December 23, 2017

"Yule" by Jim Culp

 December 21st marked the first day of Yule for those of us that choose to be called Pagans. It will last until the first day of Imbolg, on February 2nd. December 21st is the day that the year dies, and the long nights and frosty temperatures let us know that a New Year is coming soon, and that we should celebrate the passing of the year, or the death of the old, and the birth of the new.

In ancient Egypt; Ra, the creator of man and the sun, would battle his enemy Apep, an evil serpent who wished eternal night. Apep would wait at the horizon, and wait for Ra to end his day, and attempt to seize control each night. Ra's rival god (goddess) Isis would also scheme against Ra, because she wished more than anything for her son Horus to be the supreme god. But every morning, Ra (symbolized by the sun) would rise, and give life back to the Earth.
The end of the year on December 21st symbolizes the death of the god in many beliefs, and three days later December 25th symbolizes the birth of a god who would deliver man from his woes, and create a path for him to forever offer his soul to an almighty god.
We here in our house celebrate Yule by lighting the Yule log (many times symbolized by a candle) and remembering those that died this year. We celebrate their memories, because we have long ago mourned their passing.
We will eat food provided by the sea, and drink wine provided by the Earth. Also this year, we'll watch the Steelers pound the crap out of another one of their adversaries; because we ain't just Pagans, we're good 'Mercans...by golly.
If you are among my friends and loved ones, you are as diverse in your beliefs and cultures, and I respect each and every one of them.
So I say to you... may you all have a Blessed Yule Season, and blessings upon you and your houses in the coming year.

Cheers,

-Jim

 

December 7th, 2017

 "Shutdown"

 Yesterday evening and this morning, I've watched the news intently as our government goes through the same old song and dance of saying that our government has to "shut down," because we are out of money.

That idea has always been baffling to me, because every time we need "money" for something, we just "borrow" it from the Federal Reserve.
If there is a war, we "borrow" trillions (yes, trillions) of dollars to finance it.
When there is a catastrophe, we "borrow" billions of dollars to send aid and hire contractors to fill the bill.
When I was a little kid in El Paso, Texas, I had a "piggy bank" (except mine was a Model T Ford made of pot metal). It always had twenty or thirty cents in it, but around birthday and Christmas time, it had anywhere from $5.00 to $30.00 in it. I couldn't borrow money from anyone, and when my car was empty, that was it. I had to wait for allowance time to get more money, which was the first of the month, when I would always receive $5.00. I couldn't buy model airplanes that cost $25.00; I bought ones that cost $3.00; and had $2.00 left over for glue, candy, or whatever else. 

But when I grew up, I used credit cards. I could buy things that I normally couldn't, and tell my friends at work about them. I also bought things I didn't need or even want; I just bought them because that magic card in my wallet allowed me to. Of course, that "money" had to be paid back. When I fell behind on payments, I began owing more money. Soon, and very soon; I owed more money for the things I had purchased than they were ever worth in the first place.

 Ladies and Gentlemen, that is where our government is today. We, the people of the United States of America, are almost 19 trillion dollars in debt. Contrary to popular belief, that debt is not backed by gold, silver, or leprechauns with secret pots of rubies. Ok, there is that 6 billion at Fort Knox. You can compare that ratio like this. Take a loaf of bread. Remove one slice. Divide that slice into one thousand pieces. One of those pieces would represent the amount of our debt that is backed by gold. Our nation runs on "money" borrowed on credit.  As of 1913, the Federal Reserve became our National Bank, and we've played this game since. The Fed will tell you that our nation's GDP and her household's assets balance that out. In reality it doesn't come close.

What is our government's answer? Shut down the Federal Government for a day, a week, or a month. That'll solve it.

Sure, and I have a date with Sofia Vergara tonight.

The concept that a government shutdown will put the slightest dent in the National Debt is ludicrous. A "government shutdown" accomplishes three things: A) It creates massive paperwork backlogs. B) It interrupts critical procedures and processes, and C) gives our government more time to dork around in committees instead of doing their jobs.

 

Why are we in such debt? We'll dive into that discussion in January.

Follow my blog at http://jimculp.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays, and may you have a Blessed Yule Season.

-Jim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 7, 2017

Blessed

I was involved in two conversations yesterday, and both of them (at different times) were with persons of age 24-26. Both of these kids were working people, as well as college students; the distinct difference in them being that one of them was using the GI Bill from his service in the Marine Corps, and the other was having her college paid 100% (through and up to a completion of a Master's Degree!)

