Danger Keep Away!

Have you ever watched City of Joy with Patrick Swayze? It was a movie about a doctor (Swayze) visiting Calcutta, India. He went on vacation for a spiritual enlightenment, and wound up in the poorest sector of Calcutta, and becoming a hero of sorts. He was an advisor, defender of the people, and a doctor to a lepers colony. It was a very sad, but an aw inspiring movie that everyone should see!

Those that were not leper's condemned those with leprosy. They would not allow those stricken with leprosy to go outside of their own sector more or less. Treated them like they were not human, and were just down right disgusting in some of their actions toward the poor, and disadvantaged people. Until you've been treated like a leper you usually do not think much about it. I have never had any diseases, or disfiguring that made people not want to be near me. However, some people see skin color as a deformity, and some see deformation as a horrible thing.

As a child I was afraid of people with handicaps. I was afraid until I learned that they needed to be loved just like me, and wanted to give their love just as much as they wanted to be loved. I grew out of my fear with knowledge. But with increasing knowledge also comes increasing sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:18) I learned that not everyone cared for other people only themselves and what they believe in. Now I am not going to get on my political soap box, because I am not a politician, but an imperfect Christian that is an American Citizen. My ethnicity like all branches back to some ancient Hebrews, my detour takes place on every continent, until it stops right here in the good ol' US of A. Nothing presents my feeling like the lepers feel more than when I have someone tell me above all other things that they are not prejudice. Not a "Hey man that's a nice jacket," or "Hey that's an awesome haircut," just "Now I don't have a prejudice bone in my body! You know that, how you been doin'?" I have bit my tongue nearly in two attempting to prevent asking how many times they have said that to a person that was not connected to African descendants.

Every time someone speaks about our President not being a US Citizen like they were the doctor that delivered him, it gives me that same feeling. When they say that he's not a Christian, like they are God Almighty themselves it gives me that feeling. I didn't get worked up over John McCain saying, "That one." But I got that same nasty feeling, when others tried to make a huge race war out of his comment. We could talk abortion, genocide, right vs. wrong all day long, and it still does not remedy the problem that we have. Bridging the communications gap peacefully and rationally would be nice, rather than barking out you're not like me, you're going to hell! I do not hate Muslims, Buddhists, or Jehovah's Witnesses, in fact I am going to invite a non-Christian to have lunch with me in the very near future. Wow, wonder how it will pan out when we eat lunch together and realize that we both need nourishment, that we are both human, and we can sit together peacefully, and not worry about our differences, but find the common ground that allows us to be civil!? I'm praying that our nation comes to that conclusion also. When we can celebrate the day that we allow our President to speak to our children and not have the school officials treat him like the strong arms of India treat the lepers!

I have seen the schools allow DSS officials to interrogate grade school children with no questions asked. Take a frightened child into a room alone with one (DSS Worker) adult, no aide (legal or otherwise), neither parent present, no family member present, not even a guardian ad litem, and not make one phone call. They will however, send a personal message home for the parents to sign, or call every home concerning our President speaking with our children. I have not yet to this day that I am aware of witnessed that before. It is also a first that a President has taken time out of an overloaded agenda to address every child in the country with a positive non partisan, no political gain involved, "National" message to my knowledge as well. So what did the schools message say to me? It said in my interpretation: "Parents we don't want to be held responsible for what your child hears from the President, we prefer to make it appear that we are giving you a choice to speak up before the event takes place in hopes that you will keep us from law suits by sending petitions of disapproval against our President. However, with no warning and not caring about a law suit we will allow an individual to request that a DSS worker intervene, and tell you how to discipline, feed, and raise your child. Tell you what they can, and will not learn because we are not above the law, we are the law! We have thrown out all moral and rational dealings because what we say stands, this is not the NBA, NFL or any other league, group or democracy there will be no review, you will just have to get over it. Thank you." What they do not tell you is that they will do this until enough people stand together and override their ignorance. So why are you still sitting here reading this? Go make plans to be at the next Town Hall meeting, and boycott whomever, has no sense. As Mix-A-Lot used to say, "If you help get the fool hired, help get him fired." If you sat and did nothing, now it is time to take a PEACEFUL stand! Be heard, and be seen, don't be in the herd and make a scene!

