Beakerkin on Leave

Some officers crave human contact. Others prefer to toil with less public interaction. Despite the views of my peers I prefer the later. The key is too self entertain and transform the office to a factory. Crank the music up
close the door minimize extraneous interactions.

Predictable Media Blames Guns But Ignores Mental Health System Failures

Once again after a shooting the media and hypocritical leftists will rail about guns. The predictable image of a grieved parent blaming guns comes in seconds. While we should empathize with the loss of these families the media needs to stop feigning innocence with its own role in these events.

The killer was once again well known to mental health care providers. These killers often come from affluent  to upper middle income families and have access to quality mental health care. Institutionalization has become a bad word, but the average family is not equipped to deal with ticking time bombs.

The media coverage of every aspect of the pathetic lives of these killers is part of the problem. No doubt the public has a right to know who went haywire. Yet the desire for celebrity is part of the motivating factor behind theses massacres. If you want your rants published just shoot a few people and the media will go to absurd lengths to report it.

The mental health care profession needs to be held under scrutiny. What is the name of the professional who
treated this person. This is not to say that all of the blame belongs on the clinician. However, is this a case of
clinicians not having the tools and resources to address a serious case or misdiagnosis. Mental health care also depends on the co-operation of the patient.

We need to stop reporting these idiotic manifestos. These manifestos have little information useful to the public. If a hypothetical criminal was obsessed with trans fat and bringing back Good and Fruity let it be discussed at lengths by criminologists not the mass media.

At a certain point the question of affluence and long term mental illness is appropriate. We hear familiar rants about untreated mental illness and crime from the media. Yet the perpetrator was neither indigent, nor untreated and no questions have been asked.

Spending the day with the family

It is Guyana independence day and I will celebrate the birth of my adopted country in Queens. Guyana. Of all the moments I pass being a father and grandfather are the best. I didn't expect to enjoy the role so much, but it suits me.

A nice day with the girlfriend, daughter, grand kid (long story) and friends from the Guyanese community is on tap. I will eat some curried lamb with bora.

I want to wish all the veterans of the armed forces a happy Memorial Day. War is something to be done after all else has failed. My grandfather was a proud veteran of a forgotten war for a country he loathed and left at the first opportunity.

Enjoy time with the family or loved ones.

The little Maltese will greet my return. I fell asleep on the patio yesterday. He jumped out the window and wanted to run.

Spent some time with the family

My daughter and her cousin were there. Have no idea how those small girls can devour such large quantities

of ice cream and string cheese. My relatives from Guyana were over. Part of me is more at home in the forest or the jungle than the concrete canyons. 

I could use a stint in nature.

The Round Up

I will be off to visit with my family in Queens. I love spending time with my daughter. As I get older the time with my daughter means more to me. Oddly, I never seem to think of my own moments as a child.

It is memorial day and I am not doing the usual survivor tour. My older half brother was in the Navy and sometimes servicemen would want to retrace the events of an ordinary man. 9-11 is far enough away that the people signing up really don't seem to think about that much.

I want to thank those who served as well as the families who stayed at home while their loved ones served.
Some of us respect the traditions and honor that go with serving in the military.

I remember being in the South on Veterans day at the Golden Corral.  I was with a few friends that served and felt embarrassed when vets thanked me for my service as a federal officer. I pointed out I don't carry a gun. They pointed out the nature of the work commands respect. It was a humbling experience.

There are those at work who claim the new mission is punishment. My opposition to one task is well known. Sadly, if this is a punishment I am enjoying it. I don't have to fix mistakes of people who boast about their work. The attorneys are not pleased because I am a popular guy and can be counted on for a fair hearing.
Peers that are burned out are annoyed because I don't have to interview unless it is an emergency. I can stay in my office get cases done and listen to SURF music. I actually enjoy interviewing, but that aggressive format is not for me. Also you get to see who does what in that format and not seeing the work of your peers is best.

Right now I am in the infrastructure phase.

