Category Archives: Begin Here

Unknown's avatar

The Shot…

by

As I begin this blog post, let me first say that I am in no way a conspiracy theorist. While I do believe that governments and private and public organizations spend a lot of their time clandestinely hiding things from the general public, I also believe there are certain things we will never, ever know about regarding the internal machinations of many of these entities. But, that is something we have no control over and it is not, at this point, worth delving into. But, there are sometimes things that any normal, sensible thinking person will give pause to and think to themselves after a shocking incident, “wow, that’s pretty strange” or “something just doesn’t feel right about this” or, “how in the world could that have happened?” Certain occurrences just go against rational thought and reflection and cause one to stop and ask questions, if not to themselves, but maybe to others existing in their spheres of influence or personal friendships. I know that I have.

For me, this internal questioning moment revolves around the rifle shot that killed Charlie Kirk…

Some personal background information first for perspective. For most all of my life, I’ve had a fascination with, interest in and a great respect for firearms. I’ve personally been around and have handled and shot firearms for well over 60+ years and learned to properly and safely use and shoot handguns, rifles and shotguns beginning probably around the age of 5 years old. This introduction into the use of firearms was given to me by my father, uncles, and grandfather in the backwoods of the Appalachian mountains of central Virginia, (this is where we spent our summer vacations). Hunting and target shooting was a mainstay and necessary lifestyle back in those remote hills (and still is) and it is where I began to hone my personal skills and proficiencies with various kinds and calibers of all types of firearms. And, to this day, I still have a keen and engaging interest in firearms.

I took my interest and skills with firearms into the United States Marine Corps in 1974 and became a qualified sharpshooter with the M16 rifle in boot camp, which was the mainstay and weapon of choice for use in the Vietnam war. Then, as a young police officer in the late 1970’s, I was given the opportunity to attend several nationally recognized firearms schools and became a certified police firearms instructor for other police officers, in order to teach them how to properly use, become proficient in and (should it be necessary), ultimately defend their lives with a law enforcement handgun.

Then, in 1995, after an incident involving the tragic deaths of two law enforcement officers and the critical wounding of another, I was tasked to lead and train a countywide task force of approximately 5 separate SWAT/Tactical Units. I was sent to several training schools led by the Philadelphia, Pa. Police Dept., National Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and became an automatic weapons and SWAT Team Instructor. This ultimately culminated in me attending no less than 3 very intense sniper training schools (given by these same entities) where I became a certified law enforcement long rifle sniper/sharpshooter.

I spent many, many hours, days, weeks and months to become proficient with a law enforcement sniper rifle, (as I also did with the other groups of firearms I was certified to use). I owned a Remington Model 700 sniper rifle in the .308 caliber with an attached Leupold tactical scope. On this scope, as there are with most other scopes, two dials, one on the top of the scope for “elevation” (adjustments for the bullet traveling up or down), and one on the side of the scope for “windage” (adjustments for the bullet moving side to side). There are dozens and dozens of small, minute settings on these dials that a professional sniper must become extremely proficient with so they can place the shot (bullet) into the correct spot on the target. Each “click” on these dials moves the bullet’s trajectory a literal fraction of an inch in either way, up or down or side to side. So many factors come into play that a sniper must constantly practice to perfect their shooting. This must be done in all types of weather and settings as once the bullet leaves the barrel, it is always affected by heights, gravity, air resistance, wind, temperature, rain, snow, humidity, heat or cold, altitude, etc. The sniper must then log the scope’s proper windage and elevation settings into a record book called a “Data on Previous Engagements” or “DOPE” book. This way, a sniper, when called to a tactical situation, can refer to their book and adjust the scope to the proper settings for that particular day’s weather and environment. These settings are crucial for the sniper to correctly and proficiently place their shot at the desired spot on the target. It can take months and even years for a well trained sniper to shoot (sometimes with thousands of rounds) in all types of extremes to have an accurate record of their previous shots. Most snipers train and record their shots between 100-300 yards to maintain good, reliable records. The “gold” standard of a sniper shot should be placed within the approximate size of a cigarette box (at these distances) to achieve a proficient and well placed shot.

I offer my law enforcement firearms and SWAT/Tactical background to give credence and credibility to the subject matter and ultimate questions I have contained in this blog post, and for no other reason.

Now to my point…

We’ve been given “formal” information by the media and government and are being led to believe that a 22 year old former college student just grabbed his grandfather’s older military style Mauser bolt action rifle in the .30-06 caliber, climbed up on a rooftop and took a well placed head/neck shot from around 150 yards away, instantly killing a man. This just does not make any sense to me…in any way, shape or form. Without some type of training, this is just not possible, and “luck” has percentages of a kill shot in this situation nearing zero. Could it possibly be done…yes, but it is extremely implausible.

As stated in the beginning of this blog post, I have SO many questions…

  • Did the alleged shooter (Tyler Robinson) have any type of long rifle training of any type or extent?
  • When and where did he receive this training?
  • If so, who provided for and gave him this training?
  • Who provided the necessary funding for the training (as rifle bullets are extremely expensive as is time spent at the range)?
  • How long did he train with this rifle prior to taking the shot?
  • In what various conditions, if any, did he train with this rifle?
  • Who taught him, (if he WAS taught) about bullet trajectory windage and elevation?
  • How did he know (again who taught him) how to set the correct scope adjustments?
  • How did he transport a long rifle to the shooting site without being seen?
  • How did he get access to the rooftop, again, without being seen?
  • How long did he do any reconnaissance (if any) at and around the shooting site?
  • And, did he have any assistance in this “mission”?
  • Or, was Robinson ever a hunter in the past, and is there any evidence of him ever owning any hunting permits?

