Category Archives: Uncategorized

Guest Post: I Won’t Surrender to Criminals – Neither my Property Nor My Life

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This is a guest post from Ross Puskar, author of “Founding Fathers Know Best.”

As a young man I was taught by my dad and my uncles to stand up for myself. Their advice was plain-spoken. I was not to start any fights, but if someone hit me I should hit back. I was admonished to act like a man.

In school I learned that when Germany and Japan attacked the United States, we fought back. We defended America. And I learned our Founding Fathers would not submit to the tyranny of King George. They risk their lives, fortunes and sacred honor when they declared their Independence. They would fight to the death to protect their property and families and Liberty.

Has our culture completely changed today? Disturbing zero tolerance policies on in-school fights require expulsion of any student who fights back. Some cities advocate surrendering to criminals without attempting any self-defense. Would the Founding Fathers ever understand these obsequious policies? How would they react to any Government that promotes immediate and complete submission?

The situation in Washington, DC is particularly disconcerting. Their official safety policy has been articulated by Deputy Mayor Paul Quander: “It’s much better in my opinion to be scared or to be frightened, and even if you have to be injured, but to walk away and survive. You’ll heal and you can replace whatever was taken from you.” And Mr. Quander added, “If you are armed it escalates the situation.”

The violent crime rate in DC for a recent two month period was up 40%, and robberies at gun point increased by 50%. In addition, Washington, DC is arguably the most difficult place in America to get a license to carry a concealed weapon. All the odds seem to be in favor of the criminals and against law-abiding citizens.

Of course submitting and surrendering to the criminals, as the Deputy Mayor suggests, is no guarantee one will escape unharmed, or even alive. One would be at the mercy of an illicit element who have no respect for laws or civilization.

I confess. Washington, DC’s safety concept is anathema to me. I don’t understand it and I could never accept it. I’m also very pleased to learn I share a position with the vast majority of my fellow Americans. According to a recent Reuter’s poll, 67% of our citizens believe in using deadly force to protect themselves in a public place.

The submit and surrender policy of Washington, DC is wrong. It reflects spurious thinking by persons without values. There is no place in our great nation for that kind of appeasement and cowardice. Especially not in the capital bearing the name of the Father of our Country!

I would not teach a daughter to be scared, to surrender her money, to suffer injury, and to submit without a fight.  I would not ask a husband to allow his wife to endure indignity and harm before he would attempt to defend her. I would not suggest a mother allow her child to be assaulted and not try to protect her.

What advice would you give to your family and friends?

If a person would not try to protect his property or his family or himself – who or what would he fight for? Is there anything or anyone for whom he’d risk his life? Or would he always submit? To me, surrendering to any criminal element seems un-American. It seems a violation of the sacred trust willed to us by the Founding Fathers.

I have another confession. My son-in-law and daughter live right outside Washington, DC. My advice to them is as simple as my dad’s advice to me. Stand up for yourself. Get a license for a concealed weapon. Buy and carry a good gun. And let the criminals decide if they want to risk their lives messing with you.

Whether you agree or disagree, I’m very interested in learning your thoughts on this issue.  What would you do if confronted by a criminal? by an armed criminal? Would you simply surrender your hard-earned money? Would you suffer injury without fighting back. Please write your comments and let us know. Thanks.
Ross Puskar is the author of the new political satire Founding Fathers Know Best about the spirits of Adams, Jefferson and Madison returning to the White House to counsel the President on the issues of the election of 2012. It’s now available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  You can follow Ross on Twitter (@FFKnowBest) and Facebook (Ross Puskar) and you can like FFKB on Facebook.

Sad State of the Playground

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When I was growing up, one of my favorite pastimes was going to the playground.  It was a time to forge new friendships, get a break from school work, and to exert some excess energy.  Granted, there was always some sort of bullying, whether it would be this tall boy trying to take a basketball and hold it out of my reach (I was short and this was the common treatment).  Overall, it was a great experience.

According to a recent CNN article, the playground has changed into a judgment zone.  It is not harmless picking, like the treatment I experienced growing up; rather it has morphed into a place where kids are judging on the size of another.  Talk about being exposed to body image issues at a young age.

Fat is the new ugly on the school playground. Children as young as 3 worry about being fat. Four- and 5-year-olds know “skinny” is good and “fat” is bad. Children in elementary school are calling each other fat as a put-down.’’

As our country becomes more obsessed with increasingly skinny ideals of beauty at the same time that we’re getting more obese, “Fat hatred has become so pervasive that it is part of the fabric of our language and interactions,” says Dr. Robyn Silverman, author of “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.” “Fat and thin are no longer simply assessments of size or weight, but rather of character. So you can imagine why adoption of these attitudes, diet talk and disordered behavior is happening earlier as well.”

Granted, it is natural for children to notice that they are different than others, and this is to be celebrated.  However, with entertainment and media focusing on the images of extremely skinny celebrities, they forget to remember that children see these images.  This is leading to children judging other children on the stigma that our society focuses on far too often.

However, there is another factor that the article addresses:  how the parent addresses his/her own body image before the child.  Is the parent focused consistently on dieting or over-exercising?   A child sees how the parent conducts themselves and seeks to emulate them.   It is natural, but it can be unhealthy for a child emotionally.  How about appreciating your looks and seeking to live a healthy lifestyle?  This is the greatest role model for children to see.

Perhaps, a child judging another child’s body is becoming the new form of playground bullying.  I hope this is a wake-up call for parents to address that each person is unique, beautiful, and destined for great things. It is time for the playground to return to its fun roots.

**Note:  As a former social worker, I worked with children in a clinical setting.**

Justice Served…rightfully so!

