And the "old guard" of the Selma Fire Department was so opposed to change...

This is one reason why I was hugely in support of the idea of hiring a full time fire chief in Selma. I knew that we would get better service, better training, and better accountability to the citizens and town. This article speaks for itself. Thanks, Chief McDaniel. From The Selma News.

Council approves Medical First Responder Program for Selma Fire Department
By Kelly Lake, News Editor 29.MAY.08

The Selma Town Council has approved a request by Fire Chief Phillip McDaniel to create a medical responder program within the Selma Fire Department.
McDaniel said the program could mean the difference between life and death in some emergency situations.

A medical responder program is a level of certification the Selma Fire Department could receive that would enable members to respond to EMS calls to assist citizens in times of life threatening illness or injury, according to McDaniel.

“If someone calls 911 with chest pains, an ambulance would be dispatched,” said McDaniel. “But, if an ambulance wasn’t at the Selma station, one from a surrounding community would be sent with a delayed response time. That could mean the difference between life and death.”

He said once the Selma Fire Department starts its first responder program, members can respond in a matter of minutes with basic life support equipment.
The fire department currently has seven certified first responders and one other in training.

The cost of the program would be about $3,000 for initial equipment and the cost of personnel. That money is included the fire department’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, beginning in July.

The county also provides $4,000 in additional funds to medical responder squads, according to McDaniel.

If the program is approved by the town council and the program would need the approval of Johnston County Commissioner through a public hearing. Thirty days later, the department could begin answering calls.

What a scumbag.

Sometimes, people amaze me. I did a lot of illegal and crazy stuff as a youth, myself. Some things, however, I would not do. I admit to stealing a bunch of traffic signs, and my favorite ones were "SLOW CHILDREN" signs. Why advertise that you have stupid kids in the neighborhood? However, I would not have stolen stuff like an American flag.

I was reading a news story on WTSB's news page about some scumbag(s) who stole American flags from in front of a church. They were for Memorial Day commemoration. That is just plain low.

Mayor Seeks Return Of US Flags Stolen From Selma Church
Selma Mayor Charles Hester is hopeful thieves who stole 8 US flags on display for Memorial Day will do the right thing and return them. The flags and two flag stands were stolen from the front of Selma Baptist Church sometime between May 24 and May 27. The items were owned by Mayor Hester who had placed them in front of the church in honor of veterans who fought to protect our country. In a report, Hester told Selma police he hopes the items, valued at $260, will be returned. Anyone with information about the missing US flags is asked to contact Selma Police at 919-965-8189.

It only hurts when I cough, sneeze, or laugh

Not last night, but the night before I must have really overdone it. I was outside playing with my five year old. His mom bought a "Slip and Slide" type thing. You remember the old Slip N' Slide? It is a long plastic sheet that has water sprinkling on it, you run and dive, then slide to the end. I am a big guy, and I have not done anything like this in some 25 plus years. My first dive really knocked the wind out of me, not having hit the deck like that in years. I played on that slide for about and hour and a half. We both kept sliding over and over. I expected my back to really hurt, but my ribs are what are hurting right now. It feels like when you have a real bad cold and keep coughing so much that your ribs hurt for days. Yeah, that's the hurt. Ouch! A fat guy, a $7 Slip and Slide, and a 5 year old equate to pain for a few days.

Revenge will be mine, though. I also bought two Super Soaker squirt guns. I have wanted to do this stuff with a tyke for years. Thank you, Lord, for my dreams coming true.

I wonder if we will ever see this concept again in Selma

I am a firm believer in the idea that with any budget much larger than the average household, there is wasteful spending. I find areas that I could trim in my own spending. When it comes to government, I find it especially true. I have seen wasteful spending in corporate America as well as in government.

What I find interesting is how budgets are handled in different locations. I found a news article about the town where my mother resides, Bow, NH. The town had a meeting and they actually trimmed the town budget by $400,000. Bow is about the same size as Selma. There is about a $50,000 median income difference between the two towns, however.

Anyway, here is an excerpt from the article.