Enjoy the holiday

Monday is Guyana independence day as well as the birthday of John Wayne and James Arness.

Decorum and professionalism

A couple of stories in the news.  A CNN employee was allegedly fired for wearing absurd outfits to work.  The suit alleges gay bias. While there is lots of discussion about what is and is not appropriate work wear the discussion involves heterosexual females 90% of the time. 90% of that is from females bothered by other females wearing skimpy outfits.

Being male I am burdened by the absurd tie. I don't like ties and they get in the way. If I am performing a ceremony or testifying in court this is another matter. It is an anachronistic feature that should be optional.

However, if I chose to dress up like Davy Crockett or in  traditional  Indian attire then that is a distraction.

One time is a joke, but a long term pattern is something else. If I wore the Guyanaman shirt every week that would be an issue.

This issue is not homosexuality so much as outrageous clothes creating a distraction. 

Thank a Guyanese

On Monday Guyana celebrates its independence day. As a tribute to our community the rest of you have off.
Pull up a beer and head to a hammock.

Pregnancy BS

As I depart my area, my last of the odious interview type was supposed to be yesterday. Then an extra  set of cases was added to my desk due to a coworkers pregnancy. This person had a huge mouth and wanted to do the toughest work. Now she alters schedules and everyone has to take her dirty work. No big deal if she didn't make such a production,

Mayoral Adams Family

I don't hold the fact that the Mayor's wife was a lesbian against her. In the real world there are those who do make choices and decide to change paths. Although her specific choice of a stoner partner is perfect fodder
for comedy.

In the campaign, the Mayor hid behind the media crafted image of a wonderful family. The most absurd element was getting the son's oversize afro in every ad. There is a running joke that if the Mayor's son gets a haircut, he might have to change jobs.

The revelation that she was not the best mother is no shock. That being said she is hardly alone in this respect. All of us including myself end up short at times. It is a human frailty and a sign of the times. The very wealthy hire domestics to do the menial functions and none of us say a word.

No the Mayors family was not as perfect as advertised. Then again no family is or should be expected to be
a post card or corporate logo.  Despite claims by our stoner mayor, the Guilani and Bloomberg family were not marketed like Chef Boyardee.

Yes the Slacker Mayor's family is not perfect. Then again whose family  looks and functions like an ad anyway. On a certain level  many of us are more Bundy than Walton.

Good night John boy... Shut the %^%6^^ up braaaapp..

To be imperfect is to be human.

Watching Holocaust the Miniseries again

Watching this as an adult I am actually more impressed by the professionalism and competence of the performers. As a teen one does not catch the level of skill of a George Rose or a Stanley Lebor. The skill of most of the lead performers was evident even on the initial viewing.

Sadly the very talented George Rose was murdered.

Leftist obsessions

The truth is that radical leftists are the most bigoted people on the planet. In one case a lefty was shocked when his anti semitic screeds were featured on Stormfront. This drew no critical comment from 90% of his communist comrades. Especially silent was one Renegade Eye, who went into silence. I contrast this with his

vocal claims that he is a Jew. A hysterical classic was when the Kapo hailed the political views of porn star Nina Hartley as a Jew, but not a Zionist.

We frequently hear commies use code words for Joos like Neocon, Zionist and Israel firster.  The last one is amusing because communists themselves are synonymous with treason in the USA. Also a person with an attachment to a failed idea that seeks the overthrow of the US government should not question the loyalty of those who support an ally. The only other group treated to this obsession is Cuban Americans.

Familiar Communist rants

1) Zionist media cabals

2) Neocon cabals in government

3) Israel had advance warning on 9-11.  Obviously, they forgot to tell me. I could have gotten hurt.

4) Jewish control of Universities. How does the planets most strident Anti Semite get hired at over four Universities with no scholarship? Did we mention he was a Maoist, but does the I am an ordinary Jew outraged by ......