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What would you do if you paid your house in full (without taking out a mortgage loan) and a bank was trying to foreclose on your house? You would take this bank to court and get an injunction for the bank to leave you alone. It seems like a fair thing to do, and you would also demand them to pay your court fees.

In Florida, this scenario happened to a couple who paid their house in full, and Bank of America tried to foreclose on them, even though the couple did not take out a mortgage on their house. This couple took Bank of America to court, and the judge ordered the bank to pay the court fees. In the end, Bank of America refused to pay the couple, so what happened? The couple got revenge and foreclosed on the bank. They got their money and got the satisfaction of not being taken advantage of.

Perhaps, this will teach other banks and corporations not to take advantage of consumers. It should open the eyes of those in Congress and state legislatures to provide more protections for consumers against these abuses.

Obama and Blagojevich…Sitting in a Tree

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Face it President-elect Obama, you are forever tied with Illinois Governor Rod “Jailbird” Blagojevich.  You have decided to throw him under the bus, just like you have with every person who has ever been called for scrutiny, corruption, etc.

According to ABC News’ Political Punch, Obama made this statement to the press.

“Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney’s office today,” said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint against Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption. “But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time.”

Asked what contact he’d had with the governor’s office about his replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today said “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”

Hmm…sounds interesting, considering that Obama’s campaign advisor, David Axelrod defended Blagojevich on FOX News in regards to picking Obama’s successor in the Senate.

Instead of change and hope, Obama’s ties to the recent Blagojevich scandal leads me to brand this administration as Chicago Corruption.   It took forever for this to surface, and it should have happened prior to the election.

Bailouts: The Clock is Ticking

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Cross-Posted from The Clarion’s Call:

Here’s an AP video regarding the situation in Chicago with the closing of Republic Windows & Doors:

THE SITUATION: Republic Windows & Doors is unable to secure credit from Bank of America to continue operations.  Republic Windows & Doors thus gave its union workers 3 days notice of layoffs instead of the 60 days required by law.

THE CONSEQUENCES: Union workers are demanding vacation and severance pay.

REPUBLIC WINDOWS & DOORS ARGUMENT: Bank of America will not let Republic Windows & Doors make payment.

UNION WORKERS’ ARGUMENT: Bank of America received bailout money for the purpose of extending credit to Republic Windows & Doors so that it can meet union workers‘ demands.

Do you see it coming?

The tidal waves of failing businesses and the endless demands for the bailout money to be used so that everyone can get theirs.  When is it going to end?

Will there be enough money?  Will we have to borrow more?  Will we have to print more?  Will our money even be worth anything?

Can labor laws, designed to protect workers, provide for a thriving economy?

Can government direct prosperity?  Should it?

Will we hit a point when it is too late to do anything?

War Heroes

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Cross-posted from The Clarion’s Call:

Too often in recent history, Republicans have run war heroes under the false notion that their exemplary character allows them to deflect substantive policy accusations.  The pattern goes like this:

  • CANDIDATE: I’m _____________, I’m running for _______________, and I served __ years in the ___<<military branch>>___ (and fought in the _______war[s]).
  • OPPONENT: I respect Mr. _______’s service   The problem is, Mr. ______ supports ___<<ridiculously wasteful government expenditure>>___ and we just cannot afford it without wrecking our economy because…..
  • CANDIDATE: I have fought for this country for ___years proving that I love this country and that’s why you have to believe me when I say we need ___<<ridiculously wasteful government expenditure>>___.

What a great way to engage in a substantive policy debate?  Sound familiar?

This is how we get Presidential candidates making careers on opposing wasteful pork barrel spending only to support $150 billion of pork on top of $700 billion to address a perceived credit crisis.  That’s right, no talk of economic pros or cons, just: “I fought for this country and I am doing what’s best regardless of politics.”  So much for fighting for a country where we can have opposition politics over critical matters such as these.

This is not to say that we have no respect for war heroes.  We love our veterans.  We certainly respect their service, but if we expect to have strong candidates we must not let our candidates use military records as an excuse to disengage from substantive policy debates.   This tactic does the country a great disservice.

Finally, it must be noted that most Americans under 50 did not live through a draft (yet).  In light of the volunteer military, these Americans have a different view of the military and military serviceman than Americans over the age of 50.  These younger Americans view all politicians (former servicemen or not) with the same degree of skepticism and demand substantive arguments, not argumenta ad hominem.

Christmas Traditions

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When I think of Christmas, I think of all the traditions that most families hold dear.  For me, it is my mom blaring Christmas music during Thanksgiving week to the excitement of baking cookies in the kitchen, it is the traditions that bring back memories.   As someone who loves spending time with family, I really enjoy it when we all sit down and watch “Christmas Vacation,” then we decorate the tree.  It is those moments that warm my heart.

Now, I am away from some of these traditions and out to create my own.   For one, I do not bake the cookies.  Cookies have never been my favorite things to bake, since they are so tedious and time consuming.  If I do bake cookies, it is through the help of my good friends at Pillsbury.   My mom’s Christmas music tradition has started to rub off, as I have been listening to it lately to put me in the spirit.  There is one tradition that I have created and that is the sock tradition.  You see, I am notorious for crazy socks (whether they have penguins on them or have a cat with beady eyes), so I am gearing up to buy some crazy Christmas socks for this tradition.  I also read the Gospel of Luke every Christmas detailing Jesus’ birth.

As I am discovering, it is the traditions that make Christmas a magical time of the year.   For me, I still wake up on Christmas morning and run out to the tree in sheer excitement (though, in recent years, my family is notorious for sleeping in, then going out to gather around the tree) knowing that I can see the smiles on my family’s faces when they open gifts.  It is always a great time rejoicing in the true meaning of Christmas as well.

It is my hope that you hold the traditions of Christmas near and dear to your heart as well.

**This is another post in the month long segment entitled Christmas Miracles.