December 25, 2020

“Of Christmas Past”

By Jim Culp

It is a bright and sunny morning here in Kansas City, Missouri. It was 9˚F when I woke up at about 8:30, and now at 10:37… it is a balmy 16˚F. The sun is shining though, and it’s another winter day.

But today is special to some of us, and I don’t mean Christmas. We remember a day 30 years ago, when we arrived in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. We were the bridge builders of Echo Company, First Engineer Battalion. My platoon had an acting platoon sergeant, and a green to the gills First Lieutenant. I was a young sergeant (E-5), and was barely just the age of 24. I had left the previous morning, and kissed my one-year old baby Jessi and my wife goodbye. I hitched a ride with one of my buddies, Todd Comstock; to head up the hill to our unit. It was a cold morning, and a few inches had fallen the previous night. We flew for hours and hours that seemed like years. I think Brent Ellis has a great account of the flights and times.

Here we were in Dhahran, a city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The monarchy of this kingdom had long ties to the current president, George Bush. The King had been promised protection from the Iraqi Army, who was now occupying Kuwait; a tiny nation to the northeast that had more oil than porcupines have quills. My section was made up of about 11 or 12 guys. We had three Sergeants, and most of the troops had been with us for a while. We had some green-horns, but all of them performed pretty damned well despite the circumstances.

These men were and still are my brothers. I would put any of them up against the best that anyone has. They endured some hard stuff, and definitely endured some of the stupidest shit that the Army could possibly dish out to a group of troops.

I know each and every one of them to this day, and am proud to call every one of them my brother.

-Jim

RIP Michael J, Walmsley, SGT, USA

-Jim  

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 December 24, 2020

It’s a beautiful morning here in West Missouri. It’s sunny, and 15˚F. We had really bad wind the last 30 hours or so. I am very happy to be alive and in relatively good health. I am also thankful that I it’s not 1990.

30 years ago today, we were preparing to leave for the Middle East. We would be part of Operation Desert Shield, the defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a very short time. We’d then move into Northern Saudi Arabia and Southern Iraq as part of Desert Storm.

When you have experienced something like this, you’re very glad to 1) have made it back alive, and 2) to live in relative freedom when you return home. I say it this way, because if the citizens of the USA don’t start working to change/remove/replace our current system of government, we won’t know freedom much longer. The government envisioned by the Founding Fathers no longer exists, and it is time for us to revitalize a third party, the Reform Party. Whether you like Donald Trump or Joe Biden, you’re voting for the same crooked and broken system. This system of quid pro quo in the Congress, as well as the ability of the President to appoint judges that are his cronies; needs to be cast away like last night’s stale beer bottles.

May you have a blessed 2021. If you have loved ones out of country in service, may they return home to you, like I did in 1991 and 2004. Please heed my words; the time is coming when there will be no turning back.

-Jim  

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November 15, 2020

“Throw Them Away”

By Jim Culp

 

So, I went out in the woods and prayed to my gods. Of course, as with all gods, there was no way to know if they heard me or not. So I came home…kind of disgruntled and less than whole.

I called my counselor, and she said “well, try what I do. Go out wherever you go again, but this time, take a refuse container along.”

“A what?” I said.

“A refuse container, you know; a sack or something that will burn.”

“Um, “I stuttered…like a paper sack from the grocery store?”

“Perfect,” she uttered. “Then get a couple of pieces of notebook paper or the like, and cut or tear them into 2” X 2” pieces. Then, take a permanent marker, and write down people or problems in your life that occupy your brain too much. They can be anything or anyone, because no one but you will ever know.”

“Got it…and then?” I asked.

“Place them in the bag, and throw a few kitchen matches in the bag with them. Then seal it up with a little tape...” she instructed.

“OK, I’ll call you back when I get that done,” thanks Mel.

I hung up with her, and wished I could walk and talk with her, as she had been the best counselor I ever had, particularly the year my Mom and brother died within months of one another.

So I took the little pieces of paper, and a Dollar Tree marker; and started with people. The first that came to mind were the Kardashians. Now, don’t get me wrong…those girls are beautiful, and I have nothing against them personally. What I hate to my core is how they are glorified. Them… and many like them; are worshipped because they are rich, and can spend seventy hours a week having hair and make-up done. I think we need better idols.

In the same vein, I wrote Kanye West on the next piece of paper, but with a forward slash and the acronym POS in capital letters. I was going to write “No talent ass clown with a mouth that never closes” but I didn’t care to expend the energy.

The third piece of paper was easy. I wrote “Mega-churches” and tossed it in. I didn’t write all the issues I had with them, just the two words. You can read my blogs on the evil that exists there.

Next was our current Fuhrer, Mr. Trump. I wrote out his name on the fourth piece, and that was enough. He gets too much audience in my head, and I need to make room for other things.

The fact that he has been voted out of office during a global pandemic (of which he has handled like a two year old eating a bar of ice cream on a July day) is very awesome indeed.

On the fifth piece were the names of the soldier that I lost during my time in the Army. There were three of them, and I’ve allowed them to maintain an area of occupancy in my head for too many years. I felt responsible for each and every one of them, and I wasn’t. Each of them was out of my control when they left his planet; but a true leader doesn’t see it that way sometimes.

