by leaving it too early. Please be wise enough to not repeat their mistakes.

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were close friends if not best friends. I found this from my research. Together they created the Blues Brothers. Dan said that it was inspired by his love of the blues and his introducing John to the blues before they broke into Saturday Night Live. The Blues Brothers was no spoof novelty act. They formed a real band. In 1982 Aykroyd and Belushi were scheduled to present the Academy Award for visual effects. John however had died just a few weeks prior.

Dan still decided to go on with the show and make the presentation by himself. I personally don't know if I could have done that after losing my partner and close friend. From the stage he said "my partner would have loved to have been here to present this, given that he was something of a visual effect himself." Dan referred to him and John as being kindred spirits. He said that "John was the only man that he could ever dance with." John Belushi was an excessively talented man that lived life excessively, while his death had a sobering effect.

I believe Dan Aykroyd is an example of how John chose a friend wisely. I also believe that Dan probably tried to save John more than once from himself. I can't help but think how Dan would have reacted if he had been one of the friends that stopped by that night. Would he have done a few lines of cocaine and went home? Would he have knocked on the door, saw a comatose or near comatose man with a strange woman and just not liked the scene and went home? I honestly think that I know the answer to those questions. I think that he would have sent the groupie packing and been a real friend, whatever the consequence would have been.

Here is time for the young to receive a life's lesson about friendship. One can never truly count how many friends that they have throughout their lives, but I can safely say that most people can count deep down true friends that will go through thick and thin with them no matter what it is, more than likely on one hand. That is even if they may have lost a finger or two. Everybody else is either enemies, acquaintances, or the unknown, with none of them being fully trustworthy. Always remember to choose your friends judiciously, and your trust even closer. Life is a slow dance that is only meant to be danced with those you trust if you want that dance to last all night until the party is finished

Chapter 8 Ted Turner

Ted Turner was born on November 19, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Until he was released from his job, he was Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner. Hello, hold the presses; he founded the company. Ted's success story started from his development and the founding of Turner Broadcasting System; a company that he started up from the scraps of a business that his father left him, which was in its conception a sign painting company. All in all most everyone knows the name Ted Turner. We also know that he has been known for a lot of things in life; especially for his off the wall comments of wit and simple wisdom. But what he should be known most for is his keen business skill, his humanitarianism, and his spiritual life.

Robert Edward Turner III (Ted Turner) was born the first child of Ed and Florence Turner. His father Ed Turner served in the Navy during World War II. When he was to report to the Gulf coast he picked up his family and moved, leaving Ted behind in a boarding school in Cincinnati.
By the age of 12 Ted was sent away again to another private boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school focused heavily on discipline, and it might have been there that he started to hone in on the leadership skills that have enabled him to become the man that he is today. He did win the debating championship for the state of Tennessee while he was there. This had to be a phenomenal feat because trust me when I say that a lot of great bullshitters have come out of the state of Tennessee. From what I have read this does fit Ted Turner's profile.

Ted had a difficult relationship with his father. He suffered from physical and emotional abuse. To me it shows strong evidence of it when the two of them disagreed over Ted's choice for college. Ted had grown a fondness for sailing, and wanted to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. It seems that Ted possibly was struggling for his father's approval, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Joining the Navy just might have been his idea for the right ticket to gain his father's approval.

This in itself is a character trait of abused children. They tend to seek the approval of their abuser. I think that down inside people that suffer abuse feel that if they please the one that abuses them, then the abuse just might go away. Either way his dad wanted nothing to do with it and insisted that he take a different route. He wanted Ted in a business college. He demanded that he go to Brown University. Ted ended up going to Brown and steering away from a career as a United States Naval Officer. It seems that his father had won the debate for his career choice, but had he really?

Ted rebelled and ended up getting kicked out of school before he graduated with a degree. Life on this planet can be extremely difficult, and I am not talking about the physical stresses that Mother Nature sends at us. I am talking about the emotional stresses that we as parents place upon our children. Unfortunately it really doesn't matter about all the good intent that we have in the world. It really doesn't matter that we want nothing for our children but for them to better themselves beyond where we come from; no matter where we come from. We all place emotional pressures upon our kids. It just seems to come natural. We have the wisdom, and they are the youth. We need to guide them in the right direction. This is the basic concept of human nature that should be bred into us all as a basic concept of human nature.

Here's the deal however. Guiding doesn't translate into pushing in the right direction because our kids are just too blind to see the right direction. As I have raised my own children, and have been working with teenagers professionally for 14 years now, I have to admit that this is the hardest lesson that I have had to learn. I was blessed with six nephews, and to me they are living examples of what men should be. Oh don't get me wrong, they have their issues, but down inside I see the potential in every one of them to be men, and more importantly to be leaders. My sisters and I have all had our struggles, but they filled their sons with the basic concept of what is needed to survive life.

I am a native East Tennessean, and I love UT Women's Basketball, and all I wanted was a daddy's girl. I wanted her to be able to grow up responsibly, go to UT, and become successful in life; but first to run the back-court for Pat Summit. God blessed me with four daddy's girls, and neither one of them want to as much as touch a basketball. Hopefully I got the growing up responsibly part down right.

We all have dreams and aspirations for our children and along the way we place knowledge and wisdom into their minds. We think it is cute when they repeat the things that we say and do. It is funny to watch their toddling and growing into young adults, and learning from our example. Just remember however that they will repeat everything that you say and do. They will repeat your failures and mistakes as well as your successes. I know this first hand. I have watched it happen in my own children. I have also watched them place credit where credit is due when they mess up. I don't always agree with them, but I see it, they have learned from my mistakes.

This is what we have to do as parents to get it right. It is like learning to ride a bicycle. When you are young your first bicycle has training wheels. You ride and you ride and then your little mind tells you "I can do it." Your dad takes those training wheels off and attempts to hold you up, and you insist that you can do it. He lets you go, and splat on your ass you go. But your dad rushes over to you and says are you all right? He brushes the tears from your face and convinces you to listen and to let him help. You do this and before you know it, you are jumping ramps, riding the trails, and becoming a strong cyclist.

As parents we have to raise our kids in the same fashion. At first they have training wheels, which are us. We protect them at every turn. We safe guard the house, and then before we know it, they are smart enough to do everything in the house. Even cook a hot dog in the microwave. The training wheels come off, and splat. They make a mistake that brings tears to their eyes. We have to save them, wipe away the tears and convince them to listen to us. We hold them up and steer them until they have the balance to take off for themselves. Once they have the balance we need to let go however, and let them take that bicycle of life wherever they want to steer it.

What we have a tendency to do wrong is to tell them where they can take their bike after they have developed enough of a knowledge base to know for themselves what is right and what is wrong. It is because we know the safest routes, and where to ride. But what we don't know is where our child wants to go in life. We need to let them live their own lives. We have to learn to let go. It was hard for me to recognize, but I finally got it. I wanted my daughters to be safe, and responsible. I wanted to insist on their education. I had to learn how to back up and let them choose for themselves.

I know that many of you may disagree with me right now. But I am telling you if little Johnny wants to be an extreme rider and do half-pipe flips, then you have to let him, while you cringe every time and wait for him to crash. But I am also telling you that when he crashes you still need to be there to pick up the pieces just as you did the day the training wheels came off. You also need to be able to tell him that he made the choices that he made, and that he needs to grow up and see them through for himself. The day comes for everyone that there is no longer a savior for them. Your child will have to be the savior for themselves, and possibly for someone else someday. It is a fact of life.

This is where Ted's dad failed with him. He left a prime example of fatherless upbringing for the world to see. Ted made sure that world saw the man that he is. He was destined for great success. His success took his father's example to a global stage for all to judge. Abandonment and abuse doesn't belong only to "white trash" or "hood" environments.

Ted Turner was a product of poor parenting because his father refused to let go of the bike. Even once Ted knew how to steer it, and where to take it, his father still told him where and how he could ride. Ted pretty much told his dad, that he would ride where he wanted to, and he did it straight into rebellion.

Ted's father's billboard business was Turner Advertising and it became the dominant billboard company of the southeast. Ted spent most of his time as a child away from home and his parents. He stayed with his grandparents while his father was at war, he spent three years at school in Tennessee, and then he was sent to a military academy in Georgia. When he was at home he was working in the family business mowing the grass around the billboard signs.

By practical definition Ted Turner was an abused and abandoned child. I personally have always thought that I don't know which is worse when it comes to parental abandonment. Is it a parent that is alive, and no one knows where they are, or is it the parent that is there, but is abusive and emotionally withdrawn? I guess the answer to this question, is that it truthfully doesn't matter. They both produce the same result. They produce a child that if they are lucky lives through the rebellion. They typically grow into an adult with major issues... but it doesn't have to be that way.

Poor and neglectful parenting produces a vicious cycle in life that generation after generation almost always continues to reproduce. Not only that, it typically leaves only two options. It tends to grow and spin faster by developing even more and deeper issues, or it gets broken by the person born into the cycle by that person developing the life skills to create success. I think that Ted Turner and I both have this in common. We were both born into a vicious cycle, and we both have successfully broken our own individual cycles.

I can't speak for Ted, but I can speak for myself; breaking it was nothing less than a bitch. My kids might even attest that I still haven't broken it yet. But I know that I have. I made mistakes in life that almost cost me my life. I was a train wreck waiting to happen. As a matter of fact it did happen. It happened, and it happened several times. My problem was that I kept living through the crashes. I would just get back up, place myself back on the rails, and full throttle ahead until the next crash occurred. I woke up several times lucky to be alive.

Since then I have gone to way too many funerals of those that didn't wake up alive. It is unfortunate, but I am probably not done with those funerals yet. But I know that one of them isn't going to be mine, well not just yet anyhow; I hope. I have finally backed down on the throttle. I will die someday, but it will be as a result of living; not living stupid. I had to go to my best friend's funeral a couple of years back. I think that is when I finally snapped the loop that was my own personal vicious cycle.

I know that I had sworn at God way too many times and asked him why, before I finally got it. I got it that day at Donnie's funeral. I got it that day that I am fortunate that God has kept letting me march on. I have a purpose that I must fulfill, and I am doing it every day that I am still alive. At some point I had to learn that we all have choices in life, but none of us get the luxury of choosing the consequences that we place upon ourselves from the choices that we have made. Where I have struggled with God is that I made a lot of bad choices, why was Donnie laying there, and why was I still asking the same questions over and over again expecting a different resolution as I go to funeral after funeral.

Ted eventually received his degree from Brown University. He also had a love for sail boating. He wanted to race them, and his father wanted him to become responsible and work for the family business. It seems that they came to a compromise; Ted did both. In 1962 his father expanded the business and bought part of another billboard operation. After he bought the second company he started thinking maybe that it was a mistake, and that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Ted's father had acquired too much debt, and I believe that he might have felt overwhelmed and didn't see a way out.

Either way his father wanted out of the family business. Ted disagreed with him, but his father again showed poor listening skills when it came to his son's desires. Ted even tried to buy his father out, but his father chose to sell the company outright to someone else. Is this a sign that his father had no faith in Ted's wisdom and foresight? Is this evidence of his father's own vicious cycle? Was his father repeating the mistakes of his own parents? There is the saying that we are all doomed to repeat the mistakes of our parents.

I personally disagree with that statement. I think we are all doomed to make our own mistakes, and that we base our judgments from the examples of our parents. This is the key to getting out of the cycle. We need to recognize our parent's mistakes. We need to understand the why of their mistakes. We need to do this without passing judgment. Once we can do this, we can then move forward and prevent ourselves from repeating the cycle. Hopefully we do this before it's too late to have a relationship with our parents. One that God meant for us all to have from the beginning of our lives.

In March of 1963 Ted's father Ed Turner committed suicide. It ended Ed's life of psychological pain. But did it end the life of psychological pain that he had inflicted upon his eldest son Ted? Was Ted demonstrating the result of child abuse? Was he not abandoned as a child and still dealing with it? Had Ted been allowed to choose his own destiny? Ted demonstrated the answers to all of these questions as being yes. It started to show strongly with his rebelling and being kicked out of college, if not sooner. It was further demonstrated when his father forced him into the family business as his career path, just to sell it out from underneath him.

The saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions definitely fits the scenario that Ed Turner created for Ted. By no means do I believe that Ted's father is in hell. What I am trying to say is that I strongly believe that Ed had no intention of abusing and neglecting his son. He like every other parent wanted what was best for his children. But I also strongly believe that he failed to break the vicious cycle that came from his youth. The vicious cycle that was placed upon him by his parents; whatever it was.

I strongly believe that Ed Turner fought with his internal demons and they got the better of him. He demonstrated it until the end when he refused Ted control of the business that he no longer wanted, or could no longer deal with because of his mistakes, and the weakness of not trusting his own son's judgment. He demonstrated it strongest when he gave up and made Ted not only an abused and emotionally abandoned son, but a fatherless son by committing suicide.

I may be mistaken, but I believe this is where Ted actually began to escape the grasp of his own vicious cycle. He gained the necessary control to break it. He started to undo his father's mistakes. He decided to keep Turner Advertising and avoid bankruptcy. He sold off family properties, and more importantly he began to demonstrate his conventional wisdom and an ability to motivate his father's employees, who were now his employees. He convinced them to buy into his ideas of success. He was able to keep the business intact. Not only that, most everyone in this nation knows of his success story. We all know who Ted Turner is, if you don't, I want to know what rock you crawled under, and how long you have been there.

By the late 1960's and less than seven years later he had changed the business name to Turner Communications, and had purchased several radio stations. By 1970 he had merged into television with Rice Broadcasting. He acquired an Atlanta based UHF television station giving it the call letters of WTCG (Turner Communications Group.) From his keen salesmanship and becoming a booming entrepreneur by 1977 he had a "superstation." He had incorporated satellite technology into his broadcasting medium. This was cable television, and he was a pioneer, if not "THE" pioneer. He also had added professional wrestling and professional baseball to his programming venue. He was selling advertising space, and drawing an audience. Just like his father did, but on a much grander platform.

Ted Turner was no longer in his father's shadow. He was now bright as the sun and was creating his own shadows. The shadows however were of the people that were his competition and had doubted him. They were no longer his peer audience. They were being forced to look up to him and his blinding radiance. He had now made himself famous, or infamous; dependent upon how you view the man that Ted Turner is. In less than 15 years he had grown from a young fatherless man that had inherited a near bankrupt business, into "Captain Outrageous," and "The Mouth of the South."

He was using his colorful spirit to shock and awe the world. He used explosiveness, not explosives as his weapon of choice. He used the tactical advantage of being an underrated man. His nicknames say nothing less than what our nation's most influential people thought about him. But they were devastatingly wrong. Ted Turner came out of nowhere with a strong take no prisoner mentality in the world of business. He had become the most successful businessman in our nation.

This is exactly what our nation is in critical need of finding, and placing at the helm. We need an individual that can step up and provide us the use of their conventional wisdom and foresight to recognize the necessary changes that are greatly needed to salvage a collapsing dynasty. They need to be able to recognize the white elephant that we have become. They need to scrap it off by selling what is necessary to the highest bidder, and start fresh from scratch. They need to provide direction and motivate our leaders to buy into their system of success.

In essence our nation is Turner Advertising. Our leaders have committed suicide and have given up on our survival. I hate to say this, but I feel it strongly. Where is the person that can save us... before we crash? We need foresight in this scenario, not hindsight. If Ted Turner has nothing else going for him he possesses God given wisdom and the foresight to guide a business into a safe harbor... must be the sailor in his blood.

I am not suggesting that we throw out our nation's constitution, or come in with guns blazing and destroy what is Capitol Hill. That is nothing more than utter chaos, and total stupidity. Our nation needs to repair itself from within. So all you hate groups please don't think that I am addressing you to unlock your gun cabinets and start an uprising. Our leader needs to be a businessman that knows how to generate success from failure. They need to take a business that has been our government and resurrect it. It needs to return to the global juggernaut that it has been in the past.

We need to worry less about race, color, creed, or sex of this person, and more about potential success and place them in a position to generate it. The elite 10% of our nation that control big business have been allowed to feed from the fleecing of America far too long in order to pad their own bank accounts. They have been allowed to get so fat with money, greed, and power. They have been allowed to steal so much from this nation that they could never spend it all in their lifetimes. They keep coming back like greedy pigs to the slop trough. Someone needs to cut them off, and cutting them off is well past due.

They have fed too long, and have taken entirely too much. They have taken so much that it seems like the only thing that they have left to take from us now is our dignity. They have robbed us of a good deal of our jobs, they seem to be trying to rob us of our freedoms and our freedom of religion by dictating social structures within our school system and society, and they are trying to rob us of our pride by implementing more and more governmental control with each passing year. They impose regulations and taxes upon us to fund these controls. It's time that we take control back. It is time that we right the ship before it sinks and it drowns us all.

It's time for me to bring the wisdom of Lynyrd Skynyrd back into the conversation. This song is titled "God and Guns." "Last night I heard this politician talking 'bout his brand new mission. I liked his plans, but they came undone when he got around with God and guns. I don't know how he grew up but it sure wasn't down at the huntin' club. Cause if it was he'd understand a little bit more about the working man. God and guns keep us strong. That's what this country was founded on. Well we might as well give up and run if we let them take our God and guns."

This country was founded on us taking control of our own destinies. It was founded on us picking up arms in the face of tyranny. For over 236 years we have had the right to bear arms for our national and state's defenses, and the feeding of our families. We have listened to politicians tell us about their missions, but for some reason their plans always come undone. Is it because the politician comes undone, or is it false promises that we have been given again, and then again? Are the elite 10% every day inching closer and closer to taking away our constitutional rights? Do they want us to end up with no power at all, and under their total control?