These two both say they enjoy talking to me, because "that old guy knows some shit!" I laughed really hard when this was repeated to me by another co-worker, because A) I am old, and B) I've got a lot of mileage that gave me some knowledge and a little more wisdom than some folks...
The conversations that these two young people and I have had cover a broad range of topics, but two particular ones struck a chord on the neck of my mental guitar.
The first was the first kid (the Marine) saying that he never heard of such a thing as a black and white TV, and couldn't imagine a TV without a DVR, let alone a remote. I gave him a friendly speech on how different times were just 30 years ago. Before I was 15, we had a black and white TV in the living room with 3-4 channels. It is extremely coincidental that my brother posted a photo of one this morning on Face-book with a comment that said "I was the remote."
When I was 16, I had a black and white TV in my bedroom for playing games on my Atari 2600. You couldn't get much more cool than that.
The second conversation was with the young woman who is going to college to obtain a Master's in Nutrition and Dietetics (again; 100% paid). She was complaining that her parents and grandparents take so much of her time...always wanting to see her, talk to her, and take her to dinner.
I commented that when I was five, my grandparents had all passed, and my Dad too. I told her that I'd have given anything to have them in my life when I was older, and to have had my Dad when times were tough in the growing up experience. I told her she was blessed to have all of these folks still in her life, and to enjoy them while she can, because they won't be around for ever.
It makes me wonder what our parents, aunt and uncles, and definitely our grandparents, must have thought when we whined about things we were blessed to have in our younger years.

Wake up...

When morality and brotherly love fails in a society, there is nothing left but the opposites, which are perversion and hate. When perversion of a decent society trumps all else, there is nothing to stop children from becoming the subjects of their nightmares. We as a society are waking up to see that very thing become reality in our own time. So when you wonder why children of today are disobedient, maybe you should look at the fact that Smart-Phones and X-Boxes are raising your children in your stead.

When a society begins to believe that an unarmed populace is unconditionally safe because the government they elected will protect them, they are doomed to the same fate as many societies that preceded them.
When a society of people believes that choosing one evil over the other is making the right decision, they are doomed to do so time after time. There is no such thing as a politician in Washington, DC being fit to be the President of the United States anymore.
Why?
Because we have accepted what I talked about in the first paragraph of this paper.
We've accepted lying, cheating, and stealing...as long as there is an apology afterwards.
We've accepted stories that are absolutely myth, regarded as truth; that will be recorded and taught as history to our grandchildren.

Wake up.

Your destiny belongs to you, and no one else.

-Jim Culp, 2017

 

 

 

10/2/2017

 

My most sincere condolences go out to the families of the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. I hope they can all deal with their losses and that their dead rest in peace always.

I keep hearing people say that “these shootings are getting more and more common,” and “they create mass hysteria.”

Yes, they are and do. But these shootings are part of a plan, and that plan is to declare a state of martial law, and disarm the public. These shootings, just like all of these bombings; are nothing but tools created to take away your freedom, and bring the United States, Mexico, and Canada under a centralized government where only police officers and soldiers will possess firearms, and only the extremely wealthy of our populace will enjoy the rights of the Constitution.

Will that happen tomorrow, or in 2050? I don’t know. But it will happen.

I’ve said all that to say this.

When it does happen, don’t come to me and say you weren’t warned, because I am warning you right now.

 -Jim Culp, 2017

 

 

 

Stand...or Don't

September 21, 2017

 "Stand...or Don't"

It's a really hot day in Northeast Kansas today. It's not quite Autumn yet; that will come tomorrow for us. For us Pagans, it will start the season of Mabon, where the year will begin to die and culminate in that cycle in late December.

But it feels like Summer; it's 89 F degrees, and 62% humidity, making it a miserable heat index of roughly 98, using my powerful third grade math.

I've read several articles this week, and listened to the President of the United States address the United Nations Assembly; a speech that sounded way too much like a campaign speech or a State of the Union address. It was powerful, nonetheless, and I am sure that Kim Jong-un is already plotting the destruction of his model airplanes, and deciding whether to nuke Guam or Japan first.

Now, you heard all of that, right? I hit on religion, weather, the POTUS, and a world leader all in one lump sum. You know how? The First Amendment...that's how. It guarantees me the right to say what I will, speak my mind, and tell you in this blog that Hillary Clinton is a liar, Mitch McConnell should have retired a long time ago, and that my taxes in Kansas are just way too damned high.

I can do all of this without fear of arrest, detainment, or prosecution as long as I do it peacefully. I can't yell these things out on my front porch, and when someone disagrees from across the street, send a bullet flying across the way intended for their shiny little head...that's illegal.

You also have those rights; the ones that the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States gave you, including the one to sit down or kneel when the National Anthem is being played at a football game or some other sporting event, and the one to peacefully protest the cop that was acquitted after he shot a kid with a something he thought was a gun, only to find out it wasn't.

However, I ask one thing as a Patriot. I ask you to study, learn, and ponder what you are actually exercising your First Amendment rights for. Are you shaming the memory of fallen soldiers in our nation's bloodiest wars by not standing when they are honored? Because that is what the National Anthem is played for. It is played to remind you that you are at a football game as a free citizen, and not at a food line waiting for a scrap of bread in a concentration camp. Our society has history at their fingertips...literally; every day, via smart phones. I would like just one or two of them to use it to open an encyclopedia and read about World War II or the American War for Independence. Maybe, just maybe, they'd start giving one third of a fuck what they aren't standing for.

 

Join me anytime at http//: jimculp.blogspot.com

 

 

 

September 11, 2017

 

"Patriots and Diligence"

 {This is a partial, but not exact...excerpt of my upcoming autobiography: "To Three Hells and Back" that I will try with all my earnest efforts to publish by December of this year....}

 Sixteen years ago, I was a US Government Employee, as well as a member of the US Army Reserve, in the role of a Chief Movement Control Supervisor.