5) Obsessive searching for who is a Joo bit. Rupert Murdoch, Capriles and others who oppose the far left get the label tossed on like an epithet.

Communists have a scathing hypocritical blind spot with Muslims. Western colonialism is evil, but Islamic varieties are peachy. Jim Crow laws are evil, but Islamic versions are peachy. Pat Robertson is torched for stupid comments about gays, but Muslims who preach killing gays are fine. Actual people who advocate imposing religious law are ignored, but the Born again crew are evil.

Communists also have lethal obsessions with farmers, land lords and small businessmen. The wealthy ones like Soros can merely buy fealty with donations. Communists have seized farms and businesses and shortages occur predictably.

Communists are obsessed with indigenous people only when they are expedient. They will obsess about 

contrived ethnicities like Pseudostinians while ignoring actual ones like Kurds, Berbersand all types of tribal 

groups.  Commies feign some sort of mythical connection to Native Americans steal their history and herd them onto collective farms. Commies even herd disruptive ethnic groups off their indigenous lands and resettle them. Commies also have placed numerous Chinese and Russian settlers onto lands of other indigenous people while railing about the West Bank. Did we mention that Jews are the indigenous people there? 

Commies play fast with the New Testament. The familiar Jesus was a Palestinian is a classic bit that should get howls of laughter. Jesus wasn't called the King of the Palstinians. There was no mention of that term in the works of Josephus. Palestinians lived by the Gaza strip and are believed to come from Crete. They have zero connection to Palestinians. The claim that they are Canaanites is the latest fad. Canaanites are more likely related to Jews than Arabs. For a genuine look at the Judaic roots of Jesus look no further than Zola Leavitt. Commies frequently rant about Zola being a Jew. The late Zola Leavitt would point out that Jesus and his entire teachings are Jewish in substance and form.

The USA is the subject of several mindless rants. The familiar rants about passports, not knowing a second language will be examined here.

Americans don't travel abroad. Yes because we work much harder than lazy Euros with large socialist entitlements and high unemployment. Also the distances between borders are vast. Travel between NY and CA would span several countries in Europe. Moreover until recently one did not need a passport to travel to Canada or certain Islands in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, illegal aliens have made this a thing of the past.

Our history is not the same as Europe. In  my grandparents region people were multi lingual  by history.

Jews spoke Yiddish, Polish, Russian and German  in her area. As the borders are closer and invasions are fairly frequent this is a practical matter. Similarly people in Northern Vermont are bilingual in French due to a nearby border. This is why I also have some limited grasp of French. Had I stayed a decade, I might be bilingual. Plenty of New Yorkers are bilingual in Spanish, Mandarin, Russian in the course of doing business.

Actual religious, ethnic and sexual minorities emigrate to this country from Europe every day. An Indian in media stated "I can live in the UK or France for decades and be viewed as foreign. In the USA I am just another American". Despite the shrill rhetoric about gays and the USA they frequently do migrate here to big cities from the EU and every spot on the planet.

Gun culture. A gun is a tool and in many cases hunting and fishing are part of the local customs. Poor people do hunt to supplement their diets. Gun deaths have more to do with mental illness and cultural acceptance of violence. As European crime rates continue to rise this is no longer American.   

The Government Email Policy and Lois Lerner

Recently the government has actively changed the computers so one can not look at private email accounts at work. The ability to engage in criminal activities from government computers is very real. Privacy is a serious matter and Lois Lerners actions are criminal. Talking about individual information is a serious violation of privacy.

If we discuss a case, no names or data is exchanged. If  I consult with a peer the attorney might look at the file to see if I missed something. In this case, the US associate attorney has a right to know and examine the entire record. In this case the identity is incidental to examining the legal record.

Example a US Citizen marries a woman from country X. He petitions for his wife and dies before the petition is handled. Note we have not stated a name, location of the country. We are discussing how to handle a case scenario. Once we add names and specifics this is still legal so long as it remains in private conversation between an officer and US attorney. In reality even between agencies sometimes we do  talk about specific cases. These conversations are subject to strict disclosure rules and procedures.