The sixth piece was simply labeled “degree.” I finally made the decision to stop trying to attain my bachelor’s degree. It was a lifetime goal, and I’ve tried for the last twenty-five years to fit it into my life. It has never worked, and I’m done trying’.

The seventh and eighth pieces were labeled “HATE” and “FEAR.” They were going to combine on one, but I feel that they each needed a spotlight of their own. These two emotions have filled my brain and my soul for 40 years, and it’s time to let them go. Both will turn your soul into a cesspool if you don’t purge them out of your life.

Number nine came easy. It was labeled “stop procrastinating,” and that covers everything in life for me. Do it, or don’t. I am still not the chief procrastinator (that title belongs to my second wife), but I don’t want to do it at all. It’s self-defeating, and leads you to inaction.

Number ten was a special one for me. I labeled it “Stop Trying/Ignorance.” Simply put, that means I am going to stop trying to educate idiots that wish to remain ignorant. I could drone on for days on this, but I won’t. Again, it’s not worth it.

Number eleven was laziness. I’ve shirked long term goals in my life because I was lazy. The medium doesn’t matter… it’s the sheer waste of precious time. I want to accomplish a few more things while I am still in this body, and nowadays time seems to go by faster than we can grasp it.

Finally, number twelve was “ghosts.” For many years ago to now, I have lived with the ghosts of people that slipped away, and I never got to tell them how much they meant to me. So, in very small print, I filled the last piece of paper with the names of those people. I have to let them go.

I went out the next day, and dug a hole. I placed the sack with its invaluable contents in the hole, and burned it. When it was nothing but ashes, I replaced the soil, and walked back home. Sheer relief filled my soul, and I was truly better than I’d been in years. I emailed my counselor, and told her about it, and thanked her.

This path we call life is a long highway, my friends…don’t waste your time driving past all the scenery and places that would give you joy. Stop and smell the roses.

-Jim

 

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“2020”

By Jim Culp

Here we are again. The end of the year is coming very soon. It’s been a long one, and one that most of us would probably like to forget. We’ve seen riots, brutal police practices, and a global pandemic that still isn’t over.

Our country stands upon the brink of utter ruin, and people who cannot see that are as blind as an old man that left his readers in the bedroom, and the Sunday paper is a big blur.  It is an election year, and once again, we’re stuck with two candidates that as preferable as our country’s leaders as I am to be the next candidate for Miss America.

I watched my Steelers play yesterday, and even though they are on a winning streak this year, they still suffer from poor management and a lack of trying new things. After that game was over, I watched 20/20, and the first set was Leslie Stahl interviewing President Trump. He danced his way out of every question, lied five times, and finally got mad and walked out. Very presidential indeed. Anyone that is not convinced that Trump is a pathological liar is a very confused individual indeed. Trump lies twice as much as he ever tells the truth, and people still follow him.

Next was Leslie interviewing Vice President Mike Pence. Pence praised Trump for his victories (great and small) and supported him at every turn. He’s a true puppet. I’ve never had much use for Pence, but I am far from finished on the subject of Vice Presidential candidates.

After some commercials, we turned to the lovely Norah O’Donnell interviewing Joe Biden. Norah stuck to business, and asked Joe some tough questions, and reminded him of his age. He will be the oldest person to ever serve as POTUS if he is elected. Joe touted the normal statistics, and had a tough stance on Trump. He made a big mistake by claiming a tuition cost for so many students would be x-dollars, and fact checks immediately stated that they would be double that.

Joe, you’re getting old dude. Slow down and think before you speak. Stop trying to talk as fast as a twenty year old girl at a pageant.

The last interview was Norah with Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Kamala is a good looking Indian/British/Jamaican woman, and a very smart person. She has a massive amount of experience in running large agencies, and served as the Attorney General of California. I would have thought Joe would have picked her to be his AG, but whatever.

Kamala started the interview like she had just smoked a joint, and was going to laugh everything away. Norah set her straight in two minutes. They had a good interview, but one thing that stuck in my craw was that Kamala said she would “Do whatever Joe tells me to do.” There are a thousand tingles in my bullshit meter that tell me she won’t. I think she will follow that recipe for a short while, but then she will challenge him when it comes to extremely liberal agendas.

Once again, we are faced with two candidates, and neither one is preferable to me. One is a narcissistic douche-bag, and the other might wake up tomorrow and forget who he is. That’s how we roll in ‘Merca these days folks.

-Jim

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Columbus Day

 

Columbus Day

October 12, 2020

By Jim Culp

 

When I was in grade school in 2^nd or 3^rd grade, we “studied” Columbus Day for a few days out of the school year. We learned about the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. We also learned how the visiting Spaniards had meals with the indigenous peoples, and traded gifts with them.

It wasn’t until 5^th grade that my mother sent me to a Christian School, and we studied the “early settlement of the Americas.” This was a “Baptist” school, so naturally anything that happened in the name of God was the Catholic’s doing. We were taught (in our little learning books, called PACES) that Christopher Columbus was a slaver, but that he worked for the Pope.

