End of the year...

Well it is the end of the semester. After all is said and done next week, a bunch of us will be ready for the break to start and never end. We will all be needing to de-stress after finals. I have one final to do before Monday, and another to do on Tuesday and then one due  by Saturday. I have a feeling that this next week is going to go by fast and furious.

I have a good time this semester. Most of my classes were online so you have that whole all work no play thing going on where all you do is book work. But even after that we still have a good semester. I am looking forward to my classes next semester, even if I don't want them to start so soon. I think you all understand.

I have enjoyed reading your post and commenting on them while you commented on mine. If you are taking the second half to this course next semester, I will probably see your post then. I hope you have a good break, we all need to enjoy it.

Have a great 2012!

-Zach

Bad week for Law Enforcement in the US

As you walk into work as a Law Enforcement Officer, you know that you will be putting you life on the line for people you do not even know. This week multiple officers from jurisdictions all over the United States gave that ultimate sacrifice. This has been a bloody week in Law Enforcement. Officers from Virginia to Oklahoma have been killed and some officers have had to make the decision to end the life of another human. Thursday, the same town that a few years ago, was mourning a shooting in their school was once again astonished as a Virginia Tech officer was shot and killed on campus while on a Traffic Stop. Then officers were shot at while investigating a burglary in Oklahoma, and finally officers had to make the ultimate decision on weather to take the life of another or not in Hollywood, a decision that they will have to repeat for the rest of their career if not their life's.

I thank God everyday for the men and women who put their life's on the line to protect and serve an un-thankful community. From responding at break neck speeds to burglarys in progress, first responding on a medical call. These officers truly work in a "thankless" job. My thoughts and prayers go out with the family's of the officers who were shot and injured/fatally wounded this week. You hero's did not die in vein. We will remember them and keep the memories with us as we do our job. The only thing that I can say is that I hope that the rest of this year is not bloody like it was this past week.

You have protected and served, my brothers and sisters, to the fullest extent possible. Well done!

Shop with a cop to the rescue!

A Maryland man was arrested after attempting to steal from a Walmart that had over 50 police officers in it for their annual Shop with a Cop. The suspect was found with over $600.00 worth of merchandise taken from the back room of the store. The stores Loss Prevention Department saw the subject opening boxes and taking items out of the box. They then alerted officers in the store and the suspect was caught shortly later.

You have got to be one of three things to do this.
1. Brave
2. Stupid
3. Not paying attention.

This guy had to have seen the officers when he walked into the store. I mean with 50 officers at that location, there had to be a lot of law enforcement vehicles in the parking lot. Can you imagine what the interview was like?

Officer: So... you walked past our cars, into the store, and past us to do what?
Suspect: Get some video games.
Officer: Did you think you would get away?
Suspect: Yes,
Officer: Wow...

This guy didn't think. I am glad that he was caught. Good Job LEO's!

America's Most Wanted back on TV

In my third and final post about law enforcement this week, there is some good news reference the 20+ year old show. America's Most Wanted will be back on TV after shortly being cancelled by FOX due to cost. Lifetime announced that America's Most Wanted will premier on their channel on Friday at 9/8 central. Even though Lifetime is aimed toward women, the shows host John Walsh says it will be the same show.

It shocked me as well as many people around the country when Fox unexpectedly cancelled the show. AMW has been part of Saturday night programming for as long as I can remember. Even if I don't watch the show, I do  get see how the show has helped many people. AMW has helped capture around 1,100 fugitives in the shows history. I am glad that Lifetime has signed them, however I was surprised that TRU TV did not sign them as that is the type of show that is on their programming list.

I hope that now that it is on cable the show will not suffer as I believe that it is truly a good show.

Frosty the Snow Man arrested during a parade.

I thought that Frosty was supposed to be a nice and loving sole. However this past week if you were in Charleston Maryland, you would have truly seen a funny sight. Police placed Frosty the snow man for assaulting a police K-9 while the dog and his handler were in the parade. The male subject states that he may have "faked" a kick but he did never strike the dog. He also stated that he wants to do the Snowman gig again because he likes the job.

This is hilarious. Why would you even attempt to kick a dog especially a police dog. Even if it was just  a dog, you attempt to kick it, it is going to bite. He is lucky that all he was was arrested and not bit. NOTE TO THIS GUY, think before you act, especially when you are dressed as a friendly snowman.

Read this story and tell me what you think.

You think your job is tough, try doing this....

Imagine having to make the toughest choice in the whole world, weather to take someones life or not. Well police in Atlanta had to make that decision this past week. Officers responded to a call reference an 8 year old boy being thrown out of a residential window. When officers arrived on scene they were informed that the mother of the 8 year old was inside stabbing the boys sister. When officers entered the residence, the witnessed the women sitting in a chair repeatedly stabbing her daughter. Officers instructed her to stop stabbing her daughter, and when she refused, the officers made the decision to open fire. Both the daughter and the women were announced dead at the scene. Between 10 and 16 shots were fired in the incident. The son was said to be in stable condition.

Officers around the world have to respond to call where they have to make tough decisions all the time. The officers in this incident and in my opinion made the correct call by using lethal force. They gave her repeated chances to stop harming her daughter but she refused. If she had stopped stabbing her daughter and had started to go after the fire responders there could have been more death and pain. These officers had to make the decision to end someones life in a split second. That decision is not an easy one, nor is it a light one. After an officer makes the decision to use lethal force, they spend many a moment reviewing that second to see what could have happened instead. I commend these officers on doing their jobs to the fullest extent.

This is the type of call that no officer wants to get. Not only did the mother throw the son out the window but she was also causing deadly harm to her other daughter. These officers and medical personnel that responded to this call take put their life out in harms way to help someone in their darkest time. I challenge you next time you see an officer walking, thank them for their service. I know that most officers have negative contacts with the public through traffic stops and such, but you must remember; they are just doing their jobs.

Call or Text, which do you prefer.

In Utah, they are now making plans for a new system to update the current 911 system. This new system would enable people needing help to text or send photos and media to 911 dispatchers in the Utah area. According to the article about 29 percent of households now use cellphones as a home phone and that about 75 percent of all 911 calls come from cellular phones. The technology that was created for 911 was made in the 1970's and has been getting upgrades but it is still difficult to get locations from cell phones. With this new upgrade you will be able to text 911 dispatchers information quietly and discreetly. They also say that you should be able to send pictures and videos to dispatchers through this system.

