Collateral Damage: Justifying the unjustifiable.

Just because a government says, "We deeply regret the bombing" or "We suspected so and so group to be inside," it is still deliberate. It's deliberate because Intelligence is mighty fine enough to know the difference and pin-point the EXACT coordinates of the person they want to target. Presidents have been killed, with NO ONE near them being touched. It was not right, but look how strategic the act was. Small genocide, big genocide or accidental genocide. A genocide is a genocide. The hate and terror needs to stop. Both sides open your hearts, open the borders, be fair, be just, better circumstances and conditions can turn thugs into real people. It's just like a family who never receives justice from the government, so they personally go after the person who hurt their loved one. It is still terror. I do NOT support it, but that is how terror starts. Stop the oppression, stop teaching hate, do NOT impose things forcefully on people and maybe, JUST MAYBE, the future will hold something better.


‪#‎palestine‬ ‪#‎gaza‬ ‪#‎israel‬ ‪#‎unitednations‬ ‪#‎warcrimes #justice 

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: The problem, The solutions condensed.

As I have stated before about the situation, "If you are smart enough to create weapons capable of destroying the human body, then you are smart enough to find a better solution."  Secondly, when you have terrorists or militia in hiding near civilians, there MUST be an alternative to an attack, ESPECIALLY if you are near a church, hospital, shelter, etc. This has become a situation where there is no real refuge, regardless of how many sirens and warnings people are given.  Thirdly, the Arabs are not working hard enough together, and the Palestinian government is unjust.  So what happens?  You indirectly create terror in your own country.  For instance, if you know of a family who was hurt by someone and was NEVER reprimanded, some seek justice on their own.  This is the same thing.  It is NOT right, but I understand.  I do NOT support it, but I understand.  The situation is messy: the governments (Palestinian and Israeli) are no good, the "Right of Return" for the Jews has become a matter of kicking a Palestinian out of their home after one command, an Independent Palestinian government and airport is being denied by Israel, and so on and so forth.  It is a mess, from the neighboring countries all the way to the civilians being massacred.   So what is the solution?  There are a few: 1) Share the land and be fair about it.  2) Be the bigger person.  Be the smarter person (based on morale that is).  3) Keep human rights in mind and religion/right of return to the side for a minute.  4) Any superpower (especially the United States) needs to keep its nose out of everyone's business.  The moment you make someone stronger than you, the more likely they will attack you or seek vengeance for unjust policies, thus, turning you into minor-power (not a superpower).  There are more solutions, but the main ones were mentioned.  It is easier said than done.  However, if you think it is "easier said than done" when it involves a humanistic approach, then you are sick.  Sick to the point where you have to ponder and question a solution that involves humanity.  There should be no question.  Thus, this makes the strongest solution called "Humanity," better known as "brotherly love," "fraternity," "kindness," "sympathy" and "mercy."   If you have never used those words in a treaty, a truce or a solution, then I pray to a God that you do.

Palestine and Israel

Currently, what's going on between Palestinians and Israelis is utter disaster. Is this about land and religion? If that's the case, then EVERYONE owes EVERYONE: The US owes the Native Americans, the Turks owe the Armenians, The Germans owe the Jews, the Jews owe Palestinians, and so on and so forth. So stop. It's NOT my land, it's not yours either. The same clay that you were made from and walk on, is the EXACT same clay that will cover my body and yours one day. Finally, as Katharine Hepburn once said, "If I do good, I should feel good. If I do bad, then I should feel bad. If I cannot tell the difference, then I am sick. That is my religion."

#palestine #israel #gaza #hope #peace #stop #truce #change 

No more moping around.

I walk over two guests, one of them in a wheelchair.   They were both adamant about sitting at the bar and I was more than happy to seat them there.  I asked the young lady in the wheelchair if she wanted me to help her get on a bar stool.  She said, "Yes, please."

As I looked at them from the host stand every now and then, their fun was undoubtedly genuine.  But my soft spot for the young lady only grew when she turned to the bartender and said, "I love this.  This is all I wanted." 

For years, I have ALWAYS had an appreciation for people who have to physically make an effort to go out.  Mainly because they make the most out of their stay.  But today was different.  When I heard the lady mention how happy she was, my appreciation for her grew.  Unfortunately, my disappointment for the people who mope around and complain incessantly about things they have control over also grew.  The people who can get up and effortlessly do things for themselves, are usually the ones first to complain.  And those who have to make the effort, are the ones who make life seem effortless and not worthy of a complaint.  

Isn't life interesting.

The Cheaters

My heart is so heavy today.

My week was already on a rough start and basically doing a mighty fine job of keeping it that way.  To the point where I barely slept for days at a time, tossing and turning, and waking up with chest pains.