When I went to college many years later, I studied all of this again. My professor was an agnostic, and taught us the truth. Here are some excerpts from good ole Chris’ journals:

“They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them. I think they can very easily be made Christians, for they seem to have no religion. If it pleases our Lord, I will take six of them to Your Highnesses when I depart, in order that they may learn our language.^”

 "These people are very simple in war-like matters ... I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased.”

“While I was in the boat, I captured a very beautiful Carib woman, whom the said Lord Admiral gave to me. When I had taken her to my cabin she was naked—as was their custom. I was filled with a desire to take my pleasure with her and attempted to satisfy my desire. She was unwilling, and so treated me with her nails that I wished I had never begun. But—to cut a long story short—I then took a piece of rope and whipped her soundly, and she let forth such incredible screams that you would not have believed your ears. Eventually we came to such terms, I assure you, that you would have thought that she had been brought up in a school for whores.^”

An entry in his journal from September 1498 reads: "From here one might send, in the name of the Holy Trinity, as many slaves as could be sold.

Historical Facts:

Columbus sent over 5,000 south and North American natives back to Spain for use as slaves.

Modern estimates for the pre-Columbian population of Hispaniola vary from several hundred thousand to more than a million. Some estimate that a third or more of the 250,000–300,000 natives in Haiti were dead within the first two years of Columbus's governorship, many from lethal forced labor in the mines, in which a third of workers died every six months.

Please teach your children the truth. They see enough fairy tales on TV.

-Jim 

 

 

“The Herald of Woe”

August 22, 2020

 

It’s been awhile since I wrote in my blog. I apologize to all of my readers. I’ve just been busy with life.

It is exceedingly insane to me how leaders in our country are thinking right now. The masks that we are wearing in public are a pain in the ass…I get it. But they can literally mean the difference between life and death. People who are fighting this are ignorant and need to be educated; forcefully if needed. So why are so many morons opposing this? You only have to look at the decisions that local “leaders” are making.

So what is the first thing you do in a pandemic?

You eliminate ALL unnecessary outings. That means ANYWHERE people are in close contact with one another. So what things are unnecessary? Here’s my list:

Baseball Games

Football Games

Soccer Games

Wrestling Matches

Karate Tournaments

Orgies

Bars

Concerts

Church

Funerals

 

I am relatively sure you get my meaning. These things are not necessary. The next list is things that I believe can be argued, but distancing (at least 15 feet) MUST be followed:

Gyms (we all need cardio, especially me)

School (if common sense, not money; is the rule of law)

Critical Health Care appointments

Emergency Operations (this does NOT include changing the name of street signs or tearing down statues or monuments)

Executions (which, in my opinion, need to start happening if ANYONE has been in prison more than five years on a second conviction)

List too long? OK, but it’s mine; and fat old men’s opinions matter. Wake up USA.

Our time to shine is now. STOP letting money be our guiding force. START listening to science. STOP following religions that are based on MONEY. START making the USA a better place for everyone. How do you do that? Stop blindly following “leaders” that couldn’t lead a fox to a hen house.

-Jim

 

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Color

July 11, 2020

“Color”

By Jim Culp

This year, things have occurred on our planet that is unprecedented in modern times. The world has become a different place, and millions of youngsters will remember it as a time that is probably best forgotten. But I want to talk about a trend that has become so monotonous that I am growing immune to it day by day. This issue of “color” is an old thing, and it’s time it goes away. Let me define that. I don’t mean to ignore it… that is what we have been doing for three hundred years. When the “pale faces” came to the Americas in 1492, they first encountered the Taino. These ingenious peoples inhabited Hispaniola, an area in the Caribbean Sea that is known today as the Greater Antilles. In his journal, Christopher Columbus wrote "They were very well built, with very handsome bodies and very good faces....They do not carry arms or know them....They should be good servants." Color did not persuade his writings, but belief that his race was superior to theirs did.

Black Hawk, a leader of the Sauk, wrote “If the Great and Good Spirit wished us to believe and do as the whites, he could easily change our opinions, so that we would see, and think, and act as they do.”

This opinion of forcing someone’s ideals onto another person, tribe, or community, was and still is the chief cause of wars on our planet, right after acquisition of wealth. The Native Americans did not want to be Christianized. They did not want to be assimilated into European culture. They had lived on this continent for 14,000 years, and developed thriving societies. They had their issues, but who doesn’t?

I’ve made these examples for one reason. History is full of revolting occurrences, disturbances, and just about any atrocity you could imagine if you exercised your darkest demons. But I ask one thing…when should we say “enough is enough?” Do we keep making one tribe, race, or belief the “bosses,” and keep making the others their slaves? When will we stop using color as a measurement of a human being? Why does ANYTHING have a color as the first world of its title? I am asking that question to every single human being on this planet.

I understand that people have had woes in their lives. I understand that some people have had problems with the government and the police, but when you try to say that we should exemplify one color of people for that, you’re smoking some good shit.

Nationwide, police shot and killed about 1,000 people in 2017.

In 2018, that number was less, reported at 999.

In 2019, that number was 1,008.

So far in 2020, we’re at 506.