I want to warn those that believe in the disarming of the United States citizen. I can straight up tell you that it won't happen without a Civil War. Is that what you want? I also want to warn the militants that have cabinets full of guns that represent their constitutional and national freedoms that this is not a war that you will, or better yet, even can win. The kettle is starting to boil. There is civil unrest alive in our communities. It doesn't matter who started the fire, or who keeps the pot boiling. What matters is that the pot is hot enough, and it's time to turn off the heat before the pot boils over.

As a nation we look around today and we see the highest levels of unemployment since the great depression. The government tells us that jobs are on the mend, but they are low paying jobs with little to no benefits, and the numbers are skewed with their bantering bullshit. The handwriting is on the wall, and hell is coming if we don't make the necessary corrections. It seems to be riding down on us fast and hard. It seems to me obvious to everyone, that is except for the blind and those that have buried their heads in the sand like an ostrich that thinks that if they bury their head the problem will go away. My question is which one are you? How blind are you, and where is your head if not in the sand?

When I work with the youth and their issues I am faced with dealing with the fact that they feel that what is around them is wrong, and that is the reason that they have acted out in the fashion that they have. My immediate response to them is that they are absolutely correct. But I also inform them that they typically have handled it incorrectly, and that is why they are where they are. I end that statement to them with a challenge of change. If you don't like the way something is, and you know that it can be better; to then do something about it. I tell them to effect change. The purpose of this writing is nothing more or nothing less than me putting my money where my mouth is.

I can tell you that I strongly feel that Ted Turner sees and recognizes the hell that is coming. He was given a lay off slip from the media empire that he created. I guess only in America could a man build a dynasty with his own hard work and money, and have it engulf him from within with corrupt politics. For whatever reasoning that they had, his own company gave him his walking papers.

Ted Turner was smacked right in the face with what has plagued our country for far too long, and that is big business. It is big business that is that elite 10% of our society that has had the luxury of controlling our countries wealth. But I ask, did Ted Turner not come from that 10% and he was smuggled out, or was it that they allowed him in, but when he didn't want to act like the rest of the boys in the "Good Old Boy" network they worked to push him out? I truthfully don't have the answer to my own question, but I can't help but wonder what happened. I guess we need to ask Ted himself if we want a deeper answer to the truth.

The "Good Old Boy" network or the top 10% is an elite culture. Throughout the history of our nation they have been allowed to tug and pull on the strings of justice and bend it into their favor. When we speak in governmental language they are called lobbyists. If you don't know what a lobbyist is, in my terms, it is someone that has enough money to legally buy a candidate and sway them to vote in favor of their own personal agenda.

Lobbyists use their money to fund the campaigns of politicians. They do this in the hopes that their "controllable" candidate is elected. This is nothing more than a "legal" but corrupt practice as far as I am concerned that exists in our society. It should be abolished, and should never have been allowed to exist. It is a corrupt dinosaur that has slowly dragged our country down to what may inevitably be financial ruin and bankruptcy. I don't think that for one minute that the elite 10% see this failure. They may talk a good game, but I feel that they are still thinking about feeding themselves off our economy and not correcting the problems that exist.

We have already discussed that Ted Turner has affectionately been known as "The Mouth of The South." He has been given this name for a reason. It is because he speaks with the wisdom that God has granted, and what those in control don't want to hear. This type of mentality has been around forever. It is nothing new. Personally I feel that Ted Turner just may be this generation's Sam Houston.

I believe that they were both given God's gift of wisdom. Sam knew what this nation needed and I believe Ted just may know what this nation needs today to be successful. They both had absentee fathers, and they both had vicious cycles that had to be broken. They both have proven to be national success stories. In the end however Sam Houston caved into the pressure. He went to his ranch, secluded himself to his pacing back and forth in his bedroom struggling with his own internal demons.

From what I see in Ted Turner is that he still has the fight in him. There is no back up, or off button. Is this the man that we need to lead us back to success? Is this the man that will finally put big business in its place? I truthfully don't have the answer, or even feel qualified to base my opinion, but I do know that actions speak volumes louder than words.

During the 1970's he demonstrated the ability to create a huge success in the television industry. He took an almost bankrupt sign painting company and turned it into a communications dynasty that is parallel to no one, and possibly never will be, with or without him. They let him go, but it was his vision, and his creation. There isn't a person there today, that can say any different. I believe that Ted Turner as much as anyone has brought the communications industry that we have in place today to the United States, and to the world for that matter to the place that it is.

Ted was quoted as saying "if I hadn't started (Turner Broadcasting System) I couldn't have afforded to buy it. And if I hadn't started it, I would certainly not be qualified to work here in any capacity." I definitely understand what he is saying in that statement, but I am afraid that I have to disagree with him. In the field of communications I have held several titles and positions. I feel as qualified as anyone to know what it takes to be technically proficient. I also know that I would be pathetic at running or creating a communications dynasty.

Once I was watching a very old re-run on television. In it I heard a profound statement that comes to mind right now: "it is true that the world can't revolve without technicians, but technicians don't make the world revolve." It is people like Ted Turner that makes the world revolve. They do it with the use of technicians and other people with specific talents by placing the right person in the right job at the right time. They accomplish this task with diligence, dedication, and wisdom. Not just anybody can pull this task off. It takes a special person.

Ted Turner built a dynasty. He has said and done everything that he has in the form of an uncanny wisdom that can only be a God given talent. He doesn't believe in layoff slips. He believes in working for the success of a unified front. He motivates his subordinates into making themselves successful. What is the rest of the 10% doing for us? I challenge anyone to answer that question. We have a massively depleted work force within our nation. It seems that more and more manufacturing jobs go overseas every day. We all feel the results of exurbanite oil prices from oil that is controlled by the 10%.

We have to deal with stupid bullshit social standards that are driving us into the ground. We have laws coming into place that have no bearing on success or survival. They have no moral content. Our nation's standard of living has changed its face, and we are creating a generation of privileged youth that think they are owed the inheritance of this once great country.

To me it seems that the youth don't understand that it is every generation's responsibility to keep the nation going for the next generation. A good deal of them seem to enjoy sitting in their parents basement either getting wasted, playing video games, or just telling the world that they don't give a fuck. They need to get up and do something productive. If you are part of today's youth, and this doesn't pertain to you, then be proud of yourself, and recognize that this nation will need you to keep it alive. It may call in a marker higher than it has for any generation yet to come. Don't be surprised if this happens.

Lynyrd Skynyrd addresses this issue in their song, "That Ain't My America." "Sometimes I wanna light up underneath the no smoking sign. Sometimes I wish that they would tell me how justice got so blind. I wish they'd just leave me alone because I'm doing alright. You can take your "change" on down the road and leave me here with mine. Because that ain't my America, that ain't this country's roots; you wanna slam old Uncle Sam, but I ain't letting you. I'm mad as hell and you know I still bleed red, white, and blue. That ain't us, that ain't my America... I was standing there in Dallas waiting on a plane. I overheard an old man tell a young soldier thanks. The young soldier hung his head and said it's hard to believe, you're the only one that took the time to say a word to me. And the old man said that ain't my America...It's to the women and men who in their hands hold a Bible and a gun, and they ain't afraid of nothing when they're holding either one... Now there's kids who can't pray in school; there's $100 tanks of gas. I can tell you right now this country ain't supposed to be like that."

This song sends a basic hard truth message. It seems to me that Skynyrd attacked almost every major issue that we are struggling with in this nation in this one simple song. Let's start with "lighting up underneath a no smoking sign, and justice being blind." This attacks bullshit rules that have bullshit consequences. It points out how Capitol Hill and its change is nothing more than our government trying to gain power and control of the people of this great nation.

"I heard an old man tell a young soldier thanks." This attacks the issue that the young have forgotten what makes this country strong, or that we have failed to teach it to them to begin with. The youth of today seem to not realize that a portion of them are out there fighting for its cause, and they don't realize that they need to appreciate that they live in a free society, and that freedom truly isn't free. Skynyrd went on to say thanks to the young that are still willing to pick up our nation's cross of burden and drag it forward with: "It's to the women and men who in their hands hold a Bible and a gun, and they ain't afraid of nothing when they're holding either one."

"Kids that can't pray in school and $100 tanks of gas," I interpret as the government is pushing God out of our nation, and big business's top 10% is running the show. Yes, I have to agree with them: "this country ain't supposed to be like that." I say "march on Skynyrd Nation; march on."

Ted Turner has proven to be not only a fierce competitor, but an extremely courageous one as well; in what seems to be all of his business ventures. He was the first to launch 24 hour news, while other broadcast professionals and the news media dismissed it as hopelessly illogical and impractical. He proved them to be wrong. By 1985 CNN International was broadcasting live 24/7 global news in over 210 countries. Was this the first time that he slapped big business in the face? If it was or wasn't, it sure as hell isn't going to be the last.

In 1986 he purchased MGM just to turn around and sell it back to them at a $100 million dollar loss. It seemed that he had made a bad business investment. I wonder what the world of big business was thinking about that move when he made it. Where they laughing at him? I bet that they were. I bet some of them were even saying what the hell. It's only a $100 million, a man like Ted Turner can piss that away and not even blink. It probably isn't more than a tax write off for him. "The Mouth of the South" at this point knew all too well how to make important enemies. Ted had an ace up his sleeve. He kept MGM's entire film library. Within the first year alone after selling it back to them he made $125 million. If I can do basic math, that is a cool $25 million in profit. I think I would take that from nothing more than a few pen strokes.

Ted has a dream for world peace. During the cold war between the then Soviet Union and the United States, the 1980s were a pentacle time frame. Ted promoted the Goodwill Games in 1986 that were similar to the Olympics. Their intent was to help ease the tensions that were peaking between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is estimated that it cost him $110 million. Did he solve the cold war with those games? No, he didn't, but he possibly paved the street that had been pot hole filled and rocky that connected the two super powers. It made the result easier to accomplish.

I personally don't feel that Ted cared about the money. He has proven to be more than an entrepreneur; he has proven to be an extreme humanitarian as well. He has given one billion dollars in support of United Nation causes. It has created the United Nations Foundation, which is a public charity to broaden support of the United Nations. He has taken his fortune that he has made from savvy business skills with solid ethics and has used it to promote good will to the planet.

Ted is active in environmental groups and has received many civic and industry honors. Two outstanding honors were being named Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1991, and receiving the Governor's Award in 1992 from the National Academy of the Arts and Sciences. As well he is on the board for several organizations. The list includes the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

Now he has placed his foresight and wisdom it seems on the focus of green and renewable energies. He has something that he says that the world needs to know. He says that turbine manufacturers and clean energy utilities cannot sit idly by while the coal industry touts its clean coal plan and oil companies flood the airwaves. He said that clean coal advertisements give him nightmares. Ted said that "I'd rather have a nuclear than a coal plant, because one might kill ya, and the other one will for sure. But wind doesn't kill anybody." He thinks that the coal and oil industries need a good ass kicking. I have to agree with him.

He also acknowledges that the wind industry faces an uphill battle with tax credits expiring and carbon based energy producers working to push it back. He thinks that the only way wind powered and other renewable energies will overcome opposition is for them to develop and commit money to public relations and lobbying. In essence he means that they have to fight big business at its own game much like he has over the years to be able to survive. They need to fight fire with fire. We have to take political power and control on with political power and control.

This is the way that our nation is going to get back on its feet, period. We are not going to get this nation back through violence. We need to judiciously elect our officials with foresight and wisdom. We need to start at the top and work our way down by asking the critical questions of those that want the job of leadership. We need to be willing to sacrifice our easy life of luxury, if that is what we still have, to promote the greater good. We need to place people in charge that don't only have the foresight, but also the intestinal fortitude to follow through with their plan of self-discipline.

Ted Turner made the mistake of taking his dynasty and merging it with AOL. He said that merging with Time Warner was a good idea, but merging with AOL was a huge mistake. He said that when he merged with Time Warner that he wanted to feel what it was like to be in big business. He also states that he found out. When he merged with AOL they pushed him back. He said way back. They not only pushed him out of his executive suite, but they pushed him all the way out of the business, and into the unemployment line. I really have to know, how does someone do that, and still be able to sleep at night? How can someone be so conniving that they feel the need to take a good man down? I would like to say like Skynyrd, "That Ain't My America,"...but unfortunately it is.

I read that Ted Turner will proudly discuss the villains of this nation. I believe that the burr in his saddle may never go away. They say that he will tell you how devastating the ass whuppin' that he took was. I bet that he can also tell you how it defines who he is today, and who he will be tomorrow. The 10% seem to think that they cannot only bully the common man, but that they can also bully the not so common man as well just because he doesn't buy into their bullshit politics of power and control.

I have news for you 10% if any of you are reading this. It isn't the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Ted if you read this, I have two words for you as well. They come from my beloved Marine Corps. They are "Semper" and "Fi" baby. Keep it up; don't ever stop fighting the good fight; never give up; get some.

When Ted talks about his current business ventures he says to "leave your gun at the cash register and line up for work." He is an advocate of world peace and nuclear disarmament. It sounds to me like he has a good plan for our nation's future success, and he doesn't mind sharing it. Has he recognized our crime in the streets, and is just simply telling you to get a job? Does he believe in a utopian world of peace? Will he ever live to see it? I hope so; I'm younger than he is. It also sounds to me like he is willing to fight whatever fight he has to, and whomever he has to for the achievement of this goal. Simply put, Ted Turner is one of the most amazing business executives of our time.

He was fired by his own company. It cost him $8 billion dollars. A staggering number by all means, and instead of going home and curling up into a huge ball of depression, he started a new business. Ted Turner is now in the restaurant business. He calls his new business "Ted's Montana Grill." Ted lives with basic concepts. He tells people to climb the continuous improvement ladder and offers a management guide to help manage labor costs, not to remove or relieve labor costs. When Ted Turner walks into a room, to the common man, and the common businessman he is a hero; heads snap to, and eyes pop; Ted's fans, his loyal troops, and his legions applaud the success story that is Ted Turner.

Personally I don't think that his success story has fully been written yet. I think that with all that he has achieved, that the best is yet to come. He possibly has one more chapter of greatness that still needs to be written yet in his life. I know that I am going to keep my eyes and ears open. Hey Ted do you need a job? I hear one might be coming open soon... somewhere around Jan 20, 2013. Is it too late for that one? If so, then maybe 2017; I don't know. I can't help but ask one more time. Just how does someone fire Ted Turner anyhow? Because let's face it, that had to be monumental. Whoever did it, could you give me your secret? I think I know a couple of people...

Chapter 9 Earl Campbell

Earl Christian Campbell was born on March 29, 1955 to BC (Bert) and Ann Campbell in Tyler, Texas. He was the sixth of 11 children. Earl's dad would work in the rose fields during the day, and work at K-Mart at night in order to support his family. By the time Earl was 11 his father was dead from a massive coronary. His father had taught him the values of dedication to the higher principles of hard work. Like his father, Earl worked in the rose fields. From this he was given the title "The Tyler Rose." Earl Campbell was one of my key role models during my teenage years. In the 90's everyone wanted to be like Mike. In the 70's I wanted to be like the Tyler Rose. On the football field I wanted to hit you and hit you hard, and then be the best of friends off the field, just like Earl; without the Skoal.

His mother lost her husband and through it all she kept faith: she believed in a divine purpose in life. I am willing to bet that she didn't understand why God took her husband, and might have even questioned him while she was alone and in private with her thoughts. But on the outside and for her children's sake she kept her faith in God. I didn't have to be there to understand this. It showed in her son, and "her" faith took her son a long way. There is a picture of her and Earl in front of the Heisman trophy that tells me nothing less. Earl you are the Tyler Rose, and I loved, and I really mean loved to watch you hit, but I got to tell you, your mother is the real Tyler Rose.

In the fifth grade Earl was introduced to the game of football by Thorndike Lewis, who was a young teacher and Earl's first football coach. He had Earl playing the position of kicker. Really Thorndike; you have got to be kidding me. I guess Earl must have been a late bloomer. By the sixth grade Earl started playing linebacker and running back. Evidently he loved playing on the defensive side of the ball. I read that one of his personal heroes was Dick Butkis. The way that Earl hit I guess running backs are lucky that he became one of them instead of a linebacker. By the 7th grade Earl Campbell was starting to be recognized as potentially one of the most devastating football players of all time. He did it with determination, size of heart, and strength both on and off the football field.

By the time Earl was in the 9th grade he was at a newly de-segregated junior high school. It is a bitter pill to swallow that segregation ever existed, but it did. Earl was forced into being a pioneer, whether he wanted to be one or not. In high school his head coach, with the help of bringing his junior high school coach Lawrence La Croix aboard put a team together. Their team faced an immense amount of social strife, but was still capable of winning the Texas State Championship, and before Earl graduated they did.

Lawrence La Croix however taught Earl much more than just football. He worked to teach him humility, grace, dependability, and love for others. This man was possibly the strongest mentor in Earl had in his young life. He gave Earl the knowledge that Earl could and would make a difference someday both on and off the football field. I say that Earl made this man sound like a prophet. I sometimes wonder today, where have all the good men gone? It seems to me in today's times that we look more toward the commercialization of sports than the competitive integrity of teaching our youth how to be responsible. It shouldn't be just about winning the game. It should be about winning at life.

As Earl entered high school he definitely had some growing pains, but let's analyze why. He was a black kid in the south transitioning from junior high to high school during de-segregation, he was fatherless, he was poverty stricken from being fatherless, and the man that had meant most in his young life after his father passed he had to leave behind. I read that it seemed to those around him that he had lost interest in football. I have to say really? How about losing interest in life? I don't know many men that can go through that much tragedy, let alone a teenage boy, and come out smelling like a rose. Please pardon the pun Earl if you read this.

Earl was demonstrating a lack of performance by missing workouts, and just didn't seem to have the right attitude toward the game. He was placed on the "B" team. Wow! Not everyone is a football fan and I understand that, but to those of you that ever saw Earl run, can you believe that anyone ever placed him on the second string, at any level? Earl Campbell hands down won the Heisman trophy, and the running back of the year at the same time in college. His rookie year in the pros he was the rookie of the year, and the league's MVP (most valuable player,) and as a high school sophomore, he was placed on the "B" team? Again, I have to question; really?

