One Pensive Mind

The truth is spoken

2009-07-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Officer Attempts to Arrest Paramedic

2009-06-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Second American Revolution

2009-04-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

A Quick Note to Obama

2009-02-26T15:24:00.000-08:00

I like to think my posts are generally calm, measured, and rational. Hopefully I will be forgiven for wanting to tell Obama to just SHUT UP. Go for a run, a swim, take Air Force One for a spin, or maybe read the 1000 page $800 billion spending bill that you signed or the $410 billion spending bill headed your way. I don't really care. Just give the markets a rest and just shut the hell up! Quit preaching your doom and gloom. Every time you do the market declines. We need confidence - not fear and blame.

What happened to your visions of hope and 'change'? The speech is just as eloquent but the message is of irreversible collapse if your way is not followed and the recession that you 'inherited' - as if you were somehow unaware of it during your campaign.

Even better would be for you and congress to shut up and get a job! Quit talking, quit spending my money on studying tattoo removal($200,000) and grape genetics($2.2 million) and go home. After all - serving in congress was meant to be a parttime job.

At least you should be able to perform that $1.8 million dollar study on swine odor without leaving the White House.

DKP

Speaks for itself

2009-02-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

True Colors

2009-02-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

The Power of the Ballot

2008-11-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

It seems every few election cycles Americans need a break from the big issues. We become frivolous- more interested in grand speech than bold action. Now don't get me wrong. I love words and I love lofty ideals. I'm a romantic. When it comes to the day to day business of our nation however speech alone is not enough. Ideals are what we stand for - not the weapons we use to defend them.

President-elect Barack Hussein Obama has been elected- and for the sake of the country - I hope he is a great president. However I can't help but feel the electorate did not truly contemplate the power of their vote. In a trying time they wanted change for the sake of change. Stand on a cliff, put a blindfold on and spin around. You have changed direction. Now walk. You might not fall but how much more comforting would it be to choose with your eyes open?

Did the average voter truly consider the changes that will be made? The changes from capitalism to socialism? The change from patriotism to cosmopolitanism. Did they contemplate the shift away from freedom toward dependence or from strength toward appeasement.

Now I don't think it is the end of the world or the nation will fall. Frankly I don't think we as individuals will notice much difference unless we watch the news constantly. These changes are subtle and longterm and have been occuring for a long time. They would continue regardless of who won. The only difference is the speed in which they occur.

The power of the ballot should not be taken lightly. We should not be easily swayed by elegant speech. We must not vote on emotion alone. We must not become soft in the face of tribulation. We must not choose our leaders with our hands out and eyes closed.

So let's enjoy this period of frivolousness and vanity. Let's take a break from the demanding issues our generation faces. Let's hold our hands out and see what we get. Let's close our eyes and hope for the best. Then next time let us remember the importance and power of our vote. Next time let's open our eyes and consciously choose a path and not just change direction.

DKP

Race, History, and the Election

2008-11-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

There are moments that change the world - events that set the world on a new path. 9/11, Hiroshima, Pearl Harbor, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the stock market crash of 1929, the collapse of the Soviet Union. Points in time where paradigms are shifted - where everything is viewed in a new light and old rules do not apply. We refer to these moments as "making history."

The election of the first black president is not a history making moment. Obama's election is certainly a milestone but it is evidence of changes that have been occurring all along. It offers proof that past discrimination is no longer a barrier. Proof that Americans as a whole couldn't care less what color your skin is. Now perhaps Obama will change history over the next few years but it will have nothing to do with skin color. Sometimes history is not made at the milestone but all the steps in between.

Just for fun but I thought it described me pretty well...

2008-10-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

What Keith Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.

You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.

People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.

You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.

You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.

Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.

Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Your Story

2008-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

You have a soul with a profound yearning to escape the boundaries of your skin. It wants to explore beyond the physical. It is not enough to just know of the loss – it must feel the anguish. It is not enough to see the child's birth – it must experience the joy. It has an unquenchable thirst for the passion of life. Your soul wants to explore the abyss of your darkest thoughts and feelings as well as the summit of your brightest days.

