Which One These Men MadeTheir Mother Proud?

Please view the following two videos. Once watching them, tell me who you think made their mother more proud.

Part 1:


Part2:


The officer's name is Robert Powell, and has been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with the incident, which happened last week. The man he stopped in Plano, Texas was Ryan Moats, who was driving his wife to the hospital to be with her dying mother during her last few minutes of life. Ryan Moats was stopped for running a red light. From the dash-cam recording, it seems that Mr. Moats didn't just tear through the light and throw caution entirely to the wind. It seems he treated it is a four way stop, checking for traffic before he ran the light.

Now, I can see why an officer may have some concern when he attempts to make a traffic stop, and is seemingly ignored, but when he ended up following the SUV into the hospital parking lot, don't you think the first thing he should have asked was, "Sir, is everything OK?" I would have thought something like that would have been in order. People running red lights on the way to the hospital would have at least made the thought that something was wrong with a passenger cross my mind.

From there it only gets better though. He is told numerous times that the driver's mother-in-law in inside the hospital dying. Watching this video I hear it said numerous times, at varying levels of desperation. Instead of realizing the importance of what was being told to him, Officer Robert Powell berated Mr. Moats, threatened him with arrest, and even pulled his gun.

It can clearly be heard in the video that Officer Powell said to Moats:

"I can screw you over. I’d rather not do that."

This whole endeavor took 13 minutes. Most of which ended up being Mr. Moats agreeing to everything the officer said, whether it was right or wrong, in hopes of getting the man to stop with the lecture, and let him get on his way. Officer Powell, even after being told by hospital security and a nurse that Mr. Moats mother-in-law really was inside currently dying, continued to lecture, and started to claim that if Mr. Moats had stopped and mentioned the reason for his hurry before that he would have let him off. I don't think the cost of the ticket was ever a concern to Mr. Moats. I don't think that Officer Powell would have been as understanding as he claims. After all, Mr. Moats told him what the hurry was, and it lead to a 13 minute lecture with not even a hint of compassion. Not a single word emulated anything resembling compassion, understanding, or any form of concern. He just kept lecturing.

Officer Powell ensured that Mr. Moats did not make it to the bedside on his dying mother-in-law in time. His mother-in-law passed before he could reach her side.

When questioned about his thoughts on this matter, Dallas Police chief David Kunkle said:

"His behavior in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit.

"When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes. we were embarrassed, disappointed --- it’s hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief."

The chief also praised Moats and his family for how they handled Officer Powell's behavior.

"They exercised extraordinary patience, restraint, dealing with the behavior of our officer. At no time did Mr. Moats identify himself as an NFL football player or expect any kind of special consideration. He handled himself very, very well."

That's right! In a day and age where sports heroes, actors, rock stars, and politicians are all playing the popularity card to get out of trouble, Mr. Moats did nothing of the sort. Mr. Moats is a Houston Texans Running Back, but nothing of the sort was mentioned, or even so much as hinted at.

Officer Powell started to end his 13 minute lecture with this gem.

“Attitude’s everything,”

Sounds to me as if Officer Powell should be taking a few lessons for Mr. Moats. Talk about the perfect example of "practice what I preach and not what I do."

All of this said, I point you to my earlier question? Who's mother is more proud of her son tonight? Which son learned the lessons of humility, and patience, and which knows the importance of being humble? Which one exhibited better listening skills, and knows that sometimes it is best just to hold your tongue?

My condolences go out to Mr. Moats, and to his wife and their entire family.

H/T: SNAFU-ed .... Situation Normal

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Elena

Chief Master Sergeant Paul Wesley Airey


"Chief Airey was an Airman’s Airman and one of the true pioneers for our service," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. "He was a warrior, an innovator… and a leader with vision well ahead of his time. His legacy lives today in the truly professional enlisted force we have serving our nation… and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude."