Bow finally took care of business last night, as residents gathered to finish voting on the annual town meeting warrant. Last night's meeting was a continuation from two weeks ago, when long debate over the annual budget delayed action on the rest of the warrant.

At that meeting, residents voted to trim the proposed budget by about $400,000, from $8.3 million to $7.9 million. Last night's meeting held little such drama, with the votes moving along efficiently and swiftly.

In Bow, the town residents are much more involved in the town decision taking than here in Selma. Perhaps that is why they were able to cut the budget so much. Food for thought.

I ran across this...Obama for Prez!

Something I have advocated for years...a return to Blackjack Pershing

From Crusader Ammunition's web site:

Just before World War I, there were a number of terrorist attacks
on the United States forces in the Philippines by Muslim extremists.
So General Pershing captured 50 terrorists and had them tied to posts for execution.
He then had his men bring in two pigs and slaughter them in front of the now horrified
terrorists. Muslims detest pork because they believe pigs are filthy animals. Some of them simply refuse to eat it, while others won't even touch pigs at all, nor any of their by-products. To them, eating or touching a pig, its meat, its blood, etc., is to be instantly barred from paradise (and those virgins) and doomed to hell. The soldiers then soaked their bullets in pigs blood, and proceeded to execute 49 of the terrorists by firing squad. The soldiers then dug a big hole, dumped in the terrorist's bodies and covered them in pig blood, entrails, etc. They let the 50th man go. And for the next forty-two years, there was not a single Muslim extremist attack anywhere in the world.

Are Johnston County people just out of their flippin' minds?

I stumbled across the 2007 Reader's Choice Awards that The Smithfield Herald sponsors each year. I was looking at the winners for things like best optometrist, best coffee, best bakery, best Chinese restaurant, and some others. I kept saying to myself, "What the..." I could not believe how uncultured some people must be. The best bakery is Wal-Mart? Are you kidding me??? WTF? Hey, Johnstonians! Get out of your trailer park and explore your own county!

The town where I live

Hanging out with a 5 year old

This morning, I got the pleasure of witnessing something from a five year old boy. He has a keyboard given to him for his birthday by his grandmother. It has a plug in microphone to sing along with the keyboard. This morning, he plugged in the mic and started banging away on the keys and broke into song. He kept singing, "I saw God today. I saw God today." It is a line from a song by George Strait. I asked him if he saw God yesterday and if he was going to see him again tomorrow. He had no answer. He just went back to singing the line, "I saw God today" over and over. Then he stopped and said, "Just one more song then y'all can leave church!" I have no idea where he got that, but I was thoroughly amused. Then he immediately started singing "I'm to sexy for my shirt, to sexy for my shirt!" by Right Said Fred, and even made up some lyrics like, "and I don't have my shirt any more because my grandma took it". I have never heard that song in church before. That gave me my laugh for the day.

Well, I can finally talk about it

I could go into great detail about the details of the last eight plus months of my life. However, not too much would be served by a novel about things. Here are the details in a nut shell.

First, my wife, Teresa, and I have been separated for going on nine months now. She left after getting caught for yet a fourth time in an internet and this time in person romance. This time it was with her former fiance, whom she knew before she ever met me. She and I were married 12.5 years before she left. November 18th would have been our 13th wedding anniversary.

I could have dealt with that fine except that she decided to falsely make a claim of domestic violence and took out a restraining order upon me. Since I am a firearms enthusiast, it really irked me in that I had to give up every gun I owned at the time until that restraining order was resolved. Forget the fact that it violates both the 2nd and the 4th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It is also just patently unfair in that it is an ex parte order, meaning from ONE party.

I had to hire a lawyer in the county in which the order was requested, which was not even the correct jurisdiction. She took almost four days after leaving to file the order, which tells me that she had to have been talked into it. If her life was in danger, she should have contacted the local authorities and filed the order here in Johnston County.

Anyway, long story short, I hired a lawyer and won my case. The judge found no credibility in the story presented by Teresa and found both me and my witness to be very credible. That is as it should be. There are so many details to tell, but the bottom line is that I won my case and justice was served. It still cost me $1000 in legal fees and three trips to Asheboro to fight it, but it was worth it. I was vindicated.