When Earl went to the University of Texas he was excited about his future opportunities and meeting new people. He had rarely left the outskirts of Tyler his entire life. I think it is probably safe to say that he was feeling just a bit overwhelmed. He arrived at college with one pair of jeans, two T-shirts, $40, and a hand sewn suit that his girlfriend had made for him. I am also willing to bet that the $40 was sacrificed by someone close to him. He probably felt privileged to have the money, and at the same time knew how much of a sacrifice that it was and didn't even want to take the money. I wonder how many kids today have even the capacity to feel that way, let alone the willingness to do it.

The young boy that was forced to overcome so much tragedy was about to become a young man. The Tyler Rose was venturing into new territory... and was about to start making a name for himself to the largest audience that there is... the entire world. He was young and poor, but he was energetic, and he was about to change the face of Texas Longhorn football. Hell, he was about to change the face of football period. The world was officially being placed on notice. I have to say, that there hasn't been a running back that has made that kind of impact since and if they start to resemble it, then they refer to it as being like Earl, not being like anyone that came before or after Earl Christian Campbell. He is a classic example that huge things can come from humble beginnings, strife, and adversity.

Earl had been a kid that didn't want to start high school without his mentor, but when he got to college, he attended every class, sat in the front row and directly in front of the teacher if he could. He had successfully escaped his boundaries and was starting to spread his wings. I don't think that Earl had a typical vicious cycle. I think that his cycle stemmed from tragedy. I also don't think that it was imposed upon him from his parents. It seems that God was placing hurdles in front of him. It was almost if God had a divine plan to give him adversity to overcome. Was God trying to give Earl Campbell a vicious cycle? The kind of hurdles placed in front of him were of the kind that make you say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. He was bound and determined to get a college degree. He felt fortunate to be in school and didn't want to waste a minute of it.

He had a strong mother and several men outside of the family in his life that role modeled and mentored him into greatness. Earl may have felt abandoned and alone at times, but he never was. I hate to say it, but I feel that this type of mentoring is starting to fall by the wayside. Like Earl Campbell I had the same type of mentoring, and I need to take this moment to officially recognize all the men that were there for me in my youth.

I know that we have organizations, and that even pro athletes spend a lot of time and dedication to these organizations, but that isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about the everyday heroes that have made our nation strong in the past. They are still out there, but there is also a lot of stupidity out there as well. We don't have enough strong volunteers. The youth today don't need your money; they need your time. They need your guidance and wisdom. They need your faith and dedication to their greater purpose. It isn't about just winning the game on the field. The bigger picture is winning the game of life.

If you are someone out there that has a talent, and something to offer our youth, I challenge you with that same challenge that I give the kids that I work with. If you don't like the way something is, then effect change. Get off the couch, and do something about it. I can't tell you what to do, because only you know your talents. But I can tell you that it doesn't have to be monumental, or done in the public's eye. It isn't for your greater good; it is for the greater good of the youth. It doesn't require money. It only requires an everyday hero.

I remember one of the kids that I was cracking on and making jokes with one day was laughing and he said half-heartedly that I was his hero. I responded with I am no hero; the world doesn't need another hero. I am nothing more than a giant pain in your ass, and trust me he needed someone to be that pain in his ass. He got suddenly still, and said that I was every kid in that house's every day hero whether I liked it or not. It gave me a rush like I have never had. It was one of those few moments in my life that I was speechless. All I wanted to do was walk away and shed a tear, but I had to just stand there and listen to the silence. If you want to know what it feels like to make a difference, well that is it. I wish everybody on this planet could have that feeling. The world would be a much better place.

In 1978 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the first choice at Earl Campbell. The Houston Oilers head coach at the time, Bum Phillips traded up and drafted Earl as their first pick. Earl said that he had never heard of Bum Phillips, but Bum made him feel at home with his deep country drawl, and that he told Earl that he would take care of him. I read that Earl made himself two promises when he broke into the NFL. First he wanted to take care of his mother and buy her a decent home. Next he promised to be the best running back in the NFL... He carried through with both of those promises.

Bum Phillips followed through with his promise as well. He became Earl's strongest advocate and mentor in Earl's new football career life. The entire team adopted Bum's infectious personality. They even adopted his way of dress with southwestern wear; even Earl. The 1978 season was underway; Houston had a 5-2 record when they met the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Earl Campbell was about to meet the infamous "Steel Curtain" defense. He met them alright; the Oilers walked out with a 24-17 win and a 6-2 record. That new running back, and new look had just made a statement that was going to play out five more times in both the next and current seasons.

Their next Monday Night Football game was against Miami, and they won it 35-30. Howard Cosell said that it was the best football game that he had ever broadcast. Earl rushed for 199 yards that night. The game's win was already under control, and Bum asked Earl if he wanted to go back in and get that last yard. Earl's response was that he had replaced Ronnie Coleman. Ronnie needed to get some more playing time.

This was an example of the silent warrior that is Earl Campbell. It wasn't about the glory with him. It was about being the best man that he could be both on and off the field. It is the wisdom that he learned from positive mentoring. Do we see this in professional sports today? No, we don't. We see commercialization, fantasy sports, and statistical padding for larger contracts. We see the media trying to generate controversy with athletes that seem to love the recognition, even if it is negative.

When I think of Earl Campbell, I think of dreaming of or pretending to be like him as I broke through tackles as a kid on the playgrounds of my youth. This extraordinary player was my teenaged hero. I had a Houston Oilers cap that I wore almost everywhere, and on Sunday I would sing "Love Ya Blue." What I didn't think of was that Earl was several years older than I, and while he was a youth playing on someone's field the game that we both loved, he was playing it in a racially segregated south.

Earl's father instilled into him three pieces of wisdom: undying pride in oneself, love within the family, and faith in God. It seems to me from watching Earl as a fan that he followed through with all three pieces of wisdom fully. I guess it goes to the show that even if you don't have a father for an extensive amount of time, that a positive example even for a short amount of time can make an extreme impact for success and humanity.

Earl had worked in the rose fields as a child. From this and the example of his father he learned commitment and work ethic, which would also be demonstrated by his mother after his father was gone. His mother was left with tragedy and the extreme burden of raising a family that was now fatherless. She had strong Christian morals and values; she had lost her husband, which was a good man, she had been left alone, and she still raised her children helping them to understand how a God that they were taught to love could still take away their father.

This is not meant to be a writing that concerns Christianity. This is meant to be a book on life's lessons that have affected our youth and our nation. I have mentioned God throughout this book. I have done it for a specific purpose. We are a nation that designed and developed itself around placing God over country. We did this from our conception. It was the thoughts and feelings of our founding forefathers. We have been losing that focus, and the end result is seen in our day to day society.

Our constitution states freedom of religion, which loosely translated means that our founding forefathers meant for us to have the right to worship God in any fashion that we personally desired, with the right to choose any religion that worshiped God. As a nation that right has transgressed into freely worshiping any God that we want. This is where I need to stand on a soap box for a minute.

Did our founding forefathers get it right? Over the years I have read, researched, and most importantly listened to the ideas and opinions of others. I would go on record with Davy Crockett's opinion as resembling my own. He said that this nation isn't perfect, but it's the best thing going on this planet. I however want to add that we have made a lot of mistakes.

I feel the need to speak on one of them right now. If you want to worship a God other than the one that this nation has been both founded on and defended over, then by all rights, I think that you should be able to. I fully believe that it is your right. But when you work to take the God that this nation was founded on out of the schools, and you work to remove prayer and devotions from a public place, because it "impedes on your rights," I just want to ask you where do your rights begin, and where do my rights end?

If you don't want to pray, then please have the common decency to sit quietly and wait. If you want to append to the worship ceremony, then take a moment for your God by all means while we sit quietly and wait. But for mercy sakes please quit trying to take God out of the public forum. This nation was founded, and kept free with placing faith in both God, and Guns. Please feel free to go ahead and disagree with me. Scoff at me; but I dare say that if you are one that does you have no concept of this nation's history. You have no concept of the men and women's sacrifices that have kept you free. The 4th of July celebrates a "declaration" of freedom, not "staying" free. That is recognized on Memorial Day, so if you don't believe that I am right, then do me a personal favor and don't take Memorial Day off. Stay at work.

Earl has been noted as a humble man, but I don't know if humble truly is the words to use. To be honest I don't know what they are unless one of them is phenomenal. The game of football, his faith in God, and along with his mentors he gained the internal strength to live his life without his father, and in poverty long enough to get out. In the fall of 1977 Earl broke into the NFL as a rookie. That year he won the Rookie of the Year Title, and the NFL's Most Valuable Player award. By the end of his career he had amassed 9,407 rushing yards, and 74 touchdowns. He has as well appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times if my research is correct.

You can go to Earl Campbell's web site, and the first thing that you see isn't hard hitting bravado; it isn't the famous Heisman pose, it's him with his mother hugging him, and them looking down at the Heisman trophy together with admiration and two simple smiles. In my mind Earl Campbell is the most prolific running back to ever play the game. I may be biased but no one has ever, or possibly ever will come out of the backfield with as much force and intensity that he possessed. Most tailbacks avoid the tackle, while most tacklers seemed to avoid Earl, or wanted to. Once he broke that front line of defenders and it was man on man, it was in reality train versus car wreck, and if you were the one in his line of sight you just became that car stuck on the tracks with no way out.

The "Luv Ya Blue" era was born. The fans were calling the team the Houston "Earlers," and Earl's statement of response to this was "the display of "Luv Ya Blue" was a chance for people of all races and backgrounds to come together as a city; more than that the players and the fans share without even talking. We owe it all to one man: Bum Phillips." To me this is nothing less than a humbling statement. Growing up watching Earl Campbell didn't make me a fan, it made me a huge freaking fan. I loved the Oilers, Earl Campbell, and Bum Phillips. It is true, that the team was Bum's and that he was definitely the maestro, but Earl was his most critical and best sounding instrument.

During the 1979 season his mentor, father figure, junior high, and high school coach Lawrence La Croix died of a heart attack. He had now lost his first father, and his second father to heart attacks. At the end of the season, the NFL coach that said he would take care of him was fired by the Oilers, and it seemed that Earl was all alone yet another time. Earl had overcome and accomplished something that most men only dream of. But it seemed that he was alone again, and being forced to go through the pain all over again. It seemed that at every corner God had given him so much, but was also taking so much away from the Tyler Rose.

Bum Phillips had followed through with his promise to Earl. He had become his next mentor. Earl and the entire team adopted Bum's infectious personality. Soon Earl and the other players had even adopted Bum's style of dress with western wear, a cowboy hat (that was never to be worn indoors, even the Astrodome,) and cowboy boots. The Oilers finished Earl's rookie season with a wild card playoff bid. They waltzed all the way to the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh; in Pittsburgh. A warm weather team had to play a cold weather team in a game called the "Ice Bowl."

But what really happened was that a dominating "Steel Curtain" defense figured out how to stop Earl Campbell. It wasn't with single tackles; it was with gang tackling the big man. It was their entire defense playing as a whole to slow the big man down. The Oiler franchise had to fly home beaten and dejected, but when they arrived at Houston they found 50,000 Houston Oiler fans there to greet them. "Luv Ya Blue" was ringing loud in Texas.

The next season Houston was in the wild card hunt again. They bounced through the playoffs and ended right back up in Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship game again looking for a Super bowl bid, just to lose again. When they got back to Houston this time Bud Adams the Oilers owner decided to fire Bum Phillips. It made Earl furious, but Bum was gone.

In 1981 Earl Campbell was declared an official hero for the state of Texas. This honor had previously been bestowed upon only three men: Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett. To help cement his heroism, Earl received six consecutive bids to the Pro Bowl.

Earl was taking his son for a haircut, listening to the radio, and found out that he had just been traded to his former head coach's current team, the New Orleans Saints. Earl was a man that had rejuvenated a franchise with the help of a team effort and a coach. The state of Texas just named him a hero, and had an ungrateful owner fire his mentor first, and them him, and not have the common decency to tell him face to face. Uh oh.... Houston we have a problem.

Earl was upset; to say the least the gentle giant was furious. When he emptied out his locker he was alone and with his thoughts. He didn't think about the day's bullshit, and how the Oiler franchise had worn out his body by forcing Bum out of his life and letting the franchise fall apart. He thought about the "Luv Ya Blue" years, and how God had blessed him. He knew that it was time to move forward, and he was going to be back with Bum Phillips.

When he got to New Orleans, the city didn't welcome him with open arms. They felt that Bum had given up too much for an over the hill running back. In the middle of 1985 Bum Phillips retired leaving Earl competing with young players, and in pain. During the off season Earl had cut weight drastically and had hired a personal trainer. But Earl was aching inside. If you ever had the privilege of seeing him run, you know that he was not just any runner. He was prolific and phenomenal; he was nothing less than a punishing runner. He was so punishing that every time he was hit there was a chance for the tackler to be put out of the game. I once saw him stiff arm hit a player driving the tackler for five yards and continue on down the field like nothing happened.

With that style of running there is cost. He had not only beaten people up, he had beaten himself up. People learned that to beat Houston, it was done by beating up on the Tyler Rose. He was continually being gang tackled. By August of 1986 and after a preseason game his body simply gave out. It had dealt with all of the NFL abuse that it could; Earl was suffering from internal pain. He was so sore that he was barely able to make it into bed. He lay in the bed for hours praying for relief. He had to crawl across the floor just to get to the bathroom. His NFL career after only eight years was over.

Now it was time for life after football. With a body that wasn't cooperating he was not only faced with the pain, he was faced with not knowing what to do next. The University of Texas loves its Tyler Rose. They recruited him to be an ambassador and mentor for student athletes. Personally I don't think that they could have found a better one.

Everything seemed to be going good, but Earl's body started attacking him again. He was getting chest pains so bad that he thought that he was having a heart attack. The doctors checked him over but gave him a clean bill of health and sent him home. With continued struggles, the doctors diagnosed him as having panic attacks. I don't know why or even if he was having panic attacks, but as I reflect back on his career and my own thoughts, I don't understand why Earl was having "panic" attacks. Was it because he had been seemingly abandoned by God so many times, and now he was being placed in a leadership role that he may have felt that he wasn't ready for? If so did he really have anything to worry about? In my mind Earl Campbell was a natural leader that was born to be both a mentor and leader. Was Earl dealing, or not dealing well with his own vicious cycle of being left alone by God at every turn?

Earl Campbell took the NFL by storm. He was Rookie of the Year, League MVP, and a NFL Pro Bowl player all just in his first season. The next season was pretty much the same with him earning League MVP honors again with another Pro Bowl appearance. His best year was in 1980. He rushed for 1,934 yards and had four games over 200 yards. In 1981 he won his fourth straight rushing title.

As an NFL running back Earl Campbell was nothing less than sensational. He had 34 inch thighs, a 5' 11" and 244 pound frame that possessed 4.5 forty speed. Mean Joe Green claimed that Earl could inflict more damage to a team than any other running back he ever faced. It was true; I watched Earl Campbell pound over, around, and through opponents. But it seems that the pounding that he inflicted upon others, he placed upon himself as well. It seemed that every time he held the ball, he had to be hit by the second, third, and fourth tacklers. It wore him down, and it wore him down fast.

It seems to me that people to this day still debate his career, and what caused its inevitable end. The question is, was it Bum Phillips in how he used Earl, or was it the lack of Bum Phillips and how those who came after him used Earl, or was it simply the mission that Earl placed upon himself every time that he touched the ball? I truthfully don't think that there is a true answer to this question, but personally I believe that Bum Phillips was possibly the only rescue raft that Earl had in the pros, so I leave out the first part of the equation by default.

I look at Earl's stats all compressed onto one page, and if I didn't know any better I would say that I see an average tailback that had a couple of really good seasons with one exceptional season. But I saw him play with my own eyes. I watched him closely during the "Luv Ya Blue" years. He was a freakin' phenom. The Oilers were nothing more than an average football team before Bum Phillips, and his drafting Earl Campbell.

Bum Phillips wheeled and dealed to get Earl Campbell into Houston as a rookie. I also think that he saw what was happening to Earl, and wheeled and dealed to save him from Houston. Bum Phillips kept his word to Earl. He loved Earl Campbell, and I believe he used his power to save him. I think that he took so much flak from doing the right thing that it might have been the catalyst that forced Bum into retirement. As far as I am concerned, he indeed was Earl Campbell's life raft. He saved him from the Houston Oilers and Bud Adams as far as I am concerned.

Earl Campbell burst onto the scene, and stayed there for only a brief glimmer of time. But while he was there he shone brightly. He truly came from humble beginnings. He came from racial segregation/de-segregation in the state of Texas. He was allowed to debut to the world in Texas Stadium. It was like he was born to run, and to run hard. But that was only a chapter in his life.

On July 27, 1991 Earl Campbell was inducted into the Canton, Ohio's Pro Football Hall of Fame. He had Bum Phillips induct him. Bum praised the people especially his mother for raising the man that knew how to live both on and off the football field. When Earl gave his speech he was very emotional. He thanked his mother who raised him, he praised his father in heaven, and he honored his wife and children. Then he gave everybody a stinking "Hook 'em Horns" sign... well I guess even Earl isn't perfect. Sorry Earl, you wore the wrong shade of orange on Saturday in the southern fall.

The little poverty stricken black kid that worked in the rose fields of Texas, that showed up to college the first day with only one pair of jeans, two T-shirts, and a hand sewn suit from his girlfriend (that grew into the wife that he praised from the Hall of Fame podium) had now come full circle with the game of football. Along the way he touched a lot of lives, mine included. A genuine Texas hero... but Earl is more prolific than that. He is an everyday hero. He is a mentor in the game of life. This talent far outshines anything he did on the football field, and that takes some serious doing.