I think that this is a good idea. If you are able to text 911 while an intruder is inside you home you will be able to stay hidden alot longer. I think that the thought process is it will be like an instant message session with a dispatcher. They will be able to read the text (as it is sometimes hard to understand callers), and will be able to get information out. They may also be able to forward the messages to the responding officers. Imagine if you were the victim of an assault that had just happened. Not only would you be able to talk to the dispatchers but you could sent the a photo of the suspect, you injuries, the vehicle and any weapons that could have been used. You could also take photos of vehicles that you call in and send them to the dispatcher also.

This may create more work for the dispatcher but in the long run it may be easier to get the information needed quicker and without the risk of injuries to the caller. Like I say I do hope that something like this could go into effect. Read the article and let me know that you think.

Grandson charged in death of gradma

I saw this following story in link on facebook for an online police magazine that I sometimes read. Both the story and my opinion have some graphic parts to it so be WARNED

A Chicago IL teen was arrested and charged as an adult in the killing of his grandmother who was an off duty police officer. Apparently the grandma walked in and found him skipping school and that is what lead to the beating of her with a lamp and then stabbing with a kitchen knife. The grandma had taken the teen in from his drug addicted mother to live with her. Even when he kept running away she would go get him. While searching the area the Police found her body in a sewer trap behind the house.

This is just despicable! How can someone due something so bad period. Add it to the fact that it was over truancy from school and it just amazes me. I hope that the prosecutor goes for the highest sentence. The police union was trying to get her badge to be reinstated for the funeral so that she could have a full police funeral. I hope that they do so. I cannot imagine what was going through his mind at the time or after the time. This is why we don't give great responsibility younger teenagers, they do not have the thought process down.  I hope he gets the bejezers scared out of him in jail. Just a good scaring to get him to relieze that he goofed up royally.

Read the story and let me know what you think.

That is one Bad, bad teacher!

As a teacher you are expected to teach with kindness and patients. Well if that is the case this guy needs to have his license revoked and needs to look for a new job. A high school "special needs" teacher was recently caught on tape doing something very naughty! This teacher was not being patient, nor was he being nice, he was bulling a student who did not want to be called special. Upon telling his parents and staff of the bulling and not being believed he recorded the interaction between himself and the teacher with his cell phone and showed it to his parents. The teacher is on PAID administrative leave pending findings from a Board of Education investigation. The video if you want to watch it is on youtube. Not only was the teacher being rude he was cussing at the student.

I find what this teacher (if he should be called that) did revolting. Not just because he did it to a "special" kid. If he would have done it to any student K-12 or higher education in our part of the country he would be answering to some very tough questions and likely would loose his job. If he does loose his job, I do not see how any school could hire him after seeing this video. I understand that the guy may have had a bad day, but he shouldn't have taken it out on the teen. I think that when this video was shown to the faculty the teacher should have been suspended and the teen and his class mates interviewed. That administrative leave is a nice way of saying a vacation(just my opinion).

I will be looking forward to seeing the outcome of this incident. Watch the video on the youtube link above and read the story then tell me what you think should happen.

Excessive use of force, or the right amount for the job.

As many of you know, the "occupy" movement around the nation has been making headlines for the past few months. This week the headline was that of an 84 year old protester along with others, who got hit with a blast of pepper spray at a rally and march in Seattle, Washington. So was this excessive use of force, or did the officers make the correct call. I think that the officers acted within their rights. As it was "rush hour" and the protesters were effectively blocking a key intersection. The officers acted in order to maintain control after they gave several verbal warning to move. I believe if the officer did not do so, the traffic could have been congested so bad the drivers and protesters would have gotten into a physical disturbance.

The officers diverted a possibly serious dangerous situation with just a little pain. That is why that compound was created. The face that an 84 year old was caught in the middle of it should not make a difference. The fact is she was there when they set off the pepper spay. I am sorry if some of you find that "uncaring" or "inhuman" but the fact of the matter is she was is the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel that the movement is using this story and spinning it to where they make the officers out to be the bad guys. I am all for free speech but when you infringe on the rights of others you have gone to far. When you are blocking people from going somewhere you are infringing on someone else rights. Had the protesters gotten out of the roadway this incident may have been avoided.

I am writing this with just the knowledge of what the story says and my opinion. No one yet knows of all the circumstances surrounding that pepper spaying incident. As always this is just my opinion.

Thanksgiving...what's that?

Just a heads up, this is my rant for the week :)

As we all know Christmas is easily taking over the months of November and December. Used to it would be only December that you would hear of Christmas sales, lights, and movies on TV. Now starting on November 21, ABC Family is starting their 25 Days of Christmas (before Thanksgiving). Walmart and other stores are starting black Friday early... on Thursday, and the holiday is quickly being consumed by the need to sell and promote Christmas. What happened to the days when Christmas was about being with family, not about buying so much your living room can't take the weight. Thanksgiving is a massive holiday in our nations history and no one seams to remember that. As we approach this holiday season remember what it is about, not what or when you need to buy. The holidays are about family not products. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Protesters beat at their own game?

In South Carolina this past week, members of the "Occupy Charleston" tried to inturupt a speech being made by Presidential hopeful Bachmann. Instead they got shouted down by supporters of Bachmann chanting USA and SIT DOWN. While the protesters had a whole speech rehearsed you could barley hear over the people who had attended the speech to actually hear the speech. While Bachmann did leave the stage for a short while, when she returned after the protesters left she said " Don't you  love the First Amendment?" 


I find this funny as the protesters thought that they would be able to stop her from speaking, but instead was out shouted and forced to leave. I think that this proves that the protesters around the nation are starting to push their luck and are getting on peoples nerves. While this was a demonstration of the use of the first amendment I find that this act was just plain rude and was made in bad character. If you want to make a point, speak your mind in a civilized fashion, not by using numbers and the "mob mentality." You are just making yourself look bad, and causing negative effects for your cause. This is another think before you act type of offense.


I react because I think that the people who are "occupying" places are using the first amendment to hid behind while they just riot. While thankfully things have not become that violent, I think that the way things are going citizens may start getting angry and take vigilantly stances.  I also do not understand at all how this quote protest made any sense at all. Read the article, watch the video, and read what the protesters are yelling. Tell me what you think.


As always this is just my opinion.

Northern Lights this far south?

