It's good to be back

So since I’ve long been absent from these cyber pages and I’m tired of the constant badgering from the other jackasses who contribute here I thought it was time to put finger to keyboard and see what happens.

First some bidness, Some of this is old news as GF broke the seal on a lot of the goings on during our collective absence; Welcome to the 6^th member of the Five Guys, not sure if, when, or why he would want to post anything here, but welcome nonetheless. He’s a great guy, who in an effort to try and out do my medical issues, nearly died this spring. We’re glad he didn’t mostly because he’s married to my sister and we’re contractually obligated to like him now. Second, Ant’ny has welcomed a wife and an offspring in the last 14 months or so, congratulations on both. Lil’ P becomes the fourth child added to our ever growing extended family.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way on to the rest of the post. I was really hoping to have something profound or topical to post given Ant’ny’s September 11^th masterpiece or GF’s welcome back post, unfortunately I got nothing. There’s so much going on in our world today that the 24-hour news cycle, social media, 384 news channels, satellite radio continuously beat into the ground it almost makes having an opinion on something impossible. Regardless of your feelings about socialized health care, the economy, the conflicts in the middle east, the Arab Spring Movement, don’t ask don’t tell, NCAA conference realignment, or any number of other pressing social (or economic) subjects; chances are someone has already thought it, posted it, been rebuffed , and formed a PAC for their cause.

This is just my opinion (and I’m sure someone’s beaten me to the punch) and it’s nothing profound, but I think the constant bombardment from talking heads on TV and do-gooders on Facebook and Twitter only serve to make us increasingly numb as a society. You can only hear about an issue so many times until you just stop listening. Take the recent Casey Anthony, Tot Mom, trial. That was the biggest thing going for about a month here in Florida and around the country. Did she do it, was she molested, was it an accident, was the evidence tampered with, was the witness just out for the reward, when is she going to get released, where is she going to go, who’s going to get the first interview, how much is she going to make for her side of the story, who’s going to play her in the Hallmark movie, blah, blah, blah, crap. By the time the news programs began to fade and move on to their next story it was all I could do to listen to another sentence about the case. That’s when it struck me – lost in all those questions was the life of a little girl that was snuffed out under awful circumstances – who’s asking about her? Who’s asking how can we prevent the next little girl from having to go through that? I get that there’s a huge flaw in the system and that a guilty person (even if she’s only guilty of poor judgment and being an unfit parent) is walking free but lost in all those soap opera details isn’t there a responsibility on us as a society to look past the ‘sexy’ headlines and try to make society better as we go? What if the parents had called Family Services? What if the birth father had stepped in? What if one of the mother’s friends had questioned things a little earlier? There’s plenty of blame to go around but there’s also plenty to learn from.

I didn’t start out to write a call to action or a cautionary tale; see what happens when I’m given some free time and a blank slate? This isn’t necessarily about the Casey Anthony trial, or social media, or about information overload; I think my point to all this is for us to all take a few minutes and look a little deeper than the headlines. Let’s get out of the habit of letting the talking heads do the thinking for us. So much of today’s news is negative that it’s easy to get jaded or apathetic about our society and our country. We’re getting ready to jump head first into another election season. While I’m tempted to use a bunch of hyperbole and call it the most important election in a generation I won’t. What I will say however, is do a little homework, and resist the tendency to get numbed by it all.

One of my greatest self-imposed charges as a parent is to make sure my kids always think for themselves and form their own opinions. I’ll likely never be written about in a history book, or have a building named after me, but if I can raise two socially responsible, independent thinking children I will be proud of the mark I’ve left.

Damn it, I really wanted to keep this kind of funny. One thing that I think all five (now six) of us wanted to avoid in this forum was making things too politically charged or preachy so I apologize if I’ve violated that code, it’s been a while and I’m a little rusty. I promise the next post will be better...

The Speech I Want to Hear / Give

Good Afternoon, it's a pleasure to be here with you today in sunny Tampa and I thank you for the kind invitation.

Normally, a political person will open one of these speeches with a line like "My Fellow Americans..." Well, that's the normal approach and I am far from normal. "Normal" politicians, doing business the "normal" way haven't even been able to maintain a "normal" balance. So today, I ask you to join me in casting off the normal way of doing business and embark on the journey that will save this country (or at least make it a whole lot more entertaining and interesting).