Today he is a prominent business man, and still supports the University of Texas Athletic program. He serves as President of Earl Campbell Meat Products. For over 18 years Earl Campbell Meat Products has stood for the very best in quality sausage products for the meat industry in the retail and food service industry. But he can barely walk; he requires the use of a wheelchair and walker at times. He has had back surgery, and has severe arthritis in his knees with debilitating back pain.

But with all of the pain that Earl Campbell has endured over the years, he continues to march on. I think he feels that he is doing God's business here on earth. I must say that I have to agree with him if that is how he feels. I think that Earl Campbell is an icon in the eyes of God. He is an example for us all to look at and strive to resemble. Through it all I bet Earl considers of himself as nothing more or nothing less than a lucky man. He has lived through God's persecutions that have helped make him the man that he is. Earl, God knows that if I could make your legs and back strong again, that I surely would. No one deserves them more than you. May God always bless the Tyler Rose.

Chapter 10 Joe Frazier

*Since I wrote this chapter Joe Frazier has passed away. I feel compelled to leave this writing as is without altering any of its content, so please be advised of its present tense as truly being past tense*

Joseph "Smokin Joe" Frazier was born January 12, 1944 to Dolly and Rubin Frazier in Beaufort County, South Carolina. He was the 12th of 13 children. His parents were poor sharecroppers, and he was part of the segregated south. I read somewhere a while back that one of his uncles told him when he was young that he was built like a boxer. Evidently Joe took him serious. He didn't have enough money to afford boxing equipment, so he made himself a makeshift heavy punching bag out of whatever he could find and began training himself. He told people that he was going to be champ someday. I wonder how seriously people took a poor black kid from South Carolina with a homemade heavy bag. Well, it should have been extremely serious, because Joe Frazier shocked everyone and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

By the time Joe was 15 it was 1959. The south was still segregated, and he was still poor. He also found himself on his own. He moved to New York City to live with one of his brothers, find a job, and make it on his own. It seems that things didn't work out just exactly how he expected, and he resorted to stealing cars and selling them for scrap prices to the Brooklyn junkyard. I don't know what happened to Joe from there exactly, but I am willing to bet that from the example that he made, later in his life that he felt that he was surviving with his life of crime, but that it just wasn't right. It wasn't who he was inside. I bet he recognized that he had to effect change, even if it were nothing more than in his own life, and his own responsibilities whatever they were.

He ended up moving to Philadelphia and began working in a slaughterhouse. He would work out pounding on sides of beef in a refrigerated room. Does that sound a little bit familiar? Was this the conception of Rocky Balboa? Joe Frazier was working hard. He began to get recognition. He tried out for the Olympics but didn't make the cut. Then another boxer was injured and he was picked up to compete in the 1964 Olympics. He went from not being a first selection, to winning the gold medal in the heavy-weight division. He fought the last fight with a broken left thumb. This is a man whose signature trademark was his devastating left hook.

After winning the gold medal, he was picked up by a local trainer named Yancey Durham who convinced a group of local businessmen to invest in Joe's boxing career so that Joe could become dedicated to the professional sport of boxing. Yancey maintained as his chief trainer and manager until he died leaving Joe to carry on without him in 1973. A slugger from Philadelphia with a trainer that died, was this another Rocky moment? Joe surely thought so, and he said that Sylvester Stallone stole his story and never gave him a single nickel.

In 1967 Joe boycotted the WBA heavyweight elimination tournament that was to take place because they had stripped Casius Clay (Muhammad Ali) of the heavyweight championship of the world. Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted into the military and serve in Viet Nam. At the time Joe was the number one contender for the next title match. The world of boxing was beginning to be turned upside down with controversy. It was the sparking of this controversy that fueled or at least ignited the bitter hatred and rivalry that Ali and Frazier were about to develop for each other. The bottom line at this point is that Joe Frazier who would have won the tournament hands down, but instead he went to bat for Ali, and made a strong statement aimed at the boxing commission.

After he made that statement and showed support Ali stated that Frazier "would never stand a chance of whopping him, not even in his wildest dreams." These two fighters would play out a triple header that would span over the next several years that did nothing less than shock the world. And Ali fed more fuel to the rivalry with nonstop bantering statements out of his mouth aimed at Joe Frazier's character, not just Joe's ability to compete in the ring. His antics drove Frazier into craziness like no other boxer could push him into. Now don't get me wrong, Frazier responded, and responded with deep resentment. But Ali fired the first, and even possibly the second and third shots before Joe ever responded. The shots were deep and wounding.

Well it seems that Frazier won his political support statement of boycotting for Ali's purpose. The WBA title was determined by pitting him against Buster Mathis, with the winner taking the heavyweight title. Frazier beat him handedly and knocked him out in the 11th round. However Buster Mathis was not Muhammad Ali, and many people didn't recognize Joe as having any title until he defended it against the man that many people felt was the greatest of all time. Well Ali considered himself the greatest anyway. He definitely said it enough.

It seems to me that at this point even if Joe wasn't saying anything, a fire had definitely been lit underneath his shorts, that wouldn't be put out. He had to face public ridicule for his owning a title that was stripped from another man. However he did not strip Ali of the title, and he even went public by boycotting it being stripped. Not only that, but he had defended his title repeatedly against all comers and he still was undefeated. Was this possibly when he started hating Ali, if it wasn't it was soon to come. I bet he was thinking that he may not have beaten Ali, but Ali hadn't beaten him either. What more did he have to show the world? Had he not devastated everyone he met, no different than Ali had? In 1970 Joe Frazier was officially crowned the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali were on a collision course that was about to happen several times, but the first time was going to be March 8, 1971 in Madison Square Garden; the grandest stage of them all. Joe Frazier petitioned President Nixon to reinstate Ali back into professional boxing. Let's analyze this for a minute and define a piece of Joe's character. This was an undefeated man that held a title. It was a title that he was not expected to defend against Ali.

Ali had been suspended from boxing for refusing to support a country that treated African Americans the way that they did, and he wasn't getting invited back any time soon. Ali was a man that had belittled and disrespected him. He could have easily said screw you and your mentality Ali, but he didn't. He knew that deep down inside that he had to know who would win. He again went to bat for a man that he must have easily been starting to hate by this time, even though he agreed with why Ali did what Ali did. While Ali was stripped of his title, Joe Frazier was reported to have even given Ali money to help him keep going and stand his ground.

Their fight was going to take place. Frazier had won his petition. It was now being promoted as the "Fight of the Century." It was drawing a worldwide audience. Both Joe and Ali were in the prime of their careers. Joe was 27, and Ali was 29. You can read reviews from people that were there. A lot of people say that Ali was rested and came prepared to fight. Joe came prepared to fight as well. Ali had a tendency to drop his right, and Frazier had a devastating left hook, and was placing it where he knew Ali's head would be when he would drop his right. Frazier dropped Ali in the 15th round. Frazier won the decision, and walked out still the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion.

Ali made a classic statement of people creating patterns in their lives. His might have been dropping his right and leaving his face unguarded. So many people make a habit of repeating the same old failures that allow them to drop their guard in life. Ali didn't win a world championship that night from his mistake. In life there is so much more to lose. We all make mistakes, but repeated mistakes can be devastating. When I talk to kids, I give them this same speech. I tell them to not let their mistakes beat them up, but also work to not repeat them. I try to teach them how to be aware of their own personal triggers that can lead them to repeating mistakes. I would like to say that I have avoided that pitfall, but unfortunately I teach mostly from my own life's lessons.

Just like any boxer Joe Frazier had an up and down career. Two years after defeating Ali he lost the title to George Foreman, later he contended for the title again to lose a brutal rematch with Ali, and then in 1975 he lost the rubber match with Ali. In 1976 he retired after losing to Foreman for a second time. He tried to come back in 1981 but retired after only one fight. Joe Frazier with his losses is still rated by the International Boxing Research Organization as one of the top ten heavyweights of all time.

Together Frazier and Ali answered the question of what happens when the world's best boxer meets the world's best fighter. The answer was simple; fall out and casualty from both sides. An old adage comes to mind that the doctor probably said to Ali while he was tending to him after the fights that followed: if you won that fight, I'm glad I am not working on the other guy.

In 1974 Ali and Frazier met for the second time. This time the distance was 12 rounds and Ali out pointed Frazier according to the judges, and won with a unanimous decision. On October 1, 1975 Ali and Frazier met for the last time in the "Thrilla in Manila." Ali as his usual self took every opportunity to poke the angry "Gorilla" that he could. In Joe's autobiography Joe said that he felt many of Ali's antics were offensive. Ali's comments were nothing less than being racially biased. He continually called Joe the "white man's hope, an Uncle Tom, and an ugly gorilla."

I have to stop and ask what seem to me to be a couple of obvious questions. Was Frazier upset with Ali because he lost to him twice, or was it because a man of his own race and creed continually called him the things that he did? Not only did Ali do this, he did it to the man that through all of Ali's racial strife within our social system, and Ali's refusing to be drafted had possibly been the strongest supporter that Ali had.

I guess we also have to recognize that Frazier had what Ali wanted most. He had the title, and more importantly social recognition as an Olympic icon and hero. Joe Frazier was seen by Ali as a man of the people; a man of the people that he had some deep issues with. As I look at it, I don't think that Ali was attacking Joe Frazier, he was attacking what Joe stood for, while Joe was supporting what Ali stood for. This was a concoction for high explosives.

Muhammad Ali thought that he was an evangelistic fighter, and predicted that he would score an early round victory in the third match in Manila. During their first match Ali said to Frazier, "Joe, you can't beat me! Don't you know I am God?" Beyond that he called him an ugly gorilla, and an Uncle Tom. These are the beratings that Frazier took from Ali constantly. Does Joe have a right to be bitter and angry toward Ali? Did he handle it correctly?

It is consensus that the only reason that we know of Ali's greatness, is the fact that it was tested greatly by Joe Frazier. Ali got the rubber match, but it damned near killed both of them from what I hear. I was young when the fight happened and I wasn't old enough to understand anything beyond a lot of hitting. The way that I see it today, is that the only difference between the two men is their contrasting styles in how they attacked opponents, as well as how they attacked life's issues.

Ali was loud and loved to showboat. He hit you with a lot of punches that were fast, created contact, and scored points. Frazier was quiet, reserved, and full steam ahead. He was a bull in a China shop and was totally devastating if he got a hold of you, especially with that left hook. Personally I think that for Frazier to win he would have had to knock Ali down or out. The odds in my mind were stacked against him. Ali was famous for using the ropes to help him absorb crucial blows.

Long after the fight Ali was once asked to watch the "Thrilla in Manila" fight on film. Ali's response was "I don't want to see hell again." George Foreman was known to say "Joe Frazier would come out smoking. If you hit him, he liked it. If you knocked him down, you only made him mad." It was this type of relentlessness that got him through the three fights with Ali. The fights were nothing less than monumental. It was said that their third fight was a near death experience for both of them. Ali said that it was the closest that he had ever come to death, and he won the fight. Joe Frazier has been quoted as saying "Boxing is the only sport you can get your brain shook, your money took, and your name in the undertaker book."

While Joe was still sitting on his stool between the 14th and 15th rounds, both of his eyes were almost swollen shut; neither fighter would give up, and Frazier's corner threw in the towel. Ali had won the early rounds, Frazier had won the middle rounds, and Ali had outpointed Frazier from the 10th round on. Frazier would have had to knock Ali out to get the win. With the towel thrown in, the referee had to award the decision to Ali. He had retained the title and won their rubber match.

The question goes unanswered; would Frazier have gotten the KO? The two never faced each other again. Frazier still feels to this day that he won all three fights, and refuses to accept defeat. I honestly think that I see Joe's point of view, as well as Ali's. Boxing is meant to be a sport, but it is also a fight. A game is over when time runs out, and the one with the most points wins. A fight is over when someone cries uncle, even if it is Uncle Tom. Frazier wanted to beat that statement out of Ali. He would have I think the next round, and so does Ali I bet. They say Ali asked for no more. What expense did Ali have to pay for this win? Ali has said that the fight was the closest that he has ever been to death. Was Joe the man that gave Ali head trauma? I am no doctor, so I can't answer that question.

In most boxing publications Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier are ranked 1 and 2 respectfully. This is not my statement. This is what I read from an Internet site. But I think that we haven't seen boxing like this since, and maybe that is a good thing. Looking back at Frazier's career he had several things that stood out: he was a very good body puncher, a brawler, and he seemed to get even stronger as the fight progressed, he could make a fighter fight his fight, and probably had the best left hook that boxing has ever seen.

It was said that in the ring "Smokin Joe" was like a bull that came charging after his opponents with his head down with his fists acting like horns and inflicting damage. He was relentless and didn't worry about ducking and covering. He was able to absorb a lot of pain in order to give it to his opponent. It seems that he is still inflicting pain on Ali, and he is still willing to take whatever it is that he has to. When he is asked about his bitterness and hatred toward Ali, his response is "I am what I am." This is what Frazier said about Ali in response to the things that Ali said about him: "A white lawyer kept him out of jail. And he's going to Uncle Tom me." "THEE Greatest, he called himself. Well he certainly wasn't THEE Greatest... it became my mission to show him the error of his foolish pride. Beat it into him."

I think once you know Smokin Joe Frazier's full story, that you just may not look at Muhammad Ali the same, if your opinion hasn't changed already. Time after time he racially attacked a man that only wanted to settle it in the ring; not in the media, and definitely not politically. Ali ran his mouth, and he ran his mouth well. Frazier went to bat for him out of respect, and Ali punched him in the face for it before they ever climbed into the ring. My question was it pre-match bantering by Ali, or was it personal?

I strongly believe that it was personal. Ali seemed to hate the segregation of this nation, and he hated it so much that he refused to fight to defend its honor. He chose the Muslim faith, and made it his religious battle. In his mind Frazier was indeed an Uncle Tom. Joe had sold out to the myth of dreams that this "white man" controlled nation had promised him. I think he felt this because Joe went to the Olympics after being deemed not good enough, and then won the gold. I think that Ali took the money that Joe gave him, but did it ungratefully. They stood on opposite sides of the fence fighting the same issue.

I think Joe took it more personally than Ali did. I think that Joe felt that Ali was being nothing less than stupid for not supporting a nation that had desegregated and was moving forward. I think that he however admired Ali for standing his ground with the draft, and should not have had the title ever stripped from him. He showed this by supporting Ali until he was back in boxing where he felt Ali belonged the whole time. Joe had done nothing less than stand and fight the good fight for Ali, just to be given no gratitude, and a fuck you instead. It pissed him off and then it went personal.

To add insult to injury he lost by points to a man that couldn't beat the fight out of him. The second fight was only a 12 rounder, and Ali wanted to quit at the end of 14 in their last match, not him. It was Frazier's corner that threw in the towel, not Frazier. I kind of have to agree with Frazier. He didn't lose to Ali, and in a last man standing match I think one of them or both of them may have actually died if the towel wasn't thrown in by someone. The night Frazier knocked Ali out they say Ali fought one of the greatest matches of his career, and Ali said that Frazier was the toughest opponent that he ever faced.

In 2001 Ali apologized to the media for what he had said about Joe Frazier before the first fight. Joe accepted the apology until he thought about it and realized that Ali had said it in the paper and not to him personally. Ali's response was "if you see Frazier, you tell him he's still a gorilla." I can't help but wonder is Joe right in not accepting a half-baked public apology?

Joe Frazier has said that God is responsible for Muhammad Al's Parkinson's disease. He said "I'm sorry that he is the way the he is, but I didn't have too much to do with it. It was the good man above, maybe I did have a little to do with it, but God judges. You know what I'm saying. We don't have the power to judge that the man has above." I am sorry Joe, but this sounds heartless. I know how you feel, and I know why you feel it, do you think that God may judge you for this statement?

Joe Frazier has lost, and spent a lot of money. A great deal of it has been from losing sponsorships from investors, and even advertising companies I would say because of his open bitterness and unwillingness to forgive Ali for the things that was done to him. It is a wound that runs obviously deep. I hate to say it, but I don't think that winning the "Thrilla in Manila" would have removed that hatred. I have spent a lot of years of my life harboring my own hatreds, and I have learned that beating it out of someone only makes you happy for the moment. It does have a gratification, and the hatred doesn't go away. That is something that has to be lifted by mutual forgiveness.

I can tell you right now from my research, that neither of these two men have done that. I can also tell you personally that I side with Joe Frazier, with the exception that he didn't handle it correctly. I think it eats at his soul more than it does Ali's, even though I think that Ali has probably come to grips with the reality that he was wrong. He just isn't going to be the first man to say it. That is why he half-baked a public apology. I think that maybe it was his way of baiting Joe into saying I am sorry first.

I don't know about your eternal souls Mr. Ali, and Mr. Frazier; like Joe said that is for God to judge, but I do know about your mortal spirits. If you guys want to relieve some hatred and stress that I am willing to bet is eating at both of you, then you both need to let it go, and you both need to say it to each other face to face. Someone can ring the bell and you can say it at the same time. You don't need to hug, or even shake hands. You just need to let it freaking go already.

It seems to me that both of these two men are demonstrating foolish pride, but at the same time please don't hold it against them. They were part of a media circus. In the 1970's boxing was possibly the most popular professional sport that we had. Even if Ali was doing it wrong, he was putting butts in the seats. The angrier that he made Joe Frazier, the more people wanted to see Joe knock his head off, and people wondered if Joe could upset the greatest of all time. They together created a global audience.

However I think Joe wasn't as much as part of the game as Ali was. Joe was an American hero. He was and had been in the defense of the man that was attacking him. I think this gave him pent up hostilities that he had no clue how to get rid of except for by beating the man nearly to death no matter the cost that he would have to pay. That is the type of boxer that he was. It seems that it is even more the type of person that he is. It is a value that is born into every warrior and hero. Joe Frazier was nothing less. The problem is like what I said before. The hatred didn't go away when the beatings ended.