Have you ever seen the "northern lights" this far south? According to some scientist you may be able to see them tonight, less than three weeks since the sightings in Arkansas and Mississippi. The cause of this phenomenon is when the sun flares up sending rays of energy the head full force to the earth and other planets. When the energy hits the atmosphere it gets transformed into a beautiful sight. This happens in the polar regions all the time but it has happened twice in the past three weeks has in the Continental U.S. According to yahoo, if you live in the Northern part of the US of Canada, you should be able to see it tonight.


This is just plain amazing. Not only does the atmosphere protect the o2 level, it also protects the earth from massive amounts of radiation from the sun transforming it into a beautiful light show. To me this is just awesome! I have never been able to see these lights and would love to. Two weeks ago you could see them in parts of Arkansas and Mississippi and some said you could see it in our area too. As I don't get to watch the news very often (part of working the late night shift) I did not hear that we would be able to see it. The story did not say how far south you would be able to see them or what the best time frame was but if you have a chance, look to the north.

Freedom of Speech?

Well here is my political rant/question for you this week. Is this infringing on this person's freedom of speech, is it just plain rude, or do you think they are doing the right things. From 1960 to 1967 a man who now lives in Springfield , OR served in the United States Nave in the Submarine Division and is now facing being evicted from his housing complex if he hangs an American Flag on Veteran's Day. This has become a tradition for the man, he hangs an American flag that was given to him from the funeral of his father who served in WWII. The CEO of the apartment complex says it  is not an attack on the American Flag, but it is to set a president on not allowing anything to be put up and break the rules.

I understand the CEO's reasoning for this but I think that if they at least got a GOOD flag pole, this problem might be solved without the negative press. I think that he needs to be able to hang his flag as it is a National Holiday and the simple fact that he has served our country. He is brave and I believe that he has the right to raise his flag.

Let me know what you think, read the above link and then comment.

My week...

This has been a busy week. My best friend left this week report back to duty after some leave time. It was good to see him. This week is also been a busy one because the Lamar Community Theatre opened up there showing of Kill Me Deadly. Two out of the three nights are done and the cast and crew are doing awesome. There is still one more chance to see it. To get directions you can go to the website. I know that this is going to be a short entry but it has been a busy week with not alot that has happened but work... I hope you all had a good week.

Fight or Flight

Occupy Wall Street has spread from New York to California and all across the globe. In the San Francisco Bay area two cities are having a hard time dealing with it and it has lead to political unrest. The cities of San Francisco and Oakland are having problems dealing with a massive amount of protesters that are refusing to leave the area around the City Hall. Last week, police conducted a raid that lead to tear gas being fired. This is not the first time that Oakland has had this problem. Both in the 1960's and in 2009 Oakland has been a location of great civil unrest. People are claiming that the mayor is not doing enough to combat the rising crime numbers of that city. And may of the protesters that were arrested are claiming civil rights violations against the police. Across the bay in San Francisco, the Mayor has issued a warning saying that the protesters are breaking the law and may be arrested at anytime. Nothing however has happened in that city yet.

I believe in free speech as much as anyone, however, these people are starting to push it to far. When you fight with police who have been ordered to make sure that you are not breaking the law, you are going to get arrested. Just because the city has a history of civil rights violations does not mean that you can automatically claim that it happened to you. If you are breaking the law they CAN arrest you. Peaceful protest is one thing but unruly and bloody fights called "protest" need to be dealt with for the protection of a city, in a state that does not have the best reputation. I advise that if you are protesting, please refrain from breaking the law. Make it a peaceful protest not a bloodbath.

I react this way because the first amendment is crucial in out nations History. People are however taking it to far. You do have the freedom of speech and freedom of lawful assembly, but if your are not being a peaceful assembly or did not assemble lawfully you could be breaking the law. Be smart with what you say and do, because if you are not careful your actions could backfire on your cause.

Read the article linked here and let me know what you think about it.
As always this is just my Opinion.

Coldplay releases its new album.

This past week Coldplay released it newest album. The British Band has been releasing albums since 1999. With prominent songs such as Yellow, Fix You, Clocks, Talk, and Viva la Vida, this album will have a lot to live up to. This album also has a song that features Rihanna. Since being released Tuesday, I have listened to a few songs of the album and I have to say to date this is my favorite album. Coldplay has imaginative songs that are relaxing as well as have a catchy beat. 

I have to say that since 2008 when Coldplay became well known to the United States music they have become one of my favorite bands. If you have iTunes I would suggest you listen to the new album Mylo Xyloto.

I hope my musical suggestion helps you.

Did this man take it to far?

In Texas, a man advertising on his local radio station for a concealed to carry class added a disclaimer that someone might find offensive.

The disclaimer stated the following ""If you are a socialist liberal and/or voted for the current campaigner in chief, please do not take this class. You have already proven that you cannot make a knowledgeable and prudent decision under the law."  (copied word for word from yahoo.com) He also went on to say that Muslim American's were not allowed to attend the course either.


The video spoke with the owner of the store that is doing the training. He stated that he was exercising his right to choose who to teach.  In the video he states that if you are Muslim, you cannot be a true American.


So do you think that this is right? Some people think that he is doing right but other are think that he has gone to far. While I agree he can have his personal opinions, I think he needs to keep them just that, personal. I do not believe that he can discriminate by race, sex, religion, or ethnicity (does not say voting party) if he wants to teach he needs to keep his preferences to himself or they may revoke his CCW Instructor ship. 


So go read and listen to the report and let me know what you think! 

WWII Technology still found.

On yahoo they have notified us that just off the coast of Papua New Guinea they located a WWII era "midget submarine." The Royal Australian Navy located the wreckage when they were looking for old munitions in a bay that used to be a Japanese base. They stated that this submarine is the size able to hold of about 1-2 people. This is a massively small submarine and in the era of WWII could have been used to create massive destruction or insert special ops teams. This base is close to the counties of New Zealand and Australia.

It is amazing that after all these years they are still locating unknown inventions all the time. It is sad to say but WWII was a great time for inventors, yes these inventors may have created horrible weapons, but they were brilliant none the less. For a wreckage that is over 70 years old to have not been hit or washed away yet is also amazing. I wonder what they will still find from this era in the future.

I react this way because out of that horrible time came so many inventions that could be used for personal use or good. I also find it funny that they are finding things that they did not know that these types of craft were used. I am glad that the Australian government has agreed to work with the Japanese government on trying to identify the craft and the crew.   

Could you run a marathon... at 100 years old?