Chief Airey was born in Quincy, Mass., on December 13, 1923. At age eighteen, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December, 7, 1941, Airey quit high school to enlist in the Army Air Forces on November 16, 1942. He later earned his high school equivalency certificate through off-duty study. During World War II he flew as a B-24 radio operator and additional duty aerial gunner. On his 28th mission, then-Technical Sergeant Airey and his fellow crewmen were shot down over Vienna, Austria, captured, and held prisoner by the German air force from July 1944 to May 1945. During his time as a prisoner of war he worked tirelessly to meet the basic needs of fellow prisoners, even through a 90-day forced march.

Chief Airey held the top enlisted from April 3, 1967 to July 31, 1969. During his tenure he worked to change loan establishments charging exorbitant rates outside the air base gates and to improve low retention during the Vietnam Conflict. Chief Airey also led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air Force-level Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. His vision became reality when the academy opened in 1973, becoming the capstone in the development of Air Force Senior NCOs. Chief Airey retired August 1, 1970. He continued advocating for Airmen’s rights by serving on the boards of numerous Air Force and enlisted professional military organizations throughout the years. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Airmen Memorial Museum, a member of the Air Force Memorial Foundation and the Air University Foundation.

On the north wall of the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Airey’s thoughts on Airmen are immortalized, "When I think of the enlisted force, I see dedication, determination, loyalty and valor." The Air Force Association honored Airey with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Chief Airey passed away on March 11, 2009 at his home in Panama City, Florida

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Dear President Obama

Perhaps not something that was really sent to the President, and perhaps Richard Ford isn't even a real person living in Queen Creek, Arizona, but this short little letter that arrived in my inbox is to the point, and makes a very valid point.

Subject: A short note to the President

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for helping my neighbors with their mortgage payments. You
know the one's down the street who in the good times refinanced their house several times and bought SUV's, ATV's, RV"s, a pool, a big screen, two Wave Runners and a Harley. But I was wondering, since I am paying my mortgage and theirs, could you arrange for me to borrow the Harley now and then?

Richard Ford
Queen Creek, AZ

P.S. They also need help with their credit cards, when do you want me to start making those payments?
P.P.S. I almost forgot - they didn't file their income tax return this year. Should I go ahead and file for them or will you be appointing them to cabinet posts?

This Is Why I Like To Fly Southwest

I have had the benefit of enjoying the company of some of the best flight attendants in my lifetime, but only when I have flown Southwest. Don't get me wrong, I have been on other airlines with wonderfully nice attendants who made my time on the plane much more tolerable than it could have been with out them. Southwest has the most entertaining attendants "per capita" by far, hands down.

I have been on Southwest flights where the attendants sing the safety message that has to be shared with passengers before take off. Funny little ditties full of humor in fact, and to this day I wish I had written the song down. I have been on a Southwest flight full of teenagers who were flying to a youth convention. A five hours flight became much more bearable when the attendants started a few games such as a relay race to pass the pillow from the front of the plane to the back, and see who's aisle got to the back first without getting out of your seat. Or when her partner decided that he would run up and down the aisle leading us all in the wave.

This is on thing I have seen though, although the price of an airline ticket would be well worth it, just to say I had. Watch this video, and tell me how long it would have taken you to think this up, and how many times you would have had to rehearse it to get it right?

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

See? Cool huh? To all the wonderfully creative and entertaining staff of Southwest airlines I say thank you. Thank you for making the hassles of airport security, baggage claim, and sitting between two obnoxious or smelly people so much more tolerable. I really mean it. Without you, so many of my trips would have gotten off on the wrong foot the minute I arrived at the airport.

Wenesday's Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Kathi

Kevin Baker


Kevin George Baker, a disabled Navy veteran, had been riding his hand-propelled bicycle from his hometown through Washington, D.C. and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Marseilles, Illinois to support a new flag designed to honor fallen members of the military. His trip began at his home on Saturday, March 7 and sadly ended on March 13 when he passed away in his sleep. Baker, who is unable to use his legs due to a neurological impairment, was flying the Honor and Remember Flag from his bike and encouraged people along the way to sign a petition urging Congress to adopt the flag as a new national symbol by passing HR Bill 1034.