By the time their rubber match was over, the entire world knew no matter what was said, and no matter whose hand went in the air, that Joe Frazier was not, nor never had been inferior to Muhammad Ali. Hell even Ali knows it, he may not say it, or maybe he has, but he won't watch the replay, now will he? I think where Frazier fails mostly, is that he doesn't realize what people think of him. I think he needed his hand in the air for him to feel it. I guess that is why they say a tie is like kissing your own sister.

I think I even know why he feels it. It is because of his heroism. It is because of the support that he gave Ali. It is because he feels that he took the higher road, when we are taught that good always triumphs over evil. I don't think however that Ali is evil, and that is where these two can't seem to draw a common ground. Ali was fighting his own good fight. They were fighting the same fight. It was the racial injustice that the American social system has placed upon the black race. Somewhere each of the other's ideas compromised each of the other's way of handling the suppression. Someone needs to tell them that they are still fighting the same fight, and that there is strength in numbers.

Today Joe still lives in Philadelphia. Until 2009 he owned and operated a boxing gym that he personally trained fighters in. The amazing part is that it was right in the middle of one of Philadelphia's "hood" environments. It seems to me that he may have lost money, but maybe that loss of money is what helped him keep it real and continue working to keep kids in the gym and off the streets. He even lived in an apartment above the gym.

Joe also helped raise $110,000 for Turning-Point Compassionate Treatment for Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. He sang "Mustang Sally," signed autographs, and posed for photos with adoring fans the entire event. This is another sign of his humanistic heart. Joe I believe has been disrespected. To say that he has lost sponsorship because of his unwillingness to like a man that has wronged him, is another sign of just how stupid our society can be at times. Another quote by Joe is "Life doesn't run away from nobody. Life runs at people."

In 1996 Ali was our symbol to the Olympics. He was allowed to shoot a flaming arrow to light the Olympic flame over the Atlanta Olympics. A reporter quoted Frazier as saying that he would like to throw Ali in the flame. They scolded his bitterness. Let's analyze this for a minute. Joe and Ali both competed in the Olympic Games. We know Ali refused to stand for this country in Viet Nam. They both were professional boxers. I realize bye gones should be bye gones but did Joe have a point? He may have lost the rubber match, but I bet in his mind he was more of an American Icon for the Olympics than Ali ever could be. In his mind he might have felt that it was like slapping a prized bull in the face then expecting it not to trash the china shop. Joe said that he had no bitterness toward Ali. Maybe this time it was justifiably aimed at the Olympic committee. Would he have complained if they chose anybody else? I don't think he was trying to promote himself, just not the man they did.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter Turner honored one of its native fighters at the base of their statue of "Rocky," when their real boxing hero in Joe Frazier has never been recognized with a statue. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this picture? Well it does seem that Philadelphia has finally seen it too. They are starting to work to get Smokin Joe Frazier a statue.

When I started researching Joe Frazier for this writing, I remembered him as one of my boxing heroes. I knew that he grew up in the segregated south, and the son of a poor sharecropper. I knew that he grew up on the streets having to fight to survive. I knew that he was an Olympic gold medalist. I thought this is the perfect guy to discuss the issues of growing up rough. But when I got to digging I discovered exactly how much he was seemingly bitter toward Muhammad Ali. I was a kid when they fought. I even heard all of the bantering. I was part of the global audience. I felt instantly that I needed to shift gears and address their issue.

In my mind both of these men are national icons. They are legends of their trade. Frazier lost to George Foreman twice, and seems to hold no resentments. It is obvious to me that these two men are in bad need of some reconciliation, so that they both can recognize that time should be able to heal all wounds. Joe Frazier, I recognize you as one of the best boxers that I have ever been fortunate enough to watch fight. You are no less of a man than Muhammad Ali. To me you are so much more. You already know what and who you are. You just need to know that the rest of the world feels the same way. You are the one and only "Smokin Joe Frazier;" both an American hero, and a boxing icon.

Chapter 11 Woody Guthrie

Woodrow "Woody" Wilson Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. His parents were Nora and Charley Guthrie. He was named after the soon to be President of the United States Woodrow Wilson. Woody was born into a prominent middle class family that would soon go through several devastating tragedies that prompted the struggles and travels of one of the most prominent and legendary "hobos" that this country would ever know. He made certain that he saw this nation, and that he left the message behind that God gave this great land to the "working man." Woody Guthrie was said to have been God's prophet singer. If he was God made a damned good choice.

If Woody wasn't a prophet, it seems that he definitely lived the life of a predestined martyr. The tragedies in his life started at a very young age. They started with a series of fires. His parents built a house that burnt to the ground before they were even able to move into it. When he was still a toddler another house fire took the life of his older sister, and his mother threw a lit kerosene lamp at his father setting him on fire forcing his father into an extended convalescence.

His mother had a severe mental health disorder, and had to be hospitalized. His father had been into the real estate business and had many land holdings. Woody's father was becoming a very successful businessman. Okemah had an oil rush in 1920 that lasted on a few years before the oil wells all dried up. With the accumulation of all their tragedy, the Guthrie household was left with poverty and devastation. It seemed that their "American Dream" was instead turning into an American nightmare. His father ended up divorcing his mother and moving to the upper panhandle of Texas to find work. He left 14 year old Woody and his older brother behind homeless and alone.

His mother had a hereditary mental illness, but it seems to me that it was more than likely at least triggered by the tragedy that was happening around them. I believe that this caused her issues to explode and create its own cycle of tragedy, which resulted in even more family tragedy. Mental issues are extremely difficult to deal with. Even to this day, there is no cure for most mental illnesses. Medical science has come a long way in understanding them, and developing medications that help people cope better with them, but they are still there. I believe that most everyone that deals with mental health issues have their good days, and their bad days.

One of the things that I notice within our society is that we show a great deal of sympathy and compassion for people that are suffering from physical ailments. We have accessible handicap ramps, and handicapped parking. We wear pink ribbons in support of breast cancer. When we hear of a death from an illness, we ban together and support the surviving family members. These are all things that are good in our society, and they are much needed.

But on the other hand when we see a person with a mental illness it seems that we tend to stare at them; we pity them; we judge their decisions; we leave the helping of them to the professionals that get paid to deal with a thing like that. What we don't seem to do is show mental health victims the same empathy that we give to other illnesses. I believe that this is unfortunately human nature. Typically a person with a mental illness walks and talks like an everyday normal person, and their ailment is buried deep inside their mind and isn't always easily recognizable.

Unfortunately how we have treated mentally disabled people over the years has shown to apply additional stress upon their illnesses. The awareness that we have to recognize is that stress intensifies mental illness. The end result is that how you treat mentally ill people, can either trigger tragedy, or spark hope. We accomplish a positive end result by not treating them any differently than anyone else. Being empathetic can be a good thing, but it can also be a degrading issue.

Woody Guthrie always had music in his life. His parents raised him and his siblings singing spiritual songs and hymns within the family home. After he was abandoned and left alone he began singing and dancing, and playing music in the streets for survival money. It was 1927 and our nation was soon to be in the great depression, but it seems that Woody got a jump start. He was forced to dig through trash and sell items that he would find for survival money. Occasionally he would be able to sleep with family and friends, but for the most part at the age of 14 Woody Guthrie was homeless and alone being forced to struggle just to survive in the land of the free and the home of the brave. The "hobo" in Woody had officially been born.

In 1929 Woody was able to rejoin his father and other family members in Texas. One of his uncles was a very talented musician as well, and he began teaching Woody how to play the guitar and deepen Woody's musical capabilities. During this time frame he formed his first band. They called themselves the "Corn Cob Trio." His first wife Mary Jennings was the sister of one of his band members. He married her in 1933 and they had three children together.

At an early age Woody also developed an interest in the American political landscape. He intertwined this interest into his music to become an iconic hero during the great depression. Woody seems to have been no different than most of the heroes of this country even though he didn't fight in a great war. That was not his destiny. But like those same heroes he adapted to overcome the tragedy and adversity that was affecting our entire nation. He inspired hope in the midst of depression when it seemed that most people felt that there was no hope. Songs that he wrote from this adversity were: "This Land is Your Land," "So Long It's Been Good to Know You," and "Oklahoma Hills." Today Oklahoma has adopted Oklahoma Hills as its official state folk song.

In the mid-1930s due to drought and uneducated farming practices the region of the nation that included Oklahoma had become "The Dust Bowl." The depression was in full force, and the people were indeed having it as rough as they had ever had it. We were not at war, but we were in what seemed to be financial ruin. People didn't have much hope if any. If you know someone that lived through this period of time, do yourself a favor, and take the time to sit down and listen to what they have to say about it. I know that I have over the years, and I don't think that I can ever imagine being forced to live what they were forced to live through. I believe that if you listen to them, you just might be given an education that isn't offered in the textbooks. It falls under the class title "Life's Lessons 101."

Today we love to say that our youth have become what seems to be nothing less than spoiled from the modern conveniences of life. But in reality they are no more spoiled than we are. We have technology at our fingertips that we can't seem to be without. We have cell phones, the Internet, and a multitude of software applications that provide us nothing more than luxurious satisfactions. Our nation has turned into a grid of technology that seems to make the world turn. We all and I include myself run around with this free spirit of entitlement. My question is what would we do if something devastated our pursuit of technology? How would we react?

If the History Channel has it right, soon we will be in for a rude awakening. I watched a program that documented how our nation's infrastructure is crumbling. It seems to me that Bill Gates and the rest of the nation have spent a lot of time and money developing new software technology, while we have forgotten the basic concept of what it takes to make that technology function. That is the concept of electricity. From the depression we built the infrastructure that we know today. What we haven't done it seems is to maintain it. Instead we have consumed it.

Nothing man builds lasts forever. Nothing God builds lasts forever. Everything physical either depletes, changes its physical state, or deteriorates. As consumers of technology it seems to me that we are currently technology vampires. We feed and leave the destruction behind without care of the future. The documentary on the History Channel discussed how the power grid that provides our nation's electricity is deteriorating. We have not properly maintained it. They said that we have just taken it for granted that it would run continuously, and now it may have deteriorated to the point that we may not be able to afford to reconstruct it for the future. If this is true, where do we plan on getting the electricity to power our technology? Don't say wind mills. I am not talking about an electrical source. Without a functioning electrical grid, those windmills have no way of getting their electrical supply to you.

Are we headed back to a depressive state of our union? Do we have blinders on like the majority of the nation did before the depression hit? Do we as a collective whole refuse to see what may be ahead of us just like the people that lived in 1928? Was Woody Guthrie truly a prophet of his day, or was he just a mortal man that was forced to deal with it early on, and by the time the rest of the world got to where he already was he just knew what to tell them? During the depression, Woody Guthrie was possibly our nation's strongest force in the form of a coping tool.

The power and strength of his music gave devastated people hope for the future. He worked to keep us emotionally strong, so that we could band together and build the infrastructure of our nation that seems today is crumbling at the seams. Who is going to be our next Woody Guthrie? Do we need a Woody Guthrie to give us the inspiration to get back on track and move into the future? The answer is no. Today we are a much stronger force than we were then, but what we need to do is to wake up and start implementing common sense.

Poor management is causing us to fall apart just like the land did in "The Dust Bowl" from poor farming practices. If we don't wake up and start tilling the soil and sowing the right seeds of success for future generations, and start maintaining the physical "hardware" of our infrastructure, the "software applications" are going to do nothing more than blow in the winds of the storms that are yet to come.

We need to start providing maintenance to the infrastructure of our government. I have heard too many politicians talk about their own version of checks and balances and it seems to me to be all of them. If you ask me I would say that the list of checks and balances needs to come from the nation of the common man, not the politicians and the elite 10%. It needs to list the actions that the politicians are going to take to correct their own mistakes, not how we have to deal their mistakes anymore. We as a society of women, men, and even our children need to demonstrate our voice much like Woody did to remove the bullshit politics that exists today. We not only need to be heard, our opinions need to be felt. Woody said that this land is our land. I have to agree with him. It doesn't belong just to the people that think that they have control.

Woody Guthrie was quoted as saying: "there on the Texas plains right in the dead center of the dust bowl, with the oil boom over and the wheat blowed out and the hard working people just stumbling about, bothered with mortgages, debts, bills, sickness, worries of every blowing kind, I seen there was plenty to make up songs about." Do we need another Woody Guthrie? I certainly hope not. Are we going to be self-destructive enough again to ever need this type of emotional leader to give us needed inspiration? I don't think so. What we need is simply to wake up and get back on the path to success. We need to wake up and recognize that this nation needs an overhaul, and that it isn't going to fix itself.

"This Land is Your Land" is a song written by Woody that could honestly be used as a second national anthem. It fosters pioneering spirit by protesting the inequality that exists between the social classes of our nation. There is a piece of the song that was left out of the song when it was recorded in 1944. It still seems to be left out of the song yet today. That part of the song said a lot then, and still says a lot today. It goes like this: "As I went walking, I saw a sign there, and on the sign there it said No Trespassing. But on the other side it didn't say nothing. That side was made for you and me. In the squares of the city, in the shadow of the steeple; by the relief office, I'd seen my people. As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking, is this land made for you and me?"

Woody was sending a message to the upper class. It was saying that it isn't right that they live the life of the privileged, while the common man is left without a home, common decency, and a way to work to support their families, while the common people couldn't even walk across the land that was made for us all without the given permission of the elite. I want to say again that I think talking to your elders about this point in our history is critical. I believe it to be crucial in helping us avoid future mistakes. We should always remember to learn from our past.

I don't think that we should ever forget the depression. Our nation's leaders and businessmen made drastic mistakes with our finances. We can't change our mistakes, but once we fail to reflect on our mistakes, it dooms us to the tragedy of repeating them. The depression makes a strong statement that says to live in today, don't fantasize about tomorrow, and use your past as a tool for learning.

I don't want to take anything away from "This Land is Your Land." The entire song sends a powerful statement. It sends a statement that we should use to continue to march into our nation's future. We need to sing its message forever. The lyrics are:

This land is your land, this land is my land

From California to the New York Island

From the Redwood Forrest; to the Gulf Stream waters

This land is made for you and me

As I go walking this ribbon of highway

I see above me the endless skyway

And all around me the wind keeps saying

This land is made for you and me

When the sun come shining as I was walking

And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling

As the fog was lifting a voice come chanting

This land is made for you and me

Nobody living can ever stop me

As I go walking my freedom highway

Nobody living can make me turn back

This land was made for you and me

In 1940 Woody moved to New York City. While there he recorded his music, performed on the radio, was a political activist in support of worker strikes, and started to study more in depth politics, economics, science, and religion. He stayed an advocate of his roots. Woody Guthrie was a common man working to support the common man. He did it by teaching. He taught from the classroom of his environment, and his teaching tools were his songs and music.

He was an extremely talented man. Woody played several instruments that included the guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and harmonica. In addition he was an avid reader. Those that knew him said that he was always reading. He loved to write, draw cartoons, and paint as well. From his love of writing it is said that he had thousands of pages of unpublished poetry. Clifton Fadiman of the New York Times stated that: "someday people are going to wake up to the fact that Woody Guthrie and the ten thousand songs that leap and tumble off the strings of his music box are a national possession."

In the late thirty's Woody Guthrie began to achieve his fame. It was in Los Angeles playing hillbilly and folk music with Maxine "Lefty Lou" Crissman at KFVD radio. During this time Woody began writing his protest songs. He also met newscaster Ed Robbin who became his political mentor. Ed had been impressed with a song about Thomas Mooney that Woody had written. Mooney was a labor activist that had been convicted of a bombing on San Francisco's Preparedness Day parade, which was a celebration about the United States entry into World War I. A lot of people including Woody believed him to be innocent.

Woody was also allowed to write a newspaper column for a newspaper called "The Daily Worker." The column was about current events that he had observed and experienced. He was allowed to publish his column 174 times from May 1939 – January 1940. The column was called "Woody Sez." It was written in his country "hillbilly" dialect and was aimed as being a humorist column. Steve Earle was quoted as saying "I don't think of Woody Guthrie as a political writer. He was a writer who lived in very political times."

I have to agree with Steve if I really understand what he is saying. Is he saying that the politics during Woody's time were really screwed up? Is he saying that it took a man with Woody's foresight to discuss them and help our nation get back on track? If that is what he is saying, then I agree. What concerns me is that today's politics are even more troubling than they were in Woody's time frame. Almost every political issue we have is nothing less than detrimental. We are deeply rooted in a religious war overseas that seems to have no near end. On the home front good Americans are losing good jobs. It seems like the unemployment compensation well is going dry. How much longer can our nation stand on what used to be a solid foundation that seems to be losing its mortar of integrity?

We have weathered a lot of storms in our history, but I think that we have started taking things for granted just like the banks did that sent us spiraling into "The Great Depression." I was taught in school that the depression pretty much happened overnight. I don't know that it did in my opinion however. I can almost guarantee that someone out there had the foresight to warn us, and were sending out beacons of warnings, much like I am right now. I can almost bet they came from a common man, just like right now. The people with the power and control just didn't seem to listen. Is that how it is going to be this time as well? I hope not, because we stand a great deal more to lose this go round.

The mortar that has held this nation together is its moral fiber. We have been known forever as the melting pot. We have taken the spiritual integrity of all people, from every climb and place. Does that sound familiar? We blended it all together to come up with the mortar that has held our walls strong against all storms. But over time it seems that the storms keep pounding at the walls and we have taken it for granted that the walls will stand firm. I honestly believe that they can still stand firm. But I also want it to be known that we need to mix up some more mortar and patch the cracks, because if we don't without proper maintenance that solid foundation will fall like an over flooded levy.