I worked for the US Government at an Army Reserve equipment storage facility, and attended training and duty periods in Manhattan, Kansas at a local USAR facility.
On September 11, 2001, I was washing a big truck that is designed for one purpose, to haul the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. It has a tractor with four massive axles, and a trailer with 40 wheels across five axle lines. Needless to say, if that beast is dirty, it takes a while to wash it.
My partner came rolling up in our team pickup truck to tell me that "some planes just crashed into some buildings," and that we were supposed to go to the office and report to the supervisor. Less than a few hours later, Threat Condition Delta had been ordered across military bases all over the USA, as well as the world. That Threat Condition means that things are locked down, and armed guards are placed at any security checkpoint, and things take on a different status for an un-foretold amount of time.
I wondered what my wife was thinking, and how things would go from then on.
One year and roughly six months later, my team and I were heading to Iraq, and assist in movement control of the invasion and occupation of that vast piece of what was once ancient Mesopotamia. My team of sixteen men; officers, NCOS, and troops, would spend the next two years of our lives in Mobilization, Deployment, Occupation, Re-Deployment, and Reintegration. Our lives, or at least, my life, would never be the same.
I was a new man, and my eyes had been opened.
September 11th of 2001 was a tragic event. We must never forget the lives that were lost. I swear that as a diligent man of my word.
The events of September 11, 2001 were also grossly mis-portrayed to the citizens of the United States of America, and need to be confessed, told factually, and made public record to the same. I swear that I will attempt to make that come to pass as a Patriot of this great nation. I recall the oath I took so many years ago, in a MEPS center in El Paso, Texas, when I was the ripe old age of 18 years.

"I, James Matthew Culp, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

I took that oath very seriously then, and as a retired Senior Non-Commissioned Officer, hold to it now. I will tell the truth. The citizens of the USA deserve to know it.

 

 

September 8th, 2017

 

"Legislation and Immigrants"

 

-By Jim Culp

 

I've read recently that there is a growing debate about DACA, the reversal of DACA, and the accusations by parties on subjects surrounding DACA.

I'm not going to get into the history or the explanations of this program; that is for you, the reader and citizen, to study and understand yourself.

I've been accused of being a "fence rider," and a guy that isn't for "either side." Both are right. I don't conform to social constructs that try and label me. I am a free man that seeks the truth, and a veteran that knows full well what can happen when freedom is lost.

Instead, I'm just posting my thirteen opinions, and you can agree or disagree with them as you please.

I'm available by all these channels:

Facebook:  Just "friend request" me.

Twitter:  Jim Culp@gmjim13

My Blog:  http://jimculp.blogspot.com/

 

1.         DACA was written for people to be able to stay here in the USA and work. It wasn't a "commie plot" or an attempt to get more of "them damn foreigners" living here.

2.         The accusation that President Obama's Executive Order creating DACA was an "abuse of that power" is both ludicrous and as unfounded as it is untrue.

Presidents use Executive Orders to push agendas through. Some are good, some are bad. They ALL DO IT, and in the case of the last three presidents; profusely.

 

Bill Clinton               364

George W. Bush       291

Barack Obama          276

Donald Trump         45

 

3.         The accusation that DACA recipients commit more crimes than persons that already have citizenship is both unfounded and false.

4.         DACA is not the product of some conspiracy, it is the action of a leader that saw a specific need and acted accordingly.

5.         Adding to number 4, don't blame the people who participated in DACA, blame your Congress that can't come to a decision about anything without taking a year to do it. Elect new Congressmen.

6.         Don't blame a mother for wanting to protect her child, or a person for wanting a better life. If you are reading this, you are an immigrant unless you are a First Generation Native American.

7.         Let me be clear (if not obverse) for my last five points. I have heard all the arguments, and I respect anyone's opinion as long as it is made with clear statement and with respect for the person they are addressing.

8.         Absolutely no one should get free college, unless we all get free college.

9.         Absolutely no one should get free health care, unless we all get free health care.

10.       About having babies: You can have one, or you can have twelve. But how ever many you have, you need to have a plan of how to support them. The American taxpayer is not responsible for feeding or educating your babies.

11.       We continue to dodge the fact that our Congress that lives in a financial and social bubble has no idea what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck. Get rid of ALL of them, and start over.

12.       There are millions of people that cannot begin to understand what it is like to return to your home after a war, flood, or tornado and see a flat piece of earth where that structure once stood. It is a sad fact, and detriment to our society; that most of them never will.

13.       You can rant and rave that Trump is going to save the day. Maybe he will.

But that doesn't change that our system is broken. So I say to you, my fellow citizens; that until it is fixed, there won't be any real union as a nation.

 

September 4, 2017

"The Hand of Vigilance"

By Jim Culp

 

I was recently roped into a conversation about the subject of vigilantism, because a woman (who I won't name) had suffered the loss of her daughter through rape culminating in murder, and had, in turn, murdered the perpetrator by her own hand.

The question posed to me was, "should she be cleared of all charges, and set free?"

I didn't answer, because I directed the questioner to this article, wherein I want to explain my positions on this highly critical subject.