These are just a few questions I have regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination, (there are others, but you get the point). And, I know there are others who have these exact same questions…all coming from highly trained law enforcement, military and special forces trained snipers.

And to be honest, they’re the same questions I have (and had) regarding the attempted assassination of then candidate for the Presidency, Donald Trump in Bulter, Pa. in July 2024. We’ve heard absolutely nothing more about this person since that day other than his name, his home and very little about his background. Again, just some things that make you think “Hmmm?”.

I’m not sure we’ll hear much more background information about Robinson, needless to say if he even makes it to trial. “If” there are other entities behind and/or involved in this event, they may make sure this information is never made public. But, there will be intense law enforcement investigations and scrutiny regarding money trails, bank accounts, who the providing sources were or may have been and a myriad of other minute and involved investigatory processes. Much of which will most likely never, ever be made public.

So, at this point, only time will tell. As a retired Chief of Police and law enforcement officer for 25 years, I’ve seen, heard and experienced too many things over those years that have made me question many, many things. Much of which, that had often had me scratching my head in utter disbelief and/or disdain. The word “trust” for me, in many realms, (especially with the media and certain government entities) is a commodity very close to the “empty” designation on a vehicle’s gas gauge.

I sincerely hope the real truth does eventually come out. But, I certainly won’t be holding my breath waiting for it…

Only the questions will remain.

Unknown's avatar

The Ultimate Evil Explained…

by

As anyone who has not been living on a deserted island somewhere, we’re all painfully aware of the increasing incidences of violence and hate in our country and around the world. While these occurrences are obviously nothing new, everyone has their own opinions and thoughts as to the reasons these random (and also planned) acts of assaults, violence and homicides are happening and all you have to do is doom scroll on any social media platform to hear the so called talking head “pundits” or political blowhards espouse their beliefs as to the reasons why. Personally, I’m not on face book but have been made aware that even people I’m personally acquainted with are posting vile and vicious things supporting the very things I’m speaking of here. These things have had me thinking long and hard about my future relationships with these people, but that for another time as personal boundaries are a wonderful thing.

I could write a list a mile long as to what any one of these specific reasons may or may not be and I certainly yield the right of anyone to give their own opinions on what they believe these reasons again, may or may not be. But, I’m not going to do that here. I will however, join in the discussion and give my take on what I believe is the actual root cause is of what is actually occurring. I may provide an example or two to give credence to my thoughts so you get the total picture.

Let’s take for instance the absolutely tragic and abhorrent murder of the young Ukrainian woman (whose name is Iryna Zarutska) on the rail line a few weeks ago in Charlotte, NC. This was a woman sitting in a bus seat, minding her own business when a man sitting behind her decided to stand up, open a folding knife and plunge it several times into the right side her throat causing her to immediately bleed out. She looked up at him in horror, then slumped onto the bus floor in a horrible death. There were and are actual people in places of power defending this monster saying that he had obvious mental health issues and should have been given the help he needed, but nothing about the victim. But, a recent court proceeding deemed that unnecessary, and released him from jail a few months earlier, while those defending him cited failures in the criminal justice system for this occurrence. “Failures in the criminal justice system”…my goodness, how many times have we heard that phrase over and over in the past 100 years? He’ll certainly (we hope) spend the rest of his miserable existence in prison, but who knows…it wouldn’t surprise me if he is freed at some point in the future. My heart goes out to Iryna’s family and friends, who will never, ever see her again.

Now, there is the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative political activist and author who spent many, many hours and days at various venues, mostly colleges and universities debating hotbed issues with students and adults trying to espouse reason in an unreasonable world. Charlie knew the risks, as some saw it as hate speech, but his spiritual and personal beliefs overrode those risks and he did it anyway believing the end result could be the opening of eyes and the possibility of helping others see things through a different lens. He was criticized, cursed at, reviled, vilified, spat on, assaulted, accosted, and threatened with death which ultimately happened and it cost him his life with a bullet through his neck. He left a wife without a husband and two young daughters without their father. While I did not personally know Charlie, the utter sadness of this murder still has me a bit shaken, but that is not the point of this blog post.

What “is” the point of this blog post are the reasons behind the viciousness of these attacks and the people committing them and those supporting them. For me, the reasons aren’t about trans issues or “gender” inequality, climate change and environmental justice, mental health issues, human rights, healthcare costs, homelessness, or the dozens of other social topics I could list here. While they may be relevant in their own spheres, these are just off shoots or symptoms of the real reason, and are not the actual root cause.

What is the root cause? It is pure, unadulterated demonic evil fomenting and born by and from a palpable and visible separation from God. While all of my friends who know me (and love me) for my spiritual beliefs and my fervent relationship with Jesus Christ, I may certainly lose other “friends” who just know me as Larry and are loosely acquainted with me and my personal and professional background. And, if I do lose those people in my world because they may not agree with me or wish not to understand my purposes for this reasoning…I wish you well and will always think of you fondly. It has been a pleasure to have known you.

Evil has many, many definitions, just ask google. But, the real reason for evil as I have mentioned is a total separation from a Higher Power. One Who knows all, sees all and has a complete understanding of the purposes and intents of evil doing and the evil people who are perpetrating these heinous acts. Through His Son, He has given free will to all and people have and will continue to act on it. And, through this, evildoers delight in their actions and the demonic celebrates it. I certainly believe that these actions grieve God, and some may ask “where was He when this or that happened?” My answer is that I do not know, as His reasonings are greater than we could ever understand. And, I won’t know any of these answers until I stand before Him.

Charlie Kirk knew this and accepted it. And, he placed himself in harms way hundreds and hundreds of times just to try and change one mind, one way of thinking…which he successfully did many, many times. While I may not have agreed with Charlie on all his societal beliefs, I fully understood why he was doing what he did, and THAT was the one thing I did fervently agree with him on. Charlie stands with the Lord now and has received his ultimate reward, and that is to walk in heaven forever with the Father.

