Feminism. A bad thing for America?

This may open a huge can of worms, but I was wondering…would the world really be so bad without the initial creation of feminism?  Now, I’m not saying to treat women differently, or to downgrade them, their abilities, their pay if they work outside of the home, etc., etc.  But what I am saying is that, perhaps the feminist movement actually led to the downgraded social structure as well as financial instability within many households in the United States.  Especially in the last decade of the 20th century and beyond.  Now hear me out before the trolls come a-knockin’. First off, feminism led to an increased female presence in the work force.  This, in my opinion, led to a decrease in the parenting on behalf of the children, who were/are often babysat by television, video games, and now, sadly, the Internet.
Perhaps in the 1970s and 1980s this may have been an acceptable practice seeing as how censorship was actually present and more family-friendly after-school programs were being shown on the television, the amount of violence in early video games was negligible, and the world wide web was just a pipe dream.  But from the 90’s onwards, that’s another story entirely.  You see all the crazy things youngsters are doing nowadays which are often times morally whack-a-do, am I right?  Well, in my opinion, if you let others guide your children, specially modern day media outlets, they will in turn suffer from it, especially if mental instability exists in the first place.
Secondly, we have the subject of finances.  Once the median household income was raised by a two-parent income, house builders knew this and took full advantage of it.  If you research historical house prices and compare them to household incomes you will see how this has become completely out of skew compared to the past.  Whereas in the past (70s and prior) a one person income could afford a house without an overly huge financial hit, now it takes two unless the one person makes a really great salary.  Therefore, you have to wonder…maybe feminism leading to an increase in the female workforce was actually *not* a good thing because others took advantage of that income increase.
To summarize with a question, are our children’s childhoods and sense of sanity, as well as our financial burdens becoming out of whack because of the creation of feminism?  It’s interesting to think about.  Now, I do realize that feminism covers a wide range of personal, social, and economic topics, but when it comes to the work force increase and parenting as well as housing increases, it really makes one wonder.  If less women (Or even less men) were in the work force and, instead, at home parenting…would social and personal morality increase, and would housing prices decrease?  It makes you think.

#feminism #parenting #housing #thoughts #randomthoughts

Greed

Greed. It's interesting to think about what greed has done to this planet and the people within it. Early man probably killed one another just for getting too close to a fruit tree they found, even though they knew they could never eat all of the fruit. Greed is why people draw borders around land, preventing people from going to and fro. When they easily know they could never cross all of that land by themselves or live in all the places upon it all at once. It's the same reason why they try to claim ownership on the Earth and collect money from people just for living on it. Why wars are started and people are killed over the most ridiculous things. It's why some people have so many things and so much money that they could never hold or count all of it, without blinking an eye to the suffering of others. It's why we are forced to work for the things that nature provides us, such as food. Or why we spend most of our income on shelter, even though it would be better if we helped one another build what we needed. Greed has helped to destroy Mother Earth, forced us to be a slave to those filled with greed, stopped us from traveling freely, living like we were meant to, put us in fear, wiped out populations, made us more shallow and less giving, and sent innocent people to fight and die for an empty title as opposed to a planet. Man is filled with greed. If we refuse to be leaderless, perhaps it would be better if women ruled the planet and all of the posts within it. Because so far men ruling it has brought nothing but unnaturalness and chaos. I know it may seem weird saying this considering I AM a man...but it's true. Although exceptions out there exist, like myself, way too many men are filled with power-hungry desires and greed to be calling the shots. It's hurting all of us.

Stan Taylor's Beneath the Bamboo: A Vietnam War Story Radio Interview

This radio interview of Stan Taylor (My Dad), author of the book entitled Beneath the Bamboo: A Vietnam War Story, was given by radio personality Orv Graham on November 5, 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNU2MMt_hwU&feature=youtu.be

#vietnamwar
#vietnam
#military
#soldiers
#army
#usarmy

Trading with China....a bad idea? Or a good one?

Trading with China....a bad idea?  Or a good one?

If we stopped trade with China completely and started making our own stuff, would that really be a bad thing?