The sad thing is that some political opportunists took that story (and I think I know from whence it came and spread. I can count on one hand how many people in this town knew I was separated, much less about the restraining order) and made it into the lie that I was a wife beater and that is the reason I was getting a divorce. That smear campaign really cost me dearly in the last election.

Actually, I don't mind losing the election, since so many things came out of that time period. Once women found out that I was single again, I was asked out by several of them. Three different women asked me out fairly early on. In the first three months, I went out with three different women.

My lawyer's advice was, "Hey, you are single now. Act like it. Go out on dates. Have fun. Have all the sex you want to. I just don't want to hear about it." I followed that advice somewhat. I did date a few women. Some were great experiences, one horrible. The last one was phenomenal and still is.

I dated one woman I have known for a little while, one I just met, and one I met online. The one I met online and I went out for three weeks. Some parts were wonderful, some horrific. I sure learned a lot about life, relationships, and myself during that ordeal. That was about the time of the election. I was fairly depressed for the first three months after the split with the ex. The fourth month I really changed for the better, and that is a good thing.

Four months after Teresa left, I met a wonderful lady through match.com. She, too, had a marriage that went bad because of a cheating spouse. I actually had a lot in common with her ex in terms of work background, but that is about where the similarities stop. Oh, that and the first name beginning with the same letter.

Sharon has been the complete opposite of my ex in many ways. We have been pretty much inseparable since early December. She has a wonderful (now) five year old son named John. He calls me Mr. Troy, and we are close buddies.

Early on, Sharon and I knew where we were headed in our relationship. Just one week into the relationship, we were getting extremely close and were falling in love. Within two weeks, we both knew that we would eventually marry. We have been together for almost five months now. Her family thinks the world of me and I of them. Her mother already refers to me as her son-in-law rather than her daughter's boyfriend. My mom adores Sharon and John both, as she met them early this month. Everyone I know who has met Sharon has been highly complimentary of her and has absolutely fallen in love with her. I have been told how well I am doing this time around. Thank you, God for your grace and mercy on this big, old, loud guy who was so lonely and hurting.

Sharon brings many things I have prayed for, literally for years. Among them is the fact that she desires children. She has the one boy, but wants more, as do I. She is gainfully employed, which is always a plus. She works hard on the relationship. I have given her free reign in decorating my house, since it will eventually be hers. I have already remodeled two rooms in the past month or so, one of which is to be a bedroom for her son. I already have it decorated for a little boy. I also keep a lot of toys here at the house since John and Sharon spend a lot of time with me here.

We are expecting a wedding date in late September or early October. I already have the rings. We are both looking forward to moving on with our respective lives, blending together as one. We are also both looking forward to having a full family together, which has been my life's dream. I just wish that I did not have to wait until I was 40 to enjoy that.

Below are a few pictures taken earlier this evening at Chuck E. Cheese in Goldsboro, NC at their sketch pad machine of me with Sharon and John and Sharon.

OK, now you know. I was sitting on that information for months. I have kept silent on the advice of my lawyer until a contract was signed between me and the ex. That amongst several other reasons is why I have remained silent in this blog and on several other venues about some stuff.

Prove you need it and are using wisely what we already give you FIRST!

Why do we as citizens allow for such flagrant wasteful spending? If we did not allow illegal aliens in our schools, we would not have the need for more buildings, teachers, staggered openings, double bus routes, and increased budgets. But, I digress. When have we ever had a budget stay the same, much less decrease? It has not happened. I am sure that there is no "zero based" budgeting going on. It is sheer laziness to simply add a percentage figure to the budget from the previous year and submit it. A $5.3 million hike is nothing tiny in a county of 140,000 people or so. Show me that the money is being used efficiently and I will consider supporting the 10.5% increase. Doubtful, though.