A 100 year old man ran and finished a marathon in Toronto this past week. That is an amazing accomplishment not only for a 20 year old man but for a 100 year old man. He started running when he was only 89 years old and finished it with a time just over 8 hours. He had a lot of support behind him.

I wish that I could run a marathon as I am now, I do not even know how a 100 year old man could do it. Running a marathon is larger than my best goal at this time. I do not see how a man or a woman over 100 could do it but I guess it can be done. To him I say good luck and job well done!.

What do you think about that...Let me know....

Drug cartels become more bold.

In Texas, Mexican drug cartels are becoming more bold. They have started recruiting younger children to do simple tasks for them for monetary incentives. These younger kids are making it harder for Law Enforcement to determine drug activity, not impossible though. More teens are getting arrested with drug offences in Texas. The reason they are using kids is because of the supposed innocence of the kid, also the law hands out not as harsh sentences to teens and minors. Teens have been arrested for moving  vehicles from one point to another point with minor to massive amounts of drugs.

This just irritates the crud out of me. For a drug cartel to go so low as to recruit younger teens to do this just makes me mad. These kids could have a life, but this is ruing it. These cartels need to get out of the country and stop doing services in this country. I know that SW Missouri is a long way from southern Texas but it still makes me upset. I know that law enforcement is doing what they can but I believe that the education system and parents need to step up to the plate and make a difference.

Warrants for cell phones.

In a ruling earlier this week, a federal judge stated that officers no longer need a warrant to get a cellular phones location from a provider, but do still need a judges permission. The judge must first know why the officers need the information and what it does for their investigation, but they no longer need to obtain a warrant from the judge. This means that the time needed to get the information decreases drastically, but it will also keep officers from abusing this power. With the officer still having to get a judges permission to obtain cell phones location from a cell provider, people do not have to worry about gross misuse of the rule. That is why we have judges.

I think that this was a smart move. Not only will it decrease the time needed to obtain information during an emergency, but it also makes sure that the officer notifies a judge. This means that the officer cannot just ask for the location of a cell phone because he wants to see where his kid goes. This makes sure that the reason for using the tracking is legitimate and approved by a judge.  It will also confirm to the wireless carrier that the person asking for the information is truly an officer and not an impostor. The judges permission carries weight in the law enforcement field and I believe that this was a smart move on the courts behalf.

As I have said before, I work with a law enforcement agency. I know how important it is to get information during an emergency. I believe that this ruling will speed up that transaction but will prevent the officer, or anyone from misusing this power. The judge will be responsible on when this gets to be used, and judges are well trained individuals. As always this is just my opinion. I suggest you read the story and then let me know your opinion.

Do you approve of this slogan?

Image located on: GMA/yahoo.com

"Feel for lumps, save your bumps" is a slogan that has been banned from being allowed on a football field for a Cheer leading fundraiser to bring awareness to breast cancer. The schools administration allowed for the idea of shirts to be bought and worn during a football game to raise funds for breast cancer awareness by the cheer squad. Now however the administration has forbade them from wearing them. They believe that the slogan is to risky for young people. As the story reads, breast cancer awareness ideas have been pushing the line when it comes to young people and awareness.  On the other side of the country, a group in Pennsylvania was not allowed to wear a bracelet that was meant for BCA, however a federal judge upheld their right to wear it. So is it pushing the limit? Read the story and let me hear what you think.

I think that this shows how little trust that school administrations have in their students. They are always afraid that something this trivial is going to lead to lawsuits of sexual harassment. If you do not have the faith that your HIGH SCHOOL students know how to handle themselves when it comes to this, then you have a bigger problem and are not doing your job to your fullest extent. The way that teens think now a days you have to speak in their "language." If this involves putting a the above slogan on it, you need to trust that your students know that this is for BAC. If you don't trust them, hold a school wide assembly where you explain what your are going to do and what it means.

Schools need to be able to trust their students. I know that this is not always possible, but you at least need to try. If you ban a shirt that has the slogan of an awareness group, how to you expect to make people aware. I personally do not believe that this slogan went over the line. I would understand the administrations point if it was a worse slogan with an inappropriate picture, but take a look at the picture above.

As always, I would like to hear what you have to say!

Original or Copy?

As we all know one of the most brilliant minds in America has passed away this month. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and a brilliant designer of technology sadly lost battle with sickness. A 19 year old graphic designer from Hong Kong designed a version of the Apple logo with Steve Job's face inlaid in the design. He posted it on his website after checking the web to make sure he did not copy another person's design. When he posted it he asked that anyone who saw that it may look like someone else's notify him. Less than 24 hours after Mr. Jobs passed away, the comments of him copping another image began to surface on his website. The other was designed by a man from Britain and did have some differences compared to this logo. He says that this incident has caused him negative publicity and that he will learn from this.

So why is this such a big deal? With the internet almost anything is easy to leak. Images get posted to facebook, twitter, and other social media sights on a regular basis and it is easy for someone to come in and claim as their own. If owners of these sights are not careful they will end up getting ripped off. So what can you do about it? Well you can always not post the photo on your website or social media page, but that is not really going to help you publicize it.  If you are good with technology I would suggest looking for a html code to lock the image so that it can not be taken without your permission.

In a decent world we would have people who would not take a persons work and claim it, just because they can. But we do not live in that type of world. So what do you think? Is his work of art an original, or did he just change the concept. Read the story and let me know.

Are you a Simpsons lover?

If you are a Simpsons lover then you will be pleased to know that Fox has ordered two more seasons of the show. This comes after a week of terse words between Fox and the actors regarding pay. The station was wanting the actors to take a 45% pay decrease per actor. That is a load of money per person. Currently actors are not allowed to profit from the shows merchandising and such. Actors said that they would be willing to take a pay cut if they would receive a part of the "back-end" profits.

I think that if you are going to be part of a show that sells merchandise, the actors and artist, not just the producers and the company need to benefit. I mean, there would be no show with out the actors and artist so this is the least that you could do for them.

I think that the producers and "command staff" get paid way more than they need to, and the "talent" as in actors, tech crews, and artist get paid the least and need to be paid more. (especially the tech crews and artist) If you have some type of promotional item that your are merchandising then you need to allow the other members of your TEAM to benefit out of that. Even in this field I believe that the saying "There is no I in team " is correct.

Has the TSA gone to far?