There's pros and cons, really.

The pros are:

1. More jobs for us

2. More company tax money for our own governments

3. Less economic growth for others. For developing countries that would sting them a bit, but for those that already have nuclear capabilities? If you think about it, when we fuel their companies via trade and, in turn, that contributes to their government tax money, doesn't that ultimately mean more money for their governments to develop weapons? In reality, by us continuing to buy things that are made elsewhere, we might inadvertently be ensuring our own future destruction. So, in turn, it would seriously seem better if we halted trade with countries that had the potential to destroy us.

The cons are:

1. More environmental pollution. If we made everything here that was previously made in China, the air may LOOK like the industry centers in China, and that's definitely not a good thing. Think Los Angeles...On a GOOD day!!!

2. Making the dogs angry. What I mean is...if you basically give money handouts so often and for so long of a time to certain countries, and then cut off that money supply by stopping trade, when what they're used to getting is gone, it'll cause some pretty major consequences. In some cases, even war. It's happened before. When we cut off some major resources to Japan because they tried to take over more territory, they ended up bombing Pearl Harbor.

It's all interesting to think about. On one hand, we *need to be* a more self sufficient country for the betterment of our citizens and governments. On the other hand, major consequences could arise if we ended up being that way.

The trick is to have balance without an increased chance for destruction, whether it be financially, physically, or even emotionally. This is something I feel any president should weigh before taking *any* action which could potentially affect the American population as a whole.

#trade
#trump
#presidency
#whitehouse
#china
#politics

Attention: Ebay Sellers

To: #ebay sellers. Use the advanced search to find completed auctions before pricing your items! #Collectibles #Marvel #vintagetoys

Baby Formulas

Baby formula shopping and testing has been quite the chore.  Yet, at the same time, quite the learning experience.  It would be better if Laurel was breast fed, of course, but due to the lack of her mother's production and now drying up, that’s not really an option.

So here’s what I have learned about American formulas so far.

1. They constitute of the following ingredients: Protein, fat, a carb, and vitamins, and most if not all contain a form of DHA and ARA.  Some also throw prebiotics and/or probiotics in there.  Many others add additional chemicals *supposedly* good for brain health.
2. The fat is usually an assortment of oils, which sadly includes soy (Speculated to cause early puberty as well as potential mental risks due to aluminum saturation during its time in the soil and during processing).  These also include Palm oil, which is kind of sketchy.
3. Most formulas contain at least *some* form of corn syrup or corn syrup solids that they use as the carb.  This is especially true of the formulas that are designed for sensitivity, which often has it as the #1 ingredient.  In any ingredient list, the closer to the top, the more of it happens to be in there.  The problem with this ingredient as the carb as opposed to lactose (The natural sugar found in breast milk) is the fact that lactose is a combo of glucose and galactose, whereas corn syrup solids are usually straight glucose.  This means they are absorbed by the body differently.  Straight glucose has been shown in some studies to make a fatty liver (And person overall) as well as raise a risk for Diabetes, etc.  Not only that, but using lactose instead of corn syrup solids is a better way for other reasons as well.  First off, the galactose in lactose helps to digest things more properly.  Secondly, lactose helps in calcium and phosphorous absorption.  Third, beneficial bacteria thrive more on galactose compared to the other sugars.  The only downside to all of this is the fact that lactose causes some babies to be gassy and fussy.  So you have to weigh the consequences.  Corn syrup solids as a first ingredient and no lactose, which can cause issues long term, or a gassy/fussy baby who is getting the lactose it needs.  It’s not a hard choice.
4. Another issue some babies (Including ours) have is a slight milk absorption issue.  You can deal with this in one of two ways.  You can use a partially hydrolyzed formula, or a basic amino acid /fully hydrolyzed formula.  The downside of using a fully hydrolyzed formula is the fact that corn syrup solids are usually the first ingredient AND they also don’t include any lactose.  The downside of using a partially hydrolyzed formula is the fact that the baby still might have slight issues.  Not as bad as using a non-hydrolyzed formula, but still a few issues here and there.  Oh, and also…the fully hydrolyzed formulas?  They STINK.  Badly.  Nutramigen by Enfamil, as an example, smells like the Staley overpass in Decatur, Illinois.