Example: Person Y comes in for an immigration interview. In the course of the interview, the agency acquires
financial records. The FBI must go through a series of steps to get that information. The process also works in the reverse.

Lois Lerner abused her authority for specific partisan reasons. This is a major violation of ethics and deserves to be severely punished to the full extent of the law. She violated procedural guidelines by discussing cases at top levels with other agencies.

In reality within DHS the rules are different. The reason for this is the components of DHS are basically different divisions of the same agency. For the most part there is co-operation, but at times we disagree.
The actions of Lerner who used private emails to conduct official business violate ethics.

Now the government computers have been altered so I have to go to my cell phone for email. Thank you Lois Lerner and you porn surfers for your contributions to the work life of your peers.

Who is Gay or not gay

I am still floored by the obsession heterosexual females have with who is gay or not gay. Some women insist th at they have this rather useless power called gaydar. Of course being able to make a decent pot of coffee is a better skill.

I will point out that once again people mistook me for being gay in Vermont multiple times. The source of this

idiocy was my vocation and interests. Add a couple of stereotypes together and you create a gay composite.

Worked in the fashion industry. Likes Broadway musicals, Reads Art books not dating anyone so he must be gay. 

In this case if I were gay, I would have stated it long ago as a matter of fact. It is nothing to be ashamed of and is merely a detail. Why heterosexual females have the need to go on and on is beyond belief. 

Lately, I am enduring pot head quips. My eyes are red due to severe allergies. I was kidding coworkers about the PBH commercials. Thus similarly listens to surf music, always munching chips so he must be a pot head. Once again a series of facts and a totally incorrect conclusion.

Now I will point out my exasperation with some of my coworkers. Some of these women almost have an Elmer Fudd mentality with gays. "I think I saw one of them hoooomosexuals." I really could care less about the subject. It is not my business who is or is not gay. I don't care who is gay, unless it is in the context of a same sex marriage.

Contrary to popular opinion it is no great feat to work the gay marriage cases. Welcome people to your office. Treat them with respect, listen to the testimony and evaluate the evidence presented. If this is familiar it is because this is how I treat every other case. A few words are altered such as wife to spouse and that is the sum of the difference.

I expected the standard low brow hateful locker room homophobia from guys. Other than a few bad jokes,

that was about it. I point out that there is a difference between laughing with people and at them. A photo of Bill Clinton with a gay couple was presented. He never smiles like that around Hillary. This is neither mean spirited nor offensive. Most of what I saw was ignorance more than hate.

While people may have hunches this does not substitute for facts. I really don't think much about this subject

\and I work with evidence and facts. Speculation based upon stereotypes is not fact, it is embarassing. 

Beakerkin the Pirate

My left eye is bothering me so much I considered wearing an eye patch. Nothing terrible, just severe alergies and heavy pollen and smoke. One of the attorneys joked about my missing a parrot.

At least there were no cracks about Moshe Dyan or Bazooka Joe.

The Dr says daily ice for a weeks and drops should do the trick. The drops cost a fortune and I am cringing at what my boss says about icing my eyes between interviews.

A Sportswriter run amok

A great sports writer got this one wrong. I admit I enjoy the articles of Ralph Vacchiano who is an excellent writer just short of the Myers gold standard.

The Christian Peter signing was part of the NY Giants history. Peter was signed only after immediately going into treatment voluntarily. His employment with the team was contingent upon the treatment. This treatment appears to have been followed. The NFL would be much better off if all teams followed this example.

Will Hill was not drafted by the Giants or anyone else. The first suspension was for Adderall which he has a legitimate need for. The current one is for Marijuana and it should be pointed out it is good enough for Barak Obama and Bill Clinton. Hill's issues should require a Christian Peter type of solution, but they don't seem to do this.