The world, let alone this nation, grows increasingly more and more lawless everyday. There are more brutal beatings, more savage rapes and murders, and more car and purse jackings per day than you can count.

I spent my early childhood in West Texas, and then was raised to early adulthood in Southwest New Mexico. I witnesses criminal activity many time, mostly on a low scale. When I was only 12, the conflict in Vietnam was winding to a close, and thousands of men that had just left a brutal war in a far away jungle were roaming the streets, clueless of how to rejoin society. The Black Panthers, the Ku Klux Klan, and hundreds of other hate groups were the item of the day. I used to hear the old folks say on a daily basis: "take 'em out and shoot 'em!" They were referring to persons of every age, creed, color, and sex that had committed crimes, both small and heinous, and had not been punished, or in many cases, not even arrested. The same thing goes on today, 40 years later.

Our society is slightly different, but there are still thousands of crimes committed on a daily basis, and no one is held accountable for them.
People commit crimes that are, in most our eyes, punishable by death; some are less heinous and not at that level, and we accept the lesser sentence of life imprisonment or some tally of many years as a punishment.
There are many times in my life that I have been one of these persons that watch the evening news, and sees someone acquitted of a crime that they were well known to have committed, but the evidence just isn't there. OJ Simpson comes to mind. Then there are crimes so violent that a family seeks to take out vigilante style justice, as the woman did in the story that I started this article with, and thousands of people cheer it on, and say that justice is served.
But as I have grown up; I have realized, more than ever, that the sixth amendment to the US Constitution is more important than ever, and a guardian of light that we just don't want to see disappear from our laws.
The Amendment, first proposed in 1789, was ratified in 1791 as Amendment VI.

It reads so:

"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense."

 This means that any person accused of a crime has the right to be tried. Now, it's easy for anyone to "jump that gun" and say "but we know he's guilty!!"

That always sounds great, unless you are the one that is being accused.
My grandfather WB Bristow (Birdie) was a soldier for some of his life, and a range cowboy and loving father for the rest of it. He lived in a rugged part of West Texas where "old justice" was carried out many times.
He told my mother a story of a woman that was raped in the little town of Sierra Blanca, Texas in 1928. The woman was raped, and then beaten to "insure her silence."
The rapist, a transient, was long gone hours after the rape. A drunken man in a saloon, who was annoying a group of wives at a dance, was named the rapist by a group of cowboys that didn't care for him in the first place.
He was apprehended by a "posse" with no official purpose, and after a severe beating in a barn; he was hung by the rafters until dead.
It was forgiven and forgotten, and a year later, the actual rapist confessed his crime to a priest in Van Horn, Texas. Grandpa told Mom that although no one really cared for the "old boy", he had died for a crime he never committed.
That story rings true with me today.
Do we need a quicker judicial system? Yes.
Should we sentence more people to death for heinous crimes? I say absolutely yes.
Is our system broken in many areas? Most assuredly, yes.
But I caution anyone that entertains the notion that the Sixth Amendment gets tossed out with last week's meatloaf. We are a nation of laws, and if we are not going to abide by those laws, we are no better than the posse that hung the drunken cowboy by mistake.

 

September 1, 2017

 

"Of Gods and Mammon"

By Jim Culp

 

The headlines of the past few weeks are both exhilarating and horrifying all at once. The world is flooding in over four major areas; massive fires are enveloping the western USA, and nations stand in fear of a communist regime that proclaims that if its leader does not get his way, he'll do the unthinkable and launch medium and long range intercontinental ballistic missiles to other nations, and inevitably start World War III.

In the last week, I have heard cries for help from God, and cries for money from anyone that can send it.

Let's talk about God first:

In Christianity, as described in the Christian bible in the last book of the version ordained by James I of England;

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Revelation 19:6.

Bear in mind, omnipotent means "unlimited power," or "power above any other."

In Genesis Chapter One, we're told that God created the Earth.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." That sets a pretty irrefutable standard that God is the most powerful being in the Universe.

In the Muslim world, where the religion of Islam is the ticket to God, the Quran tells us that God (Allah) is "omniscient," which means that he is "the host of all knowledge," and that "his knowledge is without boundaries."

He is also omnipotent (that means "all powerful," Chapter 2, Verse 20 of the Quran says.... 20. "The lightning almost snatches their sight away. Whenever it illuminates for them, they walk in it; but when it grows dark over them, they stand still. Had God willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. God is capable of everything."

He created Earth, Man, and everything else.

16. Say, “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? 'Say, “God.”...“God is the Creator of all things, and He is The One, the Irresistible.”

So we're pretty set from two major sources that God is the all powerful, all being, all knowing, and pretty much makes Superman look like kitty litter.

People from all walks of life make a decision at some point in their life to "serve God" in some way. Some do it by working in soup kitchens that feed the poor, while some believe that serving God means making sure that they (as well as their children) are seated in a church auditorium every Saturday or Sunday morning, and when that plate comes around, a donation (or obligatory tithe) is placed in that plate, and the person and his family have "done their duty" like Jesus commanded.

Money...