After thorough testing, we opted for a partially hydrolyzed formula, the Gerber Gentle Good start.  Basically, because corn syrup solids are NOT the first ingredient, AND it has lactose in it.  Yet it’s not full strength milk protein (AKA non-hydrolyzed) so it’s easier on Laurel’s tummy.  We *were* using Enfamil Gentle-ease *but* the first ingredient is corn syrup solids AND its second ingredient had soy in it.  Although we realize every formula has soy *oil* in some way, we didn’t want to see soy multiple times on an ingredients list due to the potential future issues it could cause.

So, that’s it.  My research is finally done!

Sex Candy

After watching a movie today which talked about the ins and outs (No pun intended) of blogging, apparently just by mentioning the words sex, single, or orgasm you can get quite a few lookers.  Which, in turn, means you should probably be pulling in your computer chair or shutting off your phone and looking for the real thing.  Hey, I'm just saying...

Spider-Man Homecoming

I recently saw Spider-Man: Homecoming.  My reviews of it are mixed. Truthfully, I STILL prefer the Tobey McGuire Spider-man movies. To me he'll always be the Spider-man that was supposed to be depicted in the movies. Now, prior to this *Homecoming film* they tried to make Andrew Garfield Spider-man, but in my opinion he was a little bit *too* quirky. With this new kid, well...although he's not *as* weird as Andrew, with him they focused more on the teen angst/high school aspect of the part and, in my opinion, they've dumbed down the character due to that. It's almost as if they're trying to match the intelligence of a typical *modern* teen with that of Peter Parker. Yet, in the comics, Peter Parker was way beyond his peers and it showed. Then there's the emotional aspect of it. At least when Tobey was playing the part, his turmoil seemed real and he was endearing as a character. With the new boy, you just can't *feel* for the kid and, without that connection, the part just doesn't seem to work. In addition, when Tobey played the part, he was witty but also intelligent, outspoken, and just *seemed* smart when you heard him talk. With the new kid, you start to doubt his overall intelligence. The main pros to this movie, in my opinion, were the (Spoiler alert!) reappearance of alien technology that first appeared in the first Avengers movie, and, of course, the occasional appearance of Iron Man. Out of the last two movies I have seen that were super hero related, I would truthfully have to say that Wonder Woman was about 300% better than this new Spider-Man movie. Sad, but most certainly true.

Doctors and Medicaid

The next time you go to a doctor, ask if they accept Medicaid.  If the answer is no, your doctor cares more about money than helping people in my opinion.  Although, yes, it's true that Doctors get reimbursed less for Medicaid recipients (Which is why, unfortunately, many of them don't accept it) whatever happened to the Hippocratic oath?  To help the sick means to HELP the sick, not help them only if they have a certain kind of insurance.  Shame on you, doctors.  Shame on you.

#medicine
#physicians
#doctors
#medicaid

Amazon Book Reviews - Be NICE!

I want to say this to anyone who has ever thought about writing a book review on Amazon. When writing book reviews, please don't leave bad ones based on just ONE part of a book. That's petty. Be better than that and look at the whole picture instead before leaving your reviews. I recently had a friend who had her entire book brought down because one reviewer didn't like how she ended her book, and her troll-like friends jumped on the bandwagon. No mention of the rest of the book and whether or not they liked it, she just got pegged with a 1 star because they didn't like how it ended. Really? What about the entire composition/storyline, character development, humor, etc., etc.? Sheesh. Some people just have nothing better to do than to bring people down.