Woody's folk songs included 100's of political, traditional, and children's songs. Displayed on his guitar was the slogan that read "This Machine Kills Fascists." I have wondered most of my life just what exactly is a fascist? I have never seen anyone running around saying that I am a fascist please use me for target practice. I guess I always knew that it couldn't be good, so I just never cared and asked for another beer. But I finally looked it up in good old Mr. Webster's Dictionary. "Fascism is an ancient Roman symbol of authority; a system of government characterized by dictatorship; belligerent nationalism, and racism, and militarism." I agree Woody... kill 'em all, and let God sort 'em out.

I don't guess I still know what a fascist is however? Do they really exist in our country is probably a better question? Aren't we taught as youth that our nation was founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? But to be honest I do agree with Woody's slogan. It seems to me that over the past couple of decades that politically we are swinging in the wrong direction. Is socialism our nation's new catch word for fascism? Are socialists living today under the disguise of democracy?

I can't help but think aren't today's socialists yesterday's hippies? The only thing that I get from this thought process is that some people just seem to be lost. They seem to have one idea one day and wake up with an entirely other one the next. Woody knew what to do with fascism. He knew it had to die, not creep back into society under disguise of so called democracy. Our government officials need to read the constitution, instead of trying to supersede it.

In the mid-40's Woody was living in New York City, and began to struggle with the mental illness that he inherited from his mother. He began to experience bouts of depression and mental distortion. He eventually ended up hospitalized for life, and died from his disease on October 3, 1967. From his life's legacy he was known as the "Dust Bowl Troubadour." In 1988 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1997 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Woody lived with deep emotional ideas and thoughts about our nation and what was going wrong during his time with us. Some of his famous quotes were: "There's always someone who's sick of the way things are in town who hops a train and heads west, that is a very classically American image," "I hate a song that makes you think you are not any good, I hate a song that makes you think that you think that you are just born to lose, no good to nobody, no good for nothing," "I am out to fight these kind of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work."

When I read what he said, I couldn't help but think, what was going through his young mind when he hopped on his first "hobo" train and headed west? I can't help but think, was he running from his problems, or was he living to fight his issues another day? His words, say it all however. He was living to fight another day. He fought it, until his illness wouldn't let him fight it any more. This is why I say that Woody Guthrie is as much of a war hero as any man in this land has ever been. He was a pioneer in fighting the political strife that is this nation's mental disease. My question is; is there a cure for our disease?

Woody Guthrie was a working class man with the heartbeat of America pumping the blood through his chest. I believe that no other man has ever lived that understood, and felt more of the pain that this country is capable of inflicting upon its citizens than he did. From it all he rose through its adversity and gave us all a simple man's message. It was the message of through it all struggle to succeed.

Throughout time people such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer, and Tom Paxon have acknowledged the genius, contributions, and influence that represent the manhood of Woody Guthrie. John Steinbeck stated about him that "there is nothing sweet about Woody, and there is nothing sweet about the songs he sings. But there is something more important for those who will listen. There is the will of the people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit."

In his autobiography "Bound for Glory" Woody wrote: "I was thirteen when I went to live with a family of thirteen people in a two room house. I was going on fifteen when I got me a job shining shoes, washing spittoons, meeting the night trains in a hotel uptown. I was a little past sixteen when I first hit the highway and took a trip down around the Gulf of Mexico, hoeing figs, watering strawberries, picking mustang grapes, helping carpenters and well drillers, cleaning yards, chopping weeds, and moving garbage cans."

As a nation, I can't help but think that we have forgotten this type of survival technique. I believe that a great portion of people today have forgotten how this nation achieved its success. This mistaking thought process belongs to both the young and the not so young. I agree with everyone that thinks that the machine that is our present day government may be trying to dismantle our successes from within to better their own personal agendas. But I also feel that sitting back, complaining about your unemployment check running out because you can't find a job that is equal to, or better than your last one is nothing more than foolish pride.

If you don't like the way things are going, then take Woody's message and example to heed. Hop a train and head west. Use that time to reflect on how other people other than yourself are being forced to live the same way that you are. Recognize that all of the jobs that Woody listed are still available. Take one of them, struggle to survive, and then come back to fight the fascist machine another day when you are stronger and better capable.

We need to remember that Woody Guthrie was self-taught. He studied politics, economics, science, and religion. He displayed his studies in his songs and writings. I read that one of the songs that Woody liked least of all was Irving Berlin's God Bless America. In the lyrics it says "While storm clouds gather overseas, let us swear allegiance to a land that is free." Is this the reasoning behind his not liking this song? My heart tells me that it is. I believe that Woody felt that our fight was at home not overseas, not that we shouldn't give allegiance to our nation. I have to agree with him if this was his thoughts. I believe that we need to clean up our own back yard before we complain about how someone else's seems to be.

While I was researching Woody's works I came across a song that I don't recognize, or know anything about. It was simply listed as one of his writings, but it delivers another powerful message:

Everybody might be one big soul

Well it looks that way to me

Everywhere that you look, in the day or night,

That's where I'm gonna be, ma

That's where I'm a gonna be

Wherever little children are hungry and cry

Wherever men are a fightin for their rights

That's where I'm gonna be, ma

That's where I'm a gonna be

In 1956 Woody was hospitalized for the duration of his life that ended on October 3, 1967. It seems to me that his genius was cut way too short. I read that his second wife Marjorie would bring the kids every Sunday to come and visit him. They would answer his fan mail, and the kids would play on the hospital grounds. Bob Dylan idolized Woody greatly. He sought him out and would come to visit at the hospital. Bob Dylan used Woody Guthrie as his own personal mentor.

Woody had a severe debilitating mental illness. With that come good days, and not so good days. But Bob Dylan hung with Woody through it all. I wonder why he did. Was it out of hero worship? Was it because he just needed to be next to an icon? I believe it was because he recognized the genius that Woody was, and had to soak up his wisdom and knowledge. I read that Woody would give him a great deal of abuse, and he kept coming back for it until Woody just simply couldn't recognize who he was any longer. He kept coming back because Woody Guthrie was Bob Dylan's personal hero. Not because he had hero worship. There is a huge difference. I believe Bob Dylan was seeking the knowledge of life that no one other than Woody could give him at the time.

Woody Guthrie passed his lineage down to his son Arlo, which has become somewhat of an iconic figure himself. He is known for writing "The Alice's Restaurant Massacre," which is a song that protested the Viet Nam conflict and the song "The City of New Orleans..." "Good morning America how are you? Don't you know me I'm your native son?" Arlo much like his father is still out there today providing both humor, and a message that the American people still need to hear. He is keeping up the fight of his father... Just for the record Arlo, if you read this... I happen to like an occasional pickle.

Chapter 12 John Wayne

John Wayne was born Marion Michael Morrison on May 26, 1907 in Winterset Iowa. He was the son of Clyde and Mary Morrison. His father was a pharmacist by trade, but he developed a lung condition that prompted him to move his family to the Mohave Desert of Southern California for a warmer climate. John Wayne was known as an American iconic actor; a true star of the silver screen. We know John as one of the greatest actors that has ever lived, but it is also said that he was one of cinema's greatest problems.

John Wayne had a frontier spirit that was full of American pride. It set him head and shoulders above all those around him in the industry. He is best known for his voice, eye squint, walk, and his height. What many don't know is that he was a political statue with strong conservative views and support. During college however he claimed to be a socialist, and later admitted to voting for Franklin Roosevelt, and even had an admiration for Harry S. Truman. Within his swaying political alliances, John was a figure of controversy over most of his life.

It was and still is viewed by many that John Wayne had extreme political ideas. He operated those ideas with the concept that things are either right or wrong, and they are nowhere in the middle. Overall John supported an extreme right wing philosophy, but during the Carter administration in the 70s he supported President Carter's views on the Panama Canal treaties. Was this possibly because he had business holdings in Panama? Was he supporting his own personal agenda?

Once he showed his support for President Carter he began to get bombarded with hate mail from his right wing allies. He was once interviewed on the subject of civil rights, and his response was: "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to the point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people."

I honestly don't know what he was thinking, when he made such a bold statement. I don't know if he was trying to smoke screen negative ideas that he had in his head, or if he was trying to kill a negative thought process with a correct answer. Either way he got it wrong; drastically wrong. He showed that somewhere in his thought process that he had the capabilities of being racist, but knew that the world was changing and he needed to step up to the plate with his own change. Evidently John Wayne was more than just political. It seems that he was part of the "good old boy" network that should have never existed. But at the same time he wanted to be viewed as part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

Did he actually think that this nation at the time of his statement didn't have black leaders that were educated and capable of making intelligent decisions? I honestly agree with his statement of inadequate leadership. Hell I don't want any man or woman in the position of leadership that isn't capable of fulfilling the role, but it should never have an issue of racial bias tied in with it. There are ignorant and intelligent people of all races, colors, and creeds. Our nation has a long history of proving that both ignorant and intelligent leaders exist.

War is a perfect example of this. Let's start with the Revolutionary War. We needed independence, but we kept slavery. We wanted equality but we kept the blacks and women at bay. In the Civil War we fought over states' rights, but still continued to flip a coin over slavery until Lincoln decided freeing slaves could turn the tide of the war in his favor. We fought gallantly in World Wars I, and II, but our nation's leaders became entrenched in stupidity in Viet Nam.

We have been fighting in the Middle East in the name of tyranny, but we secured the oil fields first. Did anyone else besides me notice that? Then we left the cure in the hands of our first black President. Are we going to blame the color of his skin if he can't get the job done? Are we still going to plug away at an underlying issue of white supremacy, knowing that white supremacists started, and are still at the core of most of our nation's bullshit?

John Wayne said of himself that he was a rebel, but his rebellion dealt with the monotony of life. It seems that no matter what role he played, he was always straight talking, big, tough, and the sentimental hero. He was considered to be the super patriot both on and off the screen. In 2004 he was commemorated by being placed on a postage stamp. Did we place our symbolic faith in the right man?

John was portrayed in his roles mostly as a cowboy, but he also played the role of a war hero. In reality however he failed to serve his country during World War II, which can be debated as being our nation's most critical hour. A lot of people feel that the pressures that he placed upon himself during this time frame created some of his greatest struggles in life; other than his having to fight cancer.

At the onset of World War II John was at the age of being drafted, but he was deferred for having family dependency issues. He was the father of four children. He was their means of support. Later his status was changed for national interest. He had become a silver screen icon. He was nothing less than a national motivator in the times of dire need. Others say that he was turned down due to a football injury, a bad ear, or chronic back injury. It seems to me that a lot of people for some reason made a lot of excuses why the famous movie start shouldn't be forced to defend his country.

I don't understand why this should have ever been a debatable topic of interest. It is true that our nation was at war against tyranny, but John Wayne was also the father of dependent children at the time. Our nation has always been noted for not drafting fathers at this point of their lives. If John Wayne didn't want to go to war, then that was his business as long as he fell under legal statutes. We shouldn't question any father for wanting to raise their children. We never have, and we never should. Personally I believe that if our soil is attacked, then that is another issue, but those are my personal beliefs, not a national standard.

John had tried to get into Annapolis Naval Academy upon graduation from high school, but for some reason he failed entrance, and they didn't accept him. Instead he settled for a football scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC.) By proxy, this is how he got his start into the world of acting. At some point he met Tom Mix, and in exchange for football tickets he was given a job as a prop man for Fox studios during the summer.

However his breaking into the big screen didn't come easy. During the 1920's he worked behind the scenes for Fox Studios landing several bit roles, and low budget films. He finally landed a major role in 1930 in a film called "The Big Trail." But due to its lack of success, he was forced to spend the next decade back to landing "B" rate movie jobs with low budgets and little necessity for "skills." He acted in over 70 low budget films. He was stuck in that rut until 1939 where he finally got his break as the "Ringo Kid" in the movie "Stagecoach." This gave him his spark and he was finally on his way to superstardom.

It is true that he didn't serve in World War II due to his family obligations, but we also need to remember that his status as being ineligible for the draft was upgraded because of his onscreen dedications to the war effort. He motivated the people at home with roles in movies like "Flying Tigers," "The Fighting Seabees," and "Back to Bataan." In addition he is known as the king of the western, but a couple of his best movies were "The Quiet Man," and "The Long Voyage Home."

The Quiet Man is about an American born Irish boxer that goes to Ireland lacking the knowledge of his ancestor's customs and struggles to earn the love of a woman. This movie displays the ignorance of American pride by depicting that John's character was too stubborn to accept their ways and demonstrated that the American way of acceptance was how it should be. But in the end he grew and accepted the wisdom of the lady. I wonder if John eventually grew in this concept in real life.

The truth that we need to recognize about John's lack of military service is that a lot of Hollywood actors left the stage to serve in World War II, but a lot of them didn't. It doesn't seem to me that we have attacked the lack of service of the others that didn't. Why have we questioned John Wayne? It was said that Republic Studios didn't want him to leave for war, and even threatened him with a law suit if he did. Who are we to judge his patriotism?

I say that the only people that have this right are those that were drafted into service with families at home where they were the principal financial support, but the rest of us don't have that right as far as my belief system goes. It may or may not be a popular opinion, but a lot of people over our nation's history have avoided war be it just or unjust. We shouldn't judge one without judging them all, unless we have walked the hard mile ourselves.

In support of the war effort John Wayne toured the South Pacific Theater. He visited U.S. bases and hospitals. William Manchester is a noted author. He was also a wounded Marine from the taking of the Japanese held island of Okinawa, which was a notable siege during World War II. He was in the hospital when John Wayne came to visit. He wrote an article named "The Bloodiest Battle of All." It was published in January 6, 1987 issue of New York Times Magazine. In it he discussed how Marines viewed John Wayne's tour of the South Pacific.

It seems that John Wayne appeared as the All-American hero dressed from head to toe as the cowboy that he portrayed in the movies; he was there to save the day and then ride off into the sunset. One Marine started to boo him and then another, and then almost all were before it was all done. John had tried to argue his point, but they continued to boo him until he gave up and was forced to leave. In their minds he came dressed representing the "fake machismo" that the war battered veterans had come to despise. He wrote "if you like Sands of Iwo Jima, I suggest you be careful. Don't tell it to the Marines."

"Sands of Iwo Jima" is another movie that portrays John Wayne as a hero. But it is also known as one of the bloodiest if not the bloodiest battle of all time. It was not an overnight battle. It lasted for over a month. It contained extreme warfare tactics where the Marines had to fight against a well hidden and a seemingly impenetrable enemy. Marines took on heavy casualties, is a severe understatement. Are World War II Marines that dislike John Wayne justifiable in their distaste?

To me this is an extremely debatable topic, but I know the stand to take. He justifiably deferred from wartime induction into the military, but at the same time he continually portrayed himself as a war hero in the pursuit of his own financial gain. He showed up to a hospital full of real American heroes, and offended them with his "fake machismo." When he found out the real Marines were offended, instead of apologizing, he began to debate his stand.

From a personally biased standpoint, and from being a Marine myself, I feel that even if John had been right, he should have hidden his pride and accepted that he was not a hero in that hospital room and moved on. Beyond than an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; what he should have done was shown up in his normal attire shaking hands, and thanking them for being above and beyond everyday heroes by serving their country to their fullest.

To me arguing with Marines is not wise, and especially wounded ones. John Wayne decided to make that move. This stuck with Marine Corps pride, and has been I believe subconsciously debated ever since. I know that it was when I was on active duty. When I was a Marine recruit on Paris Island we were told by our Senior Drill Instructor that John Wayne is the only Marine that never graduated boot camp, but at the same time if we left the chin strap loose on our battle helmet, another drill instructor would scream obscenities asking us if we thought we were "John Fucking Wayne."

John Wayne's quick willingness to debate helps solidify the point that he was a man with extreme political views. In addition he helped found the "Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideas" foundation. It received criticism for pointing out actors that were considered to be suspected communists to the house committee on Un-American Activities. He served two terms as its president before its eventual collapse. John Wayne went on record saying that pointing out actors and their communist ideas didn't happen.

To some he was a hero, and it seems that to others he was a villain. He was outspoken with his points of view, being obviously wrong at times. In the May 1, 1971 issue of Playboy magazine he was interviewed and quoted as saying this about American social programs: "I believe in welfare – a welfare work program. I don't think a fella should be able to sit on his backside and receive welfare. I'd like to know why educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living. I'd like to know why they make excuses for cowards who spit in the faces of the police and then run behind the judicial sob sisters. I can't understand these people who carry placards to save the life of some criminal, yet have no thought for the innocent victim."

This statement is another example how John created controversy by blending obvious correct opinions with obvious wrong opinions within this nation's critical issues. It has been written about him that he felt that something was either obviously right, or obviously wrong. With this statement I interpret that he considered middle ground to not exist. To be honest I struggle with this thought process. Let's take his stand on welfare, and his right to work program. I agree that an able bodied person should support themselves and their family with able bodied work. But I also agree that social programs that help a person in need to get that leg up to be successful and should exist.

It is these types of programs that make us stronger, but wouldn't exist if we operated under the directions of his stated opinion. In this nation we have single parents that have been abandoned by their baby's fathers. But at the same time we have teenagers that just want to have sex damning the consequences of their actions. I am afraid that if we didn't have social programs to combat both of these issues we would only have more drastic consequences than we do. What we don't need is lack of concern by the American public, and total socialistic control of the American government. You see this is where we need to establish a middle or common ground. We need to work together, not against each other for the solutions.

It seems to me that a large portion of our nation's citizens determines a political party of choice and allies with that party. We have two major parties that we call the right and the left, or the liberals and the conservatives. A political issue comes up and it seems to me that it becomes a party concern instead of a social concern. I think that I struggle with the whole process that is currently in place. I don't think that either side is completely write or completely wrong. I think that the candidate that steps out of the big two political parties that we have doesn't stand a chance for election at any major level.

We have in sense created a political dinosaur. It's a resource that had its day, but I am afraid that we are in bad need of change. Unfortunately I don't think that in this situation that I have any power to effect change. This is a national and governmental concern that seems to me to be controlled mainly by lobbyists that promote their own political agendas. They seem to be allowed to dip into the taxpayer's pocketbook. We are a nation that seems to be quickly heading toward economic ruin. We sit back and wonder why, instead of analyzing obvious failures. It's not something that my speaking on can fix. We as a nation need to band together for the fix before we suffer the fate of Rome.

