Just Another One of Those Things

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                      July 25, 2014

By published author
Bryce A Baker

                                Just Another One of Those Things

 There is an old saying: It is better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it.

 If that is the case, then I would rather say my piece. Who are they to judge? Besides, making mistakes builds character and it can be rather entertaining.

 Given the fact that I have stuck my foot in my mouth thousands of times as well as wiggled my toes in the process, I feel that I am more than qualified to write on the subject.

 I have ADHD, better referred to as ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder’, partnered with fifty percent hearing loss. If that isn’t an open invitation for an intellectually stimulating verbal anomaly, nothing is. My interpretation of conversation content can range from the mundane to psychologically analyzing the meaning of life itself. Sometimes these conversations actually include another person… which after reading their lips, considering their body language and eye movement, the aforementioned saying about silence should be incorporated into my lifestyle. 

 Yesterday I had the privilege of having a conversation with a fellow that is in his forties and is diagnosed with ‘Functional Autism’. It is commonly understood that people with “LABELS” are a subspecies created for isolation and to be subtly ignored, but in fact, as we discussed, our “LABELS” are a gift from God to wreak havoc on the rest of the population. He is a very intelligent person with a high degree of intellectual abilities. So he may operate slightly different from mainstream society, but what he has to say should not be kept silent behind a social misunderstanding.

 Most people see me as someone that could never be interpreted as hyper, but if they make the mistake of pushing the hazard button on my forehead, Lookout, because my voice box goes into overdrive! After all the years of being a detective I trained to be in control to keep my feet on the ground and my tongue silent. Now that I have retired from that career, the wake of victims is piling up. It is like being freed from the harness of taciturnity.

 So what is my point and case? Well, I am trying to justify my mistakes in an illogical misalignment of character excuses to make myself feel better. It seems to be working because no one wants to talk with me anymore!

 To summarize. We are all different, with personalities and labels of many types, so why shut up. Maybe if we are honest, (within reasonable parameters) communicate more and let blister with what is on our mind, there would be less assumption with ascension to understanding.

 This be my lesson for the day. Now go forth and be loud and don’t worry, just be able to run really fast.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

 Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

Hackers

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                                           

By published author
Bryce A Baker
                               Hackers

I have a thorn in my shoe that is shared by the whole world. It affects our economy and national security with damages that are in the billions. It disrupts our peace and serenity… and believe me, I need all the serenity I can muster. They desecrate our private identity by robbing our names for financial gain.

Recently, some low life had hacked into one of my Facebook pages and like in the past, as most have had to deal with, there were viruses and interruptions of proper computer function.

There are three creatures that top my list of social maggots. First, are child molesters; second are pimps; and following in close proximity, are hackers.

These slimy rejects from society have plagued us since the beginning. They don’t have a personality, or enough character to function in a regular employment and choose to share their inadequacy to prove their worthlessness.

There are three types of hackers; First is the ‘competitive’ loser that competes to land government jobs to work firewalling other idiots from hacking systems; Then there are the companies that hack, and then sell you an antivirus system; Last and not least, the maggots that can’t even find a girlfriend, let alone a life. They spend hours, causing damage to others because they have no other life. As far as I am concerned, they are the typical bully with a severe case of inadequacy and insecurity. In my terms, maggots! That is insulting a maggot, my apologies to the M.R.A. (Maggot Rights Association).

To excel in computer tech abilities is a great accomplishment for progressive or positive social development. When the PC was presented to us, we became more business friendly with the world, dissolving borders.

The drug cartels are pursuing the extremely lucrative avenue of computer fraud through identity theft, credit card fraud or any crevice in the open market. They have discovered that they are hidden by an electronic freeway with no speed limit, or cop to find them in the maze.

There needs to be stronger force, and for that matter, ‘Law’ able to charge these creatures with  fraud, and whatever else they can be charged with that is more severe than their crime. Or, if they would slither out from under their moldy rock, I would be more than willing to have a ‘discussion’ with them in person.

If I were an alien from another planet, I would look at the world as too corrupt to waste my time coming to invade, befriend or hook up to their internet.

So to all those that have been burned by our subspecies of Neanderthal, let us stand firm… be patient, for one day a bolt of lightning will surge through all the internet and strike the hackers where it will hurt worst… a power outage.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

What If

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                         

By published author

Bryce A Baker

What If

When I was eighteen I moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada with intent to go to college. My alternate plan if this didn’t work, was to go south to the States and join the Air Force to become a fighter pilot. As fate grabbed hold of my life, plans dramatically took their own direction.

Rena and I were discussing what things would have been like if I had, in fact, joined the Air Force and done a tour of duty in Vietnam. First thing she said was that we would have never met to be together now. But comparing notes, that may not have been the case. Because, unbeknownst to each other, we had actually crossed paths at least four times. We even talked once when I was doing an art show in Abbotsford in 1996.

To question what has been, or what could have been, is a perplexing dilemma. Over history, it is my belief that we may think we are in control of our daily events, but all we do is row the boat. What I mean by this is that we can plan, employ and walk in one direction with meaning, but our destiny seems to have a life of its own. This is the great building block of experience, adventure, and the incredible reality of the unknown.

Looking back personally through the pain, the glory, the explosion of adventure, there is no place for me to question a single moment. My destiny had two of the greatest gifts given to me: My son was born, and Rena ‘invaded’ my quiet phase of life! So, although mistakes and bad judgements may ruffle one’s feathers on occasion, or danced at the top of success, I do have one thing I can say for certain; I can’t hide from Rena!

As I wrote before, dwell not on what has been, but with lesson for the future.

 In closing; ‘What if’ is not an option, but an excuse for not paying attention to one’s growth.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Testimony

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                                               June 13, 2014

By published author
Bryce A Baker

       Testimony

Six years ago, the clutch blew in my ’89 Chev 4x4. She was tired and ready for the Boneyard, but I figured even though she was in that rough of shape, I would give her a new chance at life. I took her to the shop and tore her apart, down to the bare frame, and started the restoration. Because of the other projects, she was sidelined many times, so it took this long to finish the rebuild.

Through the fifteen hundred plus hours, she fought back, causing me bloodshed and injuries. Her resistance lasted to the very end, testing my patience; But, she is now with new life and attitude.

This story of restoration isn’t that different from my personal story. Like most others, life has torn at the soul and body; with time things can just overwhelm.

Fortunately, the good Lord looked down on me through my pits and valleys, never giving up on me. Instead of letting me terminate and to be sent to the Boneyard, He slowly regenerated my spirit. My body has taken a beating, and bodywork or a paint job just won’t cut it, but considering, a retreaded soul, I keep standing.

 I fought back like the ’89, with resistance to the restoration. I doubted with a stubborn denial that change can be brought to the light.

Now, the ’89 will still bring me grief and be stubborn, but no matter what, I will keep her safe. I will be there for her through all the trials and tribulations.

Today I give thanks for the good Lord who has never given up on me; being there forever.

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

Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

Hell Driven

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                    May 30, 2014

By published author

Bryce A Baker

Hell Driven

One of the most publicly dangerous violations of safety is a lunatic in a stolen car.

Most aren’t aware of the gravity of how horrible these acts of theft can escalate into. Aside from the car thief that steals for profit, there is the ‘joy rider’. No matter which, they are a loaded gun waiting to be fired at an unsuspecting population.

When a thief steals a vehicle, the chance of a police pursuit is a possibility, which brings up a controversial subject. Some feel that law enforcement should not pursue in consideration of public safety. In other words, give the thieves a clear path to freedom to do whatever they want. Through the years, pursuit training for police officers has greatly changed with substantial protocols set in place for the safety of the public. Pursuits are necessary for a number of reasons due to the long list of crimes that take place involving motor vehicles.

If a driver fails to pull over when instructed, and a chase is initiated, I feel the driver of the vehicle should be charged with a threat level charge according to the severity of the event. This means that if it is a driver trying to shake the cop in a short trip away from sanity, then it would be a lesser ‘Felony’ charge. But if the driver is trying to elude by any means and an extreme threat, they should be charged with attempted murder, because they are premeditating the result.

The variations of why and how are many, so the punishment should match the crime. Anyone that decides to run has no thought for anyone’s life other than their own.

In 1993 I was in a felony pursuit of a middle aged woman that had a psychotic episode. I picked up the pursuit after she ran a city bus off the road, and me as an oncoming. The pursuit was nearly forty minutes long and soon escalated to a highway pursuit with more than ten cruisers. She severely damaged six cruisers and wrote off a unit that was placed across her path to stop her carnage. She almost hit a cyclist as well. The lady was placed in a hospital for sixty days for psychiatric evaluation and released with the diagnosis that she had a brief breakdown. No charges could be given because of the diagnosis. She was given her driver’s license back.

So it is my understanding, that for public safety, the bad guys need to be pursued in proper safety and levy a severe charge as a deterrent. Too many families have lost loved ones because a creature behind the wheel of an instrument of transportation and turned into a lethal weapon.

There needs to be a charge of attempted murder for anyone that steals a vehicle, pursuit or not! It isn’t a joke or a joy ride; it is a crime!

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

 

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Deadly Taxes

CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                                    May 16, 2014

By published author

Bryce A Baker

Deadly Taxes

A visit to the gas pump today, again reminded me of how brutally the Canadian public is getting screwed. As on schedule, the gas companies shot the prices up just before a long weekend. If any in this country we live in, feel that what we are getting shafted by is acceptable, then they are not just sheep; they are STUPID sheep. We produce more than enough crude in this country to provide a reasonable price per litre and stimulate our economy back, so there isn’t the manipulated sense of financial security. Right after I pay and prepare to fuel my vehicle, I feel that bending over to let the oil company and government taxes finish the job, is almost mandatory.

Although this is my beef to start, it isn’t my only thought of the day. It comes to mind that, we the people are the ones that vote for leadership in all areas of government, from municipal to federal and yet we have virtually no say as to which cattle prod they use on us. Coming from my background, I know exactly what goes on behind our backs. A small example is the mayor of Toronto.

When we pay more for fuel, the chain reaction affects everything in our lives that is transported; which is everything. We don’t have extra in our paycheck to do fun things, or even support our children in a manner comparable to our employment. There used to be a middle class of wage earners, but now if your household earns under 80,000 dollars a year you are in the poor end of the spectrum. It is poor or very rich with no buffer between. From a business stand point we are being bankrupted.

Looking from a government standpoint, they present us with taxes to support the infrastructure we need to survive in today’s world. This is a reasonable understanding, but when the taxes exceed the income by ludicrous amounts, it means the infrastructure is supporting pockets that don’t feel putting food on the family table is important.

The Lottery was brought in originally to help take some burden off the tax payer to support essential services and reduce debt. If a jackpot can exceed 40 million, there has to be a gigantic intake of funds, but I don’t see any REAL funds making changes, ANYWHERE!

So let’s take into account; fuel tax, lottery, income tax, provincial tax, federal tax, land tax, water tax, environment tax, and on and on and on and on, we should have an infrastructure that would be the envy of the world. OH!!! There is a tax that is rather humorous; it is the death tax. Apparently when you die, someone from Revenue Canada crawls into your coffin demanding to get paid for letting you die.

Some years ago New Zealand was on the brink of bankruptcy. They came up with a solution and in just two years restored a good economy. They levied a 10 percent tax and made radical changes in the money base in a business structured arrangement. The structure is too simple for our government to understand so I won’t overwhelm them with the details, and it would impede their spending habits.

I would write more but there is word out that our government is considering taxing us for using our computers, and besides I feel very emotionally taxed right now.

In closing I have no ill feelings for the oil companies that are killing our economy or our government that is choking us to death; and beyond. I am but a sheep following the idiot with the label of leadership.

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

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Butt of a Sick Joke

CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG!                  May 3, 2014

By published author

Bryce A Baker

Butt of a Sick Joke

Over the last couple of decades or more, the fashion trend for some young males has taken on a life of its own. Personally, I feel it is an insult to masculinity and intelligence; I speak of the sagging pants. They are exposing more than their butts.

Out of curiosity, I did extensive research and found some interesting information.

The lowered waist band originated, without a doubt, in the American prison system where it was reported that belts were not allowed to be worn and as a result pants drooped, some lower than others. Now, from what I understand as well, the look signified an ownership by another inmate for sex.

Now I know what you are asking, and I am not going into details!

The sub culture of street youth adopted the look to portray their outlaw attitude. Then came the rap music persona, and so on, and so on… We all know how much of a grab it has had, and maintains on the rebel youth of today.

Setting aside the meaning of the fashion statement, I found that getting in a foot pursuit with one of these youths is rather ironic. Given the fact that they are relating to their counterparts in the prison system, they can’t outrun a cop when they are attempting to keep their britches up and not tripping over them. Since their mentors are that of their ‘friendly buddies’ in jail, they will get the opportunity to truly understand what they are in for within the walls of a prison.

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in relationship to how a person presents themselves, does, in my opinion, outline how and what their personalities are. To each their own expression of how they dress, but speaking from extensive experience on the street, and criminally analyzing those who perpetuate street crime; they do have a uniform along with a specific look.

With that said; I was working an undercover gig in Victoria in the mid ‘80s. I wandered into an all-night restaurant for a coffee in early hours, and sat at the counter… and sat… and sat. Finally, the manager came up and refused service to me because he assumed I was a street criminal. In a way it was comical but it points out that either I fit the part I played or maybe I have an alternate lifestyle.

I feel it isn’t a given right to walk down a public street looking like one has messed their pants or has an exhibitionistic fetish. It is not an expression of a positive contribution to our world. It is an expression of violence, crime, ‘gangsta’ and a disregard for those around them!

Anyway… there is an old saying;

If you sag, don’t brag.

If you steal, you can’t appeal.

For later or sooner, you will have a new spooner.

Your cell will be crowded. Your life will be forever clouded.

So pull your pants up and be a man.

Okay… I made it up!

Please… CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG!

 

Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com