Changing our National Anthem, plus some brain-puking.

It is being reported on several news sites that the Canadian House of Commons is debating changing a line O Canada from "In all thy sons command," to something a little more gender neutral.

To the Honourable Member who brought this bill forward:

Pull your head out of your ass and take a look around you.

- We have hunger at home and abroad

- We have increased crimes of desperation because of the terrible economy.

- People want the right to become one with the Force on their own terms.

- Confidence in our leaders is at an all-time low.

- Trust in our police officers is at an all-time low.

- There is still a gigantic wildfire in northern Alberta, with about 100,000 Canadians displaced.

- While the economy is already terrible, one of the country's economic powerhouses is pretty well out of business until the fire is dealt with and Fort McMurray is rebuilt.

- Donald Trump might be the next POTUS

- Mexican drug cartels are coming up with new ways to infiltrate Canada, and they're bringing their violence with them.

- Our allies have lost respect for us because of our current stance on ISIS.

- Education costs are way too high.

- Our post-secondary education system teaches too much unnecessary crap for a degree.

- Health care wait times are terrible.

- People are still arrested and charged with impaired driving every day, so obviously we aren't deterring anything with the current system.

- Repeat offenders keep going free and offending again, to the point of premeditated murder of citizens and police.

- So many more REAL problems.

With all this going on in the world around you, your government wants to bring attention to the attention whores who want their 15 minutes of fame for bitching about the wording of one line in the national anthem? Get your priorities straight.

We live in a society where we think we can make people obey the law by passing more laws. People are able to rob others because they know victims are taught to comply for their own safety. We wear pink t-shirts once a year to signify the repugnance of bullying, yet we don't teach our children how to survive bullies. Our young adults are weaker and less healthy than they've ever been, because they aren't active enough and they have only enough time to each something quick, cheap, and easy, like macaroni and cheese.

We are becoming a society of victims.

As individuals, it's time to stand up. Get on your feet and make a decision to make our country a better place. Pay attention to what's happening in government, and tell your representative how you feel about it. