Thursday, April 23, 2009

Ignorance vs Stupidity take 2

First off I can't believe it has been two months since I last posted. Now to get to why I felt the need to post for the first time in two months.

I come home tonight sometime around midnight and walk into the house only to find my wife wide awake on the couch obviously frustrated. I find this particularly weird seeing as I received a text somewhere around ten o clock saying she was exhausted and going to bed. So we go through or normal how was your day, how was work stint and finally I ask what it bothering her. She then turns to me and says not one but two people have questioned our motives behind having our kids and her on a GFCFSF diet. One went as far as to say that all of the recovery that we have seen may just be in her head. First off unless you have any idea what we have been through in the past five years with our kids you should never ever open your mouth and question what we (mostly her) have been through. Secondly if you ever want to see what a pissed off 6'1" 250 pound prior state champion wrestling American Asian looks like up close and personal, do something that will upset my wife. I can't explain the rage that shoots through my body when someone upsets my wife. I have come a long way with my anger issues, but when I see my wife visibly upset, it makes me want to put someones head through a brick wall.

Then I read Granolas blog and realized that there really is just a difference between ignorance and stupidity. These two people who questioned our motives are just ignorant. Not in the mean spirited, "Hey your and idiot" way, but in the uninformed uneducated way. They choose to question a field in which they have no experience or education in. They choose to draw judgement based on what they may have heard from other uneducated ignorant people, or read a quick article about that was written by someone who has never had to experience what we have first hand. Kind of like the whole 101 ways to please your man... written by "some woman". My wife has poured her life into making sure our kids have the absolute best nutritious food entering their body. She has spent night after night month after month year after year researching various websites and reading various books to make sure that everything she is doing is not only safe, but beneficial in every way in helping cure our children. So excuse us for not running down to the local McDonald's and ordering the cheeseburger and fries with chocolate milk to drink, but instead run to the local Nutrition World to get the all natural chemical free fish sticks to feed our kids. Someone better call Children and Family Services because those crazy Bush's are feeding there kids home grown vegetables that Granola planted herself and grew without the use of any chemicals. I mean isn't it abuse if we don't let them eat fried chicken, and drink red kool aid. My gosh the Bush kids actually want to drink WATER! Take them away save them from these abusive parents! I mean she is being one of "Those Moms." On a side note stupidity is being informed and still questioning our motives. Stupidity is also upsetting my wife which in turn upsets me.

I will spare you a long drawn out reason as to why we have and will continue to use this diet. I have seen the miraculous changes first hand in my son who at one time I thought would never be able to look me in the eyes and tell me he loves me, to the son who grabs both my cheeks and says "Daddy I Lub you!" I have seen a kid go from having to wear sound muffling head phones to go to the grocery store because the noise was to much, to the kid who can now walk around freely finally able to hear everything around him without breaking down screaming covering his ears because the noise is just to much. I have seen the kid who once was covered in rashes to the kid with rash free skin. The diet works people. Even if it didn't who the hell are you to question us and why we are doing it. Even if our kids didn't have problems that require the diet why should it be any of your concern as to what we are feeding them. Nothing makes me happier than to to hear my children tell an adult no to a cookie or candy because it has chemicals in it. We are not trying to convert you to the diet so please do us a favor and stop trying to convert us away from it. Before you speak make sure you are informed on the topic you are about to discuss. I find it really unbelievable that someone would really try and argue that shoving a chemical laced, preserved food item into your body is somehow better for you and your kids than the all natural home grown stuff. Become educated, research before you speak, and you better research it a long time, because I guarantee you granola has. And again before you think about opening your mouth and upsetting Granola again, remember you are now informed as to how this makes me feel. This means you have been educated. This means you no longer qualify as ignorant but have crossed over into the realm of stupid should you choose to upset her. Should you choose to upset her I would be more than happy to introduce you to a brick wall. :)

Anyways I am tired and am not sure all of this will even make any sense but I am posting it as is since I do not feel like going back and proof reading it. See you all in a couple of months.