#ebooks

President Trump

After reading a news snippet on the Trump administration trying to do away with the positive aspects of Michelle Obama's healthier America school lunch program, it has basically become the last straw for me.  Therefore, I hereby rescind my approval for President Trump. If giving Americans more jobs means screwing over the environment, the health of our people, and allowing greedy corporations to continue their morally apprehensible atrocities for the sake of the almighty dollar, I cannot continue to support such a person. When he first started his campaign, his Make America Great Again slogan with the promise of more jobs was enticing, but what I don't think a lot of us realized was *how* he planned on giving more Americans jobs. To him, apparently that means undercutting the people and rules which aim to do the right thing and, instead, replace them with incorrect people and paths which are morally inferior. Therefore, I can no longer support him. His *Great America* apparently means giving the fat cat corporations more room to continue screwing over the American public, peeing in the environmental aquifer of life, and continuing the uncanny rate of obesity. Strike three and you're out, Mr. President.

My Dad's book....

Greetings! Jonathon Jones (AKA Brent Taylor) here. As most of you probably know by now, I am the publisher and editor of my Dad’s (Stan Taylor) real-life story account of his time in the Vietnam War. The ebook, print book, and audiobook versions can be found on Amazon.com. Anyway, for those few out there who still can’t comprehend why the front of the book says Jonathon Jones instead of my Dad Stan Taylor or my real name of Brent Taylor, I wanted to explain why things were done the way they were done.
 When the book was first released, my father wasn’t ready to publicly come forward yet. He was okay with just being an anonymous soldier, the face of many. In addition, since I already had a few books published under my pen name we figured we’d just throw it in the mix. Besides, I was starting my life anew and he wanted me to have the funds to help me along.

Some naysayers out there have speculated that because my name (Or should I say pen name) was on the book, that I actually wrote it instead of my father. Let me make something clear. I did NOT write this. I just tidied it up a little. I am the editor which means that, yes, I did have to fix some grammar issues and even change some sentences around, but the entire story was his. In fact, it took him months to type it all out, which wasn’t always an easy task for him because so many decades had went by. When the memories did start flooding back to him, apparently not all of them had the best results. During certain parts my mom even told me that he broke down. Especially when he talked about the end results of Mother’s Day as the book progressed.

So, to summarize, yes, my father wrote the book and, yes, it is fully based on his life experiences before and during the Vietnam War. I thought we made that perfectly clear at the beginning of the book when I inserted “Published for my Father”, but perhaps I should have also inserted the words *and Edited* to make my role in the book’s creation a little clearer. Now that the book has been out a while and my dad’s okay with being known since he has talked to a few people about it since it first came out, I don’t know how easy it would be to re-do the title page to show his name as opposed to my pen name, and also change the search function on Amazon so it comes up under Stan Taylor as opposed to Jonathon Jones. So for now we’re just going to leave it until I can figure out if it’s even possible to make those changes.

Anyway, the origin of how the book got rolling is an interesting one. When he first handed it to me back in 2012, I pretty much rolled my eyes and dreaded reading it. After all, what does a tree-hugging pacifist who mainly writes books on antiques, vintage toys, dating guides, and an occasional short sci-fi story know anything or care anything about war? Luckily, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and started to read it. I figured at least I might get a little insight on what his early life was actually like. Although my Dad was always a great talker, he didn’t really talk about his life back then. I would get an occasional tidbit about his early childhood and what my Step-Grandpa Bill was like when my Dad was younger, but I never really heard anything about his time in Vietnam. It was like he managed to keep those memories locked up so tight that not even he could recall them on purpose. I mean, I saw his pictures, captions near those pictures, some letters, medals, and other paperwork in the past, but that was all that I knew about.

When those hidden memories of his did finally creep back into his head and made their way on paper, I have to admit that I was taken back. I suppose it’s true when they say that sometimes there’s much more to a person than meets the eye. All of my life I had known my Dad as the hard worker, the funny man, and as he was in my younger days…the guy who seemed to envelop himself in tons of past-time hobbies. Drinking, bowling, softball, you name it. My Dad always tried to keep his mind constantly occupied with things, but it wasn’t until I read his life story that I figured out *why* he probably did all of that. It was to mentally escape what he went through by always filling his mind with other things.