Then I come into work and my heart was relieved.  Relieved at the expense of someone else's hardship and pain.  I wasn't sure whether I should feel happy that I was finally relaxed for the first time in over a week, or should I mourn for the person who took away my pain.  The same person who just proved to me that if I had it bad, she had it worse.  And rightfully so.

As I was at the host stand, letting time pass me by, fanning myself with a Happy Hour menu, a young lady in a nurse outfit walks in and asks for "Jill."  Let's call her Jill to help protect her and everyone else too.

I respond to the young lady and say, "I'm so sorry, Jill is gone for the day."  Then she says, "Sarah."  I say, "Yes, Sarah is here.  Let me get her."

The young lady takes Sarah to a corner of the restaurant and begins to cry.  There she was.  Pregnant.  Crying.  Losing control.  Losing control of everything she apparently has tried to build and hold on to.  Crumbling and turning to sand.  I stand there wondering what was going on.  Resting my chin on my hand, staring and waiting.  

My manager interrupts "Sarah" and tells her, "It's down to closers."  So she wraps up her conversation with the young lady, only to continue her story with one of the bartenders.

As Sarah walks to the back of the restaurant, I walk with her.  Intrigued, but concerned.  Hungry for the story, but not happy with the tears I saw earlier.  It's as if I wanted a story to help take away some of my pain.  As if I wanted the world to prove to me that it wasn't just me with problems.  And that's exactly what I got.

That young pregnant woman in the nurse outfit, is the current wife of a former server at that restaurant.  It turns out that he was having an affair with another former server (who was also married with children).  Let's call her Trisha.

Trisha was all about family, faith and saving face.  I can even attest to that.  But there was something dissuading about the incessant reminders about how much she loved her family, husband and children.  Personally, I live by the motto: "If you have to talk about it all the time, then you probably don't have it or live by it."

Anyways, I continue to get more information out of "Sarah."  She tells me that the affair has been going on for a while and the young lady being cheated on, surrendered to the people whom she thought were her enemies (i.e, her husband's coworkers).  She AND Trisha's husband ("Mike") hired a private investigator to help prove that Trisha and the young lady's husband were cheating.

As soon as I begin to reminisce about Shania Twain's story, little did I know that even Shania had a better ending than the young lady.  When Trisha was with her 1st husband, she was cheating on him with Mike (her soon-to-be and current husband).  But at that time, Mike knew very well that Trisha was married.

Thus, finding a faithful couple to help make this story better seemed inevitable.  It seemed that that young lady was standing alone.  And little does Mike know that his last child may not be his.

The more the story unraveled, the calmer I got.  I got calm, but cold.  I eventually sat down, far away from the host stand, thinking about how horrid this story was.  How stressful this story was.  How heavy this story will be.

Here is a pregnant working woman, trying to deal with a soon-to-be broken family.  With no one on her side, but a husband who cheated with a married woman (only to be cheated on now).  Who do you trust and who do disregard?  Who do you forgive and who do you side with?  Who is who?

Freedom and Democracy

"I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."

-Frank Zappa.

People just don't get it.

It is so interesting how hateful people become right when you give your employer notice that you're leaving.

Some wish you well, some are genuinely hurt and unfortunately for them, some return to their old habits: trying to make your exit awkward.  But what's the point?

For instance, last night, a guest walked in and I greeted her.  Her and I began talking until one of the managers interrupted me and re-greeted the guest.  The phone began to ring and I simply took the phone-call, only knowing that the guest was obviously taken by another individual.

A few minutes later, a female manager walks over and tells me, "Just an FYI, if you're talking to a guest and the phone rings, just let the phone ring...don't ignore the guest."  I said, "Uh, no one ignored anyone.  We were interrupted and I took the phone call.  I was no longer speaking to the guest.  I was rudely interrupted."
She (the same manager), gives me a disappointed look and said, "I figured that's what happened."

Today, I was approached by the Events Coordinator and she said, "I heard about last night."  I said, "What did you hear?"  She said, "[he] said you 'rudely' ignored the guest to take a phone call."  Before I even say what really happened, the events coordinator says, "It's all a lie."

So what is the point.  What is the point in lying and making up fairy-tale stories.  What is the point in re-creating animosity and hatred, when a worker is leaving in less than 4 weeks.  What is the point in causing trouble for a person who has given guests too much than he should have.  You are getting nothing out of it.

This blog is less of a vent and more of a question that asks, "Are people really that petty?"  I guess they are and people like that will never change.  The people who have shown you nothing but love and respect, will always remain that way.  And the people who live for damage, will always be that way, only damaging themselves in the long-run.  It's like a sickness; an ailment that has been suppressed for so long that was forced to come out.  For people like that, I cannot wish you ill nor well either.