Earlier this week the TSA was criticized for going to far for requiring a female cancer survivor to go through a breast exam after going through a full body scan. The female had a medical card explaining her condition and what medical instruments where inside her body. She had requested to show the card to the TSA agent and had requested that she not have to go through the exam because she did not feel comfortable. The agent called a supervisor over and the female was denied her request. The supervisor also told her "And if we don't clear you, you don't fly." Later on she blogged about the incident and has received coverage. TSA administration (I know that that is kind of a redundancy) issued a public apology via NBC saying that she should have been allowed to show the medical card and the agent should have offered a privet screening. The administration said that they area also going to try and use this case to further train their agents.

So did the TSA go to far? I think they were doing there job however they picked the wrong person to not be polite to. They need to remember that not every person is going to be the exact same case and there may be special circumstances involved. If an agent gets promoted to supervisor they need to go through some more training on how to deal with cases like this. The administration did a good job by stepping up and releasing a public apology but the recent issues that have made headlines with this administration show that the training is not going far enough and that some people are not using common sense when they have a special circumstance. There was another issue in June where the agents forced a 95 year old to remove their adult diaper before being allowed to fly. This is another common sense issue. Use your brain and think.

This is kind of a lose/lose situation though. Had the TSA not followed through with their protocol, and something had happened, the TSA would have been blamed for not doing its job. There is a fine line that the TSA is walking and if they step over on either side they will be blamed and criticized.

Why do I feel this way? As being a part of a family who has a member that is a breast cancer survivor,  but also a person who wants to go into law enforcement, I feel as if I have a somewhat unique viewpoint. I  can see third person that thin line that the agents have to walk. Yes, they did go about handling those two issues in not the best way, but they are also doing a great job of keeping the air lines safe. Like I stated above, I believe that the supervisors and agents need to go through more training and to use their common sense more.

As always this is just my opinion and this post is for my English course. You have heard what I have to say, not let me hear your opinions on this matter.

1.7 million dollar boat!

If you like fast cars and the American Dream this story is for you. Located on yahoo.com this 48 foot boat is going to be the envy of all American car lovers all over the world. Inspiration for this boat came from the beloved American muscle car the Chevy Corvette, and boy does it look nice. This boat is made from a substance that is just as tough as metal but lighter as the story read. This boat is nice to look at and looks like it would be nice to drive. Seating up to six inside this boat has all the amenities including Apple TV, wifi hot spots, a rocking sound system and of course, the look and feel of driving a corvette on the water.

I just have to ask, is it worth it? For those who have to money to spend I guess you can go ahead. To me it seams like a waste of money to me. For a 48 foot boat you have to pay 1.7 million dollars. Yes I know that you get the bragging rights of saying that you own a corvette style boat but that is about it. I think you could, oh say, buy a house, pay for your kids college, or invest in a small business. I do however have to put it to the creators of this boat. They used what most men love, fast cars, sleek design, and the fact that its a boat. This is truly the story of an American dream in the fact that they had a dream and made it become a reality. So if you have enough money, go ahead and spend it on meaningless stuff that you may not use on a regular basis. But if you just want to show off, go invest in a new company that you believe in. Do your part to reverse the recession.

I feel this way as a lot of people have had their American dream shut down due to financial problems. If someone has the money to buy a 1.7 million dollar speed boat, I think they should buy that after making someone else's dream come true. People all over the nation have ideas on a business that could be the next revolutionary product such as Apple, Bluetooth, Blu-ray and such but they banks may not loan them money to start a business due to the recession. If a millionaire would show that they care about what is happening to this country we would be in a better place. It would not be as if they were just throwing the money away, they would be promoting the American Dream.

As always these are just my opinions and this is for my English course.

Woman charged for child endangerment in a vehicle surfing case.

I know that I am not the only who saw this story in the four state region. Aired on KOAM TV and located at KOAMTV.com this story is about a local woman from Nevada who was charged with child endangerment after letting an eight year old male "hold down" a mattress on top of her car. According to the report, the female was charged with a felony and was release on bond after the September 27th accident. The 8 year old was transported to the local hospital and then flown to Children's Mercy in Kansas City.

I know that we all think of ourselves as more responsible than this, however think if you were a person who lives out in the county. How did they move thinks back in the early 1900's from point to point? Now I don't agree with her actions of putting an 8 year old on top of a moving vehicle in the city limits and probably on a busy roadway. Now put yourself in the shoes of the Law Enforcement and emergency responders who arrived on scene. How would you feel if you got there and saw an 8 year old who had fallen off the top of a moving vehicle. Law Enforcement personnel have children too, and they have to work oh so many cases involving children. I think that this female should get more jail time than just the few days until her first court appearance. A child was seriously hurt.

Now as you all know I am a person who is striving to become a law enforcement officer. I am also an emergency dispatcher for our local sheriff's department. No matter how professional you are, these types of calls effect you, either in a positive or negative way. When you read something like this you think that, that woman was extremely stupid. She could have killed her friends child. If that would have happened she would be in a lot more trouble than just child endangerment. As it is, with her having a felony charge she is going to have a problem anyway. All I can say is think before you act people! I do have to say however that if a grown man would have been the one who fell we wouldn't be making as much of a fuss as we are now. That is in part to the fact that adults can think for themselves and should have more common sense.

Like always, this is just my opinion, I do want to hear yours. Let me know!

Is this chicken to sexy for PETA?

Also on yahoo.com this morning was a humorous little article about a cause and effect article in the NEW YORK TIMES. The Times originally showed this image of a chicken in a less than proper pose. PETA is not liking this pose because it is "just down right offensive to people..." PETA has been known for using scantly clad women to draw the attention of the media and other people to their literature. At the end of this story the author says that PETA should be thinking the New York Times, he doesn't think he could eat a chicken ever again.

So what happens when they start to pose cows? Are we not to eat them either? I think that they were just trying to  make a humorous photo appeal to people who like to eat chicken. I think that when you make a big deal with something as trivial as this you have a problem. There are more important things to be worried about then a photo of a chicken.

I think at the time when we have problems in our country like we are having today, and a group of people are making a big deal out of something this trivial we kinda have a problem. Why not focus our resources on correcting the problems at hand. I just don't like the fact that a group that has money that they could be contributing to something like feeding the homeless, making a huge deal out of the fact that someone posted a funny picture in a paper. Soon we will be having problems with the Sunday comics that come out in the major news papers. If you have a problem with it, go to the source and explain your problem with it, do not make a huge fuss about it.

As always that is my opinion.

Debit Cards carry a cost!