It wasn’t until 2012 that the flood gates opened. When his memories came rushing back, they made their way into his head full throttle. I’m sure it was painful to remember and to write about, but at the same time by doing so I think he learned quite a bit. In my opinion his flashbacks made him re-learn about the value of strong friendships, integrity, the differences between bravery and young recklessness, about loss, and most of all about family, whether his own or the ones he made out on the battlefield so long ago.

When I read his story, I was amazed at the kind of life he had once lived and had kept hidden from his family and friends. I think, finally, by letting it all out and meeting others like himself who went through the same kinds of ordeals…he has more closure than he ever has before. In my opinion, that’s all that anyone could ever ask for. So I want to thank you for reading his story, and equally thank him for allowing me to publish it.

Brent Taylor
(AKA Jonathon Jones)

#veterans

#vietnamwar

#vietnamvets

#vietnamveterans

The UNITED States of America?

I feel the states should be separate entities entirely (Like European countries are) without an overall title and they completely govern and protect themselves, or United with all of their rules and, in turn, get federal benefits and protection. Otherwise it's the Divided States of America and that title just doesn't make any sense. Agree or Disagree?

Teens and Expectations

A lot of young people have low self esteem for a variety of reasons. If it's not due to parental influence or, in some cases, lack thereof, it can also be a result of their peers. Or, in more extreme cases, a deep innate depression that makes it highly difficult for them to establish a normal sense of self-worth.
However, with that said, I have a distinct feeling that our society's ever-escalating desire for physical perfection or, in some cases, our extremely abnormal perception of it, certainly isn't helping matters.
One example hit me just recently as Shauna was trying on clothes in the maternity section of Target.
Nearby was an underwear rack, so I took the cart with Logan in it to the aisle to see what they had. Truthfully, it's to the point where it almost feels wrong looking at the example on the front. The models, which are a fry cry from what I recall seeing in the 70's and 80's, are chiseled 6-pack toting skin statues, armed with what I can only describe as grossly and hopefully pictorially exaggerated outlines in their trunks. Something that, if real, would more than likely need a license just to carry. They're that ridiculous.
The women's underwear racks aren't much better. Somehow throughout the years women went from having faces that matched their bodies in age as well as a little bit of meat on their bones to something you'd only see in a serial killer's cut-and-paste scrapbook. Faces that look fourteen and bodies that look twenty-five, with skinny arms, legs, and torsos, but somehow ample breasts and buttocks which, in no way shape or form, matches the rest of them.
All of these hybrid freaks aren't the norm but, rather, the exception. Yet these are the goals that society pushes us to accept as being normal. No wonder kids are so screwed up. They are constantly given aspirations that are usually impossible to reach.
Perhaps it's time for a change....

#teen
#models
#teens
#selfesteem
#confidence
#depression
#expectations

Political Correctness SUCKS

  What’s with the younger set (AKA teens and twenties) thinking that everything that is said, even if it’s just a simple statement based on personal preference, can be deemed offensive?  Is this what it’s come to now?  To where we constantly have to walk on the egg shells of life because people have become sticks in the mud who lack the ability to just roll with words and have fun with them?  Younger people now have a tendency to throw around words such as sexist, inappropriate, stereotyping, etc.  In some cases I suppose *a few* of the statements said could warrant those words.

  But in most cases, no.  It’s usually just someone stating their opinion on something or someone, and nothing is wrong with that one iota.  Besides, isn’t judging what we like, see, taste, feel, etc. a part of being human?  In turn, wouldn’t that also be considered human to express someone’s likes or dislikes?  I mean, really…if I see one more of these politically correct youthful robots spouting off a mouthful of ridiculousness just because someone said what they liked or didn’t, I’m going to say to their face point blank the following.  Based on all of my years of observing people, I have found that in nine out of ten times people who are that rigid and *that* politically correct who can’t have fun verbally will end up bitter, lonely, and overall just plain miserable to themselves and the people around them.  Period.  Political correctness has no place in humanity.  It’s just way too unnatural to walk on egg shells our whole lives.  The End.

#politicalcorrectness
#politicalincorrectness

So who am I going to vote for? Well, let me analyze the candidates.

I have decided to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both primary candidates for the upcoming election.  Other issues exist, of course, but here are a few to get us started.