Domestic violence is a quirky issue. It frequently comes in the context of a divorce proceeding. When one points at a person with an arrest of this type the important point is context. Once again this can be mitigated
with proper mental health services.

The arrest of Ahmad Bradshaw for stealing a Playstation is absurd. There is quite a difference between Aaron Hernandez and stealing a video game system. The latter was a stupid act of youth and not the indication of a long term flaw

Like any other group the  instances of domestic violence arrests and DWI need to be taken into context.

Whether sports leagues should suspend people for acts done by Presidents and legal in certain areas is a larger question. The NFL would be better served by mandating costly structured treatment, but that is another issue,

The continued decline of Harrys Place

Harry;s Place is in serious decline largely due to its Bon Vivant Airhead American Correspondent Gene Zitver. Harrys Place had a niche that one could expect. However, one does not read about instances of crass antisemitism on American Universities. One can speculate, but this is likely that the anti Semites are huge Obama fans and on the left.

The gadfly Zitver has turned the site into Obama's fun house. Gene could move the Obama worship to another site dedicated to this. Instead he pollutes the site with Obama puff pieces and dumb Republican stories. He has not dedicated any space to the increasingly apparent Obamanoid malfeasance.

His stupidity is off the chart. It is understandable that this idiot would have a Glenn Beck fixation. Most people would actually listen to a show before writing numerous posts. The gadfly can not be bothered with doing actual research and merely lifts items from Huffington. A classic illustration of this was falsely labeling

Beck anti Semitic for his accurate portrayal of a genuine anti Semite George Soros. The criminal Soros is not welcomed in 90% of the Synagogues and went through great lengths to hide his contributions to J Street.

Funny, Beck didn't disguise himself when he led a Pro Israel demonstration. Soros pays a group to slander a critic and the Bon Vivant follows the direction like a good circus clown.

Did we read about Lois Lerner perjuring herself or the Benghazi debacle? No we read about a fringe NFL prospect who happens to be gay getting drafted. My assessment of the lack of skill of Sam turns out to be correct. Gays have been in the NFL and other sports leagues for years. The need to broadcast it, is something new. If anything broadcasting his orientation helped a marginal pro like Jason Collins get employed. It will be larger news when a real star player makes sch an announcement.

Other than the rare posts of Michael Ezra and the sometimes surprising Sarah the site has become a joke.  

Monica Lewinsky and the Clintoonista machine

Bill Clinton is a seriously flawed person. His personal morality is somewhere between a prostitute and an ambulance chasing lawyer. That being said, at least he was competent and qualified to be President. He also could not be described as stupid. Any comparison of Clinton to Obama is an insult to Clinton.

Bill Clinton has a problem that is not uncommon. His tapes with Flowers were as bad as the Sterling tapes. Of course the media down played the problems. James Carville stated if you drag money through a trailer park one never knows what they will find. The answer is the Clinton and Carville family tree.

The Clinton machine has falsely slandered Lewinsky. Lewinsky was a stupid young woman who had her future ruined by a political machine. The Clinton crew has no morals or class. No doubt Lewinsky is not a sympathetic victim coming from an upper middle class family. Had she never been preyed upon by a sick deranged self centered clown she likely would be an ordinary wife living an ordinary career.

Shame on the left for not holding Clinton accountable to any standards of behavior. The sum of the left is support for abortion. If you support abortion, no matter how inappropriate your actions are with actual women your behavior will be ignored.

The NFL Draft and life

The trends are more or less away from the cannon armed statue. Teams still get crazy over a big arm. The game has changed to me more or less role player heaven. The best coaches grasp versatility and production over hype.

Take time for you

Life passes by before you know it. I am old tired and worn and don't know if tomorrow will be the end. The is the paradox of surviving explosions at the WTC. Enjoy a nap with the small dog whose loving demeanor
is priceless. I fell asleep on the sofa and curled up next to me was the Maltese. Spend time with the daughter and grandchildren. Spend time with the significant other. Joke with the local merchants.