From WTSB's news page:

Superintendent Unveils $56.3 Million Budget Proposal
Superintendent Dr. Anthony Parker presented members of the Johnston County School Board a proposed $56.3 million budget for the 2008-09 school year. The budget of $56,337,443 is up about 10.5 percent or $5.3 million over the current fiscal year spending plan. By state law, the budget must be passed and presented to county commissioners by May 15. School officials plan to hold a budget work session before that day. School Board Chairman Kay Carroll said, "I am pleased that we only had an increase of 10.5 percent. Dr. Parker said the two major money issues looming over the board are overcrowding, mainly because of growth in western Johnston County, and the need to increase teacher supplements to remain competitive with more wealthy school districts in the Triangle."

I knew of three. 7?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 7 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

The real reason the town manager is leaving Selma

From The Selma News:

Selma Town Manager Stan Farmer turned in his resignation to Town Council Monday night.

Farmer, manager for the past two years, is headed to Horseshoe Bay, Texas, to take over as town manager. He will leave in about three weeks, said Mayor Charles Hester.

Stan Farmer was quoted as saying, "I saw the handwriting on the wall here in Selma, so to speak. Combine that with the fact that I don't want to be in a town where they don't elect people like Troy to the town council and it was an easy decision for me to seek employment elsewhere."

Good luck with the new job, Stan.

I know, I know

It has been a while since I blogged last. I have been so extremely busy with work, remodeling the house, having family visit from out of state, and with affairs of my own that I have had little time to do much of anything of my own. There are plenty of things that I want to write about, but I am constrained from doing so for either legal reasons (someday I will explain that one) or for the sake of avoiding a few situations. I have been rather reticent lately for a reason. Just know that all is well.

I can tell y'all that my vacation to New England at the end of this month has been canceled. I had already bought airline tickets to get me there on Skybus. They are a fairly new airline but they went out of business last weekend. If they had waited a month, I would have been in New Hampshire for a week and back before they went bust, but nooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Such is the story of my life.

Here is a cute shirt I found online. I am thinking about ordering one.

Worth the watch. Church history in short

And if you like Gilbert and Sullivan's "The HMS Pinafore", you will love this video.

Someone has been pimping my pictures to different magazine publishers, and look what happened

You can fool some of the people...

Ripping off the system

I have had this happen to me several times in my life. I was standing in line at a grocery store during lunch break today. Ahead of me was a woman checking out, paying with WIC vouchers. Here she was dressed in a work outfit/suit. She had a cell phone with Bluetooth headset, and had just purchased one of the best toasters and cookware in the Wal-Mart store. They were already in her basket, paid for. Then she bought the most expensive juices in the store and baby formula with WIC vouchers. I get real tired of paying for others to eat. Sure, I can afford all that I have, and have money to spare. I was buying some stuff I wanted rather than needed, in addition to some stuff I had need of, and I can afford to do so. That is my prerogative. What irritates me is that someone who had on nice clothes, nice jewelry, bought better kitchen appliances than I own, and can afford a cell phone plan with wireless headset is suckling off the government teat at the expense of the taxpayers. Multiply this by millions of sucklers and we as a nation are being milked for every penny we have.

A few thoughts, trying not to be so depressed

I wrote a while ago about being a big brother/male role model for a tike I have gotten to know. I have gotten to know his mother fairly well, as well. She had some DVDs of video taken at different stages of his life by his grandmother on his father's side. I was watching one yesterday of him at 5 months. He was adorable then, too. But I could not take much of the video, since it was just footage of his parents and grandparents fawning over him, which was boring, but there was a more depressing aspect. Here I am about to turn 40 and I have never had children of my own. I wasted a dozen years of my life being fatherless. Now another one, resolving the marital issues. Even if I remarkably got married the day I got divorced, I would still have to wait another year before even thinking about having a baby, that is if I marry a nubile and fertile woman. I will be 41 by the time my first baby could even come out of the chute. Damn, that is depressing to me.

A hospital by any other name

I am fully aware of the fact that Johnston Memorial Hospital has a negative image. I have personally experienced some of the reasons for that image. However, changing the name of a hospital will not alter the quality of care or level of service one will receive at said facility.