If you’ll look at the statistics, the numbers are not all one color; they are all over the place. Why do cops shoot people? You can study that all day, and when you’re done, you might as well get some credits and finish your PhD in psychology.

I have quoted these statistics to show you some facts, but I’ll close with an opinion. We are never going to be free from conflict and pain until we all work together for a better society. My next blog is going to tell you how we can do that.

I believe that conflict starts with labels. If my t-shirt says “Soundgarden is the best band of all time,” and you are a Pearl Jam fan, there will be minor conflict. If you wear a t-shirt that says “Black Lives Matter,” there will be conflict just about anywhere you go. All lives matter. Black, brown, red, yellow, white, and chocolate sundaes. Stop putting color in front of a name. Just because something terrible happened does not give you the right to destroy property and put your race in front of other races. Equality is about EVERYBODY. Like Mama used to sing to me, “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.”

There ya go.

-Jim  

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June 21, 2020

“Father’s Day”

By Jim Culp

Father’s Day is a fairly modern celebration honoring paternal bonds and the act of fatherhood. Today, here in the United States, we celebrate Father’s Day for the 110^th time. Father’s Day, in some form or another, was celebrated in Catholic Christian countries as Saint Joseph’s Day dating way back into the Middle Ages. We, as citizens of the United States of America, did not start this tradition until 1910. For the past 110 years, Father’s Day has evolved into many household customs, and like many holidays here in the USA, they may be religion based or not. Some respect the old traditions; like “Sunday of the Forefathers,” where God told Abraham "In thy seed shall all of the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3, 22:18). Many others just like to honor their Dad, Step Dad, or someone who raised them. I fall into the latter category.

My Father (who I still call “Daddy) was a man raised in South-West Texas. He was the son of a cowboy, a mason, and a rancher. When he was 22 years old, he married a beautiful girl, Mary Ann Bristow, who was 17 years old by 5 days (see Photo #1). The lovely couple would enjoy a marriage of just 20 years, but would have seven children. Oldest to youngest they were: Deborah, John, Cynthia, Thomas, Mart, David, and James. My Dad wanted to be a soldier in his younger years. He attended a military academy, but was refused service in the active military because he suffered from a birth defect known as “ventricular septal defect,” or to put it plainly, a hole in your heart. He turned to civilian aspirations, and worked many types of jobs. Later, he started driving tractor trailer rigs (see Photo #2) in various modes, but finally settled on long hauls from El Paso to the West Coast.

In 1969, my Dad died of a massive heart attack, and the Culp kids were left with one parent for a long period. I was just two years old when Daddy passed, and can scarcely remember anything about it. The hole in my life of not having a real Dad would affect me for the rest of my life.

In June of 1972, my Mom remarried. William George Lesperance was a man 9 years older than my Mom, and about as different from my Dad as you could imagine (see Photo #3). “Bill,” as he was known to most, was a big man. He had a thundering bass voice, and talked to people like he wanted to. If he felt it, he spoke it. Bill was from Stockton, Kansas, and grew up in the midst of the Great Depression. He was raised on meals that included meat only once or twice a week. He was also raised by a father that had hard and fast rules about women and children. This would transfer to the Culp house when he became our paternal figure, but that is another story for another time.

During my childhood and teenage years, my relationship with this man evolved into friendship and mutual respect. My unofficial step-father (not my law) would be just that…a father. He paid the bills, and gave us a life. He was never a “Daddy” to me. His official title was “Pop.” I loved him for what he was, and he and I were “straight-shooters” when I (and my siblings) was with him when he passed in 1997. Pop loved his grandchildren, and always enjoyed being with them (see Photo #4).

In 1989, I became a Dad. My precious little girl, Jessica Marie Culp, was born on December 16, 1989. My life would change forever, as I was just 23, close to how my Dad had been when his first child was born. I was clueless, but I did have a large encyclopedia of lessons from watching my siblings with their kids for many years. A Sergeant in the Army once told me “Culp, congrats on the kid. But let me warn ya…when you have a boy, you only gotta worry about one pecker. But now that you got yourself a girl, you gotta worry about a hundred million of ‘em.”

“Thanks Sarge,” I said. “I’m glad you made me aware of that.”

If you are a father (by blood or law) you are part of a large fraternity of men that know the joy, worry, heartache, and sheer gratitude of raising children. The key (I’ve learned) is to love your children unconditionally. They are part of you, and you are their guide in life. Happy Father’s Day.

-Jim 

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June 20, 2020

“Summer”

By Jim Culp

It is that time of year again. The weather becomes very warm, and in many areas of the Earth, quite humid. It is a time when life is at its peak, and every creature under the Sun is moving about. Even in the big city (where I currently live) it will be nothing for you to see hundreds of species of animals and plants in just one day. You’ll see the tiny insects that buzz about, crawl on the ground, and bug the living hell out of you when you are out and about. If you are fortunate enough to love in the countryside, you will likely see an even larger abundance of life, because there is less human interference. We enter into that phenomenon known as the Summer Solstice. It will begin tonight at 9:43 pm, and continue for 48 hours.

For all of us humans living in the Northern Hemisphere, our days will longer than usual. That is because the Sun is illuminating a whopping 50% of the Earth’s surface due to our position in the orbit of the big fiery ball that keeps us alive.