Life is short.

I am approaching 48 most of my life is behind me. I have done many good deeds and made a difference in many lives. Still, those whose disdain for the public foul my profession. I am still fighting the good fight. Perhaps time in Citizenship will refresh me. Being unique and real no doubt people will,still  reach out to me to do the extraordinary. Oddly, the extraordinary is ordinary if we stop and listen and are open. When one looks at the facts most things are possible. Tell people what you need and expect and things get done. Life is too short for games.

Escape for Now

I have escaped the area that I have been ensconced in. The final straw was an interview process I objected to morally and ethically. At any job management has the right to assign work. However, if the worker objects to the work they have options. One can quit or request reassignment to another area in response to those assignments.

The new assignment did not target me personally. It was a large scale policy change that impacted many. I also was upset at the disruption of whole communities on a whim from a distant office. Unsavory people from other units were mixed in  and the place disgusts me.

I have decided to return to Vermont at a future date and the choice was made after weighing the options. I am faced with the prospect of doing this task for twenty years. I have been to Vermont and know no task that can be assigned is nearly as offensive. The bosses were shocked I would consider leaving my elderly parents and daughter. I responded that I am no good to them enraged by performing a task I object to on moral grounds.

My first objection is on the basis of uniformity. We are one nation and federal government should act as best as possible to be uniform. Objection two, I believe in conducting a fair proceeding based upon law fact and logic. In doing this objectionable task, I refocused the questions to be as fair as possible. Objection number three, I don't like performing this task needlessly because others are ignorant, careless and frequently bigoted. Don't throw your garbage on my desk and expect me to be cheery. Objection 4 One size fits all does not work. While I understand the need for cross training placing people in areas unsuited to their strengths makes zero sense. The good workers merely leave and the lousy ones remain. Having a person perform the tasks as needed is different than doing this for twenty years.

Now I am reassigned with my entire unit to another function. In this aspect I am fortunate, but it will buy time
to get out of NYC. Management is not unhappy with me and they grasp my desire to leave is not personal.

I am not exactly popular among my peers. I do not enjoy constant party city next door. I have asked the person next door to close the door. I do not suffer idiots and phonies and do not like this neighbor. I stated I would appreciate her more far away. In real life I am much like Doc Martin and am blunt and direct. Unlike Doc Martin, I treat the public and practitioners very well.

My noisy idiotic phony neighbor is upset because I pointed out her assemblages have lowered my property
values. She is running about playing the victim and I won't respond. I point out to meddlers there are two sides to every story. I am more annoyed by meddlers than shutting off an annoying peer. At least she is doing more socializing away from my office and closing the door.

Check Your Privilege BS

The entire concept is a condescending airhead catchphrase that shows how deranged and divorced from reality our Universities are.

In the real world people face and deal with plenty of adversity. The greatest adversity of all is poverty, It is a very important that public servants grasp the concept of poverty when performing their jobs. When performing a task one wants to consider are the deficiencies reasonably overcome when poverty is considered.

The claim that gays are oppressed is one that most of the gays I know would disagree with. Most gays would rather stress their commonalities with the majority than dwell on separateness. A joke is straight guys always get stuck with the check on date night so gays merely pay twice as much. That type of joke acknowledges a common experience that men of all type have.

In general all people deserve respect. However, it is okay and healthy to laugh together at shared experiences. A person showed me a picture of a happy Bill Clinton smiling with a gay couple. Funny, he doesn't seem to smile like that when Hillary is around expresses acceptance. The only person who might not laugh at that quip is the humorless Hillary.

The notion that certain groups need special time to air their stuff is bs. In a former job men talking about car parts was claimed by a female to be exclusionary. In reality women have plenty of topics they like to discuss among themselves. I don't recall a large objection when a coworker coined the phrase BFT or Black Female Time. However, if anyone joked about White male time he would be banished to EEO purgatory.