I do know one other thing…

What happened to Charlie Kirk has changed the world. And, while some may horrifyingly celebrate and laughingly commemorate what happened to him, what they don’t know is that it created literally thousands and thousands of other Charlie Kirks. The demonic entity has overplayed his hand…and he knows it.

And, I am Charlie Kirk.

Unknown's avatar

Saying Goodbye…Part 3

by

On June 2nd of this year, I lost my girlfriend Jackie due to an accident that occurred at her home. I believe it best to refrain from recounting the full details of her passing, suffice to say what happened to her was sudden and very unexpected. But, the real purpose of this post is to celebrate the culmination of an incredible and immensely fulfilled life, one which she lived to the absolute fullest. Jackie has a very loving and adoring family. She has an older sister and brother Chrissy and Ray, and two younger brothers Joe and John. To say they are wonderful, loving people is a gross understatement. They loved her with a love only siblings can understand and I was privileged to observe this almost every day of my life with her. And, each one of her sibling’s significant others are just as incredible and loving. Over the years I had with her, I’ve laughed, cried and greatly enjoyed my time spent with each and every one of them. I not only consider them dear, dear friends, I consider them also as my family.

Not only did Jackie have a wonderful family, she had a social circle consisting literally of dozens of close friends with whom she also spent a lot of time. I very often had trouble keeping count of them all and sometimes embarrassingly forgot their names, there were so many. I always had to ask her…”Ok, Jack, who is it that you (we) are seeing today and please remind me of their names”. She would laugh every time, and tell me their names knowing that I’d probably ask her again next time. 

I’ve known Jackie for 47 years. We met in 1978 when I was a rookie police officer and lived in the apartment above her. We dated off and on in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but life then sent us on different paths which life very often does. We reconnected in the spring of 2019 and rekindled and again began our relationship. Our travels across and around the country and Europe were things some people only dream of doing. Hanging in Key West and other parts of Florida, hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and other western states, visiting every state in the northeast U.S., (New Hampshire, New York, Maine and Vermont were our favorites) as well as Virginia and some surrounding states are just a few off the top of my head. Jackie was a girly girl at times, but she could hike, backpack and canoe with the best of them. We went to Italy a few years ago with dear friends and spent a week in Cortona (part of Tuscany) then ended up in Rome during our last few days there. I know I’ve probably forgotten some of the wonderful places we traveled to, but know that the grass very, very rarely grew under our feet. Jackie also spent a lot of time traveling with her friends literally all over the world and I loved hearing the stories she told me about her travels with them and seeing the beautiful photos she took. Jackie and I loved spending time with one another and there were never, ever times where we got tired of each other’s company.

Jackie was also a master gardener. She had so many varying types of flowers and plants in her backyard and each and every year took meticulous care of them. I had to download an app on my phone and take photos of most of them because I had absolutely no idea what type or kind they were. I’d surprise her when I’d look something up and tell her what a particular plant or flower needed to grow and thrive. She’d look at me and ask, “you looked that up, didn’t you?”. And I had to sheepishly admit that I did, but she’d always say “great job!” and we’d share a good laugh. We spent many, many hours and days making her backyard look pristine, then we’d sit on her back porch, enjoy a cocktail and a meal together and look at the beauty she created. Those were some of our favorite times with one another…

Jackie and I also played this little game called “what’s the expiration date?”. Know, that she saved everything. If I needed a piece of wood, metal or something for some house or yard project, she’d say, “wait a minute”, head to the cellar or garage and come back with exactly what I needed. As for the game, I’d ask her for a Tylenol or some medication or something she had in the fridge and she’d say, “yes, I have that”, but I knew the possibility of the expiration date being somewhere around the turn of the new century. She’d look at me and I’d ask her the question, and all she’d say was “you don’t want to know”, eliciting another round of laughter.

Jackie absolutely loved her Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. When the Eagles won the Super Bowl earlier this year, we danced around her living room in absolute elation, cheering and laughing. I have to admit that we were cheering and laughing not only at the Eagles convincingly winning the Super Bowl, but also at she and I winning a very large chunk of money in a local block pool! Then, knowing that money would go directly into our mutual travel fund!

For the moment, I’ll just say that her death has hit me and her entire family and group of friends extremely hard…and, we all try to stay in touch as it helps greatly with the grief of her passing.

I’ve read countless musings, descriptions and meditations on grief and how it is processed and felt by a grieving person. And while most of them pretty much hit the nail on the head as to how I’m feeling at any given moment, they never really (or, fully) describe the volcano of emotions and utter sadness that grief can bring. Everyone handles it differently and in their own way and at this point, I’m not sure if I’ll ever “get over it”. Grief is an all enveloping emotion that at times, sucks the very life out of you. One moment all is well, and the next you find yourself sitting with your head bent over in your hands in a flooding stream of tears…the pain all encompassing and absolutely excruciating. I loved her so very much.

I’m fully retiring next month and have no idea what the future holds for me. I understand that there is a “honeymoon” period during the first few weeks/months of retirement, with everything being wonderful, then you wake up one morning saying to yourself “now what?”. I will continue on with my life, but there will certainly be a part of me that will contain a massive void.

I miss her deeply as I write this, but know she would want me to do the very things I love and to experience my life to its fullest. She always said “yes” to almost every new adventure put in front of her (a trait she got from her Mom) and it is a gift she gave to me. 

When Jackie last shut her eyes on the day of the event, I’m so very blessed to know that I was the last person she saw.

She now resides with the Lord and with all those family members and friends she loved so dearly who passed before her. 

I know I’ll see her again some day, but for now and until then, as she would want, I will continue to live my life to the fullest knowing that at every turn, she still lovingly dwells in a huge part of my heart…

Goodbye Lovey, until we see each other again…

Unknown's avatar

The Right to Protest…

by

The acts of protesting and picketing have been around for a very long time and for purposes of this blog entry, I’ll only discuss a few, if not just the more well known protests that have occurred in this country over the past 100 years or so. The right to protest, exercise free speech and enjoy freedom of the press was ratified in 1791 in probably the most famous of all Constitutional Amendments…the First Amendment. It states that:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As examples, the suffrage movement for women’s rights began in the mid to late 1800’s with woman marching and picketing in Washington DC in 1917 (with 218 women from 26 different states being arrested for doing so) with the right to vote finally coming to fruition for women in 1920.

The nationwide alcohol prohibition law lasted from 1920 until 1933 when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1919 and Prohibition began. During those 13 years, protests and picketing took place all over the country by thousands of people in support of the right to buy, consume, possess, sell and manufacture alcohol. Then in 1933, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was passed and repealed the 18th Amendment. It was and still is big part of the “colorful” history of the United States.

The time periods during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War all saw their shares of peaceful (and sometimes not so peaceful) protests and picketing all over our country. Many workplaces, schools, colleges, universities, towns and cities all participated in protests in one form or the other, and these again, are ingrained as part of the past of the United States.

Powerful protests and marches such as those in Selma, Alabama in 1965 were organized and arranged to ensure that African Americans could continue to exercise their constitutional right to vote. This was done in a deeply divided south and sent a formidable message to those in power at the time when even a known segregationist system couldn’t stop the right of African Americans to execute their lawful right to vote.

I staunchly believe in our Constitutional 1st Amendment and all its contents and concepts. Always have, always will. The issue I believe, with protesters of this day and age is such that they very often want to subvert the 1st Amendment and weaken it by attempting to label some free speech as “hate speech”. Therefore, in essence, stating that you, or I, don’t have the right to say anything we’d like as that speech may offend someone. Now, I understand that when it comes to threatening, intimidating or harassing language or actions, or even violence is where the line must be drawn, as this activity is egregious and illegal and should remain so. But, just by saying something that someone doesn’t like or is offended by, being construed as “illegal”, is where the topic gets muddied…and dangerous. And, unfortunately, it’s getting attention from lawmakers and certain politicians in power who certainly don’t want to lose their own power by pissing off their respective constituency. Some would rather change the very fabric of our society and the freedoms and rights we hold near and dear than lose their ivory tower status and positions.

Currently, the anti-Semitic protests occurring in and around our country that have polarized and divided our nation wherein the hate speech being spewed is just that, they have every right to do so. It doesn’t make it morally, ethically or even civilly right, but, as I’ve said, they have that constitutionally guaranteed right. However, the caveat here is several fold…one is that there is a marked increase in violence by the protesters. Unlawful assembly, the destruction of property, aggravated assaults, rioting, harassment, looting, vandalism, blocking roadways and personal intimidations are just a few of the crimes being committed by these so called “protesters”. Second, is that there is an insidious influence within the ranks of these protesters that they are organized. And, organized not in a good way. There is conclusive evidence that there are and have been professional “protest organizers and influencers” imbedded within their ranks and they have staunch financial backing and support. Many police statements I have read have indicated that some of those protesters arrested are from areas and even states nowhere near the actual protest sites and that they’ve been involved in these activities before. Their personal backgrounds within the scope of their presence there, to me, reflect a dark underbelly of subversion and the attempt to undermine and destabilize those Constitutional rights that we’ve enjoyed for centuries.

While I have my personal thoughts regarding the origins of this money, and they are just that, my own thoughts…they have however been substantiated by research done on the subject. But, for now, I’ll leave it at that.

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, I do personally believe however that there is a clandestine movement occurring that is attempting to erode and weaken our constitutional rights. Enter stage left, the subject of George Orwell’s book “1984”.

I pray that I’m wrong in some of my opinions and assumptions, but honestly, I don’t think I am. I’ve lived a long life and have seen many things, good and bad. But not to change the topic of this blog piece mid-stream, I also believe our government is way too big and has way too much power, no matter what party is in charge. And, my opinions about these protests and our government, in my estimation, seem to reflect an insidious correlation connected by a very imperceptible, yet thinly veiled, multi-level dotted line. Political donors are a very savvy bunch folks.

I’ve mentioned in prior writings regarding my thoughts about politics that “all politicians rule for their own benefit”. I still believe that, and I also believe the adage “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The nineteenth-century English historian Lord Acton knew and believed this and wrote it in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton back in the late 1800’s regarding the abuses of power by those “in” power at the time. I believe he knew exactly what he was talking about…even 150 years ago.

Everything is not well at City Hall.

I personally hold our Constitutional rights extremely close to my heart. I raised my right hand 50 years ago and swore a military oath to uphold and fight to the death to defend them and our country.

While I probably won’t be around to witness the possible degradation and collapse of our beloved Constitutional rights, I have a creeping foreboding about it, and in this country’s future.

To again mention George Orwell, and I think he had it right when he said, “Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship”.

There is much work to be done to ensure this does not happen. But, until God brings me home, I will be watching it with a hopeful, yet jaundiced eye.

Unknown's avatar

Buying a New Car…

by

I thought I’d write about something a bit different (although personal in nature) as I recently purchased a new car and to say the process was extremely pleasurable and actually a bit of fun, is an understatement. And, if you’re in the market for a new vehicle, this was an easy and excellent process to follow. I did this for a new (not used) car, so let me explain…

First, let me say the process for doing this is not something relatively new, it’s just a different and an extremely easier method to purchase a car. I got the basic information from a former car salesperson I followed on social media for the past 6 months and tailored the information to suit my own needs and situation. I knew I’d be purchasing a new car within that time frame and, it worked like a charm.

So, if you’d like to follow this “recipe” for buying a new car, I firmly believe you’ll do very well. First, and most important, is that I wrote a statement that went to each dealership which described several things about my anticipated purchase. This is a rough draft that you can tailor to your own situation. Once written, you’re well on your way to getting the car you want, at your price, and from the comfort of your own home.

Hello,

I am interested in purchasing a (insert exact type vehicle name here), with (insert options here if desired).

  1. I would like to know your fees as I will not be paying anything other than Doc fees, taxes and DMV registration fees.
  2. I would like to know any incentives, rebates, and/or any specific discounts available from your dealership.
  3. Assume a very good credit score (I placed my approximate FICO score here) as I already have financing but would be open to hear of your dealership’s financing options.
  4. I will ONLY visit a dealership to pick up my car if yours is chosen to purchase from.
  5. I am a military veteran and also retired law enforcement officer, (obviously, if anything like this pertains to you, let them know for incentive/rebate purposes…it worked for me).
  6. Finally, I would like you to give me your BEST quote as I am comparatively shopping very aggressively and have already received offers. You must be prompt. 
  7. Please send your quote to the below email address: (I created a junk protonmail email address just for this purpose so as not to junk up my personal email address).
  8. I will not speak to anyone on the phone unless I receive what I believe to be a fair offer.

Thank you,

(your name here)

(your city/state here)

(your email address here)

Do not add a cell or landline number unless you want to be miserably inundated with phone calls.

Ok, that is the basic narrative outline…

Now, several things. 

  • Obviously know exactly what type of vehicle you want, go to KBB.com and find out the car’s invoice price, MSRP and the fair price range for purchase.
  • Make sure they do not put any “add ons” or bogus fees to any quote you receive, this is also important.
  • I did this “shopping” totally online. I researched and contacted via their website contact prompts, appr. 25 dealerships within a 100-mile radius from my home and they each got this basic narrative. The reason for this is that local dealerships believe they have you because you live locally. Don’t be swayed. If a dealership 50 miles away from your home sees where you live, they will be more apt to give you a good price because they know you’re serious.
  • Grab a notebook, watch the offers pour in and write them all down. They are going to do their level best to get you to “visit” the dealership. Be absolutely adamant about not doing that until you’ve chosen the car and dealership and will be going there to finalize the paperwork and pick up your new car. One dealership asked me twice to visit them for the best price and I replied that if they asked me again, I’d remove their dealership from contention. They stopped.

You should already have your own personal financing in place as leverage for a dealership but be VERY open to theirs as 0.0% is obviously much better than 4% to sometimes twice this much from other lenders. There are many to choose from…your bank, credit union, car lending institutions, etc.

Know your FICO/credit score as this is also leverage for applying for dealership financing. 

Since you already know the fair price of the vehicle in question, you’ll begin to get an idea of what a good quote is and what is not. Reply to the good ones that you’d like them to do better as you’re beginning to “narrow down” your choices. This will incentivize THEM to do better. Always get the quote in writing. Print them out and put them in your notebook.

Many will come back saying that the quote given is their best one. So, if they don’t budge, cross them out in your notebook and move on. Believe me, you’ll get plenty more.

Once you’ve narrowed down the choices to 2 or 3 dealerships, go back and forth a bit with them to see if they’ll do better. This is the only time to give them your cell or landline number.

I chose a dealership that was an approximate 25-mile drive from my home. I received exactly the car I wanted, at exactly the price I wanted and also got 0.0% financing (you may have to do a 24 or 36 month loan for this). Longer loan periods will have probably 2%-5% loan rates. I opted for the 36-month loan with a decent down payment. Putting a good down payment on the vehicle will go a long way to receive decent financing.

I did not have a trade-in as I’m keeping my (very) old second car for tooling around town, errands, etc. But, if you have a trade-in, sell it outside a dealership as they won’t give you much for it.

I started this process on a Saturday morning and picked up my new car the very next Saturday. I am extremely happy with this car buying process, my purchase and the entire experience. I never once had to step foot in a dealership, sitting for hours, and have some car salesperson say to me “let me go check with my manager” about a dozen times trying to wear me down.

So, if you’re in the market for a new car and choose to use this process, I think you’ll have a very enjoyable car buying experience.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via my blog site.

Enjoy the process folks and have fun!!!

Unknown's avatar

Believe Them…

by

I’m going to write about something which for me is extremely unpleasant, that honestly goes against the very fabric of who I am and a promise I made to myself when I started this blog over eleven years ago. But, a certain event over the past few days has forever cemented in my mind as to how this country is being governed and one I’m going to write about directly, which is, you guessed it…politics. As I have certain beliefs about authority and about how those in power who have authority over us, know that my mind hasn’t changed course overnight, but over a period of many decades. The reasons for which much has been personally witnessed by me firsthand. You may have seen me mention in other blog entries that I believe “politicians always rule for their own benefit”, and this is something I still believe today. They may have “decent” intentions at first, but it never ends up that way. I do not follow one party or the other, or any political party for that matter nor do I banter or argue about politics…ever. I just don’t personally care for politics or politicians. Not in the least.

However, the particulars around this incident are extremely troubling, so much so that I felt compelled to write about it, which again, for me is quite loathsome to do. But I believe it needs to be said.

This past Wednesday, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), while being interviewed by MSNBC host Chris Hayes, said “the Democratic Party’s push for a path to citizenship in border legislation has failed the people they “care most about” in this country, “undocumented Americans”.

Let that sink in a moment.

Now, at first glance my initial question was, what is an “undocumented American”? It’s like being driving a car…you either are, or you aren’t. You’re either an American or you’re not. There are undocumented aliens flooding our borders by the thousands each day, and they certainly aren’t Americans. Let me say, however, that I do personally and strongly believe in the true, legally administrated immigration processes for those wanting to come to this country legally. But, for the purpose of this blog entry, this is beside the point I’m making here.