You can read the rest of Baker's story here

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Judas Asparagus

If you need a laugh today, then this should do it! I usually try and stay away from religious humor, and although religion is resent, the humor is the a child's interpretation of what he or she was taught. This reminded me so much of Captain Dramatic as a young one that I couldn't stop laughing. It also begs the question,
"I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching?"

Through the eyes of a child:

The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.
Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world.
He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.
Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.
One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.
After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.
Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.
These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.
Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.
One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.
After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.
After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.
One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.
After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')
During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.
Jesus also had twelve opossums.
The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.
Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.
But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.
Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.
He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

Wednesday's Hero

Spc. Brian K. Baker
27 years old from West Seneca, New York
2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
November 07, 2004


Near his hometown, the flag flew at half-staff outside the East Concord Volunteer Fire Department where Baker had been a junior firefighter. He joined the Army shortly after graduating from Springville-Griffith Institute in 1996 with the goal of making it his career, friends said.

"You might say it was his calling," said Lori Ploetz, a longtime family friend. "He was great at what he did. He was respected by his peers."

Spc. Brian Baker was killed when a vehicle-borne IED detonated near his security patrol in Baghdad. He leaves behind his parents, his wife, Amy, and two daughters who were born after his death.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Anger Management

I am not sure where I read this, but I did, and I thought I would share it. It is a story that helps me cope with those situations in life that cause me anger. I decided that I shouldn't keep such a great tool to cope a secret. Enjoy, and please know that I don't suggest that anyone try this. Too many variables.

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know.

It all started one day when I was sitting at me desk and remembered a phone call I had forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it.

A man answered, saying, "Hello." I politely said,"This is Chris. May I speak with Robin Carter?" Suddenly, the phone was slammed down on me.

I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude.

I tracked down Robin's correct number and called her. I had transposed the last two digits of her phone number. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the "wrong" number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled, "You're an Asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word "Asshole" next to it, and put it in my desk drawer.

Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day. I'd call him up and yell, "You're an Asshole". It always cheered me up.

When Caller ID came to our area. I thought my therapeutic "Asshole" calling would have to stop. So I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the Telephone Company. I'm just calling to see if you're interested in the Caller ID program?" he yelled, "No!" and slammed the phone down.

I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an Asshole!", and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. When some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot i had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I had been waiting for that spot.

The idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his car window, so I wrote down his number. A couple of days later, right after calling the first "Asshole", (I had his number on speed dial). I thought I had better call the BMW "Asshole", too.

I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?"

"Yes, it is ." He replied.

"Can you tell me where I can see it?"

"Yes, I live at 1802 west 34th street. It's a yellow house, and the car is parked right out front."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Don Hansen." he said.

"When's a good time to catch you, Don?"

"I'm home every evening after five." he replied.

"Listen, Don, can I tell you something?"

"Yes?" he said.

"Don, you're an Asshole." Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial too. Now, when i had a problem, I had two Assholes to call.

But after several months of calling them, it wasn't as enjoyable as it used to be. So, I came up with an idea. I called Asshole #1.

"Hello." He said.

"You're an Asshole!" But I didn't hang up.

"Are you still there?" He asked.

"Yeah", I said.

"Stop calling me", he screamed.

"Make me", I said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Don Hansen."

"Yeah? Where do you live?" he asked.

"Asshole, I live at 1802 west 34th street, A yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front."

He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers."

I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, Asshole."

Then i called Asshole #2.

"Hello?", he said.

"Hello, Asshole", I said. (But didn't hang up.)

He yelled, "If i ever find out who you are!"

"You'll what?" I said.

"I'll kick you ass", He exclaimed.

I answered. "Well, Asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."

Then i hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 1802 west 34th street, and that I was on my over there to kill my gay lover.

Then I called Channel 3 News about the gang war going down on west 34th street.

I quickly got into my car and headed over to 34th street. There i saw two Assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six squad cars, a police helicopter, and a News crew.

Now, I feel better. Anger management really does work.