To a certain degree over the course of time my observation was it is not racial privilege that holds people back at work. Those minorities that advanced were able to do so by working well with others. The general rule is to respect others and  deal with actions. Jose is annoyed Biff didn't change the toner. This is caused

by failure to change the toner not cultural difference.

It must be stressed that the check your privilege crew is too insular to grasp that minorities themselves need to respect others. If you don't believe this watch the check your privilege crew disparage Black and Jewish Conservatives. People are not bound by membership in a group to think alike. 

Respect others is fine, but check your privilege is condescending garbage.  

Leery

I am not the type to search out past coworkers or school chums. However, there are a couple early in my career that I have a soft spot for. My mentor in the logistics game is still in the field in CA and I have a fondness for him.

When one of my workers tracks me down I am always friendly. The new economy wasn't kind to my crew and I was educated enough to move on. I am surprised so many of them remember me over a decade later.
I no longer think of myself as a logistics man, but I was pretty good. I also left because I had enough. I saw the future and it was best to reinvent myself.

On Friday one of my supervisors I hadn't seen for twelve years tracked me down. He asked me about an ancient girlfriend I had forgotten about. No doubt this will not amuse the girlfriend as she sometimes reads this blog. When he asked who she was I had forgotten I lived with this girlfriend. Apparently she has not forgotten me and bugs my parents who despise her.

I never liked this guy as he appeared naive and was shady. My comanager who has long since retired stated
this guy stabbed me in the back. I went to a smaller facility and left on my own terms around a year later.
The smaller facility was more fun because the boss was the owners nephew who was cool. It was like Captain America and Bucky. I was third in command and had to run the whole show a few times reluctantly.
I did not like that as I prefer to be a technician working in my small area. However, I did the job but never wanted a higher rank. I was sick of the game and left.

I am somewhat concerned why this person would wait for me three hours until I left to get a phone number. I have not been hiding and with any effort my Linked In Account is easy to find. I am gritting my teeth at why this shady type is looking for me now.

Faith

One of the things people get by reading this blog is insight into an ordinary life. There are those of us who swim with the tide. There are those who follow a lynch mob. There are those who are guided by something else. In my case it must be a faith in something that is abstract. As I am not theologically inclined it is not a higher power. My heart just has its own sense of right and wrong and I follow it. There is no justice in mobs, despite the claims of unwashed lefties ranting about "social justice", they are mobs.

I survived the workplace bullying as a reluctant warrior. I never wanted to fight the system or become a symbol. My preference was to perform my job in silence and anonymity. Unfortunately, a group of thugs tried to force values on me that I felt were vile. They should have left me alone and the matter would be forgotten. Instead, they picked a fight with a relentless foe who should have been broken long ago. When the smoke cleared I was left standing, but not without some damage.

My faith in my own values was never shaken. My faith in the system and those who worked within it was shaken. I still have a hard time not thinking of myself as a rebel. Now my values are celebrated and are mainstream. The new director has her heart in the right place. I don't have to rationalize doing the exceptional
as it is celebrated. If there is a person in great need of intervention I am expected to proceed. This is a refreshing change of pace. The new boss is not a former airport inspector and has her heart in the right place.

I never wanted to be a rebel or an icon. My desire was to toil in the shadows with good deeds done for their own sake. When the occasion calls for the heavy hand, I do so because it is part of the job. In essence my actions are guided by the law and I do so. When I act it is within the law and actually on important cases the house counsel note a passivity. I stick to the basics to what can be proven and avoid the more elaborate charges unlikely to be upheld. Oddly, I am unique in that when I act the attorneys still prefer to re argue the case in front of me rather than get a fresh set of eyes.

Perhaps the system merely caught up to me. The wind shifted and I was already with the program before the program started. How can I be cynical when the system corrected itself? In many ways after years of swimming against the tide swimming with it is harder. Then again all faith is empty words and rhetoric until it is tested. My faith was tested and I prevailed.  However, I get no joy in victory. All it takes for evil to prevail
is for a few key people to change the tides.