Oh, that dirty word. Money is the standard we live by, the stuff that we want our pockets and checking accounts to be full of, and when we have a bunch of it, we're much less prone to give it away to people that we just don't think deserve it very much. This isn't anything new, it's anywhere from 4,000 to 6,500 years old. There was some form of money way back in the early days, and it wasn't much different than it is today, except that today everything is electronic, and we can manipulate monies that are both tangible and intangible.

But the reason for this article is this. Charities and churches are given a special status in the tax code called 501c3. That gives them freedom to take in donations, and fill their bank full of monies that will aid their organizations in carrying out their missions, whether that be funding breast cancer research, or building new facilities for studying autistic behavioral patterns, or providing food and shelter for children in Syria, Iraq, and Niger that no longer have a home to live in. When an organization applies for this status, they agree with the government that they will abide by the following:

"The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals.  The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency."

All good? No, it's not. Too many of these organizations take in millions of dollars a year in donations, and do very little or nothing to help anyone. I see it everyday. I talk to Christians, Catholic Christians, Muslims, and Hindis on a regular basis, and a staggering majority of them admit in a heartbeat that their organizations do not operate any programs outside the walls of their church building.

The exempt code was poorly written where in that second sentence, it states "advancement of religion." Why? Well, Uncle Jim is going to show you.

I have no issue with the "advancement of religion," as long as that group, church, or club is actually doing something to help people.

This takes me right back to the religious verses I quoted at the start of this article.

God is reckoned in these religions as the most powerful being in the universe.

So when you place your faith in God, and obey his rules, laws, and commandments....he's going to return the favor and take care of you, right?

Great. But hundreds, even thousands....every single day in this nation, form churches with 501c3 status, and start taking in two things: 1) donations (gifts from the person to help the church reach its goals; whatever they are; and 2) tithes and offerings. In Christianity, people tithe because of scriptures in the Old Testament that arguably stated that people give money to God. In the New Testament (Matthew 22:20) Jesus' disciples and a small crowd were asking him questions....

²⁰ And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

²¹ They say unto him, "Caesar's". Then saith he unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

²² When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.

When the disciples answered "Caesar's," they were talking about the Emperor of Rome, a man that led an empire that controlled the region of Judea ( a Roman Province) during that time. Jesus was suggesting that his followers pay their taxes, because if a man didn't, he was arrested and jailed.

He also suggested giving service to God, and by that he meant help the poor, feed the hungry, and provide for those that have no home. I guarantee you that he wasn't telling anyone to give money to the synagogue; it was corrupt and he knew it. He had been there himself and drove the tax collectors and money changers out like a shepherd would drive jackals away from his sheep. Historically, this and many others have long been interpreted to mean that Jesus commanded people to give the church or synagogue 10...(or in many cases, 20%) of their income to the church. You know, that's all fine and dandy if that church is actually helping  the poor, clothing and feeding the homeless, and donating their money to research that so badly needs it. Sadly, in most cases, they just aren't.

In Islam, Muslims observe the Zakat, a tithe tax kind of donation that was commanded to them in Sura 30:39:

39. "The usury you practice, seeking thereby to multiply people’s wealth, will not multiply with God. But what you give in charity, desiring God ’s approval—  these are the multipliers."

And again in Sura 31:4:

4. "Those who observe the prayer, and pay the obligatory charity, and are certain of the Hereafter."

I worked with several Muslims in Iraq. They were God fearing men, but also had common sense. On a "good month" they'd give 10% to the church, but on a month where the kids were barely fed, and the car needed tires, they gave 2.5%, or nothing. They said that Allah, in all his wisdom, understood all of that.

My question has always been this....did God (or Allah) know way back then, that we would be modern nations with trillions of dollars at our command? Did he ever intend his followers to pay taxes to a corrupt government, much less a corrupt church? I don't think so. I believe that if that God exists, he'd want a person to perform charitable acts, money or not.

Seemingly though, the answer in a believer's mind is undoubtedly yes. If God is all knowing, and lives for all time, he surely knew the future back in 600 BC.

So here we are in 2017. We see massive floods in Houston, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh; and thousands of charitable persons are rushing to aid the troubled.

When this is all over, I want to see the statistics of charitable organizations that contributed to these nightmares. I bet I'll see the smallest of these doing the most giving. You'd think that multi-billionaires would be giving donations in the billions. I know damn well that if I had a million dollars, I'd have no problem sending 10% of my money to relief efforts in Houston or Mumbai. Yes, I'd have to pay taxes on it, but so be it. I'm a good person, and people need help.

I think I have said all of that to say this.

I have no idea if Jesus or Muhammad ever existed, or God for that matter.

But I know two old sayings that have rung true in my ears for all of my life.

1) "The love of money is the root of all evil."

A massive accumulation of wealth will corrupt the wisest and truest man. We see it every day.

2) "You can't serve God and mammon."

That was literally meant to say that money will corrupt the truest heart.

I believe that good people can have a ton of money and do good things, but those people are simply few and far between.

 

 

 

August 18, 2017

Of Racism, Intolerance, and Symbolism

By Jim Culp

 

Yesterday marked yet another day that there were solemn reminders of events in our streets that were as horrible, mind shattering, and heart breaking as they can possibly be. The evening news was full of stories of persons plowing through crowds with cars, and statues of American Civil War military leaders being pulled to the ground as crowds cheered on.