Now, I am not talking about some Tea Party departure from normal. The only thing those people do differently than the tired old Democrats and Republicans is yell louder. They aren't part of the solution, they are an addition to the problem. I am talking about a bold new course. Not independent, not red, not blue, not libertarian, not anything. Today, we stand up and say that 95% of the country is more like us and the 5% of the country represented by our government time has run out. The clock is ticking on the people in Washington because a government by the people and for the people is about to be taken over by the people.

We can no longer sit idly by and pretend that America is the greatest country on Earth and that our brand of capitalism and democracy is the cure-all by which the world will be saved. If we had all of the answers, we wouldn't be subject to Russia and China being the lien holders on 70% of our debt. So, if we want to be great again bold action is required. Normal needs to end.

A great society is not one where people die merely because they are poor. A great society is not one in which the divide between the haves and have nots continues to grow. It is not one where tax burdens on companies are so high that the largest and wealthiest corporations leave the country in order to save money. It is not one where stockholder returns trump the good of the people. It is not a society that works more hours and takes less vacation than any other industrialized country in the world.

When I was a kid growing up in Polk County, Florida the radio station there had a loveable syndicated redneck that would be on the radio each morning railing against some injustice in society. Well today I am channeling Earl Pitts, Great American Redneck and telling you to Wake Up America!

Solutions don't get you elected in this country but it's time to say it like it is and make the solutions, not rhetoric, the order of business.

Our platform is simple and sound and provides meaningful and lasting solutions for the country that our generations to come will thank us for. Here are some highlights:

- The Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security will be combined into a single department focused on protecting THIS country and this country alone. We will protect ourselves and ourselves alone and leave other countries to do the same. We will no longer project democracy on those who cannot grasp it. We will no longer pick a fight to protect the stream of oil coming into this country. If you live in a country and allow a bad guy to take over, fix the problem yourself. We are going to focus on working on ours.

- On the topic of oil, we will take the money saved by no longer running crusades of democracy and focus them on developing alternative energy sources. 43 years ago we sent men to the moon with the computing power of a modern digital watch. We haven't solved this energy issue because quite frankly, rich people can't get richer when it's solved. No more! We will commit to developing new technology that is renewable and clean by the end of the next decade. It can be done, it will be done, it MUST be done.

- The remaining resources saved by pulling back the military and consolidating security will be put toward an ongoing plan to fix and upgrade America's rapidly decaying infrastructure. Our talented military minds will be put to use inside the US designing new bridges, roadways, mechanical and electrical and communication systems to benefit all of the citizens of this country...not just the military and certainly not the citizens of other countries. We will protect our borders as fiercely as we have protected those of other countries. We will always welcome immigration...legally. We will use the National Guard to embark on an ambitious round up of illegal residents of this country and send them back to the country from which they came. When they can get here legally we will welcome them back.

- Income and payroll taxes will be replaced by a national sales tax that based on revenue needs will be no lower than 15% and no higher than 17.5%. For those who say this unjustly punishes the poor, I respectfully disagree. This tax is the fairest of all taxes. If you do not wish to pay tax, don't buy anything unnecessary. Estate taxes, capital gains taxes, etc. will all be abolished. The IRS will shift it's focus to enforcing the paying of the sales tax by companies instead of that by individuals. Social Security will be phased out giving Americans the choice of where to spend, invest or save their own money. Churches will no longer be given tax exemptions.

- Congress will enact term limits We will push to amend the Constitution to allow for a 4 year term for Representatives and keep the Senate term at 6. Representatives will be limited to 2 terms while Senators will be limited to 3. Upon leaving office, one may run for the other House after a 10 year period but may not serve in the same house again. This change allows for Representatives to do some real work without being so focused on immediately needing to be re-elected. Yet it removes the specter of career politicians.

- The United States will operate on balanced budget.

- Marriage will no longer be legally recognized. Two consenting adults may enter into a legal, civil union with all of the rights now known to be part of marriage. Churches may continue to marry people, or choose not to if the marriage violates their beliefs, in addition to the legal union, with no additional rights to the citizens.