Here is the actual quote given the interviewer Hayes by Senator Murphy…”Well, I mean, Chris, that’s been a failed play for 20 years. So, you are right that that has been the Democratic strategy for 30 years, maybe, and it has failed to deliver for the people we care about most, the “undocumented Americans” that are in this country.” What he said was, and there is no walking it back, is that they care more about illegal aliens and those pouring into this country than they do about, oh goodness, let me see…their own constituents, rampant violent crime, homelessness, veteran mental health issues, tax money pouring out of the country for insane reasons, the quality of the U.S. educational system, infrastructure issues, inflation, health care, unemployment, just to name a few and the list goes on. No, what they “care about most” in this country, and Murphy actually verbalized it, are the illegal aliens flowing across the southern border like blood from a sliced jugular vein. A lot of whom are unaccompanied military aged males of Chinese and European descent. But, again, this is not the point.

This interview, and the statements made therein, should raise in you so many red flags and get you to begin questioning the actual, serious intent of those who hold power over you, your safety, your finances, your family, and your country. Why would they think this way you ask? C’mon, let’s be realistic…you know as well as I do, it’s about votes, plain and simple. Votes and power, the ultimate aphrodisiacs. Things are not well in City Hall.

If something absolutely and unbelievably catastrophic happens in our country similar to what happened on 9/11, and I believe that possibility greatly exists due to our open borders, the political grandstanding and finger pointing will be an incredible political extravaganza to witness. The soapboxes will be built, the suits donned, and the pontificating will begin…”it’s this one’s fault, it’s that one’s fault, it’s due to this or it’s due to that”. Then when the dust finally settles, and the funerals have been held, and the shedding of tears has waned, and the grief has somewhat subsided, and the country returns to normal (whatever that means), the politicians will simply get back into their tinted window limousines, and calmly and without emotion or sympathy, tell their handlers to take them to their favorite restaurant for dinner.

I could write pages on this issue, but I think I’m going to stop here. You get the point. And, yes…the emperor has no clothes.

If a politician tells you who they really are, believe them.

Unknown's avatar

Living Life Properly…

by

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher beginning in or about the year 161 AD. In the book “Meditations”, he wrote down his private thoughts simply in an attempt to give himself positive guidance and pathways based on the responsibilities and obligations of his various political positions. At that time in his life, he wasn’t writing for anyone else but himself. He didn’t initially intend his writings to become a book, but over his 58 years of life, he wrote almost 3,000 quotes concerning life, the living of life, love, generosity, kindness, humility, patience, emotional and mental strength and how to properly deal with whatever life throws at you. “Meditations” is thought to be one of the greatest literary works ever written on Stoic philosophy.

I recently came across this particular quote (and I’ve read quite a few by him) and it was one that struck me as quite possibly one of the most interesting, if not powerful and moving quotes I’ve ever read. Before moving on, please read it again…

I thought, if given a “2nd chance”, what would I do different? What would I change or not change? How would I live my life apart and separate from how I do now? How will I be remembered? Take a moment and think about yourself, how does this quote affect you and how you feel about your life at this point in time?

There is really so very much this quote has evoked in my mind and spirit, and I’m still really thinking and ruminating over it and don’t think I may ever stop. While I believe I’ve lived my life “properly”, (and sometimes maybe not so much), there are just so many other connotations to that word that I certainly believe I could be doing so very much more not only for myself, but for others. The broadness of that word “properly” makes me create a fairly lengthy list in my mind that it can be at times a bit overwhelming. But, what I’ve decided to do, is to take one thing at a time. One instance. One circumstance. One movement. One responsibility. One thing. One act…you get my drift. What is within my control now that I can change for the better and what are things that are outside my control that I can’t change and should just let be and not be concerned with. I can’t change what I did 5 years ago, or even 5 minutes ago. But, what I can do is live in the present, in this moment…now. To change how I react and deal with any stimulus presented to me in “this” moment in time. The future isn’t here yet, so how am I going to live in the now, the present? What can I do to live properly?

Like I said, there are so many different ways to think of and process this quote, and it’ll be quite some time (if at all) before I come to any conclusions about it’s finality in my life. I’ve been blessed in innumerable ways over the course of my life and I don’t take those blessings for granted. Not once, not ever. While I pray to have a continuing, growing and fulfilling relationship with God, this quote will have Him firmly entrenched in it as I go through each and every part of my day.

So, how will I live in this minute, in this moment? Not in 5 minutes, 5 hours or in 5 years, but now. While I’m not saying I won’t make future plans (I am a list maker), it’s the succeeding time in my life that will be dealt with as it comes. I realized that I have been given a 2nd chance, a fresh start…and it’s at each singular moment of my life.

I hope the choices I make bring love, joy, fulfillment, patience and peace not only to myself, but to those I love, to those with whom are around and connected to me and to those whose time in my life are just as fleeting as passing a stranger on the street.

So, I will wish to live properly…right now.

Unknown's avatar

Our American Flag…

by

The history of the American flag is quite an incredible story to not only read about, but to also learn about. The collective red and white horizontal stripes representing the thirteen British colonies that sought and obtained their independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War and the 50 small white 5-pointed stars representing our great 50 states. While the history and story of our flag could and does fill volumes, I’ll just impart a few little thoughts here.

While Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, a little boy, no older than about 5 or 6, was running around a garden center waving a small American flag. I smiled to myself as I watched him as it’s not something you see every day. After a while, he got bored with it as another bauble caught his eye and he dropped the flag on the ground. At that age, he obviously knew no better, so I calmly walked over, picked the flag up off the ground, rolled it up and placed it gently on the counter. His father saw me do this (he didn’t see his son drop the flag) and began profusely apologizing to me. I simply replied, “Sir, absolutely no problem, he’s just a little boy.” What happened next was just awesome. The father knelt down, called his son over to him and explained that the American flag should never touch the ground. He went on to tell his son that nothing should ever be below it and it should never get dirty or damaged. He then smiled at his son and said “Ok, bud?.” His son then smiled back and replied, “Yes Dad, sorry.” His dad then looked up at me and smiled and I smiled back, trying to hold back the tears. It was moment in time that I will never, ever forget.

I have my father’s casket flag (he was a WWII vet who served in many locales overseas) neatly folded in its representative tri-corner manner (meant to resemble a tri-cornered Revolutionary War hat) displayed in a beautiful handmade white oak case. It sits on a table in my apartment with a few other military mementos and is always in my view. I recently moved into my bosses’ old office at work and he also had a small, folded flag in a case which was found tucked away in some old closet in our building many years ago. We have absolutely no idea whose flag it was, what its meaning was or if it came from a military funeral, but here it sits. My boss knows about my background and he gave me the encased flag to put in my new office. I was and am very honored to have it…and, it is pictured below. While I don’t know the owner of this flag, it is being displayed with honor, respect, reverence, and admiration for whomever or wherever it came from.

To leave you with what I believe is the best description of our beloved flag, are the lyrics of the song “Ragged Old Flag,” written by Johnny Cash in 1974, during one of the most turbulent times in our history, (which coincidentally was the year I joined the United States Marine Corps).

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench an old man was sitting there
I said, your old courthouse is kinda run down
He said, naw, it’ll do for our little town
I said, your old flagpole has leaned a little bit
And that’s a ragged old flag you got hanging on it

He said, have a seat, and I sat down
Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?
I said, I think it is
He said, I don’t like to brag
But we’re kinda proud of that ragged old flag

You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing say can you see
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seams

And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the texas flag, but she waved on though
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg
And the south wind blew hard on that ragged old flag

On Flanders field in World War one
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun
She turned blood red in World War Two
She hung limp and low a time or two
She was in Korea and Vietnam
She went where she was sent by Uncle Sam

She waved from our ships upon the Briny foam
And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home
In her own good land here she’s been abused
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused

And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land
And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin
But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in
‘Cause she’s been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning
We take her down every night
We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold her up right
On second thought, I do like to brag
‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag

I would ask that in your travels over the holidays or at any time, if you see our flag raised high on a pole, hanging from someone’s home or building, or if it is displayed in some other manner, take a moment, and think about what it means…

The blood that was shed for it in conflicts near and far and for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for it while serving our great country. The Star Spangled Banner always holds a special place for me and every time I hear it, a tear is always shed.

I’ll leave you with this…

If you’re reading this blog from inside the United States (or if you’re an American not presently in country) you’re here because of this flag and what it represents. Your freedoms, all you have and all you ever will have are because of this beautiful piece of colored cloth.

Please, please hold it with reverence.

It deserves at least that much.

Unknown's avatar

The Commute…

by

Travelling to Center City Philadelphia each day for work is becoming quite wearisome. As you can well imagine, public transportation, the trains, train stations and that environment in general have within it a certain atmosphere that leaves much to be desired. The constant begging for money, rampant and open drug use, syringes laying on the ground, homelessness, obvious mental health issues and other things much too disgusting to mention here are all pretty much the daily fare. Fortunately, my military and law enforcement background has trained me to be in a constant state of situational awareness and I try and have eyes in the back of my very bald head, at just about every moment. I trust absolutely no one walking the streets and I am always on alert. Things can happen in a millisecond and I almost always “have a plan.” I know this is a difficult way to live each day, but it is just the reality of working in an exceptionally large American city. I chose this and have resigned myself to it…but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’ve just adapted.

Each day I often wonder how much longer I can do this. It’s been almost 7 years working in the most historic part of our country (I work about a block from Independence Hall and also did a 3-year stint at Pennsylvania Hospital back in the mid 2000’s) and I still find that I pretty much dislike the city. While the restaurants and nightlife can be quite nice at times, I don’t particularly prefer it. In my head, I’m playing with a 2-year plan for retirement and may attempt to go part time, but that remains to be seen. Don’t get me wrong, I do very much enjoy my job, but it wouldn’t take much for me to head to the door if I was disrespected or ill-treated by someone in a higher place of authority, (actually, this was exactly why I left Pennsylvania Hospital, but that for another time).

Last week, while walking to the train station, I came across what looked to be about a 50 to 60-year-old man passed out on the sidewalk. The temperature outside was about 30 degrees. Three or four other people had also stopped and I asked if anyone had called 911. One young lady was just getting on her phone and I stooped down to check his carotid pulse. It was extremely weak, and he was cold, sweaty, clammy, and barely breathing. His face color was gray. I did an extremely hard sternum rub on his chest to see if he would stir or awaken, but he did not. I feared for the worse. I rattled off his issues to the young woman who was relaying them to the ambulance dispatcher and a few moments later we could hear the sirens approaching. The two paramedics jumped in to do their job and two large doses of Narcan did absolutely nothing. One paramedic checked the man’s wrist and there were hospital bracelets on him. Then he said to his partner, “Hey, I know this guy, it’s Mike.” We got him onto the stretcher and off they went. All I could do was walk away and say a prayer for the guy.