As I always do, I thought about the implications of the actions of persons that reacted to those acts of violence, but also the immediate reactions of the public.
I've talked with several people on these matters in the past few days, and heard opinions and beliefs that were supportive, outright condemning, or like me, somewhat concerned about where we stand as a nation.
Sorry if the following is lengthy; but stick with me.

I want to visit the issue of terrorism first.
It's absolutely horrible that anyone, at any time, drives a car through a crowd and kills or seriously injures people. The same can be said about someone arming themselves with rifles and pistols, and shooting one, two, or twenty persons. These are all heinous acts of morbid brutality, and can never be dismissed or excused as anything but morally wrong and worthy of the highest punishment. The next major issue is hate, a mental illness spread through ignorance, then the proliferation of ignorance, and finally, the insane idea that brutality and isolationism will bring about peace and prosperity.
Nazis and groups of their kinds marching in our streets is a disgrace, just the same as a citizen of this country desecrating or destroying the flag of the United States if America. The very institution of Nazism was founded on hatred, and the persons that believe its' tenets are people that just don't belong in a society of racial, religious, and personal tolerance.
However, let me be candid. If you from an organization that has the word "Nazi" in its title, I would condemn that immediately. If you form an organization called "White People's Free Lunch Society", I'd condemn that immediately also.

But I say to you without any hesitation, that I believe the same thing about the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, and "Black Lives Matter." Why is the word "colored", or the word "Black" used in an organization formed in a free and supposedly tolerant society? It's just as wrong to proliferate "black" agendas as it is to promote "white" agendas. Why aren't they "all citizens" agendas? The very use of "black" is a group's name is inherently racist. I propose the "National Association for the Advancement of Poor People," The United Low Income Education Fund," and the best one "All Lives Matter."

Please...don't insult me by saying that if I started an organization called "White People Matter," or "The United White Boy Education Fund", that there would not be blatant or outright violent outcries of racism and fascism. There would be; history proves it time and time again. I don't give a damn what color you are, or what country your ancestors came from two hundred years ago. If you want to help a society, you'll abide by its laws. I served in the Army, in two wars...with every creed and color of person you can think of. We lived as brothers, and went to less than desirable countries to fight your wars. When mortars fell, bullets flew, and we pushed on through it all, we were all one color; Army Green.

Our nation needs to take a lesson from that. I grew up in a town where kids of different races fought all the time. We don't do that now...do you know why? We grew up and became honorable men...

Then there is the issue of statues..

There are cries all over the country for statues of men like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and many others to be dismantled, removed, or destroyed.
Statues are symbolism, and our country is full of symbolism that millions pass by every day and do not even begin to understand. A statue of Robert E. Lee is no different than a statue of George Washington. They were both prominent men of their times, and rose to the rank of General, and were competent soldiers who stood for honor and valor. The issue at hand is the subject of slavery, and the idea that all Confederate soldiers and statesmen were proponents of slavery.
They weren't. Was the Confederacy an institution of slavery? Maybe.
But consider these facts (not conspiracy theories).
Many of the Founding Fathers owned slaves. Many "Northerners" owned slaves prior to, during, and after the Civil War. Many slaves were integrated into families and lived happy lives until they were released, and became wanderers and vagabonds because they had nowhere to go. Union Generals and Senators issued many grave orders during the Civil War. The formation of the "Red Legs" in Kansas was a particularly brutal example.
Sherman's "March to the Sea" was indiscriminate as to whether Southerners were combatants or not; their homes and farms were destroyed nonetheless.
So be careful about who you pick out of a war and name a racist or a "advocate of slavery" that should be disgraced. I assure you, US Army Officers of post-Civil War times committed far more atrocities in the Indian Wars than Confederate soldiers did in the Civil War.

Because I have traveled the world many times, I have often been asked questions about countries that I have visited.

"Are there statues of Adolph Hitler in Germany?"
The answer is no. The Nazis signed an Unconditional Surrender in 1945, and agreed to things such as this.
"Are there Nazi groups in Germany?" Yes; it is a Democratic Republic, with personal freedoms similar to ours (USA). But Nazis are forbidden to form political parties; also part of the Treaty.
It is also a fair to point out that in many places in Poland and Germany, there are signs or markers outside homes where persons were abducted or arrested based solely on their race. These are stern reminders of dark times.
There are many Holocaust Museums across the world, including the USA, Macedonia, and Russia. I wonder, should these be torn down too , because they show us a dark chapter in history?

In my travels of England, my tour guides Gary and Albert took us to Hadrian's Wall. That massive, deteriorating landmark is a daunting reminder that the Roman Empire once reached into what is now the area of England and Scotland that was Britannia, a province of the Empire of AD 122. I wonder, should the United Kingdom tear the rest of that down, so that no one understands that they world was once a very different place?

Wars and Slaves have been factors in our existence for thousands of years, and many people in our society today think it is just an American idiom.
Irish were slaves for centuries, North and South Americans were slaves to enemy tribes, and negroes from 54 countries on the continent of Africa were slaves to some kingdom or government for over a  two thousand years.