For us modern pagans, the solstice is the peak of life; and the celebration of Litha, or in the modern tongue, “first fruits.” It is a time when we honor the Mother Earth for her gifts to us, the fruits and vegetables that nourish our bodies and give us strength. It is also time to grow beautiful plants, gardens, and flowers with brilliant colors.

In these troubled times, it is important that we stand by our values, and help one another in keeping our health and sanity intact. If you are a first time reader, or a dedicated follower of my work; I thank you and wish you a wonderful summer, and health and prosperity to you and your families.

-Jim 

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June 17, 2020

“Changing Names”

By Jim Culp

Good Morning readers; today is a special day, no matter what your beliefs and opinions are. It’s a special day for me, because I am still alive and in fairly good health. I am drinking my first cup of coffee and reading the headlines of the local and national news. They include issues with COVID-19, riots and looting, tensions with North Korea, and many more. But the one most disturbing to me is the idea (and movement that people have started recently) to tear down statues that mean A or B, and change the names of places (particularly Military Bases) to names that are more in line with the needs of people to have things exactly like they want them.

I want to make it clear that I am not a person that wants racism or bigotry to exist anywhere. I saw it too many times growing up in the Southwest, and far too many times in my 22 years in the U.S. Army. White on Black, Brown on White, and Black on Asian…whatever, it doesn’t matter. When you base your decisions on how you treat someone using color, you are a racist. You should always try to see beyond skin color when you are dealing with people. Unfortunately, our country was called the “Great American Melting Pot” for a reason.

In the early days, the Continental United States had one race of human beings. The North American Indian (or “Native American”) was the sole race of the species “homo sapiens” that lived on the continent. No one today knows the number of them, but there were at least seven million of them on the continent in the late 1300’s. That is only a scientific hypothesis; no one knows the actual count. These, as well as the Natives of Mexico, Central and South America…were the “Americans” of the day. Then, in the 1400’s, Spanish troops “explored” the America’s, and had every intention of enslaving them for profit. By the 1700’s, Native Americans in the East fought the English, French, and British for their rights to exist. Many alliances were formed, and many were broken, having been based on lies in the first place.

I told you that story of the early days for one reason. Race and Money have always been a part of our Earth, and they always will be. How we deal with that is our charge.

Today, people want to tear down a statue of Robert E. Lee because he was a key Confederate Leader in the American Civil War. They want to rename Fort Carson because Kit Carson was a Union Officer that fought in the Mexican and Indian Wars. They want to rename Fort Bragg because General Braxton Bragg was a Confederate General in the Civil War.

These, and many other suggestions that I hear today, are the ideals of simpletons. Why? Glad you ask. Let’s take history back about two thousand years before the Civil War. Particularly, to the time when Rome became a Christian Empire based on the Emperor Constantine seeing a vision in the sky. He claimed that he saw a cross, and voice said “In this Sign, Conquer.” So in 325 AD, a pagan empire became “holy,” and the Romans began a conquest of killing “non-believers” in the name of God. In the following 1,400 years, millions were killed in the name of Christianity. A person was either a “believer,” or a pagan. It was God’s will that all persons on the Earth believe in his Son, and convert to Christianity.

Today, in the Americas, Christianity is prevalent in our societies. But I ask this question; if we are to use the ideology of today’s headlines, and tear down every monument that was built for a reason at the time, should we not also tear down all the churches and crosses, because they represent fourteen hundred  years of killing?

Should we destroy Mosques and Synagogues (Muslims and Jews both have bloody pasts, too) as well? Think about it. Forget that you are black, brown, or white. Try and educate yourself that these things are history, and to ignore history is to repeat it. When we follow a leader or a principle in ignorance, we digress into savagery and stupidity.

-Jim

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6/10/2020

“Name Calling”

By Jim Culp

Yesterday marked a true milestone in my middle age. I was frolicking through Facebook, and reading jokes and articles while waiting for a huge download to finish. It seems there was a post that I joined in on commenting some three weeks ago, and someone copied and reposted the entire conversation as a post. The author referred to me as a “Satanist” and “someone who dabbles in witchcraft.”

I laughed at this accusation, and read a few of the comments that some folks added. It seems that since I am not a Christian, I am “of the devil.”

It’s funny, I haven’t heard that crap since I was 18, and told my Mom and Step-Father that I was no longer attending church. The pastor of our congregation had told them that “people who do not do the Lord’s will by attending church have fallen into the hands of the devil.”

It always made me wonder how anyone ever came up with the concept of a being such as God, who the bible (the King James Version, anyway) describes as “all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, and always everywhere. Even when I was a brainwashed youngster, I always wondered about this, but in private. I had heroes in my comic books such as Batman, Spiderman, and the Hulk; but none of them held up to the Christian God’s abilities. So there was Thor, who was a god. He was the son of Odin, an even more powerful god. Thor and Odin had temples, but they were for priests, not parishioners. The people had their own homes, and would have small statues of their gods in them. In real life, the same applied for the Romans, who had statues of Jupiter in their homes as well.