 Gun control and crime.  In this instance, I feel as though Hillary Clinton is the clear winner.  As a 16 year resident of Florida, the mass shootings that happened recently was a big eye opener as to the kind of damage high capacity magazines, assault weapons, and people on FBI watch lists can do.  Although both Trump and Clinton somewhat agree on the banning of weapons sales to people on terror watch lists, Trump still believes that assault weapons and high capacity magazines should be legal. (As of 3:06am Eastern time on 6-27-2016 on his web site, that is)  What this means is that he still abides by the completely outdated concept of the 2nd amendment, which was written by our white wig wearing forefathers who had 1-shot at a time muskets.  They had no way of envisioning what the future would bring.  Therefore, Trump (As well as many republicans and the NRA) are still under the belief that rules shouldn’t change for publicly accessible technology that is capable of hurting tons of people when, clearly, they should.  This is why, in this instance, I feel as though Hillary is the clear winner. (As are the representatives who believe the same as she does)

Foreign Business/Trade.  In this instance I feel as though Trump is the clear winner.  Trump’s ideas are radical, I assure you.  Taxes for imports which are at a high percentage, less meddling with other countries who aren’t working with us, and so on and so forth.  What this means, in the long run, is less incentives for business to quickly jump to other countries to fill their employment needs.  AKA–He’s trying to make incentives to keep and make jobs right here in America.  Open/Free trade , if completely open and free, is never going to end well for the American worker.  Major limits need to be imposed or else America will have NO jobs in the long run and we will have 0 chances to become more self-reliant.

Abortion.  I’m not going to open a can of worms here and say what I do/do not believe when it comes to this, so I’ll say that if you’re for abortion Clinton is on your side.  If you’re against abortion, Trump is.  This is solely based on their statements made in the past.

When it comes to same-sex marriages, although Trump has clearly stated it’s a reality and to let states handle it, a lot of past statements made makes it seem as though he’s at least slightly against it.  Strangely enough, even though Clinton states she is religious, she is actually for this, which is a very unstereotypical surprise.

Health coverage.  Trump is not fond of Obamacare (Although he is with some parts of it, like the pre-existing coverage) but Hillary is okay with it and wants to expand it/make it better.

Social Security.  Trump is in favor of privatizing it, and Clinton opposes that idea.  Truthfully, I am afraid of what will happen if Social Security is tampered with in any way whatsoever.  Both disabled families and well as the elderly rely on it.  A lot of people try to say it’ll run out eventually when, truthfully, our government will never let it run out.  They can’t.  Imagine old, homeless people on every street corner in the entire United States.  That’s what would happen if Social Security no longer had any funds to pay people in their Senior years.  There’s no way the government is going to let that happen to its elderly population as a whole.

Education.  This is where Trump definitely wins.  He wants to ditch common core, and I applaud that idea.  This country’s most brilliant innovators are ones who thought outside of the box.  All common core education will do is make a bunch of mindless clones that are only good at and expand on what they are taught.  Education should be well-rounded and jump boundaries, not be limited to a specific set of rules.  Not only is this vital in my opinion, but it is necessary to open up unlimited job possibilities in the future. (As well as MAKE more jobs).  If, as an example, students are taught a larger variety of things, the primary focal points of their future employment will be as well rounded as their education was.  That’s the only way for society to advance.  It’s what can breed a brand new renaissance.

The Environment.  On this issue, Hillary is the all-time winner.  She believes in green energy and the future of this planet.  Trump, on the other hand, based on past statements, favors oil and potentially dangerous (Nuclear) energy sources.  This shows me, at least at first glance, that his concern for future residents of this planet is very minimal.  It also makes me wonder if he has some vested interested in energy companies and has stock in oil.  He is, after all, a business man.

Crime and punishment.  Clinton is the more compassionate of the two, whereas Trump feels harsher punishment for crimes is needed.  I’m on the fence with this one.