This also brings about the subject of immigration. I won't "beat a dead horse."

Immigration is ok with me. Do it right; do it legal. But as we stand right now, let's fix the issue where it lies as we speak.
I propose a three check/step system:
Are you willing to work? Check
Are you willing to learn English? Check
Will you pay taxes like the other citizens do? Check
Welcome to the USA.
I think that's pretty simple.

There is never going to be peace in our society until everyone understands that there is no color in our goal of being one union. The United States of America is a "melting pot" where hundreds of races and creeds come together to make a great nation. It shouldn't matter what color you are, and it sure as hell shouldn't matter how many guns you have, or what religious belief you follow. If I were to form a political party, I'd start the "Stop Ignorance Party." To become a member, you'd have to demonstrate to the existing membership that you have opened your mind to facts, not beliefs or personal opinions.

I think starting from there just might make a difference...

 

 

July 3, 2017

 I continually read articles, see Facebook posts, and hear negative comments about our nation’s flag. I want to weigh in here.

Since its inception in 1777, the flag of the United States was, and still is, the flag representing the states. There is a star for each of them, and from 1777-1795, that number was just thirteen. The number of states joining the union increased in number for years to come after that, and in 1959, the fiftieth star was added when Hawaii was officially made a state.

The flag we fly today represents our nation, and the union of fifty states that our nation is composed of. It does not, however; represent politicians, religion, political parties, or any one particular race. The flag represents the United States of America, and I argue that it should have been called the flag of the United States of the North Americas, because that would have made way more sense to me.

The flag does not represent the District of Columbia (called Washington, D.C.) whatsoever; that area is a federal district.

The flag does not represent Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Mariana Islands; they are territories (or territories with Commonwealth status).

When any of these places is granted statehood, the flag will have to be changed again.

If it is changed again, the stripes will have to be fewer in number, or represented as thinner in appearance. Stars added are the key ingredients to our flag being changed, because the flag's stars represent the states of the union.

So when people are seen burning the flag because they are mad at something the politicians created in Washington, D.C., or pissed off because religious institutions were granted some status, or that our federal government passed tougher gun laws...you’re smoking the wrong pipe. The flag doesn’t represent any of that.

May you have a merry and safe Independence Day celebration.

Jim Culp

 

 

May 29, 2017

 

Memorial Day

 

 At the end of the American Civil War, 600,000 soldiers lay dead.

At the end of the Indian Wars, 1540-1924, an unknown amount of Native Americans were dead; over 50% from genocide.

At the end of World War I, 70 Million persons lay dead.

At the end of World War II, 72 Million persons lay dead.

At the end of the Korean Conflict, almost 2 Million dead.

At the of the Vietnam conflict, over 4 million lay dead.

At the end of the Persian Gulf War, 4,000 to an unknown and un-cataloged amount of persons died.

At the end of the Iraq War (2003), over a million dead.

The Afghanistan War, still ongoing, has claimed over 27,000 (documented) persons.

 

Let's let that sink in.

War is never a solution; it is a tragedy that sometimes is inevitable.

 

The following is a list of soldiers that have left us far too early, and were under my direct charge.

Gregory Sledd

Specialist/ Driver

Company D, 635th Armor (MBT)

 

Michael Walmsley

Squad Leader

Company E, 1st Engineer Battalion (Float Bridge)

Served with me in Operation Desert Storm

December 1990 to May 1991

Defense of Saudi Arabia/ Liberation of Kuwait

 

William J Blake

Section Sergeant

378th Highway Regulation Team (MC)

Served with me in Operation Iraqi Freedom

February 2003 to May 2004

Invasion of Iraq/ Occupation of Forward Areas

RIP my brothers. The rest of us are coming.

 

Respectfully,

James M Culp

SFC, USAR

Retired

May 24th, 2017

 I was told recently that I:

1. "like to question authority."

True.

I frequently question "authority" when it has been wrongfully misplaced into a person that just doesn't get what leadership is all about.

 2. "point out things that need not be pointed out."

True

If I don't point things out that are obviously fucked up, I'm just a guy that "rolls with the flow." Ain't me.

3. "Tell it like it is"

True

If you're fucked up, I'm gonna tell you you're fucked up. Simple math.

4. "Speak my mind."

True

Who the fuck else's mind would I speak?

 5. "Keep spouting off 'Conspiracy Theories'".

False

I simply tell the truth. If you can't handle the truth, maybe it is time you look at

things a little differently. Maybe it's time you unlearn the bullshit that you think is the truth.

 6. Am an Atheist.

False.

Just because I believe that "god" or "God" is something beside what you believe he/she/it is, does not make me an atheist. My "god" is just as real to me as yours is to you.

 7. Am an Agnostic

False

An agnostic believes that God is unknowable. I don't believe that. I just don't think that God takes attendance, demands money, or appoints a guy in a golden castle as his emissary.

8. I am a Liberal.

False

Nope. Nor am I a Conservative, a Democrat, or a Republican. I absolutely refuse to be cataloged into your bullshit categories. I am a free man. When I cease to be that, I will no longer live by the rules of society.