These comics were not allowed at my church, or my church school (yes, I went to both). “There are no other gods, except our God,” they would say.

When I started travelling around the world, I learned that every country and continent had a different version of “god” or “gods.” When I took a World Religion class in my first year of college, I was simply aghast at the plethora of gods that are worshipped every day on this planet we call Earth. Earthlings (as a whole, but separate) worship a whopping 2,500 gods and goddesses. Every religion claims that their god(s) are the real one. But I digress.

For one to be a “Satanist,” one must first believe in such a creature. A Satanist defines Satan as the “Infernal Duke of Hell” and “the Black Pope,” as well as hundreds of other names. He even had an official church, called the Church of Satan; founded in 1966 by Anton Levey, and serious hippie and anti-establishment watchdog. I read his book in 2004, called the “Satanic Bible.” It was as meaningless and mindless as most religious books are. I also read the “Lesser Keys of Solomon,” a massive tome of thousands of devils and demons that Solomon (the biblical son of King David, in the Christian Old Testament) controlled all of them at some time, because Jehovah’s (God) angel had given Solomon the keys to their “cages.” These were not physical cages made of iron or steel, but ethereal cages made of God’s power. This book is called “the Lemegeton” and it allowed Solomon to summon these creatures whenever he wished, by using the spells in the book. Yes, I know…that be some deep shit.

So you see... I know more about demons and devils that most Christians ever learn in their lives. Why? Because I read books, and I study things. I don’t blindly follow a religion because someone told me it was the way, the truth, and the life.

I don’t base my life on one belief (the way my parents did) because it’s not what the human brain was designed to do. The brain is a storage shed (memory), a computer (logical thinking), and a reasoner (cognitive thought). Whether that brain is the product of 200 million years of evolution, or the seed planted here my aliens, or the creation of a god; it is what separate you and me from thousands of other species of animals. A cat knows that its master will feed it at some point in a day, and knows it from repetition of actions. What it doesn’t know is that its master paid $17 for the bag of kitty chow that it eats. A great white shark can track a milliliter of blood in a huge area of water for miles, and find the bleeding animal that left it. But what it can’t do is add 2 plus 2, or balance a checkbook.

When I was accused of being a Satanist by some idiot, I laughed heartily. I am most surely a Pagan, but I don’t follow any path of religion or spirituality unless it makes 100% sense to me. So far, none have.

So…brand old Jim what you want. But I am the same old me. I’ve never said I am perfect, and I never told anyone that they can’t believe what they want to. I chose Paganism because it made sense to me, and it still does; every day of my life. The Earth is our home, and the more we get in touch with it, the more spiritual we become.

-Jim

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Sunday, May 31, 2020

Kansas City, MO

“Rights and Riots”

Today has brought us some cool weather here in Kansas City. The weather has been so on and off lately, you never know what to expect. Life here in the big city has become a tiring effort…an effort to keep one’s sanity. The COVID 19 pandemic has gripped our state and our nation in a fist of fear, unknowing, and mistrust. But I won’t prattle on about that today, I am sure you all are as tired of that whole story as I am.

Today I want to focus on the largest news story of today; the demonstrations and riots. This morning’s headlines made me remember the LA riots of 1992. I had returned from the Gulf War, regained custody of my daughter, and was restarting my life again. The riots began with a young African American man (Rodney King) that was severely beaten by four Los Angeles police officers. The officers were acquitted, and all hell broke loose. The riots became so intense and uncontrollable that the California National Guardsmen, the Army’s 7^th Infantry Division, and the First Marine Division were called in to quell the whole affair, but not before hundreds of buildings, neighborhoods, and Korea Town were literally destroyed. 63 people lost their lives, and the bill for damages exceeded one billion dollars.

The riots of the last 2-3 days are supposedly about a man named George Floyd, a person that was being arrested for allegedly trying to buy merchandise with a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Again, there are four non-blacks, and one black guy. Floyd was restrained by human bodies, but the arresting officer kept his knee on Floyd’s neck (against concrete) for a little under nine minutes. Floyd died soon after of still conflicting causes.

I mourn for George Floyd, his family, and anyone that suffers or dies from police brutality. But I have to ask, what does someone think rioting and pillaging in their own city will do to fix this? Floyd’s death, just like Eric Garner in 2014; was a tragedy. These cops need to be policed, because a small percentage of them are out of control. I’ve known many police officers in my life, and listened to their stories for years. I’ve never been a cop, but I know what someone would be like in uniform just by listening to their verbiage. I know this from years of supervising soldiers and going to war with them. The soldier that walks around saying “kill ’em all, let God sort ‘em out” is someone that you don’t want to go to war with. My friends (that were police officers) often told me the same about their partners or other cops in their precinct.  I would hear stories like “he won’t think that way after five of us corner him in an alley,” or “they are all animals; just pretend you’re hunting.” All of the garbage needs to be in Hollywood movies, not on the streets of our nation.