- We will downsize Medicare and Medicaid and emphasize working opportunities. All federal aid will have a time limit for individuals to collect to motivate them to work. We will fix the broken and tangled mess that comprises our healthcare system, not by nationalizing it, but by holding insurers and healthcare providers to standards. However, at the end of the day healthcare is the responsibility of each individual citizen.

There was a time where being an American meant something and we will get back to that time. It will take hard work, it will take sacrifice and it will take many of you looking in the mirror and realizing you are not as entitled as you think you are. If you don't have a job, there will be many left behind when the illegal residents are sent home. If you think this work is beneath you, then you are part of the problem not part of the solution.

I am here to tell you that America and democracy are hard. It's not a spectator sport. You must take action. You must not sit idly by and think things will be okay. Do not believe what you see on TV. The guy with the clean record, isn't the guy you want to run this country. The only qualification for the job should be the solutions they offer and whether or not you think they can get them done. I think I can. I have fornicated, I have been drunk too many times to count, I curse too much and I don't believe in religion... I am one of you. I am the majority.

I am an American, I have real solutions and I am running for President.

“It’s cold in the desert, water never sees the ground, special unspoken without sound”

This weekend the country will take pause and remember the events of September 11, 2001. As a nation, we have experienced a lot since that normal morning turned to horror in the span of 102 minutes. There are many different types of impacts that took place that morning, 4 airplanes impacted a structure or the earth, 2 towers that symbolize power, freedom, greed, oppression, everything that is good to some and everything they hate to others impacted the ground, as did 1 section of a building that symbolizes safety and security to some and hatred or tyranny to others. Nearly 3,000 mothers, fathers, uncles, friends, sons, daughters were lost impacting thousands of communities all over the country and more than half of them were never recovered making it difficult to move on.

Of course, I remember where I was just like everybody else remembers. I was in the car on my way to the University of South Florida for a communications in film class. I had a presentation to give on the different interpersonal relationships in the movie Shrek (tough stuff). I sat in the parking lot listening to Bubba the Love Sponge on 98 Rock and he said that a plane had hit a tower in NYC. Just as I parked the whole studio started screaming, “Was that a repeat, was that live…did that just happen…was that a second plane?” Then one of the cast, Brent Hatley said, “that was a second plane, we are under attack, and it’s Usama Bin Laden…” I ran in to class to watch it on TV but they did not have one so I left and went to the library and watched in horror at what was happening. When the first tower fell they closed USF and I had to leave the library. When I came outside there was a massive gathering of Muslim students in front of the library and it was interesting to see the contrast of students coming out of the library shocked and scared and the Muslim students smiling and cheering. I worked for 98 Rock at the time and went in the next day to help organize a blood drive and I told Bubba about what I saw and he put it out over the radio and USF officials immediately called in and contradicted that story but I know what I saw and it really pissed me off. That was the impact on me. I walked into the Air Force ROTC office 1 week later and was Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant 8 months later.

That day had a tremendous impact on me and gave me focus. I was an average student (at best) and was in my senior year of college with no plan for my future career. Had it not been for that day I would probably be a mid-level manager in some mid-level company just scraping by. Instead, I threw myself into being the best Aircraft Maintenance Officer I could be. I lost weight, got in shape, had access to some of the finest leaders in this country and I learned from them. I stayed in school and for the first time in my entire life, I got straight A’s in pursuit of my Masters Degree. I got to live in Las Vegas, NV, Sumter, SC, and Ogden, UT and I got to be in charge of some of the most fun Squadron’s in the AF. It turns out I spent 6 weeks about 600 miles away from Usama Bin Laden, which is closer than most people ever got! I truly enjoyed the majority of the time I spent in the military and am very proud of my service.

Since September 11, 2001 over 10 Million Americans have worn a uniform in support of this country, something we can all be proud of. I volunteered to get out in 2008 and started a chapter in my life that I am equally focused on, being a good husband and dad, something I never even though of 10 years ago, my how time flies!

The country has gone through many changes as well. The attacks really brought out the best in Americans. Neighbors chipped in and helped each other clean up, dig out, grieve, understand, and cope. Flags and other patriotic symbols could be seen from sea to shinning sea. If you have time watch the documentary “9 Innings from Ground Zero,” it does a fantastic job of going over the timeline and emotions, and when W. fires the ball from the top of the mound for a strike I get goosebumps every time!!

