Today's Visit at Walmart

-By Jim Culp

11/23/2016

Today I went to the Walmart located at Legends Kansas City (that's about 435 North and Parallel Parkway).

I gathered a few simple items, and headed up to the self check out, because as with any Wednesday before the Thanksgiving Holiday, there are four checkers for the sixty five people with loaded carts trying to get out of the store.

I scanned my items, and prior to moving to the "select payment" screens, I double checked my sub total, which the machine indicated was $49.72.

"Wait a minute, I thought. "That doesn't look right, even to my superior third grade arithmetic."

Then I remembered that I had my smart phone with me, and whipped that little doo-dad out and opened the calculator application.

I added up the items, and they totaled up at $36.62.

"Hmmm...." I thought, let's do that again. Of course, being the OCD guy that I am (life has taught me some hard lessons), I did it three more times. $36.62 each time, no error.

I called the self check attendant over.

"Um, Ma'am, look at this." I showed her my findings.

She said, without a breath, "oh, you're not counting the tax."

I informed her that even with the taxes, it would only be ( I was guessing) about $40.00 or so. (I also couldn't remember whether the machine adds the taxes at that point, or after you select a payment option.)

She stated "well, I ain't sure, but let me get a manager."

The manager came over a few minutes later.

She immediately took out her calculator, and added the items up, which gave her $36.62 as well.

She then stated that since something was wrong, they'd just ring my items up at HER register, meaning the one the attendant uses at the self checkout area.

They both proceeded to re-scan my items, and this time, they came up with $49.79.

She then said, "yep, that's right. With .09% tax, that comes out right.

I asked her what she was smoking, and why the amount came out different.

She said "that's what we came up with Sir, and that's what we're going to do."

I left the cart sitting at her station, and walked out of the store without another word spoken, or the waste of another minute of my precious time off from work.

I also would not engage in a battle of wits with two unarmed cave women.

I reached my car, and sat there thinking, "I wonder how many thousands of people a day that happens to, and it's never caught?" That could easily translate to millions per day in Walmarts' pockets.

I guess the reason I wrote this is A) it was therapeutic, and B) check your figures at Walmart.

YESTERDAY

-By Jim Culp

            Yesterday, October 14, 2016, at 4:10 AM, I was a half century old.

It is something special to me that my 50th birthday was on a Friday, and the 14th of October that I was born on was a Friday too. I never, in my younger years, imagined that I would live this long, but I am glad that have. I set many goals for my life twenty-five years ago, and I've already accomplished half of them; so I guess now, for this remaining fifty years, that I am blessed to carry on into, must be for the rest of those.

            I already raised my daughter, the most precious thing to me on this planet, and I consider that the greatest goal that a man can achieve. I didn't do it perfect, by any means; but I look at her today, and I see a woman that stands up for her beliefs, is quick to charity, loves unconditionally, and works harder than anyone I know. Mission accomplished.

            I retired from the military, after a long career of 22 years, and took soldiers to war twice, and brought them back. I consider that the second highest achievement of my life. In those years, I gained lifelong friends, some that I regard the same as my own blood, others brothers and sisters of the rifle nonetheless. I lost six soldiers in that time, but none that can be counted against my leadership; they were from the lacking of a society that takes care of them as they should.

            I accomplished goals of career; in 1995 I became a 5th Army Certified Instructor, and I loved teaching soldiers young and older the skills of war, like landmines and machine guns, map reading, and how to use that pistol on their shoulder when there was no other means to defeat our enemies. I attended four colleges, and never earned a degree. Life always seemed to get in the way, and I still learned the skills of writing, and the love of history and literature. I graduated from Gunsmith School in 1997, and collected, fired, traded, and used firearms and performed thousands of ballistic tests for the better part of 10 years.

            Finally, I produced, recorded, and distributed my own music record, titled "End of the Tunnel", and we'll go so far as to say it sold way less than a million copies. It doesn't matter...a long term, personal goal was accomplished. I didn't do it by myself. I was assisted by a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, and recording expert in Grapeview, Washington, and together we completed the work in 2010. Thanks Mike Morrison.

            Yesterday I was on the job, hauling concrete and other materials across central Kansas, and although I didn't have time to read them until this morning, I heard chirp after chirp of my smart phone telling me another person was chiming in to which me Happy Birthday. Family, friends, military brothers and sisters, cousins, in-laws, and outlaws made me feel very special, loved, and generally positive about life. If you were one of those people that brightened my day, know well that I love you and miss you.