As I watched the looting and kids fighting with the police, I wondered how long this will go on, and how little children will describe it to their children 30 years from now.  The people that I saw on one video were taunting the police, and throwing trash at them. The protesters were trying to start a fight, not get justice for Floyd. The woman (that could hear the best) was instigating anything that she could to start fight with the police. She also kept saying “this is against the Constitution.” Fact check here: The First Amendment states specifically that our citizens “the right to peaceably assemble, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Please note that their isn’t a damn thing written there that says “taunt the police, fuck the police, or ‘try me, big boy!” Peaceful assembly means that you can carry signs, chant slogans, sing Glory Hallelujah, or play your harmonicas while marching. Absolutely nothing in that amendment gives you the right to hurt people, destroy their property, or set things on fire.

The last thing that I want to establish here is this. Republicans have elected a President that has sounded the battle cry from his microphone many times. He’s said things that shouldn’t come out of anyone’s mouth, let alone the President of the United States and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. You’ve all heard them, even the last one that said “remember, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” He has set precedents at that point for any moron to claim that “this is his President’s order” in a court of law. In many ways we are a nation of very intelligent and peaceful people, but in other ways extremely ignorant and belligerent at times. It’s high time that we stop allowing this nation to digress into a state of utter chaos, and bring in a new way of thinking and doing things. Do I speak of constitutional reform? Why yes; yes I do.

-Jim

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May 11, 2020

“Memories”

By Jim Culp

Good Morning readers. This morning is a brisk one, it’s 51°F, which is cool for May in Kansas City. This spring is an example of nature letting us know that she needs better care, and that you and I are the stewards of the Earth.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and my mother is deceased. So, I spent the day working on my new book and doing odds and ends. Last night, I surfed the tube for something to watch, and ran across “Jarhead.” Over the years, I had seen pieces of it, but never watched the whole movie. I settled in with a couple of cold beers to see the whole enchilada form start to finish.

This movie had some familiar names like Jamie Fox and Jake Gyllenhaal. When I saw Lucas Black, I tried to remember the last movie I saw him act, and that was “Sling blade.” “Man, that was 24 years ago,” I thought to myself. I thought all the actors did well in the movie.

What made the evening special is that this movie took me back to the Gulf War. We’re talking way back in 1990. I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. The division there at the time was the “Big Red One,” the First Infantry Division. I was a combat engineer with the First Engineer Battalion, and my company was the specialty unit of the outfit, because we were bridge engineers.

When rumors began of war starting in the region, we all felt that feeling that only a soldier can describe. You want to test yourself in war, but you know you might not come back. Such is the life of a person that joins the military.

The movie began with the Marines enduring Basic Training (or “Boot Camp”) as other services call it. There’s some other stuff after this, but I’ll skip that.

Eventually, the Marines in this movie are called up for Operation Desert Shield, the massive defense maneuver used by the Allies to protect Saudi Arabia, the larger and richer neighbor of Kuwait. The movie focuses on the dull drudgery of soldiering when not engaged in a mission. It’s a daily grind that I am all too familiar with.

This started my walk down memory lane, including the uniforms, the toilets made from plywood and 55-gallon drum halves, and hours of preparing positions. Then came the chemical drills. Oh, that was fun. Whenever you want to experience something miserable, do this. A) Wait for July or August (think Phoenix, Arizona) and do not shower for 14-15 days. B) Dress yourself in an argyle sweater, wool pants, and rain boots. Tie up or tape anything that is loose. C) Put a surgical mask on your face and cut a small hole in it for your mouth. Then, place a plastic trash bag over your head, and cut a slit near your mouth to breath. D) Tape the neck to your sweater, it can’t be loose. You are now in a training MOPP suit. MOPP means “Mission Oriented Protective Posture.” They should have named it the “TSADB suit.” That means “this sucks a donkey’s balls.”

Wear that for a day or so, then you’re allowed to remove the mask…nothing else. Stay in that get-up for a month. No showering. Hot? Shade only; no air conditioner. Do all the same work you normally do.

After a month or so has passed, take it all off and get yourself a shower. That’s a “shower” of 45° F water that your buddy pours over you using a 5-gallon water can. If you’re smart, you take care of your head and private parts first.

Lastly, the oil fires. I could never forget the sight of this catastrophe as long as I live. For as far as you could see, there were fires burning at least 200 feet into the sky, day and night. The air we were breathing was comparable to placing your face real close to your car’s exhaust pipe and eating your lunch. On guard duty, you literally had some idea of what the “hell” in the bible talks about.

Ah, memories. Aren’t they great?

This movie gets a C for me. It was good, not great. But the memories were awesome. They cover all the basics…fear, horror, pain, and death.

In the Gulf War (for me, that was December 25^th, 1990 to May 2, 1991) I held the same position (and rank) that the Jamie Foxx character was. I was 25 years old, and my soldiers were anywhere in age from 17 to 23.

My brother Jeff was a senior Marine in this same conflict. Mom was pretty relieved when we both came back.

If I wish my readers anything, it is that their children never experience war. It’s not glorifying, it’s not pretty. It’s something you never forget.

-Jim

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May 10, 2020

“Mother’s Day”

By Jim Culp

Here we are again, another Mother’s Day here in the USA. This holiday (one of the only American holidays that I observe) is a very important one, and it is celebrated in some form and on some date in many countries across our planet. These include such events as celebrating Cybele or Rhea, the Greek goddesses that were “mothers of all men.” There is also the Roman festival of Hilaria, a Roman Festival to honor the goddess and her gifts to mankind. In the modern world, you can see examples such as “Mothering Sunday” that is celebrated in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Like the USA, it is common for it to be celebrated in churches and other places of worship.