"It's not because he's Black, African American, what term should I use here? It's because he supports Pro-Choice!"

Again the imperfect Christian does not support abortion, especially partial birth abortion. I also do not support the belief that legalized abortion is the only or leading cause of death, I believe ignorance is.

Independence?

Well good people the imperfect one here to speak on Independence! I said that I would with my total being celebrate our independence as a nation truly when America had a person of African descendants as our Commander and Chief. Well on November 4th of 2008 I celebrated independence for all of my ancestry. The Scotsman, the German, the Portuguese, and the Blackfoot and Cherokee celebrated a true melting pot society when President Obama was sworn in! I continued the celebrating on into January and had folks celebrating with me on the 20th of January in 2009!

July 4th of 2009 has passed and I am still celebrating. My taxes have decreased personally, gas prices have lowered, and even most grocery prices seem better. We still have greater freedoms than most countries that I know of. We have a rental truck that everyone seems to enjoy, I got my Tacoma home, and now the Impala is in the shop of our choice! We are free to enjoy insurance that helps get you moving again. We are free to celebrate spending time with family and having prayer with friends and family. We are free to speak our minds and help others. I wish to exercise my freedom tonight! I do not want any father that tries and truly cares for his kids to go through what it is that I have gone through, or will have to go through for a few more years to follow.

I am a man trying to raise his children to be integritous. My endeavor is to raise good imperfect Christians that can think for themselves and celebrate their imperfections independently. I have attempted to raise all of my children to seek after God, and mature into adults that will be people after His own heart! This weekend has been a struggle, but praise God aluta continua... the struggle continues! Some cannot endure the struggle, and to this point I have and I shall!!! Thank you Sister Ne, for making me study my Latin with more fervency.

In this land of Independence, I have had to seek justice in the fine judicial system. I have a court order for partial joint custody of my youngest son. This order says that neither party cannot badmouth one or the other. It doesn't say that I am disallowed to tell the truth. It was amended in 2004, just before we bought our house, because I spanked him. I went from every other week to every second and fourth weekend with visitation. I was disallowed to spank him for lying and being lazy enough to soil his underwear, but his mother's new husband could spank him for critiquing his sister's artwork and saying that it wasn't good. Spanked by a man that teaches him that being smug is a cool thing! During that time period she moved to Illinois and took my youngest over 900 miles away from me. This is the same son that she wanted to keep me from since the very beginning. His mother wanted to keep me from him until that is she had no place to keep him herself. Because we both worked a night shift and her father was retiring and would not allow our son in his house during the day or the night his mother threatened me with a lawsuit. She said that if I didn't provide a sitter she would get an attorney and go to court. I think she was a little bit shocked when I didn't seek a sitter, but instead kept him myself during the daytime hours! I had family keep him during the night while we worked. No help from her, nothing just my watching him from 8am to 4:30pm so she could sleep. The she would then bring him back to me around 9:30pm and I would take him to my mothers house. He would cry at the door when I would leave because he wanted me to stay and play with him more. My mother watched him for the most part and my uncle's wife kept him for awhile as well. But on his mothers side the same pattern continued, and none of her family stepped up. That was then and this is now, but the drama continues.

We went to my Uncle Juan's house yesterday for the traditional BBQ. The kids ate, they swam, they rode dirtbikes and fourwheelers, and everyone was having a great time. The adults sat and held the usual comedic conversations, and laughed hardily. The kids ran like wildfire, and enjoyed one another. No arguments, no malicious acts from jealous siblings, just a great time. We all left from L.A. (Lower Altapass) and headed into metropolis of Scrubville for fireworks. We parked the trucks behind the hospital and watched the red, white, and boom from atop the hospital drive. We had a few brownies left and of course everyone wanted at the very least one more bite, so onto phase 2 of the brownie eating. The fireworks show overall not to shabby, but the grand finale a bit of a let down. Each vehicle gathered their own kids and dispersed.