            Paul McCartney once said that "I believe in yesterday." To me, yesterday proved  to be something I believe in too. Now it's time to work on tomorrow. I don't know exactly what tomorrow holds, but this big family I have will make it a little easier.

Thanks for a great feeling, and I wish peace and blessings on you all. 

September 29, 2016

"Three Strikes, and You're Out"

-By Jim Culp

Some people are "happily married". I wholeheartedly say that

that description fits you, I say "amen, pass the mashed 'taters."

But for me, my marriages were just way too one sided for me.

I liken them to my years of worshipping Christian gods that

never once talked to me, answered a prayer, or showed me a

sign that I could possibly define as one.

My marriages were best defined as nightmares that I couldn't wake from.

They were all full of challenges that I couldn't possibly overcome,

and full of kinfolks or ex-husbands on her side that I had to be measured against.

Well, today marks the end of that nightmare.

One of my rock and roll idols, the great Alice Cooper, asked on

Facebook a day or so ago if anyone had ever witnessed a real vampire.

I replied that I have; I was married to three of them.

The last one took so much blood that I needed a transfusion.

Lastly, I have always championed the use of the baseball metaphor of

"three strikes, and you are out." I think that should apply to lots of things

in life. Like repeat criminals, going back on your word, and not paying someone

money you owe them.

I am happy to apply it to marriage.

Three's it for me. I'm out of the game.

-Jim

September 16, 2016

The Age of Little Reason

By Jim Culp

            It's very hard to believe it is September, and harder to believe that we will have a new President in elect in just 50 days. But I read some articles this morning that both shocked and amazed me. It was only a few days ago that I cooled myself off from the Brock Turner ordeal, and I was hoping my blood wouldn't boil again so soon.

            Today I read an article posted by an old friend in Ireland, and it set me back a bit as I read it. I am again wondering what our society is coming to, and if this isn't the end of what we call a sensible and moral structure for what our nation should be.

            The article I am referring to is about a two year old girl. That two year old will be nameless in this article, because I don't know her name, and wouldn't release it if I did out of respect for the family. That two year old girl was raped by a 16 year old kid, who was 17 at the time of arrest, and after two years in Juvi, he's now 19. This person, Kraigen Grooms, in April of 2013, raped that two year old girl while another "man" recorded the event. Grooms was arrested in March of 2014, and charged with a Class B felony with a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. He plead guilty to one count of a lascivious act with a child, and Judge Myron Gookin decided not to require any prison time for him.

He will be required to register as a sex offender, and received five years of supervised release with a potential 10-year suspended sentence if he breaks parole.

            I have one reply and a few statements, then I'll ask something of you, dear reader, and it wont be money, I promise. My reply to the above information is "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" Please excuse the expletive, but ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Ok, I'm done with that.

            My first statement starts with a question. Where are we going with this? Is rape no longer a crime? Brock Turner raped a college age woman, and got off clean as a whistle. Austin Wilkerson got two years probation for raping a woman that he was supposed to be caring for. And not that I want to trivialize either one of them, but THIS IS RAPE OF A TODDLER. What kind of sick mother fucker does shit  like that? The answer is Kraigen Grooms. Not only him, but the sick son of a bitch that filmed it.

            So let me give you my solutions. I know judges make life changing decisions every day, and I understand leniency in many cases. I've had friends and relatives that committed crimes, but there were reasons for it, and the judge was either humane about it, or gave them more than they deserved. But we are talking about RAPE. In the case of Grooms, raping a child. A society that does not pass laws that enforce strict punishments for this type of behavior are societies that do not need to spend another day in existence on this planet.

            Rape of a woman takes a piece of her sanity, and furthermore, it takes a piece of her soul. Rape is an invasion of your most private sanctuary, and way after the physical abuse is over, the impact on your mind and your sanity go years further.

However, rape of a child is one of the cruelest malice, that act of a psychopath, and the punishment for such must take the form of a lesson that the sane and insane see in full view, and think a little harder the next time they think of committing such an act.

I think back to the Roman Empire. Rape of a Roman woman by a Roman citizen was punishable by a severe beating and imprisonment. Rape of a Roman woman by any other was crucifixion, a grueling form of prolonged death. Both were displayed publicly, and in the case of Roman on Roman, the person was disgraced and shunned in society for life.

            Today, we do not punish violent criminals, we pacify them with "punishments" like probation, counseling, and penalties, and sometimes long prison terms. This is a

failure of modern society. Criminals are placed in check by two things: Fear of death, and fear of no future. These are accomplished by a justice system that classifies psychopaths and other violent criminals completely separate from thieves and hustlers. That justice system ensures the proper punishment of a convicted criminal's crime. Steal a car? You do five years of hard labor. Hustle someone? You do ten years of picking up trash on our highways. Kill someone in other than self defense? You're executed within 60 days of conviction; conviction without a shadow of a doubt, per the Constitution of the United States of America. Rape a woman? IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONVICTION, the FAMILY OF THE RAPED decides your fate, no matter what that is, and of no cost to the taxpayer. Rape a child? (this includes priests) You are publicly (mechanically) violated, and hung in the city square. Your name is shamed for all time.

It's that simple. You don't reform violent criminals. You don't reform rapists, and your sure as fuck do not reform sick mother fuckers that rape children or babies. You eradicate them from the Earth.

            That all being said, let me get back to what can happen, and is already happening. A large number of persons (including myself) are signing a petition to have the judge (that let the rapist off with a hand slap) disbarred and removed.

You can sign that petition at:

 https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/fire-judge-myron-gookin-releasing-toddler-rapist-kraigen-grooms.

PLEASE take a minute and do so.

            My final comment. Do we live in the age of reason? If so, I cant see it. That little girl will NEVER be the same, even after years of therapy. Those acts of cruelty and malice will scar her mind and soul for years to come. Let's stop letting things like this happen. Our government and justice system must be reformed. It isn't working, and people are paying the price for it.

September 11, 2016

9-11

Fifteen years ago, the world was shocked as we watched TV and saw footage of two jet airliners crashing into Towers One and Two of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York.

We were all immediately outraged, and very hungry for revenge.

It seems that a group of terrorists (radical Muslims) perpetrated this insane act of cowardice and mass murder.

For the next fifteen years, up to the time I am typing this article, I have researched, read thousands of documents, and talked to hundreds of people about this subject.

I know people that worked in NORAD that day. I know people that worked in the Pentagon that day. When I was on vacation in Cancun in 2006, I met a guy named Kenny, who was an electrician on Tower Number Two. He had left the building that morning after a night shift, and was headed home after breakfast when the planes hit.

In an event such as this, as always, there are hundreds of "Conspiracy Theories" about the event. But it's real damn funny, no, it's actually genuinely fucked up, that these "Conspiracy Theories" turn out years later to be the truth.

In 2007, I sent out letters to many agencies, including the FBI, the CIA, and the President of the United States, asking the questions that I outline below.

I never received a single answer.

And before I go on, let me say this as emphatically as I possibly can: I am not, nor have I ever, taking one bit of piss out of the people who lost lives in that event. My heart goes out to their families, and I wish them all the happiness from here on in their lives. Their losses were all too real, and tehy are the primary reason that I have spent 15 years chasing the truth behind these events.

So here are my questions. If you, blog or Facebook reader, can answer them, I'd love to hear from you.

1. Why, exactly, did Building Seven fall?

2. Why, if jet fuel was the cause of collapse, the towers fall at free fall speed (3-4 floors per  second?)?

3. Why, exactly, did everyone in the Bush administration lie about these events?

4. Please, if you can, show me a document or photograph that links Osama Bin laden to the 911 attacks.

5. Please, if you can, show me a document that links Al Quaeda or the Taliban to the 911 attacks.

6. Please show me a document and photographs of a jetliner crashing or flying into the Pentagon.

7. Please show me a plane crash site of a jetliner in Shanksville, Pennsylvania?

8. Please tell me why the exposed columns of the tower buildings have demolition 45 angle design cuts on them made by detonation cord?

9. Please tell me why there was active thermite in the wreckage of the towers three to five weeks after the event?

10. Please tell me why George Bush Jr. and Richard Cheney were not questioned under oath by an independent panel, instead of a private interview with the 9-11 Commission where THEY dictated the parameters of the meeting?

11. Finally, please tell me why a man that was an electrician saw wiring that morning in the basements of those towers, wiring that he'd never seen before, after working in that building for 18 years?

One last comment. For all you smartasses out there. I AM a demolition expert; trained and tested. I understand explosives, and I understand the dynamics of aircraft.

Scientists at Brigham Young University gave me many answers to these questions. But I would certainly like to hear yours.

Thanks,

Jim Culp, 2016

No Clue

-By Jim Culp

September 8, 2016

I was both amazed and generally bored by the presidential candidates last night at

the Commander In Chief forum last night on NBC.

Hillary Clinton was first, so I'll roast her first.

First and foremost, I do not believe that a person that has not served on active duty in one of the armed forces should qualify to be a Commander in Chief, and therefore the President of the United States of America.

Hillary Clinton is a lawyer, and a crooked lawyer at that. But I'll keep to the topic.

Her predecessor, President Obama, is a lawyer too. He's never had any interest in the military, and therefore has to be advised by several persons daily about even understanding military protocols. Hillary Clinton has never done anything with the military, except visit the troops. She has time in the white house as first lady, and time as Secretary of State, but no time at all in a role as a soldier, a commander, or even a ride along. She just isn't going to fit the bill for that role. Sorry Hillary; no wait...sorry USA.

As for the forum, Mrs. Clinton was asked questions by several veterans, soldiers, and even some ex-special forces operatives. She gave (as usual) blouse and round about answers to their questions. Every person that she responded to had that "you are not answering my question" look on their face.

Then it was time for the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

He answered every question, but with, like Hillary, a round about way and didnt ever really give answers. One guy that asked about persons serving in the military gaining citizenship, and Trump did say he'd consider a program for that.

But we're back to square one with qualifications.

Donald Trump is a very, very successful businessman. There is no doubt about that.

After all, he is a billionaire times 4.5. That's success in my book.

But he knows jack about the military, military operations, and commanding the military. He's already hired some retired Generals to advise him, and they are going to tell him what he wants to hear, because they are going to get fatter wallets after doing so. The most embarrassing thing that Trump said in the whole interview is that "we should have taken the oil from Iraq." That's cool if we are going to start an empire, which I am not so sure we shouldn't, but that's not what we are now. We should have never invaded Iraq, and we should have never invaded Afghanistan, because the preface and reasons for either were based on lies. But I digress.

Donald Trump isn't qualified to be the Commander in Chief, and therefore not the President of the United States of America. There, my opinions...take them or leave them. But, before I go, I'm going to address this like a soldier. I earned that right, because I served for 22 years, and two wars.

A Commander if Chief needs to know what it is like to wake up in a shelter half tent at 0300, and have to place your feet in frozen boots.

He/She should also have to feel what it is like to have bullets flying over your head, and mortars landing 2-300 meters from your position.

He/She needs to know what it is like to have to blindly follow a questionable order, or you could face hard time in Leavenworth, and I don't mean the part where Applebee's and McDonalds are.

He/She needs to understand that men and women's lives are not his/hers to waste, they are the nation's people's lives to put forward for our defense if they are needed, and/or the situation was warranted. Iraq and Afghanistan were neither.

He/She needs to understand that millions of men and women have died in wars and conflicts that were warranted, and their families endured great hardships because of it.

Two final things.

Hillary Clinton cant keep a State Department staff in line, because they couldn't follow her lies any better than a psychiatrist could. She is guilty of grand perjury, and responsible for the death of four men in Benghazi. She should be on trail for both of these things, and at a minimum, barred from further federal service.

Donald Trump is a businessman. He will find out on day one, if he wins... that doing things in the White House aren't the same as at Trump Tower.

July 30, 2016

ID Vote

By Jim Culp

Yesterday I was watching the evening news with Scott Pelley, as is my routine

when I am not working late or doing something out of the house. It was the usual news...ISIS is responsible for everything from car bombs to mass shootings, as well as shopping carts missing from Walmart, and mosquitoes with ZIKA.

But when they started the section on the Democratic National Convention, I was taken aback from what I heard. It said that people (potential voters) were "incensed because they couldn't vote without a photo ID."

Wait a fucking minute.

Why don't you have a photo ID?

I'm a legal citizen, a veteran of two wars, and a tax paying, law abiding, working adult.

I have to have a photo ID to do just about anything.

Then I thought...hmmm. Maybe the reason you don't have a photo ID is because you are a criminal...nope, you'd still have to have a photo ID.

Oh wait...I know...you're an illegal "Immigrant". That's it.

Guess what? You DONT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS, OR ANY OTHER FUCKING RIGHT IN OUR COUNTRY UNTIL YOU ARE A FUCKING CITIZEN..