 

In honor of Guyanese History

We are so glad that in honor of Guyanese Independence day and the birth of its favorite son the US government has declared a holiday on May 26. Grab some curry chicken and Banks beer and celebrate a day honoring the Guyanese in you just as on Cinco De Mayo and St Patricks day everyone can join in.

Now some of you point out it is Memorial Day. Wait it is Memorial Day, but it is also Guyana Independence day as well as the birth of John Wayne.

The Paradox of Bigotry

The Donald Sterling mess has caused me to rethink bigotry. It is rare we see a Nazi or KKK type clod. Much more numerous are Jew obsessed Communists who think their bigotry is enlightened.

The paradox of Guyana shows how bigotry works for 90% of us. In the local community Guyanese have close relationships with all types of people. They live more intertwined lives then Americans and are closer than American neighbors. However, out of the community the bigotry seethes and sometimes is raw.

It would be a simple matter to look at these moments and say your family members are bigots. Actually, the whole story is more complex. On the local level lives are so intertwined that people are viewed as family. Usually, this type of bigot merely lacks the ability to break the mental chains of bigotry by seeing the paradox
with the close relationships in their daily lives. I don't think of you as whatever. This type of comment is rather typical of 90% of bigotry.

Ingrained bigotry like that of Communists is hard wired. The pseudo religious faith requires obsessing over Jews who are not part of the Death Cult. This is why it is okay for deranged lefties to target Jews with fliers
in Universities in their dorm.

Lunacy and being wrong

At work if I make a mistake generally speaking I own it. My current boss was portrayed as a toxic mix of ambition and clueless. In reality I have found her to have a basic humanity that is under appreciated.

I had a case that went sour which was unusual. People frequently cry at the end of an interview but those are typically tears of joy. I explained that the situation was really tragic. The person went to an unlicensed preparer and used a single faulty word incorrectly.The boss asked how I knew it was used incorrectly. I explained I interviewed the person and asked in depth questions prior to discussing the error. The term was clearly used erroneously with catastrophic results.

My boss asked me why I didn't fix the error. I pointed to the clock and my packed calendar and that the job would take roughly three hours. In this case the applicants stupidity and negligence caused his problem. If you want legal advice go to an attorney, not a beautician or mortician. I pride myself in never missing a scheduled interview and asking for help.

The boss asked me what is the alternative for the applicant. Should they wander about aimlessly and hope someone else would fix this or an attorney would eventually correct this. How many years might go by? The situation not only impacted this person but his entire family.

In this instance I looked at my boss and conceded she was correct. I created the paperwork to bring the person back. A person's life should be larger than the clock on my wall. In this case my not performing this task realistically meant a delay of three years or more minimum. Assuming that the following officer would be reasonable even with an attorney is not a given. It was better to invest the three hours now then kick the ball

ahead.

My boss was given a lousy reputation and I really should not be shocked by her very human and warm qualities. Normally, I am the one that doesn't need the reminder, but every now and then even I need a second opinion. In the case of my boss and the previous boss if I were incapacitated and could not make the call  whose judgement would I pick. I hate to say it but I would choose any of the bosses in seconds. They are all great people who mix law and common sense. Each one of us sometimes gets caught up in what we are doing that we sometimes loose perspective.

Another example was while using an experimental technique I got unnerved by the use of an inappropriate

word by an applicant. On the rare instance I hear an epithet or something really offensive a gentle reminder is all that it takes. A disabled applicant said a slur word multiple times, but when this is done by a stroke survivor I am morally reluctant to redirect. My boss called me out and saw in my face my angst. She looked at me and said "forget that word. Everything you need was in the testimony." I looked at my boss and nodded. She pointed out the technique did work very well. Unfortunately, my concentration was broken by the slur and the use of a different technique did not require an exponentially higher standard.

All of us can be wrong at times. Hopefully, we listen to others with different perspectives.