 9. I say "Fuck" too much.

Are you fucking serious? Ok, you might have me on that one.

 

-Jim Culp, 2017

 

March 27, 2017

Good Morning Readers!

I hope your day, week, and month are going great!

I wanted to get on the peck box this morning and let you all

know that my first Science Fiction novel is out!

"The Plight of Lord Colbrette" is the first in the 10th Millennium

series of novels, and tells the story of a secret agent that performs

clandestine missions near and far, and his struggles with

life, his friends and family, and his career.

It's a fast paced drama that will keep you on the

edge of your seat, and open up a whole new universe that

you never thought existed...in the past.

Have a read, it's on Amazon.com for Kindle!!

Printed editions are on the way soon!

Bye for now,

Jim

"LIES" by Jim Culp, 2017

Our government is currently enacting new laws, provisions for laws, and appointing officials to cabinet vacancies.

Going forward, I suggest trying out these simple ideals:

1. Stop lying.

2. Stop lying to each other.

3. Stop lying to the people you are supposed to be serving.

4. Stop lying to other countries.

5. Stop  defending someone who lied.

6. Stop lying about someone that identified your lies.

7. Stop lying to cover up your lies; that just creates more lies.

8. Stop lying to cover up someone else's lies; that just creates more lies and makes you look like a jackass who is also lying.

9. Stop lying to yourself.

10. You say you believe in an omnipotent God. Stop lying; if that God is up there, don't you think he knows you're lying?

"Bear ye not false witness against thy neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips."

Solomon, the King of Israel, 970-931 BC

"I have not uttered Lies"

"I am not a man of deceit"

"I have not shut my ears to the words of Truth"

The Papyrus of Ani, 1250 BC

"The End"

February 10, 2017

-by Jim Culp

{this is a partial excerpt from my autobiography, To Three Hells and Back, publishing this fall....}

This month marks the end of an era, or in my words, an age.

The most famous of all Heavy Metal bands, and the original lineup

being the godfathers of that genre, Rock and Roll's stepchild, Heavy Metal.

On February 4th, at Genting Arena in Birmingham, England, the legendary

Black Sabbath played their final concert.

This day was long dreaded by Black Sabbath fans, but the event was legendary and the fans gave them the finest send off in decades.

Black Sabbath started all the way back in 1968. I was the ripe old age of two.

I heard KISS when I was about seven, and they scared the hell out of me.

Three days a week, I was taught that Rock and Roll was the invention of the devil, and those that listened to it were doomed to a fiery hell that burned for eternity.

I never heard, or at least didn't know I heard, Black Sabbath until I was in the 6th grade, and a car next us at the Snappy Mart in Silver City was blasting out an old cut of "Iron Man" on an 8-track deck. I thought the song was magical. The haunting drag of the Gibson SG played by Tony Iommi was highly interesting to me, and I wanted to hear more. Time, continual church quickening, and other things in life delayed that quest. It would be many years later, in 1985, when I was a young soldier in Korea, I bought a copy of Black Sabbath's first record with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer. It was called Heaven and Hell, and was released in 1980. While I was in high school, I had seen their second Dio-led record, The Mob Rules, on LP in K-Mart, and had ignored it.

"Heaven and Hell" was an incredible album, it had songs like "Children of the Sea" and the title track. Dio was my hero a month later, and I officially became a Black Sabbath fan. There was no internet in those days, and library on our base in Korea had as much Rock and Roll literature as my parent's church did.

Once I was back in the world, though, in June of 1986, I started listening to the old stuff. It was mesmerizing, and the haunting lyrics of their debut album were as surreal as going to a funeral. It would be many years later, and I would achieve one of my lifetime goals; seeing Black Sabbath in Phoenix in August of 2013. They had their original lineup back (except for Bill Ward), and the show was the best concert I ever saw (the only one even close being Rush: Moving Pictures). Tommy Clufetos was on drums, and gave an awesome show. Black Sabbath had just released their 19th record, 13; earlier that year. I had acquired it in Tacoma while doing a job for my old company. It wasn't like some band's later recordings though, it was easily on of their best records ever.

Ozzy was back in raw form, and Tony and Geezer traded bad ass riffs and thundering Metal sounds that make the cat run to the back bedroom.

Brad Wilk, the amazing drummer of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, filled in on drums, and did an amazing job. He was highly praised and recognized by the band.

But that time is over. Black Sabbath has decided to call it quits, and enjoy retirement.

Ozzy will keep touring; that crazy bastard will most likely die on a stage, and he'd love it if he did. Tony and Geezer will likely do more stuff, but they are ready to spend more time at the house, and at restaurants. You can hardly blame them for that. After 49 years of giving the world their music, and creating a genre that is loved by millions, they deserve it. Bill is starting a new band, and will no doubt play for a while longer.

No matter what the members do, I salute them. They gave me hours of enjoyment, and taught me musical skills that I still work to perfect to this day.

(I still know a guitar is in perfect tune if opening riffs of "Children of the Sea" and "Rainbow in the Dark" sound right).

Thanks Black Sabbath; we love you always.

And last but not least, RIP Ronnie James Dio. You will never be forgotten.