The overhaul at JMH is aimed at changing people's perceptions of the hospital, Perpich said. JMH wants Johnstonians to get health care in their own communities instead of going to Wake County, he said.

Some people at the focus groups said JMH has a negative image. "It's in a small town," said Ron Marchesano of Clayton. "It's like a stigma attached to the hospital."

A name change might be a step in the right image direction, some residents said.

"Once you change the name ... I think that's really going to change the perception of the hospital for people," Laurel Grantham of Smithfield said.

If image determined the quality of health care, great. If not, so what?

Gun rights battle in the SCOTUS

Some of you may be aware that the Supreme Court has taken up the argument over the right/power (or lack thereof) of Washington, DC to ban gun ownership. I find it amusing that there is even any discussion over original intent necessary during the case. If people would simply take the time to read or study American history, they would know why the 2nd Amendment is included and what it means.

Anyway, there are two interesting articles that I came across during my morning news read. Here is one from The Washington Post and here is the other.

A quote from the Breitbart article:

The court has not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

The basic issue for the justices is whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.

A key justice, Anthony Kennedy, seemed to settle that question early on when he said the Second Amendment gives "a general right to bear arms." He is likely to be joined by Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas—a majority of the nine-member court.

I hope that majority does rule and the liberal gun grabbers' efforts perish.

I thought these were funny

As tasteless as this one is, I do admire the creativity.


This one has special meaning to me. If you have ever had someone make up a story about you, then you can appreciate why I find this especially amusing.

This is not a new idea. Why did it take so long for Selma to figure this out?

Many fire departments use their horn or siren system for regular tests, warnings, and alert systems. I remember the department in which I was a part had fire alarm pull boxes connected to a huge air horn that could be heard all through town and one could look on a published list what pull station was activated. Also, if school was canceled or a major conflagration was going on, the fire department's horn could alert the town. Now, Selma is just getting on board with this concept. Better late than never, I guess. And it only took WTSB two weeks to report this.

From the WTSB news site:

Town Of Selma Unveils New Tornado Warning System
The Town of Selma has a new tornado warning system that may be the first of its kind in Johnston County. The Selma Town Council recently approved a proposal by Fire Chief Phillip McDaniel to use the fire department’s old siren as a warning whistle to sound when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the area. McDaniel said other parts of the United States, particularly the Midwest, use sirens as warnings for severe weather. McDaniel said the siren would only sound if weather officials have issued a tornado warning. McDaniel said the siren would blow three times in the event of a weather emergency. To get Selma residents accustomed to the sound, the siren, located atop the Selma Fire Station, will be tested each Friday at noon. McDaniel said the siren could be heard for a three-mile radius. “When you hear it, turn on your TV or radio to get more information,” Chief McDaniel said in the event of an emergency.

Once again, Bob Etheridge ignores the Constitution

This is why I refuse to vote for Bob Etheridge. He (and most of Congress) acts like he has never read the U.S. Constitution. He has filed a bill to give more money to public schools under the guise of homeland security. Allegedly, the bill will fund improved security at schools, as if that was the federal government's job. It is the LOCAL government's job to secure schools run by local governments. If the feds would stop making schools gun free zones and allow teachers and staff to possess concealed firearms, much of the gun violence would stop. Instead, people continue to pour money down a chasm of never ending futile efforts to stop evil people from being evil.

From WTSB's news site:

Ethridge To Introduce Bill To Help Schools With Security Needs
U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington), the only N.C. member of the Homeland Security Committee, has announced that he will introduce a comprehensive bill to improve federal efforts to help schools with their security needs. The legislation follows a multi-year effort to gather information from N.C. stakeholders about their school security needs. “Homeland security begins with hometown security, and federal support for local emergency preparedness and response makes our entire nation more secure,” said Etheridge. “Children spend the majority of their daylight hours in school, but schools are often overlooked when considering emergency preparedness and first responder needs. Given recent events at schools across the country, we as a nation simply must invest in emergency planning to ensure our children have safe and secure places to learn.” The Schools Empowered to Respond Act will provide increased federal guidance and access to resources to schools in developing and implementing their emergency response and preparedness plans. It will create a one-stop shop within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the department’s school security efforts and provide best practices for schools. The bill will give schools more access to federal funds and provide educators with an increased voice in state and local grant decisions. Etheridge crafted the legislation in response to the results of a survey of principals and superintendents in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District that found that although schools have emergency plans, they would like more assistance and direction from the federal government. The survey was followed by a nationwide Government Accountability Office study requested by Etheridge that reached similar conclusions. The legislation has the support of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson. It does not create any new requirements or mandates for schools, but instead seeks to provide schools with more support for their security measures. As the former Superintendent of North Carolina’s schools, Etheridge has made school security his top priority on the Homeland Security Committee.