Bank of America will begin charging a fee to customers who use their debit cards to make purchase. As more people are reaching for a credit card instead of using cash the banks are loosing money. So by adding a charge for each month they use a debit card to make a purchase the bank is making money. According to yahoo.com, Bank of America is planning on implementing a $12/ month charge every month that a costumer makes a purchase with their debit cards. This will include paying bills with their cards. Bank of America is not the only bank doing this in the country, others are trying it out with cheaper charges then Bank of America. To read the full article and the AP's poll click here.

So what does this mean for the average person like myself, well if I went to Bank of America I would be having to fork over 12 extra dollars out of my salary to pay for a service that I have to use to pay bills. As not everything can be paid with cash, sometimes you have to use a debit card if you don't have a credit card to pay for services that you use on a regular basis. Every month people are having to pay for services such as their cell phones and netflix or get their service revoked or worse. So what happens if a family is on a very limited income and that $12 charge just pushed it over the limit?

So why do I react this way, well as a college aged male who is living on a limited income, this charge is just outrageous. I mean I understand that the banks need to gain some income but by creating charges for using a card to PROMOTE using it sounds like reverse marketing to me. I would think that they should create an incentive to using the debit card over a credit card. If you look at advertisements you will notice that Chase gives so much cash back, or so many points every time you use your card to make a purchase. If the banks made an attempt to do something like this even if it was to put $5 in your account every month you use the provided service, they would make money in the long run because of how many people that would start using them. So is that $12 charge worth upsetting all the people? To the guys on top yes, but to me no.

As always this is my opinion.

The Last Meal? Not anymore!

After hundreds possibly thousands of years of practice the inmates request for a final meal before death has been ended. Texas officials said that due to an inmates request and the disapproval of a state senator the age old tradition of an inmate on death rows last meal has been ended this past week. Yahoo news has more on this story. According to yahoo, the inmate request the following items "two chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, fried okra, a pound of barbecue, three fajitas, a meat lover's pizza, a pint of ice cream and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts."src=http://news.yahoo.com/texas-prisons-end-special-last-meals-executions-195102056.html" The senator looks down on this and the prison officials agreed with his decision. No longer will inmates about to be executed be allowed to eat what ever they want. To see other examples of request from inmates check out the story on yahoo.com

         So what do you think, should an inmate be able to request anything they want? My thought is no. In this time of government agencies having to cut back on spending this is a good way for prison officials to cut spending without having to cut jobs. The story states that the restriction on what they could request would have to be available from the supplies in the kitchen. Still you are taking a lot of supplies that are needed for the numerous other inmates and diverting them to one person.

So what do you think? Let me know. As always all the things I say are my opinion only.
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Is That a Shooting Star?

You might be asking yourself this very question tonight (September 23, 2011) if you see a light streaking across the sky. NASA says that a satellite that was launched over 20 years ago to study the atmosphere has completed its missions and will be returning to earth. With a large chunk of metal burning up in the atmosphere is there any chance that you will be hit by a piece that has not burnt up yet. NASA says that the chances are small and no one should be worried. According to NASA the UARS satellite weighs in at 13,000lbs and is around 35 feet long.

So why do a story over this? Well first off it brings up a valid point that a lot of people seem to forget. What goes up, must come down. In this case it just happens to be a 13,000 pound piece of metal that is worth billions. So what happens if you find a piece of NASA property. You should return it. Not only would you be stealing from NASA, but in a sense you would be stealing the property of every American taxpayer.

That is the way that I personally feel about this story. So go out and look up at the sky, and if a bright object gets close to your location I would go ahead and take cover. :)

SBC

I want you to watch this video of a news broadcast segment from California. In it they report on a the result of a pursuit of a car by police. The ending is not for the feint of heart so be advised shots are fired. I located this on youtube.com however it is a broadcast from a T.V. station in L.A.

Police receive a call from a female stating that her child has been taken by the father who is possible intoxicated and armed, police initiate a pursuit with the vehicle and the driver. After the vehicle stops the officers attempt to talk the subject out of the vehicle. When the subject gets out of the vehicle he starts walking toward officers with a gun in his hand (the gun is facing the ground.) After officers tell him to put the weapon down multiple times the subject is shot and killed on scene. The mother rushes to the vehicle and removes the child. Investigators state that this is a case of suicide by cop. The mother of the suspect said that the officers should not have shot to kill but should have shot him in the arm, foot or used gas. Police specialist said that the officers did what they were trained to do.

Officers respond to calls that involve unknown circumstances every time they pick up their mic, its just part of their job no matter how good their dispatching team is. When an officer is involved in a case like this they have many key pieces of information that they need to process in a very little amount of time.

1. Are the lives of multiple people in danger because of this suspect?

       In my opinion yes, this incident happened on a busy street in broad daylight with a reportedly intoxicated individual with a handgun walking towards officers in an (from my point of view) aggressive manner. If the suspect shot at officers and missed and hit a bystander not only would the suspect still be taken down, the department would most likely be asked why they did not take care of the threat before it happened.

2. Is the child at risk.

        Yes, if the father gets back into the car he can then start the pursuit again and injure himself, the child and bystanders.

3. Is it worth the risk

         No, the subject was walking towards officers with a gun in hand in an (in my opinion) aggressive manner. It is not known if the weapon in loaded and can be brought to bear against officers at anytime.

These questions need to be answered in the minds of the officers in a split second, and they were. The officers made a choice that so many have to make in this career. As a result the public is asking if they officers did all they could before having to take the final step. No officer wants to shoot someone, but it is part of the job description  When you get into a situation like this one, it is a lose/ lose situation.

So why do I feel like this. As a dispatcher for a Law Enforcement agency and a striving student in criminal justice I feel that people need to realize what an officer has to do when he/she makes a decision like that. Either way it is a lose/lose situation and one that will haunt that officer for the rest of his/her life and career.

Like always this post if just my opinion. Remember that if you watch the video use caution in who you watch it with. This post is for my English course.

      

New NASA Project Announced

I have always had a love for NASA and the space program. I found this article interesting and informative. I have been watching this programs development for the last few months and had thought that we where going to loose it. To read the story click here

As we all know NASA has been in the process of creating a new project. I was wrong because I thought that the main reason for this plan was to go back to the moon and then eventually get to Mars. According to the news report that was released on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 NASA administrators have gone in front of Congress with the designs and plan for a new rocket to get man to Mars.With the design of this rocket and the announcement of the program, a huge problem is going to arise. Money, they US government is running out of it but this project is going to need a large amount of money. The article states that NASA has been known to go over budget on project before, and I am sure that this is going to be no different. The question is is the risk worth it?