Your soul is inscribed with your experiences – your story. You are the only one who has lived your story. It is a good story. Though it may be a painful one – it is good. Behind the pain are trials. Trials which you have overcome. Trials which have shaped you into who you are. Allow your story to be shared and experienced by others and its goodness will be amplified.

Your soul contains your hopes and dreams and desires which it desperately wants to fulfill. What would it be like to free your soul to seek what it yearns for? What could be obtained if it were allowed to escape the bounds of time and tasks? Where would it take you if it were granted liberty from the prison of safety and expectations? What new chapters in your story would it write if it were given license to do so? Will you ever know?

DKP

Traveling Companions

2008-09-27T18:46:00.001-07:00

Just been thinking about how relationships form and dissipate. Whether it be friends, acquaintances, coworkers or family; we are all travelers progressing the best we can on this journey through time. We enter and exit each others worlds as we each take our own path. Sometimes paths merely cross and we are briefly touched by another. Other times our courses merge and we accompany one another for a while sometimes until one reaches his end and the other must continue. Often these merged paths split once again as traveling partners depart.

Travelers meet and each is transformed – however imperceptible it might be in the beginning. This transformation might be a strengthening of the spirit or possibly something more pernicious. Good or bad the reaction can be subtle or profound. Of course it is when two bodies of one soul discover one another that the greatest transformation is made.

However much we might want to move along the same path with the same companions from beginning to end, the laws of the universe require otherwise. Lives are created and lives are concluded. Events happen, people change, words are misspoken, misdeeds occur and paths diverge. Companions are lost.

How sad the loss can be - yet the transformation remains. Perhaps one companion was simply guiding us to another. Perhaps we were simply meant to help someone through a wilderness and let them go on their way. How peaceful would it be if we could simply enjoy the most of the company while it was there. How thrilling if we could treasure the good moments and learn from the bad. How comforting if we could continue to feel each companions mark which they left on our soul and in that knowledge realize that two paths never completely diverge and companions are never completely lost.

Anyway....just a thought,

DKP

Reality

2008-09-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

-by Keith Perry

May 2007

The alarm blares loudly, jarring him back to consciousness. The man lets out a moan and wishes for one more moment of peace before facing "reality". He sighs as his feet touch the floor. He continues through his morning routine never giving a second thought to his hot shower, abundant breakfast, his wife's kiss, or his teenage son's wave goodbye. As he drives to work, he doesn't know nor would he care about the alcoholic downtown who finally drank his memories away.

The paramedic had seen Al several times before. Always drunk, always dirty, sometimes combative, sometimes unconscious. He didn't know what led Al to drinking. He never really wondered these things except perhaps in passing for a brief moment. All he knew now was that he would not have to transport Al anymore. The coroner would take care of that. The body would probably remain unclaimed for quite a while if not forever. Reality is harsh. As the medics are dispatched to an accident not far away there isn't time for philosophizing.

"This is unreal" the man grumbles to himself about the traffic up ahead. Some non-driving fool obviously caused a wreck and now he's going to be late for work again. While sitting in traffic he turns on the radio to hear the news but quickly tunes it out. Just another shooting in the bad part of town. That's a half-a-world away from the suburb.

The medic allows himself a brief curse as he sees the amount of trauma the infant sustained and the lack of a car-seat. No time to dwell on an innocent life lost as there are several more patients to treat. He hardly notes the screams of both terror and pain as lives end and worlds collapse. He's heard it all before. Curious and annoyed drivers look on as more help arrives and the injured are treated and transported. Before transporting the last patient, the medic looks back one more time at the blanket covering the little girl who died before ever celebrating her first birthday. Reality is irreversible.

The man arrives at work already irritated and already looking forward to lunch. Perhaps he'll treat himself to a steak today. It's been awhile and he deserves it. Especially after the way this day has started.

As the medic stares at Man's depravity firsthand he is appalled once again. Although now an adult, she has been tied to the bed day in and day out since a child. Allowed to eat only enough to keep her alive for more beatings; she is frail and emaciated. Her skull and chest are deformed from beatings received long ago. For a fleeting moment it seems like a horrible scene in a film, but it doesn't get anymore real.

The man heads back to the office. As he passes an ambulance and notes the crew taking a nap, he shakes his head and thinks how nice it would be to get paid to sleep. He quickly replaces that thought with the gratitude for having a "real" job. When back at the office he does his job good enough but his mind is on his vacation which starts tomorrow. He and his wife will be taking a long overdue escape from reality.

There is no such escape for the elderly cardiac patient that lives in the man's neighborhood. His breathing has been getting worse since yesterday as his lungs have been filling with fluid. After calling the medics he decided to use the restroom before going to the hospital. He didn't realize how bad off he was. A proud decorated veteran who once fought Hitler's toughest, he is no longer concerned with dignity or pride as he sits his frail, half naked body down on the floor struggling for each breath. Again the medic arrives and renders aid to the best of his ability. He will live and after a fews days in the hospital will return home. But it will not be long before he succumbs to the reality of time. Reality is unavoidable.

On his way home after a routine day at the office the man spots a column of smoke in the distance. It is not on his route home, therefore no more than a curiosity. His mind quickly returns to what's for dinner and what's on TV tonight. He arrives home and follows the typical ritual of being greeted by the family, catching up on the days events, and eating supper. He then settles in his favorite recliner and turns the television to his favorite "reality" show.

Several miles away a medic looks on as a family is learning the true nature of reality. Their house and all of their belongings are turning to ash and smoke. The firemen work quickly to contain the blaze, but they cannot undo what has been done. Friends and family will provide words of comfort: "Your belongings are replaceable", "At least you're safe". True enough, but somehow not all that helpful. Perhaps they will fully recover. Perhaps the stress will not tear the family apart. Perhaps they will even grow stronger, but it will not occur in a day or a week, or a month. They cannot change the channel or fast-forward through this miserable episode. Reality is constant.

The next day the man and his wife leave for the airport for a much anticipated hiatus. They are going to the mountains for a quiet retreat. It will be a great escape from reality. No work, no kids, no bills, and no stress. Little does he know that upon his return, reality will have a whole new meaning. It will not be a TV show. It will not be someone else's problem. It will not be half-a-world away. It will be all too near and all too dear.

The medic was finishing the paperwork just as the man arrived home with a concerned expression. He had seen the ambulance out front, but it must have been a mistake. He then saw the note on the counter, then the blood on the wall, then the shotgun on the floor, then finally the blanket covering the lifeless body in the chair. His heart was pounding, his skin flushed, his breathing rapid. Everything was a blur. The officers, the medics, the coroner. The medic was speaking to him with a calm voice but it didn't make sense. It wasn't real. It had to be a nightmare. He pleaded with the medic to do something. He brushed pass all of the strangers in his home and pulled the blanket back. He couldn't be sure until he did. The sight was more gruesome than he could have envisioned. He begged the medic again, then pleaded with God. He wasn't asking "Why?" yet. He couldn't do that until he faced up to reality.

A Note on Political Experience...

2008-09-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason. ~Author Unknown

When did we as a nation decide that we are best governed by career politicians? I am sick of both sides pointing out the lack of experience of both Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Barak Obama. How many of the founding fathers had political experience in more than very local affairs?

I am under the impression that the average citizen is fed up with politics as is and has been for a long time. Yet when a nominee from outside the beltway appears, the race becomes all about "been there done that" and "where is your T-Shirt?". We will never get "change" by nominating and voting for those who have made a career of being "there" and doing "that".

As for as the issues; people will vote the way they always do. But what about the person? What about their experience as a tax-payer, commuter, patient, doctor, business-person, teacher, student, or parent? What about their experience as an American citizen?

Now - IF we wish to vote on experience for the chief executive of a great nation – why give much weight to congressmen? This applies for Sen. Obama, Sen McCain, and Sen. Biden. I cringe at the thought of three Senators in a single presidential race. How does the time in the senate give them experience to be President? They are in position to represent their local constituency - not to make executive decisions. They use every political stunt they can to get a bill passed or killed - not to lead. Why don't we put the career politicians of whatever flavor suits us - if they must stay - in congress to get whatever laws we want passed and leave the presidency to those that can lead, make decisions, and perhaps - if it is not too romantic - inspire.

DKP

Sept. 15, 2008