I find it interesting that in 2001 if you had a cell phone it was a brick and if you sent text messages you were about 3 years ahead of your time. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no blogs or smartphones. Think about all of the things that would have been different if we had these “tools”. Word could have spread much faster, status updates could let everybody know who was safe and who was in trouble. Twitter proved during the this years earthquake in the northeast that it could spread news faster than the earthquake could travel. But I also think that the ‘tools” would have taken away from that healing process after the attacks, when you had to look at the devastation and the looks of horror on your neighbors face instead of looking down at your phone.

Pauly had to talk to his daughter today about what September 11 was. I could not imagine having to sum it up into a few minutes (if you get even that long). Almost 3,000 people died in about 2 hours, since then the man that inspired it has been killed, along with tens of thousands of military personnel and a shit ton of asshole IED using, no courage having, shooting from a distance murderers. Our country has spent hundreds of billions, other countries have lost people and treasure, Afghanistan has lost lots of big rocks but gained many small ones and I guess they still have goats and opium. Iraq lost a dictator and gained some good things in the bargain and there you have it, 10 years has gone by. I am not getting political, I am just saying it is tough to explain to a kid so Pauly, let me know how that goes!

I guess when the time comes I will just say it like it is. Parker, some people in this world have a fundamental difference with others and that leads to hatred. When that hatred is strong enough it turns to violence. On September 11, 2001 that hatred lead to a real sucker punch that killed almost 3,000 people. Americans did what we always do, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and cleaned up the mess and then took the fight to those that perpetrated the violence and the people that harbored them (she will have a very good vocabulary). In the end, we did our best to protect freedom and the innocent while at the same time bringing the terrorists to justice.

10 years later the 9-11 memorial will finally open and give families a place to honor and remember the victims of that terrible day. I saw a documentary yesterday that focuses on that memorial and it is amazing. The fountains that lead into the basement of the footprints and the park are just amazing. However, the most amazing part of the whole rebuilding effort to me is the wedge of light. The architect designed the buildings and the train station in such a way that on 9-11 every year, the sun will bath the memorial in light with out shadows from the exact minute the first plane hit the first tower until the exact minute that the second tower fell. At the exact moment the second tower fell the sun’s rays will shine through the glass ceiling of the train station and bisect the floor perfectly. The folks that attacked us live in mud huts. They could never ever design something so perfect so how in the world can they think that they can destroy it?

"Through the years and miles between us it's been a long and lonely ride, but if I got that call in dead of night I'd be right by your side..."

Well alright, alright, alright.... It's been a long time but the 5 Guys are going to get this thing fired back up. Or at least I am. I'll write under aliases of the other guys if I have to, but WE WILL HAVE BLOG! You see, we 5 guys are some of the more entertaining people you will ever meet. Unlike the fake guy on TV who exists only to sell you beer, we exist not only to consume beer, but to be funny while we do it. Many groups of bros say things like "why don't we have TV show?" Well we if we had a TV show it would break the medium. It would be like a Presidential address in that every network would carry it and those who didn't would get crushed in the ratings. That's how entertaining we are.

But enough gloating about the awesome. Let's get down to business. A lot has happened since we last posted. Some of us are still married, some are not, and one (Ant'ny) has gotten married and become a first time parent. We have all manged to remain employed, which given our history and the economy is a damn miracle. Hell, we've even added a 6th guy to the 5 Guys. The approval process was rigorous but by virtue of his cool demeanor, comedic timing, and marriage to Pauly's sister, Scuba Dave was brought into the fold. We're honored to have him.

The erstwhile 5, now 6 Guys are scattered today. The Host is in South Bend for a football game which sounds awesome but isn't because he's working. Pauly is in Gainesville for the beloved Gators season opener, which is awesome and makes me nearly ill because I am not with him. Ant'ny now lives in NYC with LK and Lil P and he is there today but all indications are that he is having himself quite the weekend. Frank is on his way to the Dominican Republic and while he tells us he will return I suspect he might go ex-Pat. Scuba Dave is holding down the fort in the T. And me, well Mrs. GF and I are still in the D, enjoying the first day of autumn and plotting and scheming to make our triumphant return to the T. Despite the distance and variance of activities the 6 Guys, much like The Dude, abide.

There will be more to come in short order, but I thought a quick refresher would be a good start.

Much love,

GF