Vincent Canby of the New York Times wrote that John Wayne was "marvelously indestructible, and has become an almost father figure." It was said that in his later years, that John was admired and respected even by his critics for his performances and his political views. He appeared in the top ten movie Money Maker poll 25 times. That is the most by anyone. Clint Eastwood is second with 21 appearances.

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is the highest honor that can be given to a United States civilian. President Carter stated that "it was because of what John Wayne said about what we are and what we can be that his great and deep love of America can be returned in full measure." In 1979 he was awarded with a Congressional Gold Medal. In 2011 a Harris Poll placed him as third among America's favorite film stars. He is the only deceased star on the list. He is also the only star to appear on every Harris Poll since they were begun in 1994.

I struggle greatly with his being awarded the highest civilian award, when it seems that a lot of what he stood for was detrimental to our society, and not fundamental for it. To me he spoke as a man that truly had little personal struggle, and showed it in his political views. I think that he might have had a chip on his shoulder from having to work bit parts and low budget "B" rate movies throughout the 20's and 30's. Hello, that was the years of the depression. He was working wasn't he.

Our nation it seems to me has had great success at this type of mentality. We have for years watched the true national and social hero struggle, while we pour accolades and hero worship upon the rich and famous. We have spent years giving them special treatment and amplifying to the public any and all struggles that they have. Today we even provide it to the rich and famous for their social stupidity as well, and seem to glorify their stupid antics. It is such a popular concept that I can guarantee that almost everyone that reads this can list their own example instead of my having to.

John said that his movie screen persona was a gimmick. He said that he knew that he wasn't an actor. He said that he dreamed up his drawl, eye squint, and his movement. He even practiced them in front of the mirror. Before Marion was John Wayne, he was a delivery boy, a paper boy, a truck driver, a fruit picker, an ice hauler, a soda jerk, and a football player. But once he became the John Wayne that we know, he ended up appearing in over 250 films, with 142 of his roles being lead roles.

In 1969 he received the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in "True Grit," but he possibly played his most critical role in his 1976 film "The Shootist." It was here that he played the role of a dying gunman that was coming to the grips of understanding his own life and legend. While he played this role, John's health was quickly ailing, and he was fighting the cancer that eventually took his life. In 1964 he lost his left lung and several ribs to smoking induced lung cancer. In 1978 he had to have a heart valve replacement, and in January of 1979 he had to have his stomach removed due to cancer.

In 1959 John refused the leading role in "The Gunfighter" because he refused to work for Columbia Picture's chief Harry Cohn. It seems that he felt mistreated by Cohn earlier in his career. I read that Cohn had even created this role specifically with John in mind, and John still refused. In the end the movie rights were sold to 20th Century Fox, and they gave the role to Gregory Peck.

It seems to me that John had an uncanny knack for being able to make the right choices for high morals and self-esteem. I struggle with how could he have been so freaking stupid at the same time? Was it due to the fact that he was indeed a pampered male diva? Are we as a nation so guilty of his hero worship that we placed him above us all? Is it our fault, and not his? I would have to say nope... but I do agree that we turned him into a diva and gave him a highway to travel on with his Ferrari of bad ideas.

From early in John's career he developed a close personal bond with director John Ford who created a notable trilogy that contained some of John Wayne's best work. The movies were "Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," and "Rio Grande." In 1968 John served as director and lead start in "The Green Berets." It was the only movie during the Viet Nam conflict that supported our involvement.

In college John was a socialist. As a right wing conservative he had notable support for Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, Spiro Agnew, and Ronald Reagan. He showed support for democrat leaders Roosevelt and Truman. It was said that he fought for Americanism and Anti-Communism. His opinion of President John F. Kennedy was "I didn't vote for him, but he's my President and I hope he does a good job."

When I put this information collectively into one paragraph I struggle with thinking was he an innovative thinker for the future? Was he a wise man that could move out of the single party thinking type of mentality? Did he have the ability to stand for his character against all suppressors. Or was he a lost man that simply had no clue and went free spirited off into the world of politics creating enemies because he couldn't stay solid on one thought process.

John Wayne worked again as a director in his depiction of "The Alamo." The movie failed at the box office, but he still remained proud of his creation. He said that he created the movie because he wanted to show Americans what their country stands for... "What some of their forebears went through to win what they had to have or die – liberty and freedom." In 1949 he was offered a starring role in "All the King's Men," which ended up winning the Oscar for Best Male Actor that year, but it wasn't awarded to him because he refused the role because he felt that the movie was to un-American.

When John Wayne was given the nickname "Little Duke" by a local Glendale fireman because he had an Airedale dog named "Duke" that he seemed to never be without. This was the conception of him being known as "The Duke." John said that he much preferred it to his given name Marion. I guess I would have too.

During his college days John Wayne was studying to be a lawyer. He was at USC on a football scholarship, but while surfing he suffered a knee injury that forced him to lose his scholarship, which in turn caused him to forfeit his college education. When I think of his knee injury, and the mistake that he made to get it, I can't help but think about the age old debate of destination vs. predestination, and the concept of cause and effect. Where would have John Wayne's life had taken him if he hadn't blown out his knee? Where would it have taken him if he had been accepted into Annapolis? Would he have been the Duke?

John said himself that he didn't see himself as an actor. I wonder if he saw himself as a football player. His first choice was Annapolis. They didn't accept him, for some reason. Did this cause him to harbor resentment toward the military when he deferred from World War II? Are all of these unanswered questions nothing more than pointers that led him to his life of political controversy? I truly can't answer any of these questions, but I can't help but think that they were.

It seems to me that he was a man with great vision, but with the closed minded blinders of bitterness from his glass being half empty instead of half full. When I think of John Wayne, I remember my childhood and watching the larger than life actor on the screen. I remember all of his movies being played and replayed on Saturday and Sunday afternoon television theatre. I don't see a man that ever had to struggle. I read from an Internet site that I didn't give much credence to, that from the age of 12 he had to work and support himself.

I read that he worked a lot of jobs yes, and his father was ailing, but his father was also in his life, and had his own business. One of John's jobs was delivering items for his father. He had a natural physical size and talent of a football player. He may have failed getting into the Navy as an officer, but he was given a free ride scholarship to USC. If he struggled there, he did it to himself. Did John Wayne have a reason for feeling that his glass was half empty?

To be honest, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know that I struggled for years, and I love to place the blame on my being abandoned by my father. I even at times still make the mistake of his abandonment by explaining it away when I make my own mistakes with my own children.

It is no more right or wrong for me to feel this way than it is for how I think that John handled his issues when he seemed to have life almost handed to him on a silver platter. If we judge him or anyone else any differently we are doing two things wrong. We are first explaining away our own issues, and secondly we are placing the blame that we feel that others don't have the right for such issues because they were never abandoned, nor abused.

What we do know, is that John Wayne made mistakes, and from his mistakes he made public and social enemies that seemed to criticize his every move. He also made strong friends and allies that judged almost everything that he did and said as social and political success with hero worship mentality. John Wayne was considered by many to be larger than life. He was given accolades and awards that few in this country achieve. He was and still is a hero to many people.

Personally I struggle with it. If he had stayed a hero on the silver screen, then I wouldn't struggle so much. Unfortunately he didn't do that. He rode into the South Pacific as a reigning hero, when he should have been there recognizing heroism. He used his stardom as a statement of correctness, when he truly couldn't find a path and stick with it. How do you become a socialist one day, and then the next persecute those who are? How does one say that the only way to be accepted in our society is through hard work, when we have those physically incapable of working when they want nothing more than a successful career?

Unfortunately life is neither black nor white; it is an ugly shade of gray that has to be dealt with. It is the shade of muck, and there is nothing appealing or healthy about mucky water; mosquitoes with diseases prosper in such waters. We may never get to the bright side of life as a collective whole in this nation, but there is bright life here. The more that we work and blend the brightness into the muck to make it a better collective for the common good, then the closer we get to a bright society, which should be everyone's goal, instead of the judgmental condemnation of our fellow man.

Chapter 13 Chris Farley

Christopher "Chris" Crosby Farley was born on February 15, 1964 in Madison, Wisconsin. He was the son of Mary Anne and Thomas Farley Sr. Chris lived the life of excess, especially when it came to being the life of the party. His life of excess eventually killed him, and he was found dead from an apparent drug overdose by his younger brother Jim on the floor in his apartment in Chicago. He died on December 18, 1997, and his death is often compared to the death of John Belushi. Chris patterned his life much like John, and in the end it seems that he patterned his death in the same fashion. Chris was best known for his comedic work on Saturday Night Live.

After Saturday Night live, he started working in the major motion film industry. He did a lot of work with David Spade. Together they appeared on "Tommy Boy," "Black Sheep," and "Cone Heads." He also formed close bonds with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider, as well. They all worked together on Saturday Night Live. Collectively the five of them were known as the "Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live."

His friends described him as mentally unstable and desperate to be liked. Chris said about himself: "oh you know that Saturday Night Live show; ah it got way worse... oh yeah, it's just sad, they got that fat guy screamin all the time, come on pull the plug on that freakin thing..." It is obvious that Chris was putting himself down, but why? Was it from a low self-esteem, or was it maybe because he was mentally unstable?

Did Chris grow up feeling inferior and not worthy of the respect of others? Is this feeling what made him act out? To be honest having that feeling is being mentally unstable. But it isn't a form of uncontrollable instability. It is a sign of neglect and lack of support. It is the sign of a deeper childhood issue. One that should have been dealt with before Saturday Night Live ever even heard of Chris Farley.

It seems that his friends gave him a lot of tough love. I read that they all pretty much saw his tragedy coming, but in the end with everything that everyone did and tried no one could save Chris from Chris. Chevy Chase was not noted for being Chris's friend, but he was quoted as warning Chris with, "look you're not John Belushi. And when you overdose or kill yourself, you'll not have the same acclaim that John did... you'll be a blip in the New York Times obituaries page, and that will be it. Is that what you want? His comments were right on the spot. They were exactly what Chris needed to hear, but they were unfortunately either too late or unheeded.

On October 25, 1997 Chris was scheduled to appear as a guest host on SNL. His old boss Lorne Michaels however saw the shape that he was in, and decided to pull the plug on his hosting, but with his relationship with Chris he decided not to and let him perform instead. Michaels however in the end regretted his decision. Chris's performance was said to be full of forgotten lines, missed cues, and derailed sketches. Did Lorne and Chevy both recognize that the end was near, and the handwriting was on the wall so to speak?

By 1997 a decline in his health was being noticeably recognized by the press. His voice had become hoarse; he had continual perspiration, and flushed skin. Chris had sought treatment for his obesity and drug abuse on seventeen different occasions. Was he pleading for someone to please save him from himself? Drugs and alcohol as well as his weight always seemed to get in the way of his career. The production of his final film "Almost Heroes" was held up several times so Chris could attend rehab. His last films were released after his death.

His professional comedic start was at the Ark Improv Theater in Madison, and the Improv Olympic theater in Chicago. When he was young he spent many summers both as a camper and a counselor at Red Arrow Camp in Minocqua, Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University in 1986 with concentrations in communications and theater. As a youth counselor at camp he was extremely popular.

Chris grew up in the suburbs. He lived what seemed to be the life of a typical young suburbanite, and he made his reputation as the class clown. Chris was also known as a party animal, and the fame of it started to grow on Saturday Night Live. After his release from SNL and he jumped into the main stream media of film his fame seemed to balloon out of proportion. His fame wasn't the only thing that grew in this fashion. His party life seemed to grow abundantly as well, and it became his undoing.

Chris Rock blames it all on what was his uncontrollable need for approval. He said that "Chippendales was a weird sketch. The joke is basically "we can't hire you because you're fat." There is no comic twist to it, it is just fucking mean. Chris wanted so much to be liked. As funny as it was, this sketch and its message is one of the things that killed him." As Chris Farley became more and more popular he wanted less and less to be the "fat guy that always falls down." At the time of his death he weighed 296 pounds.

It seems to me that Chris Farley made many life style choices that created the results that he inevitably wanted away from. If he wanted to be healthy and not overweight, then instead of seeking treatment seventeen times for obesity, he should have recognized and listened to what they had to say. You can almost bet that they all said for him to change his life style, and monitor his food intake.

If he truly wanted to be accepted by people, then he should have changed the excessiveness in his life when it came to drugs and being a party monster. I say monster, because there comes a time when too much excess is simply too much, and normal people, even your friends don't want to see it, hear it, or even be near it. David Spade said that he is still taking the heat for not saving Tommy Boy: "I got a lot of shit at the end about why weren't you there for him? But being that close I dealt with it all the time. And in that situation, before the guy's dead, he's just that kind of an asshole. Truth is you get a junkie who's wasted all the time and moody, and angry, and trying to knock you around, you say, 'ok, you go do that, and I'll be over here.'"

Chris Farley spent the last day of his life with a prostitute named Heidi. She had joined him around 11:00am on December 17, 1997. After they had several hours of hard core partying they went back to Chris's apartment. There they continued to party even more hard core. Heidi stated that she left Chris at nearly 3:00am on the 18th. It was nearly 12 hours later that his brother John found him on the floor of his apartment dead from a speedball overdose.

If Chris wanted to be just like John Belushi, it seems that he made it. Both of them were members of the Second City Theatre, Saturday Night Live cast members, and both died of drug overdose and excessive life style complications at the age of 33. Well I guess there is truth in the statement to be careful what you wish for.

Over 500 people attended his funeral. There were many notable comedic actors in attendance that day, but David Spade his best friend wasn't in the list. David was quoted as saying, "he couldn't be in the same room where Chris was in a box." He did however appear on a Saturday Night Live special and call for a remembrance of Chris.

When Thomas Farley Sr. was questioned about the results of Chris's autopsy he wouldn't comment about it, but he did mention about his death, "I'm just getting over it. I know he's in God's hands now." It is always wrong to look back and place blame on the mistakes of any given situation, especially one that involves an incidental death. I say incidental because his death truly could have been avoided.

From what David Spade said about taking a lot heat because he couldn't save "Tommy Boy," and that his dad said that in the end the Chris was in the hands of God. I wonder if Chris's dad realizes that it wasn't neither David's nor God's fault that Chris became out of control and unmanageable. Chris it seems had become so out of control that David didn't want to be around him. Is it possible that God didn't want to be around him either while he was that out of control? I know this sounds harsh, but even God I believe can only tell us so many times the message that he wants us to hear. We tend to make accusations at times, of "how could a just God have let this happen? I say how do we know that a just God didn't warn him even more than his friends did? How do we not know that it just might have been a just God that was sending every one of those friends there to warn him?

I found on the Internet the Chris Farley Foundation. I can't help but wonder what they do to help. I know that it is not my place to judge them, but I read what seem to be their core beliefs, and they state: "The Chris Farley Foundation is driven by a belief that true success is best achieved through collaboration. Early on, we realized that our primary strength and core assets were an unmatched ability to open the eyes and ears of target audiences." "The Chris Farley Foundation seeks to use its own ability to draw attention by redirecting that focus on the local organizations, schools, and communities."

I wonder if Chris's father had the same core of beliefs while Chris was alive. Did he collaborate with Chris letting him know that his life was out of focus..., before it became out of control? I can't help but think did his dad realize that Chris was his target audience and that if Chris was to achieve true success it would be between his and Chris's collaboration? As parents we all need to recognize this when our children are young, and provide a lifetime of follow through. There is no greater responsibility that a parent has. It has nothing to do with how much we can provide our children with physical tangible items. It is how well we provide them with intangible thought processes.

After Chris graduated college he began working for his father in Madison at the Scotch Oil Company. I read that he grew up in a blue collar family as one of five children. Is this what we view as a blue collar family, one that owns an oil company? We look around today and see what the oil companies are doing to our nation's economy and we call that blue collar? It seems to me more like white collar than blue collar.

What I see from Chris Farley is that it unfortunately is much like Chevy Chase said about his being no John Belushi. John Belushi was an original. John Belushi lived a life of excess that killed him. But he was the shooting star. Chris should have been smart enough to stand underneath that shooting star and watch its example as it fell to earth, but he didn't. Instead he chose to be one of the brighter trailing sparks that we already discussed that trailed behind John Belushi.

Just like the shooting star itself, it seems as bright but it is nothing more than a product of the star. It isn't nearly as huge, and does nothing more than follow a predetermined path that is determined by the star. It is the path of example. It seems that Chris in this situation followed Belushi's example even when it noticeably crashed to the earth. It is a sad story, and the saddest part is that it could have been prevented, but it wasn't up to Chris's friends to provide the prevention.

It truly was the job of his close friends to provide warning, but it was the job of Chris's parents when he was a child to provide the direction and guidance that would have enabled him as a leader, and not the trailing follower of the bad example of a shooting star. If those things were provided by his parents, then it was Chris's job to watch, listen, and to respond with adequate reasoning. He didn't have to be perfect. He just had to be Chris; not John or anyone else.

I believe as a child Chris became victim of peer pressure from wanting so badly to be accepted. In life we all see the effect that peers have on peers. Peer pressure is a common mishap in the young. Chris had to have struggled at some point in his life to be accepted, or it wouldn't have been raging in him as an adult. It was a distorted thinking process that came from his youth. Someone somewhere had to have seen this issue in him. It doesn't matter right now if they responded or not, but it also should be noted to those that blamed David for not saving "Tommy Boy" that Chris's problems came long before then, and that the blame placed upon David Spade, or any of his other friends was wrong.

The example that we should gather from the story of Chris Farley is that we need to recognize triggers and pointers in our kids. We shouldn't live in the realm of denial that says my kid doesn't have any issues; they are everybody's friend; everyone enjoys them and that if they are the class clown that they are just seeking attention. My child is popular, and well balanced within this thought process. Your child needs you to be strong and to the point, even if they are in denial and don't want to hear it.