Yeah, ethanol sucks

Regardless of my views on ethanol as a fuel or the government mandates, I gave the idea of an ethanol plant in Selma a fair view, I believe. I also gave the building of an ethanol dispensing facility at one of the local oil terminals fair treatment at the Planning Board meeting. Still, I believe that ethanol is a boondoggle. Leave it to Walter E. Williams to have a great column on the ethanol scam. Read it here.

Racism goes two ways. Listen to the pastor of Barack Obama.

Never mind the fact that Obama is not poor and that Jesus was not Black. Don't let the facts stand in the way....

When you give away free stuff and free housing, people come out like cockroaches

I found this news story this morning. Hundreds of people were looking for a government hand out in Florida. People wanting to suckle off the government teat lined up for hours, some overnight, to get vouchers for housing assistance. Obviously, many, probably all of these people already had housing. Many have children. Most probably are on welfare and want more of a free ride.

Sadly, I know people like this personally. They are always waiting for the government or others to hand them cash, give them health care, give them housing, etc. Boca Raton, Florida nearly had a riot from people wanting something for nothing.

Watch the video clip on this web site and read the story. Obviously, the people standing in line are not starving. Many are rather plump. If they can not afford housing, then why are they pumping out babies that they can not afford? Why is it the government's responsibility to take care of them and their crumb crunchers? Why do MY tax dollars go to people who refuse to take care of their own selves, much less bring children into the world to have them supported by others?

I hate to sound harsh, but this is the reality. The situation in which these people find themselves is mostly self inflicted and we are expected to bail them out. Then, when the efforts are made to a reasonable extent, these same people whine about things not being fair. Sorry, but the government teat only has so much milk. Go suckle somewhere else.

Making online cowardice illegal?

I stopped allowing anonymous comments on my blog a while ago, since I have found that there are cowardly people in this world who want to have their say but do not want to take responsibility for their actions. I have also seen where people have posted comments then deny doing it. I have been a webmaster and a moderator on message boards, as well. I see anonymous posts from ubiquitous user names and hidden identities. It emboldens the cowardly to pick on others and take part in discussions that they normally would avoid.

I personally have no problem owning my commentaries. That is why I do not post anonymously and usually use my real name as my user name. If I am ashamed to write it, I should not post it. I hate the cowardly actions of some who have smeared me and bullied others. However, should the government have any say in this? No frickin' way!

In Kentucky, they see it differently.

Kentucky Representative Tim Couch filed a bill this week to make anonymous posting online illegal. The bill would require anyone who contributes to a website to register their real name, address and e-mail address with that site. Their full name would be used anytime a comment is posted.

There is no excuse for being a nanny to the world. This sort of garbage is exactly why we are losing our freedoms. Just because something is rude behavior does not mean that it must be legislated away. The very ones who say that you can not legislate morality are usually the ones who wish to do so, as in this case. Damn liberals.

For a non-obscene t-shirt? Come on, gimme a break!

So a teenager gets punished for wearing a t-shirt with just the IMAGE of a gun on it? What is this world coming to? When I was in school, most guys had a big Buck knife in a leather holster strapped to their belt. It was normal. Knives were seen as necessary tools, not weapons. School officials did not flip out. Sure, I got into trouble for wearing a t-shirt to school before, but in all honesty, it was obscene. This one, however, is not.

This quote in the article sums up the stupidity of political correctness.

an attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy.