Hate Draws Flies; Love Draws Angels

CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG!                                        April 18, 2014

By published author

Bryce A Baker

Hate Draws Flies; Love Draws Angels

Over the years, many people have come to me to release some of their pain through counsel, about family or misaligned accusations against them. They expressed that the gossip passed from one vile mouth to another about them, has crushed them emotionally.

These stories that people have shared with me are all too common, and are extremely brutal against those who try to do good in this world. It is a sad reality that some people need to degrade or seed a libelous statement against another, either out of jealousy or their own insecurities.

I, also, have personally been bombarded with this dirty sword, causing severe damage. In my career as a detective, it is accepted that the defense lawyers are going to try to discredit me and my arrest in some way, but when it comes to family or friends it can be devastating.

Many years ago, a good friend and counsel witnessed a personal encounter I had with someone I cared very deeply for. The vile content of that person’s accusations cut deep. After that person had left, my Pastor asked me if any of what was said is true. I told him simply, “No.” He smiled at me and said, “Then don’t worry, the truth will always surface.

Eventually it did, fortunately, in my lifetime. But sitting back and knowing the truth, when a relationship or contact with a family member has been restricted by deception and lies can cause many sleepless nights. Emotional damage like that can be hard to purge.

I have found, as a writer, I can create a character or situation that is only fiction, but the penned word can take on a surprising strength. It is my intention, and hope, that a positive influence may bring out the truth or have my readers understand things from a renewed perspective. These Correct Me If I Am Wrong articles are a way to explore avenues of what I have come to understand through experience and observation.

With that said:

There are some great people that have passed that I do miss. Growing up I didn't have the blessing of grandparents. My mom’s dad was a very hard worker; he passed well before I was born. My dad's father was a man that I would model my life after; he died when I was three. My grand moms passed before my teen years. I still miss my 19 year old uncle who passed in 1961 when I was only 6. He will remain my hero for giving his life to save his friend’s. Then there is Rena's dad who I never got the honor of meeting. He was a Bomber Pilot in WW2 and heavily decorated. I would have been in my glory sharing a drink with him.

There are others, of course, that are seated in a place above that are also missed, but my point is simple; Love those that share your time and cherish every second without the negative.

And when someone cuts you with a dirty sword, remember, eventually they themselves will be taken to the ground.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

The TV Made Me Do It

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                 April 4, 2014

By author Bryce A Baker

 

The TV Made Me Do It

 

Undoubtedly, most of us have watched TV or been to a movie or two. We have read comic books or utilized other means of absorbing mental stimulation from a media format.

This brings up a subject that has been controversial for years. ‘What, if any, influence has subject matter or character portrayal have on individuals or groups?’

As a writer I know for a fact that media does coerce us into alternate understandings and reaction. For instance, children emulate what they see in cartoons or television programing whether they be pro or con. Children function differently when they have taken into their own world their hero or mentor.

Back in the fifties and sixties the Three Stooges were accepted so much that children were hitting other children over the head with hammers believing that it is was only an opportunity for a laugh. The show eventually was banned.

Since then, we and our children have been inundated with books, TV shows, movies and the worst INFLUENCE, video games that are riddled with violence, along with a sociopathic escape from reality. Death or injury has become surreal to some individuals, resulting in actual events. 

Children do have a positive influence with comic heroes fortunately, and it does form a platform to adulthood.

The human mind is a fragile mass of a sponge like substance that absorbs all that is seen and heard. It analyzes the input then stores the data in pockets of negative or positive files to be operational when the time warrants. If the individual can be programmed to function without restraint or a conscience base, then bad things are bound to occur.

As adult’s, television hypnotizes us to follow what product or service we cannot live without. So the immature mind isn’t the only target.

An excerpt from my book ‘Ghosts of Time’: “Within the closed capsule of the human mind, is a complex stratosphere of social programming. We believe what is told to us, even when it is unconfirmed or unreasonable.”

Trying to introduce more positive, progressive subject matter in the media would develop more productive people. In this liberal world we are going to self-destruct from alternate realities.

Okay! I know… this coming from a person that writes books that do contain some violence. But my books do not contain swearing and the content shows the difference between good and evil. In my book ‘Knight Horse’, there are two young boys talking about their action hero figures. Their conversation demonstrates that most young people seek out the good.

There is no possible way to shift back to what was referred to as censorship, but we could provide an understanding to our children that there is a difference. In real life, we don’t get a ‘RESET’ button. Once the ‘GAME OVER’ appears, there is no second chance.  

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG! 

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

The Bear Facts

Correct Me If I’m Wrong!                                           March 14, 2014

By author Bryce A Baker

The Bear Facts

Most that know me are aware that I’m a country boy. So most of what is in this ‘Correct Me If I’m Wrong!’ is from first-hand experience.

Let me tell you of one story a Park Ranger told me many years ago. They got a report of a bear attack and responded. Apparently there was a black bear by the side of the road and a mother wanted to get some photos. She put some honey on her son’s cheek so she could get a picture of it licking the boy’s face. Well, like most woodland creatures after the taunting food source disappeared, it looked for more on the boy and got frustrated. The boy and mom escaped unharmed, but she wanted the bear put down for attacking the boy. Need I say ‘Who needs putting down???’

Bears are extremely unpredictable.

Living and being in rural areas, I have had dozens of interactions with black bears and two grizzly encounters. In most cases they can be spooked and sent running, but that isn’t always the case.

The worst draw for a bear attack is a dog barking at them or a person screaming. The bear’s defense mode kicks in.

I had bears on my acreage out of Peachland nearly every day with no indication of a threat. Yet when I sold and moved into Peachland core, there was a large male bear that had his morning buffet route through my yard. He learned that populated areas provide an easy food source. THIS is when interaction can turn deadly.

My face to face with this bear showed he had no fear of humans. Not even when my truck horn howled two feet away from him. He trained his new female partner about his buffet route.

Early spring, I startled her with her two cubs in my yard and she attacked me. Fortunately, when I raised my arms and yelled, it scared the cubs so she went after them instead. 

I contacted the Conservation Office and was tortured by a bureaucratic bunch of BS. There was nothing they could do. The Conservation Officer mentioned he was going to come to the area and ticket people that don’t wash their garbage cans. Washed or not, a bear can pick up a scent more than a dog. Then, are we getting ticketed for bird feeders, dirty barbeques, or pet dishes. There is much more to this, but there isn’t enough paper in my computer.

I received a report from a friend of mine about a similar problem and she received a similar response from Conservation. She didn’t leave garbage out or any temptations. The Conservation Officer refused to trap the bear because if they did they’d have to tag it before release. His problem with that is that they are held liable if the bear gets into trouble after release.

No matter what we do, bears are going to eventually interact in populated areas. Even though urban attacks are rare, the threat persists.

I have been told that we have pushed these animals out of their habitat and we are responsible. I agree to disagree. Yes we have, but considering the millions of acres of unpopulated forested areas as well as the cities and towns that have been established for tens of decades, we need our space too. Bears need to be educated like the people to understand, what is a safe environment. Bears can be taught that urban areas and garbage are not conducive to their safety either. For those that feel we kicked the bears off the block, don’t yell for help when a bear is sitting down at your dining table uninvited, or face an attacking mom bear like I did.

I feel that there should be a team of trackers like myself to be organized to respond to wild animal reports and duly take action appropriate to the call. If it is a deathly situation and a tranquilizing dart isn’t going to save a human life then, the worst case scenario would be to put the animal down. If a bear trap can be used then, the animal is spared and released in a proper area. 

Considering the extreme shortage of Conservation Officers in this province, contract government appointed trackers could cover areas for human safety.

Wild bears or any other wildlife is part of my being and to see an animal destroyed is the last thing I would like to see. But priority is human life.

In closing; I have always put my money where my mouth is. I volunteer to be part of a Wildlife Conservancy Unit in B.C. with no excuses.