Now, with all that said, you might think “you’re crazy for doing this every day.” And, you might be right. However, I’m where I’m at for a reason. As I said, I chose this and at the present time, I’m not being led to retire or head to the door anytime soon. I firmly believe we’re placed in certain situations, places and circumstances for specific reasons we may not yet know. And, what I have learned during my time in the city is that while the aforementioned descriptors of what I deal with each day seem terrible and repulsive, I believe this is my place…for “such a time as this.” So, what does all this mean? I believe it means that God has not relieved me of my responsibilities here just yet. It means that, for whatever reason, He has me here for a purpose. His purpose. And, I am sure when he relieves me of this responsibility, he’ll hopefully make it clear to me.

I do know one thing however…in my time working in the city, I never, ever look upon others with disdain or with contempt. Quite the opposite, as I have grown to have an affinity for and a certain empathy for those less fortunate than I. We’re called to “pray ceaselessly” and I find myself doing just that on almost a daily basis. I’ve said it before, this has absolutely nothing to do with religion, just a simple spiritual connection.

So, here I am. I will stay as long as I’m supposed to and will hopefully know when it’s time to leave…we’ll see. I certainly do not know why you may be in the position, place or circumstance you’re presently in, and it may be much worse or much better than mine. Just know that sometimes, there is a reason.

I have accepted mine.

Maybe think about yours?

Unknown's avatar

The Red Car…

by

I recently saw a successful businessman being interviewed who explained something in such a simple way that it really got me thinking about my everyday existence and how I view the exterior world around me as it relates to who I am, how I can be more observant, but more importantly how I can be more receptive and attentive to seeing opportunities. Trying to be more “observant” in our daily life kind of sounds like something a motivational speaker or even your boss might say to you, but this conversation’s comparison had a bit more meat and substance to it as I’ll try to explain.

The businessman asked the interviewer, “how many red cars did you see on your way to work today?”. The interviewer was silent until he said a moment later, “I have no idea”. The businessman then said, “totally understandable…but if I asked you to count all the red cars on your way to work tomorrow, you’d show up with a specific number, wouldn’t you”? The interviewer replied “yes”. The businessman went on to explain that as we go through our daily lives, the “red car” question is an analogy as to how many opportunities we either see or don’t see every day. The vast majority of people live their everyday (mostly mundane) lives going through the motions, not really observing, or even looking for opportunities. We’re just not seeing. Or worse yet, we just don’t care or have any interest in seeing. Our lives are filled with the ordinary, the routine, the banal and the predictable goings on of our existence. Let’s get through this day, this week, this year, our lives. We miss the red cars. And, we miss life.

I thought to myself, OK, so, what opportunities? What am I missing? What am I not noticing? Now, I pretty much consider myself to be an extremely observant person. This comes from decades and decades of intense law enforcement and tactical training and the ability to spot danger or the possibility of danger as I am always present in my daily life in this environment. Conversely, I also try and observe opportunities for being and expressing kindness where and when I believe it needs expressing. It’s just something I’ve always done and I’m grateful God has instilled this in me.

However, as I thought through the issue more deeply, I realized I need to step up my game.

While this “red car” correlation is not something new and has been around awhile, I thought it something worthwhile to write about and maybe flesh out some deeper implications. I believe the opportunities we miss every day span a great deal larger than we may think. That said, I’ve spent the past few days compiling a list of some things I believe we can look for and try and capitalize on as we walk through our day.

Take a moment to check them out…

Opportunities for enterprise (is this something that I could benefit from financially, or start a business with?)

Opportunities for expressing kindness (and helping those less fortunate) and/or giving a compliment.

Opportunities for creating good relationships.

Opportunities for saying “thank you” more often.

Opportunities for saying “I’m sorry, I was wrong” (and meaning it without the “but”).

Opportunities for showing up on time and being mentally and physically present.

Opportunities for practicing active listening without interrupting.

Opportunities for following your dreams or goals (see opportunities for enterprise).

Opportunities for being a mentor.

Opportunities for learning something new or a new skill (practice is the key here!).

Opportunities for learning and using other people’s names.

Opportunities to pay things forward (at the checkout counter, at the drive through, etc.).

Opportunities to ask for help with something (this list could be long).

Opportunities to read and/or journal more.

Opportunities to TURN OFF THE TV more (see the above).

Opportunities to exercise more, eat better and create a more healthful you and being more active.

Opportunities to work more on your hobbies.

Opportunities to either pray or meditate daily.

Opportunities for go on news fasts (I know, this is a hard one).

Opportunities to create healthier social circles and connecting with other people.

Opportunities to quash any negativism you are thinking of saying or even doing.

Opportunities to be grateful for the life you are living and the life you’ve been given.

Opportunities to smile more.

Opportunities to practice breath work (there are tons of info about this on the ‘net…the one I like is called 4 second box breathing and I do it a lot).

Opportunities to acknowledge unhappy moments in your life, learn from them and move past them.

Opportunities to forget the past…this has been a life killer of so many people. Realize it is gone, you can’t change them. Learn from your life’s unfortunate past moments and move on.

Opportunities to avoid comparing yourself to other people.

Opportunities to avoid toxicity and/or toxic people in your life.

Opportunities to declutter your surroundings (this is a big one too…I’ve been practicing minimalism for years and it is absolutely awesome!).

Opportunities to get into nature more.

Opportunities to let go of grudges and forgive (this is for you, not them).

Opportunities to plan trips.

Ok, I know that was a lot. Please don’t get overwhelmed and try them all at once…you’ll make yourself crazy!!! There are obviously a ton more, but think of your own and work them into your lives.

Take just one or two (or, three) and try them…create good habits. Then return to the list and see what more you can do.

I’ve committed myself to seeing more opportunities in my daily life. Even at my age, I am totally against the phrase “I’m too old to do this or that”.  No, I’m just at the right age to give it a shot and try! And, I hope you will too!

Walk through your day looking for opportunities…because believe me, they WILL present themselves!

(the job site “Indeed” has a great link to some pretty cool quotes for life and work opportunities and you can check them out here: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/quotes-on-opportunities )