OA

Friday, February 27, 2009

Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone

Today started out to be a great day. My loving wife knowing I have worked several long work days this week decided to let me sleep in and got up at 4:00 with the kiddos and got them off to school. Upon awakening, we paid the bills, cancelled memberships to things we have been meaning to do for months, and finally went and bought the rest of the laminate flooring to finish the floors in the house. We really felt great knowing we were getting a lot of things accomplished that we have been putting off for a while. In the middle of our accomplishments Granola's phone rang and it was a 850 area code number. Not knowing the number she decided not to answer it and went about her business. A while later my phone rings, yet again another 850 number. Before answering the phone we both look at each other and immediately know something is going down in what we used to call home in Okaloosa County. I answer my phone and here FOTOA (AKA my father) tell me to go to the Northwest Florida Daily News sight and read up on the Sheriff's Office. For those of you who don't know, I worked for the Sheriff's Office for three years, and he was employed with them for several years himself. What came next sent a whirlwind of emotions through me that I haven't felt in a long time.

It turns out a man that I grew up to trust and even admire in ways had done something that warranted an FBI investigation. This man was my neighbor for a while, my boss for three years, and on a certain level a friend. I remember one time FOTOA telling me that this man treated me so generously because I was like a son to him seeing as his own son was so far away, and they did not have a very close relationship. I would spend summer days clearing the brush behind his house, and we would spend many nights together on the back dock of his house shucking oysters and swimming in his pool which he so generously opened up to me and my family. Our families would share many memories together, and they made the transition from Indiana to Florida a little easier with their kind hearts and hospitality to us. This man would take us on his pontoon boat out to Crab Island where we would spend several amazing summer days out on the water just enjoying each others company. We spent the fourth of July together on this same pontoon boat where his wife and I spent an entire night together trying to see who could be the life of the party. (His wife was a very energetic entertaining person to say the least) It was memories like these that made it a very simple decision when I was considering going into the law enforcement field. Not only would I be able to follow in the footsteps of my father who dedicated 30 years of his life to law enforcement, but I knew I would be working for a man that I respected and admired.

To hear the news today that this man had been arrested by federal agents for bribery, money laundering, and several other misc. charges sent my emotions in so many different directions. As a prior law enforcement officer I know that the feds do not bring a case against you or arrest you unless they have pretty concrete evidence to convict. My first emotion was pure disgust. I couldn't believe that the man that preached honesty and integrity to the 300+ sworn employees had betrayed all that trusted and respected him. This man preached those two words so much that you couldn't help but think twice and then a third time before you put any thoughts into action. Although it was my father and mother who first instilled these values in me, this man helped further them into my heart. To think that he could do such a thing sent a rage through my body that made me want to drive straight to Florida and tell him exactly what I was thinking of him at the moment. After reading update after update on the Daily News sight, and receiving phone calls, and facebook notifications about this breaking news, my heart started turning in a different direction.

I couldn't help but to start hurting for all of the people that are going to be affected by the actions of this man, and the others involved. Deputies that have put their trust into him who will now have to deal with the comments about a corrupt Sheriff's Office even though they have done nothing wrong. The families of those involved who probably had no idea what was going on will now have to deal with the ignorance of the public who choose to leave idiotic comments such as, "I hope someone kills him while he is in jail." Comments like these make my blood boil. Don't get me wrong, if he did in fact commit these crimes then he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, he made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Yes he should be held to a higher standard due to his position, but show me someone who hasn't made mistakes. Yes his mistake is bigger than most, but it does not justify the idiotic comments listed above. My heart hurts mostly for the people who will be affected by this that had nothing to do with it. My heart hurts for this man who I still believe is a good person who got caught up in the temptations that come with such a powerful position. The man I knew growing up who opened his home to me and my family was a good man and I refuse to let the comments of others who don't know him on a personal level change this. He made a enormous mistake and for that will have to pay the price. I do not kid myself and believe that this is the only mistake he has made, but it just doesn't really matter to me at this point.

As stated earlier my emotions are out of control right now and there are so many more things to say that I will left unsaid. For any who feel the need to call me up, or facebook me the newest gossip on this incident, just don't. I respected this man, and he has lost a big part of this respect, but I will not turn my back on him for the mistakes he has made in the recent past. I sat in my car in my garage before going to work tonight in the pitch black and bowed my head and just prayed. I prayed for all of those affected by this incident, I prayed for the families and deputies that have been hurt by this, but most of all I prayed for this man who seems to have lost his way for a moment, and I hope others will do the same. So before dialing my number or typing in my email address do me a favor and instead spend this time praying that this man will ask for forgiveness from God and will somehow make things right in his life again.

Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone

OA