1st world problems...Not just for hipsters and white girls

Dear 1^st world problems,

Sunday I suffered a first in my life. No, I’m not talking about a weekend abstaining from the act of “trickle-down economics” among the numerous bars in Chico or having a kid show up on my doorstep claiming that I’m his father and this time it being real (this happens more than you would think and my advisor fears it will be detrimental to my political career). Let me paint a picture for you…In the middle of the hottest stretch of the year thus far in California the air conditioner in my home decided to sit this one out. At first I said to myself; “No, problem, the house is well insulated and it will be fixed in no time.” Sunday turned to Monday and as a phone call was made to fix the issue the response on the other end of the line was not what I wanted to hear. “Sir, we will be out on Thursday to take care of your problem.” Using simple Chico State math I deduced that I had another 3 days until my house would be able to hang meat in it again. This was not to my liking but I said to myself, “No problem, you grew up without the benefit of this luxury, so if you were able to tolerate it then, you could now.” Upon entering my house after suffering from near heat exhaustion at the gym (only the best decisions are made at crossfit) I was hit with a blast of air as if the furnace was on. I strolled over to my thermostat to find the ungodly number of “90” staring back at me. After turning on all available fans in the house I took a cold shower and laid down in bed once again assuring myself that the heat was no big deal. As the next day brought more oppressive heat and another sleepless night I became more agitated in my dealings with everyone. I felt that the property management company wasn’t catering to my needs and thus another phone call was needed. First it was the summer intern answering phones who dealt with my wrath. For every analogy and reason I gave her on why I should have mine fixed right away I was met with apology after apology. Once again, this was not to my liking. The next person in line was the property manager herself and as I explained to her that you wouldn’t leave an 80 year old geriatric suffering in this heat (I’m in the ballpark but not close) and other examples that a no practicing or licensed lawyer could come up with it when it donned on me……I was suffering from 1^st world problems. I thought that these were only things you read about or were only experienced by hipsters and suburban white women…But this was real. I paused and gathered myself and thanked her for the help and the knowledge that they would take care of my issue. In a modern society where we are afforded the luxuries that we have it sometimes gets lost in translation that the only things we truly need to survive are food, water and shelter. Lessons like this are life’s way of letting us know that no matter how bad you think your situation is, life is good. Usually a trip to the Walmart on a Sunday will do this for me…

PS. Happy Hump Day peeps, stay cool and remember…..Money is the fuel for all choices.

#1stworldproblems #life #empireliving

Normandy...When hell and heroes occupied the same beaches

Dear D-Day,

Here is something to ponder next time you think you’re having a bad day… On June 6^th, 1944 in the midst of World War II, 160,000 allied troops many of them Americans, landed on the beaches of Normandy, France with one goal in mind, to defeat Nazi Germany and rid the world of Adolf Hitler. With names such as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword that stretched over 50 miles of heavily fortified coastline, 4,000 boats descended upon what could only be described as Hell. As the doors opened on these boats, the brave men that would define a generation were witness to barb wire, wooden stakes, metal obstacles and land mines along with a constant onslaught of artillery fire as they stormed the beaches towards the enemy in an effort to take back France and the rest of Europe from the oppression it was under. 4,413 Allied troops died on the day of the invasion along with over 5,000 plus who were wounded. The sacrifice made by these hero’s allowed for another 100,000 soldiers to begin the march across Europe to Berlin and end the reign of the Nazis. There is nothing that myself or most of us have seen or experienced in our lifetime that will ever equal to what these men who participated in this mission witnessed and were a part of. The word “hero” gets tossed around a lot in our everyday vocabulary. From sports figures to numerous other professions we bestow this term to easily these days. The brave men who participated in this mission and fought in the greatest war of our time are what I call heroes. It is because of them that we are the country and world we are today. On this 70^th anniversary of D-Day I would like say “thank you” to all who fought and remember the ones who suffered the greatest sacrifice for the good of all of mankind. You are true heroes. God Bless. So you still think you’re having a bad day?????......

PS. Happy Friday peeps. It’s going to be a hot one so stay hydrated and find some water this weekend and remember…….The strongest words you can say to a veteran are thank you.

#dday #70thanniversary #Normandy #veteran’s #empireliving

Freedom: The big picture version

Dear Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release,

What is one man worth?

What if he is an American solider?

What if our country vowed to never leave a man behind in combat?......

Posing these questions to myself and the majority of the general public who call the United States home the answer is simple. Bring our boy home! Wait a second, you mean there’s more to the “feel good” story that is being played out by the Obama Administration?

What if he was a presumed deserter?

What if it came as a detriment to the safety of our country?

What if The United States has had a long standing order that we “do not” negotiate with terrorists?.....

From the Administration that brought you the promise of a pullout of troops in Afghanistan in consecutive elections and most recently the VA scandal that has effected veteran’s from coast to coast comes the latest debacle concerning the military and the proud men and women who serve our country.   While we don’t know all the facts regarding Sgt. Bergdahl and what really happened to him 5 years ago the picture that is becoming more in focus is that of a deserter who cost the lives of 6 soldiers that went looking for him in the days following his disappearance. As more of this story unfolds on who Sgt. Bergdahl really is, why did the brain trust within the Obama Administration feel that his return was worth that of top Taliban officials? We just handed over the starting five back to the bad guys for a journeyman with questionable ethics according to his peers. To make my point clearer, this trade is comparable to giving up George Washington, Abe Lincoln, JFK and Ronald Reagan for Jimmy Carter, beer money and Barack Obama himself. When current members of Congress and Senate from both sides of the isle along with members of the military and veteran’s agree on something, red flags should be raised. The poster child for POWs Sen. John McCain who spent 5 ½ years in some of the worse conditions known to man and was tortured without consequence by North Vietnam definitely said he would not have gave up what the United States did for Sgt. Bergdahl’s return due to the fact that it would put the lives of American serviceman at risk in the future. Once again I’m going to go against my better judgment and help you out of another mess you have created Barry with a situation that should have you receiving accolades as opposed to grief.

As mentioned previously, the United States has two standing rules when it comes to war:

 1. No man or women gets left behind.

 2. We do not negotiate with terrorists.

When these statutes collide is when conflict is created. Instead of consulting Jane Fonda you should have took the time to speak with members of the military and the people that served alongside him along with looking at the facts relevant to the mission. Sometimes as much as something feels so right you need to take the time and look at the big picture.…..

Ps. Happy Hump day peeps on this scorching June afternoon. I’m hoping it’s a good one and remember…..If someone offers you a drink your only answer should be thank you.

#Sgtbergdahl #Bergdahl #POW #Obama #empireliving

Rock the vote peeps...