I think it is. As a supporter of NASA, I believe that this project is going to create a massive amount of jobs and will be a great investment. This project, like the one forty years ago will bring inspiration to the American people and knowledge to the human race. Over forty years ago NASA and the American people launched a program that would put our nation in the spotlight and ahead of the space race. This project not only boosted moral of the American people, but created jobs, and made childhood dreams come true. It also brought us a massive amount of information about the moon and what we could do there if needed. If this project goes though, we will again have a result like this. Even though congress is having a budget problem. If they cut this program they will have to answer to the American people as to why we are not doing our best to create jobs, and in a government agency no less.

You get this response from me because like I said, I am a big supporter of NASA. The massive amount of jobs that will be created will help out the economy by decreasing the unemployment line and putting moral back in the American people. This project gives us a new goal to work toward and the awe of the plan we are putting into motion.

As always this is just my opinion. This blog has been created for my English class.

Cowboys and Jets - Stun Gun Showdown!

I located this story off of yahoo and yahoo sports.com It brings up the issue of the first amendment and how far one should go with his or her right. Please read the story and watch the news excerpt before reading what I have to say.

On Sunday September 11, 2011 the Dallas Cowboys were playing the New York jets at New York. However what happened in the stand had nothing to do with football. Due to a religious difference between a fan and the rest of the fans problems occurred. A male who is a Jehovah's witness from Texas got into a brawl with other fans where he then pulled a stun gun out and started to use it. The male did not stand up during the national anthem as his religion states,but then proceed to not be quite during a moment of silent as a memorial for those injured or killed in 9/11. The video said that he then got in an altercation with a Marine who was close by.

I believe in the first amendment as much as any other American, but there is a point that I believe you need to bite your lip and keep quite. In the news article it stated that the males religion would not allow him to stand for the national anthem. I understand that as it is part of the Freedom of Religion and it is not really showing disrespect to anyone or showing his feeling (if hate was included) in an obvious way. However his son did not say that the religion prohibited him from remaining silent on a memorial type moment of silence. Not only his he being disrespectful to those around him, but he is being disrespectful to those who have passed away during 9/11 and as a result of it. On top of it all he did this while in NEW YORK! I would just think that someone would be a little more respectful of something like that. As a result of all these things combined to then get into an altercation with one of the men and or women serving our country, that just pushes things a little bit to far.

As always this  blog is my personal opinion and is created for my English Course.
NO OFFENSE IS MEANT!http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201109/nfl-fan-uses-religious-self-defense-stun-gun-use

Social Media and Law Enforcement

Have you every thought how social media could help law enforcement. Well when an ex-wife who's ex-husband owed her back pay in child support saw where he checked in at a local mall on facebook, she called the police. So what is the moral of this story. Law enforcement is ever vigilant. Also if you owe your ex-wife back pay, watch what you put on facebook. You can read this small story out of Arizona by clicking here

This isn't the only story like this out there. Law enforcement is getting help from social media outlets all the time. It is really funny how much information people put out on the web through help of social media, and if you don't have your settings set correctly, anyone wanting to look can including law enforcement officers. So what does this mean. Well if you like to get on facebook or twitter or some other social media sight and tell where you are at every 5 minutes, your parents, friends, and TOTAL STRANGERS can follow you around. Moral of the story? Make sure who sees what you post is who you want to see it, and be careful what information you put out there.

As always its just a friendly suggestion by me and my own opinion!

So What does Law Enforcement have to do with babies?

This story is for those of you who think that all police officers do is right tickets. It was another short story that I located on the Law Officer facebook page. You can find the full but still short story on this newspapers website called the Chicago Tribune, just click here!

So have you ever been listing to a police scanner and hear a call for service reference a female who is having a baby in the back seat of a car? Well if not just imagine being the officer who was just dispatched to that call. This  happened to a deputy in Calumet County, Wisconsin. The report says that around 5:30 am the mother woke to labor pains and tried to get to the hospital but pulled over and called 911. The deputy responded and helped delivered the baby boy. You would think that this would be a once in a career type call but the officer who responded said that it was his third call of the same type in his entire 30 years on the force.

So what do you think? I think that this officer responded to a situation that people take for granted everyday. Even though this was a birth, he did not know if there were any complications with the birth that may have called for emergency procedure or may have caused the death of the mother or child. While doing so on the side of a road where someone could have side swiped him he not only responded to an emergency situation but he put his life on the line. We take officer of the law for granted all the time, and a lot of people think that all they do is write tickets, but they respond to emergency situations all the time not knowing all of what is going on.

So why did I respond like this? Like it said in my last post. I work at the local Sheriff's Department. I dispatch for all emergency agencies in our county and as a result have one on one contact with the officer, medical and fire personnel in the county. I know what they are responding to and sometimes we do not get all the information that they need. Law enforcement is not just keeping the peace between people fighting, it is also responding to that life or death situation and having to make important decisions with little time and limited information. I just think that we need to thank our officers, medical and fire personnel when we have the chance.

As always all thoughts in this blog our mine, and this blog is for my English Course.
If you want to read the short story about the officer delivering the baby click here

K-9 Officers Family

I located this story on Law Officer's facebook page but the original story was published on abc.com. You can read it here.

When a law enforcement officer becomes a K-9 officer they gain more than just a title and a dog, you gain a friend a family member. So what happens when the handler is killed? Well that depends on the department. Even though the K-9 lives with his partner and his family he is still the departments property. But the bonding and the training is done between one officer and one dog. So what does the department do. Well sometimes as in this story they give the dog to the family, other times they will reassign the dog to another handler.

In this instance a handler is killed in the line of duty. City officials have a decision to make on what to do with the dog. As the dog is there property and very valuable it sometimes makes the decision tougher to make. The city of St. Petersburg, Florida however decided to allow the dog to live with the handlers family. The family felt honored as the dog (Ace) is a very valuable asset to the community. I think the city made a wise choice.

Why do I feel that way? I work at the local Sheriff's Department. There I get to see the K-9 officer and the K-9 on a regular basis. You can feel the connection and when you hear him speak of the family and the K-9 you can hear that they think he is now part of the family. The cool thing about living with the K-9 is that you can take your K-9 home at the end of the day and at the beginning of the shift you do not have to leave your loyal friend home while your at work. But when you tear the dog away from its friend and master you are leaving a hole of hurt in the dog, and if you tear the family away from the dog, not only has the mother or father been taken away from them, but also a fond memory of all the good times that they have had together will have been taken away from them. This is why I think that the department made a good choice. When you take care of your employees family's. People will want to work for you.