Pathways to citizenship for illegal aliens.  Clinton believes in amnesty, making a way for people to have the American dream.  Yet, at the same time, with the way the world is nowadays and how horrible the economy is in America, Trump has his definite points about keeping illegal immigrants out and tightening the control of our borders.  At one time I believe Clinton’s way would have been the right one….but that was long ago when America wasn’t as populated and NEEDED as many people in here as we could get to make the economy strong.  Now, however, we have enough people here the way it is and need to just focus on our own.  So, due to the way things have changed, I think I’m for Trump on this one.

Expansion of the military.  Although I’m somewhat of a pacifist and applaud Clinton’s attempt at foreign diplomacy, you can’t talk your way out of fights with people who have no reasoning skills and are complete nut jobs (Putin, N. Korea’s leader, etc., etc.).  Trump, on the other hand, wants to increase the military, but spend more on defense and less on offense.  This way we have the power and are prepared yet, at the same time, we’re not trying to stir up any trouble.

Foreign intervention.  Yet, even though Clinton wants to decrease the military, she seems to want to constantly get involved with affairs that will keep our troops and business in areas they simply shouldn’t be in.  Trump, on the other hand, seems to want to avoid foreign entanglements.  If he has to, he wants to hit them hard and fast and then get the heck out of dodge.  On one hand, that’s good.  On the other hand, depending on HOW hard, that could cause supreme backlash for the U.S.

Trump has strongly opposed drugs (Including marijuana) in the past, whereas Hilllary seems to think it is not a gateway drug and is more lenient when it comes to that.  Since I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs and never have, I’m more liable to side with Trump on this one.  Sound mind, sound body, sound life.  That’s the way I have always lived and highly respect others who do the same.

Overall, if I had to take personal stances on the 13 issues listed above, I would say my current tally is Clinton-5, Trump-8.  However, that in no way means the most important issues are in Trump’s roster.  So, I’m STILL up in the air for who I should vote for.  Maybe an independent party will come along and be exactly what I’m looking for.  Who knows?

Whatever the case, everyone needs to remember that a good President is only as good as their congress.  They may have great ideas, or vote/not vote for certain things, but they only have the power to approve or veto laws, they don’t MAKE them. (Or at least they’re not supposed to)  If you want real change, vote for the congress members of your state who think/stand for the issues that your presidential hopeful also stands for.  That’s the only way to ensure that whoever is elected is in sync with who will actually make the laws.  Know what I mean?

Election 2016 Trump, Hillary, or neither?

From Jonathon Jones. So who am I going to vote for? Truthfully, at this juncture I have no idea. All I know is the following. Both candidates for the major parties have screwed up in one way or another in the past. In other words, both candidates have used and/or abused their power/money/influence in not-so-nice ways. The scenarios are all different in that aspect, but what remains true is the fact that neither candidate is 100% worthy of being President of the United States due to past instances. So, what are my other options? If I don’t vote a major party I can either choose not to vote or choose an independent party to vote for. Those options are no-brainers. On the flip side of the coin, if I feel a third party candidate, aka independent, has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning, then what I would probably do if I voted was choose the candidate which stood for the *majority* of things that were important to me. I encourage everyone to do the same. Do your homework and look at a candidate’s past records on each and every issue, tabulate which candidate voted and/or stands for what you stand for, and whoever has the most plusses wins. Don’t vote a PARTY, vote for ISSUES. Also, don’t take their word for it. The proof is in the pudding. Look at their past and what they stood for, not what they’re saying they stand for now. A leopard generally doesn’t change their spots. Last, but certainly not least, a good measure of judging a candidate’s potential for voting for the issues that are important to you is looking at who is funding their campaigns. Sadly, in politics those in power are often times swayed towards voting yea or nay depending on who has funded/will fund their campaigns. Sad, but true. Anyway, this is a new era, so don’t believe words. Believe actions.         

Vietnam War Photos

See some never before seen photos of the Vietnam War from my father's archive here: https://www.facebook.com/BeneathTheBambooAVietnamWarStory/photos/?tab=album&album_id=869089893234386 #vietnamwar #veterans #vietnamvets #vets #military #soldiers #war

The Orlando Shooting

Re: The Orlando Shooting.