Post Script;

Grizzlies are a different story. Just pray your only encounter is seeing the butt end of one walking away.

Please... Correct Me If I’m Wrong!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

www.bryceabaker.com

Child Protection from the Law

 CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                               February 21, 2014

By author Bryce A Baker

 

Child Protection from the Law

In a time long, long ago; in a place far, far away, I remember being a kid. 

To understand what is happening in modern pertinent circumstances, one has to immerse themselves deep into that callow thought pattern.

In 1985 the Child Protection laws changed in Canada to secure any child free from abuse. In the process it relinquished most, if not all authority away from parents, teachers, law enforcement or any adult.

I understand the theory of providing a protective base for our children, but I saw a substantial increase in youth crime and extended violence soon after that law was instituted.

Many times as I personally approached youth that were committing a crime, minor or felonious; their response was for the most part the same, “I am under age and you can’t do nothing to me.” And they smiled as they said it!

The laws were instituted to reduce abuse by family or otherwise against these children, but created a monster. The youth are programmed that there is no retribution while they are a minor and like a very young child, will test how much they can get away with. The freedom they have been given in this regard is programming the future as adults.

Respect for my elders and others remains a part of my being as taught when I was young. If children are taught that respect, honor, authority, consideration and even love are only options in growing up, then what we are dealing with now is expected.

I investigated charges of sexual assault against a teacher by two teenage girls in the late 1980’s. My investigation cleared the teacher of these charges and the two girls admitted in court, they made the allegations up because the teacher was giving them a failing grade. As a result, the teacher was still forced to forfeit his credentials as a teacher, his wife left, and he spent his savings on the lawyer. The girls were given NO punishment for their actions.

I could write volumes of the damage this law has done, but the only way it can change is if we start thinking like responsible adults and reinstitute proper parenting back into our society. No, I don’t believe that a corporal punishment is necessary; there are many other ways to instill proper values in our children.

As adults, we pay for mistakes and that is accepted, (more or less) so think like a child and ask yourself; ‘If I steal that cookie from the cookie jar, will I get in trouble and get punished?’ or ‘Oh well; I can do anything I want because if I can’t, I will just call Child Protection and complain about my parents!’

I give credit to the good parents that give their children the guidance they need to grow to become a responsible adult.

“Sorry mom! I will put the cookie back.”

Please... CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Success

Correct Me If I’m Wrong!                                  February 7, 2014
by author Bryce A Baker 

Success

 

Personal experiences are the blackboard of life, with you being the chalk. The formula for success includes the downfalls which provide the window to see the right path. If we utilize the tools that are given us, almost anything is possible.

Success in society is as varied as the population itself. To some it means wealth and status. To others it is accomplishing a personal challenge. And then there are the couch potatoes that are very successful at opening a beer with no ambition… to each their own.

The phrase ‘If only I knew then, what I know now’  has rattled around in many of our thoughts. But it is a good thing we didn’t.

Success (work related) to me was an investigation with resolution. In that industry, recognition from the public was not anticipated or expected as such. This wasn’t why I personally did the job anyway. With this said, I have an incident to relate.

After retiring from said employment in the nineties, I embarked on the new project of illustration art. Aside from the opportunity to purge negative from my memory, it provided a fun way to meet the public in a totally different perspective.

During a solo art show, a group of teenage Asian gang members approached my display. The youth were under eighteen and known for extreme violence. My first thought was to prepare for battle.

The group silently walked around my show for about fifteen minutes. Then the gang leader and a few members approached me and said, “You are really good! I’ve always wanted to do art work.”

We had a positive conversation for several minutes, and they left without incident.

This conversation and reaction was the biggest success in my life. It is said ‘to lead by example’, so if that be true, I pray that, that young man changed along with setting an example for others to do the same.

In conclusion; one less violent act means one less victim. One positive example could lead to an epidemic. This is success to me.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

 Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

Dating 101 ½

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                   January 24, 1014

by author Bryce A Baker

Dating 101 ½

After ending a marriage, one can find solace in many ways. There is the pursuit of experiences thought to have been missed; drinking heavily to drown the sorrow of the expired marriage, or hyper dating. 

If I were to tell you my dealing with said trauma was unique, I would be telling a fib in the first degree. But in this my writing of words, I’m going to dwell on but one of these; hyper dating.

Since I have personally experienced three divorces, my expertise on the subject is substantial with the certificates to prove it. Now don’t get me wrong about the numbers. I’m not that bad of a person, it was just the circumstances that led to the demise of the relationships. At least I come with references!

Dating is a subject that should be controlled with legislation by the ‘Dating Control Board of Canada’. Rules should include heavy penalties for lying about one’s real appearance, age, or if and when one has had a sex change operation.

Entering into the dating world after a lengthy absence is like going from kindergarten to university overnight. The use of heavy doses of prescription medication helps a lot.

During my excursions into the twilight zone, I personally met many aliens pretending to be women.  These dates gave me insight and hope that when things can be this bad, there must be someone out there that doesn’t eat with their fingers.

Unlike many other men that have wandered into the realm of the horrifying area of dating, I survived with minimal battle scars. Fortunately, four years ago I met the most beautiful woman on earth, and we have bonded with intellectual and emotional super glue. Love you Rena!

In summation; if you are going through what I have called the ‘Alternate Dimension of Bilateral Emotional Partner of Permanent Coupling Disorder’, I have one word of advice; ‘Remembertoduck!’

This message has been brought to you by the ‘Learning Institute for the Misaligned Bachelor’. For more information please contact:  www.rednecklearnin’datin’stuffjustbecause.com

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Do Skeptics Really Exist?

 

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                          January 9, 2014

by author Bryce A Baker                            

Do Skeptics Really Exist?

In light of my new book ‘Ghosts of Time’, which is about an extremely skeptic university professor, I had to do this Correct Me If I’m Wrong under the heading of ‘Skeptics’.

Through the thousands of years of human history, there have been the naysayers with closed minds that find anything that doesn’t slap them in the face, is preposterously impossible.

Personally, I feel that undiscovered mysteries or animal species are what keep us investigators chasing the unknown. If everyone had a closed mind like a radical skeptic, we would be pulling the wagon with the horse taking the ride.

The list of subjects that have the pro and con theorist’s squaring off is vast; Bigfoot, UFO’s, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Ghosts, Religious Studies and so on, are shrouded by people that can’t see past their noses. They are unable to understand that there is more than their closed mind and a big world out there.

 What is so hard for them to move past their selfish wall into the possibility of something new?

The strange and wonderful mysteries that keep hyper curious investigators busy, opens the door to better understanding in most cases. Just decades ago, if the average person was asked if it was attainable to land on the moon they would have said “That’s impossible!” I guess that’s why inventors and people with dreams get an extra push when they are told they can’t do it.

Everyone (except skeptics) has had strange, unexplained events at some point in their lives. Most don’t say anything in fear of being thought they have loose bolts. I have been privy to many strange, unexplained events (besides ex- wives!), and telling the stories doesn’t affect my unorthodox thinking. The doctor just keeps doubling my medication, and then I get more book ideas.

This is an excerpt from Ghosts of Time;

‘As children, we are programmed with our first known word and demand. The word is ‘NO’! This word trains and stifles the child’s psychological expansion of a substantial brain function. Their psychological growth is later minimized by labeling any that escaped manipulation as crazy. The mind is a wondrous organ that has infinite ability to stretch what has been confined.’

There are hundreds of new species of insects, and animals discovered every year, but I know… the skeptics say that’s impossible in this day and age.

Now sometimes there are unknown subjects that should be left alone; left without giving an answer to a question that shouldn’t be asked. This is for preservation against discovery abuse.

In summation; even with an open mind, I feel the subspecies of humans known as Skeptics are just a figment of their imagination, unless they can prove otherwise!

 

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                     

Bryce A Baker

 

 

www.bryceabaker.com