To see the story of Ace, go to abc.com or click here

NASA's Photographic Skills

A rover that was launched in 1997 has showed promise this week. NASA released a picture of Saturn as taken on scene by the Cassini Orbiter. This story was located on Yahoo News.

After the close of the shuttle program and the cancellation of the next program it is nice to see that NASA is receiving good information from some of its investments. In 1997 a 3.26 Billion Dollar piece of machinery that was sent on a seven year trip to Saturn. This week NASA released a photo of the planet and its rings on the dark side with the sun shining behind it. It is an awesome looking photo.

I have always been an avid fan of NASA. From the space race to the construction of the space station and the delivery of the Hubble Telescope. NASA has been furthering the human knowledge of  space and our neighbors. With the U.S. budget problems NASA's funding has been cut, with the ending of the shuttle program, Jobs with NASA have been cut. I reacted to the story the way I did because as I was always a fan of NASA, and with the government calming that they need to create jobs, then turn around and cut jobs with a government program that is obtaining information to us just irritates me. Then to get the information that something that started over fourteen years ago is still sending information out, brings a small since of satisfaction but also sadness that for a while the U.S. is loosing the gain on information it was learning and the people it was employed.

If you want to look at the photo that Cassini took look here.

As always this is just my opinion and this is a post for my English course.

It's that time of the decade again.

Political accusations are flying in the world of NASCAR this week. On yahoo news was a story that was trying its best to be unbiased on the reasons for several NASCAR drivers to deny an invitation to the White House by President Obama. You can access the story "Several drivers decline invite to white house due to scheduling " By: Jay Busbee  on yahoo.com

Several NASCAR drivers have declined an invation to the White House due to scheduling issues and other prior commitments. As this is starting off the election year you can assume that this will turn into a political reason, however most of the drivers say that it is due to prior events scheduled. The story went more in depth with the drivers who declined and what the reasoning was behind that. Most drivers were polite when they declined and said that they had been to the white house before and it is a great honor just to go once.

I think that this story has been given to much attention just because it has to do with the white house and public figures. I think that it was good for those drivers to not cancel on their prior commitments just because they where invited to the white house. One of the drivers said that the event he was going to had set it up around his schedule and it would not be fair to the event if he didn't show up. Not just are the events counting on the drivers but think of all the kids who look up to the drivers. Imagine all the kids who would be going to these events to try and speak to there "hero." They would be devastated. That is also a good way to loose the faith of sponsors who may be looking to you to carry their brands. If you cannot keep a business obligation just because you are asked over for an in my opinion public relations importunity, why would I want to trust you to make the race that I helped pay your way into.

The reason I react like this is because just because someone says no to the President of the United States does not mean that they do so in disrespect. People have obligations, and if that interferes with an invitation to the white house, so be it. People should not look at this story and try to dissect what the political preference of the driver is. It is NASCAR, not lets see who he votes on. It just irritates me how politics has to work its way on to things sometime. Again all this is my opinion and I do not mean to disrespect anyone, including the president.

To see what other comments people are posting, you can go to the stories page as linked above.

Environment V. People

I located this story on msnbc.com. 

This story deals with a decision that the white house and President Obama have yet to make. In August the US State Department cleared a proposal for a pipeline to run from Canada to Texas. The State Department said that there would be little environmental damage. However the company that owns the pipeline has been known for spills. Multiple people have been arrested during protesting and sit ins at the white house and along the street. Canada's government believes that the President will approve of the pipeline.

With gas at record highs, and with the environment sure to be a hot topic during this next election, I think that the President is going to have to decide what to do carefully. With over 1,000 people protesting this pipeline and many of them willing to go to jail for it, they believe that this is not what we should do. Yes this pipeline may bring the price of gas down a bit, but at what cost to our natural resources. This company has been known to have very minor to large leaks of crude oil that has spilled out into the land. If the US allows this pipeline to be built and oil spills into the land we could have a disaster the close to what the spill in the gulf was like only with dry land. 

However, this may also create jobs along the pipeline, from hotels to house workers to small town diners to feed them. The President must choose wisely on what decision to make. I do not envy him during the next few weeks.

I write like this because I understand the need for lower gas prices and jobs, but I think that we are using the natural beauty of the country too fast. When Lewis and Clark roamed the land and created the first mainstream paths for others to follow. Now everywhere you look you see smog, concrete, and other things that are taking over compared to the nature that used to surround everything, even our biggest cities. I know that trying to create jobs while keeping the beauty alive is easier said than done, I also think that we need to try harder sometimes. That is what I think.

   

Best Vacation Email Ever

This story comes from Yahoo, it is a story about the best out of office email, or what is commonly known as the "automated vacation response." In this story an office worker and his family are going on a vacation and he has to write an auto response to let people know that he is out of town and may not reply as quick as he normally would. Now instead of putting something to the effect of " I am out of town and will get back to you as soon as I can," he writes an entire story and throws some physiology in there for good measure. In essence he makes sure you will not email him unless it is an emergency by making you feel guilty, but does give you the proper information on how to get hold of him or find the information you need.

This may work for people who work in office jobs in the big city's but if I where to try something like this at my office, I would at least get a reminder that we are supposed to be polite with the public and other agencies. To me this email response is not professional in the least way. If I where a prospective client of this person, (the story did not say what field of work he was in) and he was in the service industry. I would think that the auto response was rude and uncalled for. If you use something like this auto response make sure it applies to all people that you may recieve emails from. I would not like my future client to get this message and think "Why am I going to set up a partnership with a person who makes me feel guilty just for emailing him."

At the same time it does get the point across that if you need him, and it accounts for an emergency you can always get in touch with him through a special email that he had set up.  I see why he did it, but I think that he could have toned it down a little bit. To see what he wrote click here to go to this story on yahoo.com

about me

Hello all,

My name is Zach Dykes, I am a second year student at MSSU and this blog is for my English Comp class for those of you reading that are not in the class. I work full time for the local Sheriff's Department and am also taking a full time course load at school. I am hoping to be able to do well in all my classes this year. If you have any questions fell free to ask me on blackboard. To those of you in my class, I am looking forward to working with you this semester.

-Zach