When children act out in this fashion it may indeed be the story of a class clown that is doing nothing more than just seeking attention, but it may also be a sign of a much deeper problem; a problem that doesn't follow a monetary social standard. It may represent an issue where a child needs intense counseling or therapy. It needs to be addressed without judgment, but with strong concern and love.

Chris sought help for his issues as an adult. To be honest, it was just a little bit too late. His life was no longer out of focus, it was out of control. It is a parent's responsibility to track problems of this nature in their children while they can more easily be given focus. As an adult he had the money to seek help, but he didn't have the self-discipline. He didn't have the stick-to-itiveness.

It is important to recognize that self-discipline isn't punishment, or even self-punishment. It is preventive maintenance, which is the best maintenance. It is much easier to analyze weaknesses and flaws in anything before it breaks instead of after it breaks; especially in our children. If you don't truly know your kids, then you are not going to be able to save them when, and not if they need saving. Every child at some point needs a life line; do not ever make the mistake of thinking that yours is any different.

Chapter 14 Dan Daly

Sergeant Major Daniel "Dan" Joseph Daly, USMC was born November 11, 1873 and lived till April 27, 1937. He was one of the fightinest Marines known to ever walk this planet. He lived to protect our nation and the word "Honor" that the United States Marine Corps wears proudly on its chest. From it and his service he earned more accolades than he cared to count. Dan Daly said that he won about a hat full of them. I say what he earned can't be measured in any vessel. He helped earn this nation its freedom and its global respect. I think that it is my job right now to tell you just how he did it.

Sergeant Major Dan Daly stood at 5' 6" tall, and weighed about 130 pounds. The man was little in stature, but he was gigantic in heart and fighting spirit. He was fearless, tough, and well respected among both commissioned officers and enlisted men alike. His example epitomizes what it means to be a Marine. Dan Daly proved to be fearless in battle and a courageous leader that was respected by his fellow marines, but something tells me that there was much more than that within the soul of this man. Dan Daly was offered a commission as a Marine Corps officer several times, but he stated that "he would rather be an outstanding sergeant than just another officer."

I believe that Daniel Daly was telling the Corps that as an enlisted Marine he felt comfortable, and that he knew the Marines that he served with. He was telling everybody that it was more important to be respected by the Marines that followed his in the trenches personality than it was to receive any accolade. He earned his praises from all that served with him; not just generals. And he damned well deserved them.

All Marines know about the battle of Belleau Woods during World War I. We came out with the name "Devil Dogs" because of that battle. It is possibly known as Dan Daly's greatest moment during the war. He served for the Marine Corps in all four corners of the world. Dan Daly felt that there was no better cause in his life than serving his country as a United States Marine enlisted man. That I can say without any doubt. I also would like to say that I wish that I were able to have met him in person. I know exactly what I would have done. I would have snapped to the position of attention; saluted him, said good morning sir, and hoped that he didn't beat the hell out of me for saluting an enlisted man and calling him sir. Yes, I am smart enough to know that we salute the Medal of Honor.

Major General John Lejeune stated that Dan Daly is "the outstanding Marine of all time." Major General Smedley Butler call him the "fightinest Marine I ever knew," and "that it was an object lesson to have served with him." Sergeant Major Dan Daly fought with exceptional gallantry against heavy odds throughout all of his service and call to duty.

Sergeant Major Dan Daly was one of only nineteen men in the history of our nation to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor twice, and one of only two recipients to have received it for service on two separate occasions. He was recommended for the medal a third time for his bravery and gallantry during the battle of Belleau Woods, but it was felt for some political reasoning beyond my comprehension that no man should receive such an honor a third time. I have to ask just what were they thinking? A man serves, fights, offers his life to this nation to such extremes, and they thought he didn't deserve such recognition? I have to ask if it was because he was enlisted and refused to become part of their club.

Sergeant Major Dan Daly was a strict disciplinarian, yet fair minded and very popular among both officers and enlisted men. He was noted not only for his recklessness during combat, but for his constant attention to the needs of his men. He received his first Medal of Honor in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion for single handedly defending his position against repeated attacks and killing around 200 attacking Chinese Boxers.

During the rebellion Dan Daly volunteered to assume a lone post along what was called the Tarter Wall. He was about 100 yards in front of the nearest Marine defensive. His only weapons were his fixed bayonet and his bolt action rifle, which is the primary fighting tool of every basic Marine. Dan Daly spent that night alone and exposed. He continually had to fight off attacks from the Chinese Boxers.

By the time the sun came up the next morning at his position laid approximately 200 dead Boxers, and an alive and healthy Dan Daly. There are those that say that the number of dead Boxers is slightly exaggerated; take it from a former Marine, Dan Daly didn't count, and he didn't care how many lay dead... fuck 'em all up and let God deal with the count is any Marines response to that statement.

God has a hard-on for United States Marines because they kill everything that they see. Marines are the motherfuckers that we send in when shit needs to be taken care of, and if you were to say that the Corps is one of the most badassed military organizations of all time, I don't think that you are going to get too many people that will disagree, or even less that will debate the subject. It is a mutual understanding that when jackasses need their shit fucked up, the Marines are the President's first phone call.

On November 10, 1775 the Marine Corps was formed in Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. Since then the Marine Corps has defended this great nation in every climb and place both foreign and domestic. The Corps has one basic philosophy; fight with honor, pride, and never retreat. This is why God has a hard-on for Marines. The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis (Semper Fi,) which is Latin for always faithful.

The Marine Corps was put into place to serve aboard naval vessels to keep ships and their crewmembers safe. Today the Marine Corps has expanded into approximately 203,000 active duty Marines, and about 40,000 Marine Corps Reservists. The Corps proudly supports it claim to being both the smallest and most tenacious (to put it politely) branch of military service in the United States of America. We are still even proud of keeping the Navy safe.

Every Marine is trained to be a basic rifleman. Marines serve this mission no matter their training, or specialty. Marines are trained with the thought that when shit hits the fan, then they pick up a weapon and hit back, if not first. On November 19, 1868 the Corps adopted its emblem. It is its Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. The eagle is placed sitting atop of the globe representing that we serve the United States above all others. The globe symbolizes our serving the global community, and the anchor symbolizes that we have a steep tradition of naval service. We are proud of our hymn, and it was the first adopted official military song in our nation.

In World War II as a nation we fought two fronts at the same time. Marines fought the Japanese in the south Pacific Islands. It is considered to be some of the deadliest and bloodiest campaign fighting that our nation has ever suffered. One of the deadliest battles was over a chunk of boulder called Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima. A photograph was taken as four Marines and a single Navy Corpsman raised the United States flag on top of that chunk of rock. The photograph has been instilled into the history of the Corps, and even our nation. A monument has been erected depicting its replication.

All Marines are proud of that moment in time. It represents that the Corps will overcome adversity in any place even if it is a large chunk of boulder that stands between us and our democracy. With Marines it will always be a fight to the death for anything different. As Americans we all need to adopt this defensive and aggressive train of thought to bring our nation back to what it was. If we don't we just might end up once again fighting over a barren chunk of boulder, and it will be the land that we currently stand on. Is that what any of us want?

Sergeant Major Dan Daly and Major General Smedley Butler both have the right to stake a claim on the title of being America's greatest fighting man. They chewed up the same piece of turf together more than once. They both have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor twice; on two different merits of combat. They both proudly wear the title U.S. Marine, like no other man ever has that I know of.

Both of these warriors have almost identical and equal combat records, with their individual claims to heroism. They are brothers in arms that came from two different backgrounds. Sergeant Major Daly was a common man that little is known about his personal life. He was the model of professionalism as a modest and humble noncommissioned officer. General Butler was a flamboyant and charismatic Marine Corps officer who always spoke his mind and didn't care how many boats that he rocked.

Dan Daly at the age of 44 I believe found himself struggling internally. Our nation was again at war and was again in need of defense. I think he found himself knowing that his skills were once again necessary, or maybe he simply knew that a great nation has great men, and that these great men are called upon from time to time to serve in its defense no matter at what stage of life that they are in. God gave Dan Daly the ability to be the type of man that could muster such courage in times of adversity. It is not a talent bestowed upon every man. If it were this world would be in even more turmoil than it is. The ability to serve at such a high level is only given to the wise; the men that know when to serve, and when to simply watch from afar.

Dan Daly was watching from afar as our nation entered into World War I. He knew that he still had something left. He was a great American warrior, and great warriors answer their call to duty, especially if it is calling from their soul's internal strife. During this call to battle he earned three more badges of courage, along with three more wounds to remind him where he had been, and what he had done. Yes, the man that was Sergeant Major Dan Daly that stood only 5' 6" tall and weighed in at about a buck thirty was a badassed little son of a bitch, and didn't seem to care if he lived or died, as long as he did it as a Marine in defense of his country.

Dan Daly was a First Sergeant at the time when he entered France and World War I in November of 1917. He served in the 73rd Machine Gun Company's 6th Marine Regiment. On June 6, 1918 he was in the middle of Belleau Woods. The Marines had to advance through a field of waist high wheat with no other cover into devastating machine gun fire coming from the Germans covered in a thicket of woods. Marines found themselves pinned down and isolated by interlocking machine gun fire.

At some point First Sergeant Dan Daly decided that it was either time to shine, or time to live or die. Dan Daly yelled "come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" as he began to charge the machine gun fire coming from the woods. Throughout the siege of Belleau Woods, Marines fought with the ferocity of "Dogs from Hell" according to the German soldiers that the Marines there eventually overcame and defeated.

Marines chose to shine in Belleau Woods. They did it with the motivation of an uncommon warrior. I wonder what would have happened if Dan Daly had not have taken another stand during World War I, and I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't been in that spot at that time. Would the Marine Corps still be holding on to the legacy that it holds on to today? Marines have overcome for over 236 years. They would have survived Belleau Woods, but they were definitely better off with Dan Daly fighting with them. And from it Marines claim the title of "Devil Dog."

Dan Daly was wounded in combat multiple times, but lived through it every time. He died as a civilian and retired Marine. As far as I am concerned he claims the title of the best. From his actions in combat he put the "DAMN" in showing us all what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. I don't believe in war, and I definitely don't believe in killing, but I do believe that it is a fact that war and casualties of war is what has made us free, and it is what keeps us free. I was once in a conversation with a Gunnery Sergeant when I was a corporal, and we were discussing the topic of war. I told him that I didn't believe in war, and he shockingly looked at me and asked me why I ever joined the Marine Corps, if I didn't believe in war. I responded to him that just because I didn't believe in it, didn't mean that I wasn't willing to participate in it. I am in no way a Dan Daly, but I do believe that I gained a bit of respect with that statement.

I honestly believe that Dan Daly fought with the same thought process. I don't believe for one minute that the quiet man that he was fought for glory. If he had have been that type of person, I believe he would have become an officer. No this man fought in the trenches, and fought with the intensity of not caring if it killed him or not. There has to be something much greater than glory that drives that type of man, and there is. It is called pride and honor. He was a man that knew the direction that this nation needed to go, and he knew what he was willing to do to support his beliefs in this nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.

It seems to me however that today this nation has lost the direction that men like Dan Daly and Smedley Butler fought to maintain. Today it seems that our nation is full of muckraking, economic turmoil, and power and control issues. These issues are dragging our nation down. I watch and I listen and it seems to me that there is no right amongst all of the wrong. I think that as a nation we need to take the advice from old Marine Corps drill instructor mentality when dealing with a recruit that just doesn't seem to get it. Simply and without hesitation we need to unfuck ourselves.

It was October 24, 1915 and Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly was the senior staff noncommissioned officer on patrol. Their mission and destiny was to capture Fort Riviere, and defeat 400 Cacos Rebels during the Haiti peacekeeping campaign. In the process Dan Daly was about to earn his second Congressional Medal of Honor. He had approximately 35 Marines mounted on horseback, and one machine gun with ammunition being carried by a pack mule.

The 400 Cacos rebels attacked them while crossing a river in a deep ravine. They were nothing less than sitting ducks in a shooting gallery. By the time the immediate shooting was over they had lost not one Marine, but they had lost 12 horses and the pack mule carrying the machine gun. The mule they lost was in the river; with it they lost their only machine gun. Believe it or not, but during this point in time, the losses of the horses and mule were more devastating to possible victory than was the loss of human life. It didn't look good.

Gunnery Sergeant Daly maneuvered his Marines into a tight perimeter to provide an adequate defense as they continued to fight off the rebels that strongly outnumbered them. Dan Daly knew that without the machine gun there was no chance for survival. He waited until nightfall, and slipped out and went on his own reconnaissance mission to retrieve the machine gun. He silently took out several rebels on his way.

Once to the river, in the dark, and under heavy enemy fire he began to work to recover the missing weapon. He repeatedly dove in the river until he found the dead mule. Once he found the mule, he cut the machine gun and ammunition away. It took him several trips, but he hauled everything that he needed to the river bank, and then packed the over 200 pounds of machine gun and ammunition back within his established perimeter. At dawn with his machine gun in place they attacked Fort Riviere killing, maiming, and scattering the rebels to take the fort.

Colonel David M. Shoup made a famous Marine Corps quote that describes the combat presence of Dan Daly. It goes: "Casualties many; percentage of dead not known; combat efficiency; we are winning." My question is where is our nation headed today? Take a close look around, and you will see many casualties. We have more kids within the social system than we have ever had before with too many social issues. We continue to lose more and more jobs every day. I just heard on television today from a politician that made a plain but simple statement. He said that our government cannot create jobs; that it can only provide an environment that is conducive to prompting jobs to develop.

What exactly did he mean by that? Did he mean that we are on a sinking ship, so vote for him so that he can lead us while we still sink? Did he say that the percentage of dead is not known, and that our combat efficiency is that we are winning? Well I've got news for this man. We shouldn't have to be fighting within our own borders for survival. It is not combat efficiency, and unfortunately I don't think that we're winning.

Dan Daly retired from the Marine Corps officially on February 6, 1929, and died at the age of 65 on April 28, 1937. This great man fought for this country and its beliefs until he was around 53 years old. Defending this nation was nothing less than his life and he showed it. Where I ask are our nation's heroes today? I don't mean to insult any military personnel in any branch overseas, but I can tell you where our nation's heroes are: they are in the streets every day beating their feet for a job, just to pay the bills, no matter what the job is.

They are standing in what seems to be unbearable lines just to find out the only job available was filled before they got there but they will gladly take their application. Then they are sent home to be treated like second class citizens while the bank is hounding them for their house mortgage that they can't pay because their unemployment has long since ran out. They get up the next day and look for the next job just hoping they get lucky while the politician in a three piece suit tells them that he can lead but not provide any jobs. Well, take a page from Dan Daly's example; he has shown you what heroes are capable of when insurmountable odds are staring them in the face. Who is the enemy within our borders is the only question left to answer, or is it?

Is the "man" the enemy, or is there more than one of them? Is it the top 10%? Do they show any concern for the common and simple man that truly is our nation's hero? Their pockets seem to be getting fatter while the 90% are being forced to trim corners. We are being forced to pay higher prices for a lesser product; a product that is our nation itself. Are they trying to bring us down to our knees? If so why? Is it nothing more than an ego boost? Is it for power and control? If it is, I hate to tell you this, but this type of thinking is working toward the destruction of our democracy. It is nothing less than a potential dictatorship. Do they honestly think that the heroes of this nation will stand by let it happen easily? In the words of General Oliver P. Smith: "Retreat hell! We're just attacking in another direction!"

We are a nation of common people. It is the simple man that goes to work every day to pay his bills that keeps this nation strong. It is the same simple man that lines up from a call of duty to defend what we call a great nation. They do this with a "First to Fight" mentality. The Marine Corps is full of this type of man and woman. They come from inside this nation. They are children of their parents. It is the same parents that are struggling to stay at work. I strongly suggest that this nation's leaders unfuck themselves by working for the people instead of their lobbyists. They need to provide jobs, not an environment. We already have a fucking environment. I hate to say it, but if we don't come up with some answers and soon, our nation's leaders are going to find out quick who taught today's Marines to be the first to fight, and why they taught them.

Today a destroyer bears the name of Dan Daly. It seems pretty fitting to me when I think of it. Dan Daly was known to be a quiet and reserved man that loved the Marine Corps. He loved it, because he was born to be a destroyer of what was unjust. A destroyer is not the biggest, loudest, or meanest ship in the fleet. It by no means comes close to the glamour and purpose of an aircraft carrier, but it is called a destroyer for a reason. Dan Daly was possibly the Marine Corps greatest destroyer at 5' 6" tall and 130 pounds.

I am a man that sees this nation's peril. I don't feel that I see anything that many others like me can't see for themselves. I simply want to put my name in the ring as a man that isn't afraid to fight for the cause of this great nation. I still don't believe in war, and I still don't believe in killing. I am not Dan Daly, Smedley Butler, or any other national hero. I am nothing more than what I have strived to be all my life. I am a survivor. I have survived the adversity that is our nation's worst enemy. I am surviving within the nation itself. I am one of many of our nation's simple men.

We are struggling to stay at work, and we are struggling to feed our families. I can't stop believing that we are still a great nation. I can't stop believing that we will survive into the future. But a small but extremely strong portion of this nation is working to tear it down. It is obvious to me and a lot of other people. There is one thing however that I feel that I do have in common with Dan Daly. In Belleau Woods he had another statement that he made that isn't quite so famous. I am going to take a page out of his life and end it like this. Here is to you Sergeant Major Dan Daly, USMC where ever you are please have a drink on me; "retreat... hell, I just got here."

Bibliography

Books

Boyington, Gregory "Pappy". Baa Baa Black Sheep. n.d.

Crockett, David. Davy Crockett's Own Story as Written by Himself. n.d.

Gordon-Reed, Annette. Andrew Johnson (the Presidents). n.d.

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