On the scientific side of things, a mother is one of the most critical components in the Animal Kingdom. She is the female in reproduction, the “other” sex in our asymmetrical place in the big show. She gives birth, provides milk, and keeps her offspring safe from harm. Human mothers share all these characteristics and are distanced from “lesser” animals by their possession of the ability of cognitive thinking.

On the “human side, the mother is a critical part of the family unit (just as much as the father is) and cares for her children until they can care for themselves. The father (historically) is the protector and provider. A mother loves her children, and is always there to care for their needs, most importantly love.

Mother’s Day was started (officially) by Anna Jarvis in 1908 for her he mother. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law establishing Mother’s Day in the United States of America.

When I was a little scrub, I lived with my Mother, my Stepfather, and my brothers and sisters. Mother’s Day always coincides with a Sunday on our calendar, so we as (Christians (the non-Catholic flavor) went to church as usual. On these holidays, though, the pastor would deliver a sermon telling us about how important mothers are, and even how Mary carried for her son, the Christ. It was usually the same thing, but after all of that was over, we would go to a cafeteria for lunch. This was mainly so Mom did not have to cook; she could enjoy a relaxing day. I liked it for two reasons. 1) I got to choose what I wanted to eat, and 2) I did not have to do the &%^$%# dishes when we got home.

We always gave Mom some sort of gift on Mother’s Day, and a card or flowers. Being the crafty kid that I was, I would save money by stealing flowers from the neighbor’s yard and giving them to Mom. She always say “oh these are beautiful!! Where did you get them?”

Later in life, I was a young soldier stationed at Fort Riley in 1989. My wife was pregnant with our daughter for most of that year, so it was interesting to say the least. Then, on December 16^th, our daughter was born. My wife was suddenly a mother, and I was a Dad. That moment is a quickening for any person, and it must be excruciating and exiting for a mother all at the same time.

Many years later in life, my mother was elderly, and she and I talked about her early days of marriage and motherhood. She told me about the morning I was born, and how life was so different back then.

My mother passed to the other side three years ago, and I always hope that she passed knowing the I loved her and appreciated as my Mom.

To all my friends and relatives who are mothers across the world, please accept my finest wishes that you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

-Jim 

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May 9, 2020

The Sign in the Window reads:

“We give Veterans Discounts”

“How nice! I’ll go in and select a few things to buy.” It’s not much, just some socks and a few other things for the fall season. I head to the register, and immediately am told that the veteran discount is 10%.

“Whoa there Cletus; don’t kill yourself with percentages like that,” I say to myself as I chuckle out loud.

“What’s funny, Sir?” the register attendant asks me.

“Oh, I was just chuckling at 10%. That’s only a dime for every dollar.”

She smirks and continues scanning my items. Then the inevitable comes.

“Oh, I am sorry Sir… the discount is for Active Duty Service members and their families only!”

I swallow hard and think about punching her in the throat. My professionalism takes over, and I don’t.

“Um, I got a question for you Ma’am. Why does it say ‘veterans” then?”

She balks, because of course she doesn’t have a clue what to say.

I seize the opportunity.

“Ma’am, do you know what a Veteran is?”

She picks up the phone and calls her manager.

“Just a minute Sir.”

“Do you know what a Veteran is?” I ask again.

“Sir, just one minute.”

She is soon saved by her manager, a man of at least 25 years of age.

“What can I do for you Sir?”

I look at him hard.

“Do YOU know what a Veteran is?”

“Of course Sir. It’s a person that served in the Armed Forces.”

“Sweet. So, tell me…why does your sign say, “We Give Veterans Discounts” when you are only giving discounts to Active Duty personnel?”

“Well, that is the policy Sir!”

“Do you have a senior manager here?”

“Oh yes Sir. I can go get him if you like, but I’ll be happy to override the register and give you our discount if you have a veteran’s ID.”

I hand him my VA card, and my retired identification.

My VA ID states that I am service connected, and my retired ID says, “US Army Reserve Retired.”

The young manager gazes at them for a minute.

“Um, Sir, you were not Active Duty.”

Again, I restrain the urge to drop kick him in the gut and toss him out of the window that is nearby.

“And how did you come to that determination Sir? I ask in a moderate tone.

‘Well, you’re card clearly indicates “Reserve” Sir.”

“Sure,” I say; “I retired out of the Reserve because I was a dual status technician. I also served six years in the National Guard, and 9 ½ years of Active Duty, including two deployments to Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom One.”

They both look at me with the same eyes that a raccoon does when you catch him in your trash at 11 PM.

It is about now when the Store Manager shows up and approves the discount.

This entire diatribe lasted about 22 minutes. It should have never happened. A person that served in the military, particularly one with an ID that says “Service Connected” deserves everything that is coming to him. Most people are cool with that. But there are always those ignorant few that never understand that military service meant sacrifice by the men and women that towed the line and kept you safe.

-Jim 

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