The imperfect one got home and started to settle in when his phone buzzed. I was headed to the restroom and did not recognize the number so I waited for a voicemail. I walked back into the room, and listened to the voicemail. It was my youngest son's, mother's husband (mouthful huh)? He had left a message telling me that my son had texted them and notified them that he was unable to breathe. Rather than call his trac fone back to listen for signs of his not being able to breathe they texted. His mother's husband instructed me to go immediately to the emergency room! He said that AJ could get breathing treatments there, and they could administer meds to him for allergies as well. He finished his instructional message with a threatening I will be calling back to check on him. I did what I normally do, and I ignored his ignorance like a Rottweiler ignores a toothless Chihuahua. I awaited his call, and never heard from him. Instead I received a call from the Mitchell County Dispatch.

Dispatch called and at first did not identify themselves. The dispatcher said, who am I speaking with. I said you called me who do you want to speak with? He said is this the imperfect Christian? I said it is, who am I speaking with please. At that point he told me his name and said I am Deputy Dawg with the Mitchell County Dispatch, I am calling because your son's mother called and wanted to know how he was, and said that he had texted her and told her that he couldn't breathe. I told him that AJ was fine, and that I was responsible enough to get him medical attention if he needed it. I know how to dial 911, and that I was merely minutes away from Scrubville hospital, or I knew my way to Memorial Mercenary Hospital if he needed serious care. He said may I verify your address so I can formally file the complaint, I gave it to him and asked if he needed me to call the phone number back to him as well. He said no sir you have a goodnight. I said thank you, and you as well, but now that you have called please file in your complaint that my phone works that I know the number for 911, and that I am a grown man able to communicate, therefore capable of being responsible enough to get my son medical attention if he needs it, and that his mother can take care of things with him on her time.

The drama didn't stop there. A Deputy Sheriff named McClinton in all black attire came by and asked me which house was 43. I told him that my house was. Officer McClinton said that he was on a DSS call and needed to check on the minor. I called for AJ, and he got his shoes, and came to the door. I had locked myself out and couldn't get in so I called through the kitchen window. Officer McClinton was a blessing however, he did not lead AJ with a question, but simply just asked him if he was OK. AJ said, "I am good." Officer McClinton said you feeling OK then, and AJ said, "Yes sir." Officer McClinton said that's all I came for. Officer McClinton said, "Ok hoss you have a goodnight, and wished me a goodnight as well. He said if we can do anything for you just call. I said yeah you can have her handle things on her end and let me live my life and take care of things on mine. He looked a little upset with my saying that and stepped back toward me. I told him that I wasn't upset with him, but I was not pleased with the non-sense by any means, I knew that he was just doing his job. Officer McClinton then said, "I only ask one question of each parent, put yourself in their shoes, if it was you wouldn't you want to know?" Quite naturally my answer was, "Of course!" I would want to know for sure but would be more mature and rational with obtaining my information, but now you put my shoes on for a few good people. Would you want your other children freaked out every other day with an officer of the law showing up at your doorstep just because some crack pot accused you of being a bad parent when time and time again you prove that you are not!? Shoe on the other foot would you want your child with the other parent to be scared or brainwashed into believing that he was leaving his real family to go live with people that wanted nothing but bad for him, and were trying to kill him and couldn't take care of him? Would you appreciate a woman that would entice a DSS worker to believe that because your spouse was Caucasian that she didn't care for your Afro (Black) children!? Well that was part of the questioning years ago that might oldest son endured from a DSS worker. DSS workers that admitted to spanking their own children, and doing the exact same thing that I had done, but did not lose time with their children. The same DSS worker was caught in a lie in court and not punished in the least way. Those images have been burned, and have become permanent fixtures in my mind ever since the events took place. Eventually my son will see the truths in this matter but until then I am asking when Lord!?

We have been down this road before, and may have to endure it again, but my endeavor is to see that we not only survive it, but help other true, caring fathers so that this does not happen to them. Better yet so that no child is left in the dark or led into confusion.

Peace, Blessings, and Joy in Christ...the real PB&J