I know this next statement may cause a lot of controversy, especially with gun owners, but I feel I have to say it.

It is in my honest opinion that guns outside the military and law enforcement should not be produced if they are able to take clips/magazines that house more than 3 or 4 bullets/rounds.

The way I see it is. If someone can't defend themselves with a gun or kill an animal for food within 3 to 4 shots without reloading, then they are a bad freaking shot.

So, that's the first thing.

The second thing is...by eliminating the amount of bullets/rounds within clips/magazines, that will give people who are attacked by the crazies (Examples: Orlando, Sandy Hook, movie theater examples) a fighting chance. Sure, it may only give them 3-4 seconds before a reload, but a lot can happen within 3-4 seconds. Someone can scramble away from the action, or even attack the attacker and prevent him/her from doing any more damage.

So, although I am not sure how my dad (Lead character in Beneath the Bamboo) feels about this since I haven't spoken to him about it yet, my (Jonathon Jones) personal opinion is:

IMO NO gun publicly available should be able to house more than a few bullets per clip. Let's help to stop this madness. Period.

#OrlandoShooting

#orlando

Death and Grief--one doesn't mean you have to do the other...

   No matter how hard most people try to understand it, losing someone at three or even one hundred and three leaves them clueless. Speechless. Life is fragile. Precious. Non-repeatable. We have all heard these same reasons for holding on to what we have. It's sweet sentiment, and needed, but it also causes us to lose sight of what we must do when that life is gone. It's difficult, but one shouldn't ask what ifs, or regret what they did or did not say or do. That would be an injustice to the life that was lived. A person's greatest gift, their life's meaning, is how they positively affected others that are still around. But those words of wisdom aren't learned easily.
They never are. My lessons started at any early age. Sadly, back then I had it all wrong, but I was so young I can't easily be blamed. I was a mere toddler, who eyed my Great Uncle Loren sitting in a chair out of the corner of my eye. We were in an unknown building with scattered empty chairs. My curiosity got the best of me as I sat and stared at him while he wept. I tried to bluntly talk to him like nothing was wrong, but his glazed eyes towards the coffin in front of him was beyond my attention-getting maneuvers. In that wooden box was a life I knew nothing about, but he knew, and it showed. To describe her would be easy, but back then that was all I could do. She had skin like a soft pearl, with ringlets in her ageless blonde hair. I never knew my Great Aunt Leah, and therefore all I could do was see the sadness in the room. That's where I faltered, but as I grew...things changed. You see, later on in life, I inherited photo albums from my Grandma S. that told me the REAL story. A young, articulate little girl from a well-to-do family lived life to the fullest. She traveled, collected, and spoke of beautiful places and things. I even found dried, pressed flowers meticulously placed in an album from a trip she took as a little girl with her family back in the 1920's. From then on she met my Great Uncle and they fell in love. Later they adopted a little boy. This was not the lifeless shell in the rectangular box before me as a young child. In fact, this was a woman who truly lived and, in some way, gave those around her memories for a lifetime. Even me, someone who doesn't even remember her being alive. Just by living, she inadvertently left me with a legacy of memories that I will always cherish. The stories don't stop there, either. From my wonderful Grandpa S., with his quiet but wise demeanor and helpful spirit, to my matriarchal Grandma S. with her infectious smile, constant words of wisdom, and never ending amount of love, to my sometimes grouchy but sometimes unexpectedly goofy Great Grandma P., to my Step-Grandpa Bill and his stern but extremely generous persona, to my beloved Grandpa T. and his jovial, friendly personality, who was an expert-level conversationalist and jingle-singing goof-ball, these are ALL people I don't remember during their final moments. Not because I can't, but because I choose not to. My greatest gift to them, and their greatest gift to me, are the memories that we all shared together. Treasure those gifts and never settle for what ifs. The pain will always be extreme in the beginning, but as with all things...once it fades a person's entire life finally ends up where it's meant to go. In the memories of the lives they touched when others were graced by their awesome presence. We must honor their lives by talking about how they lived. That's the only way they never truly die.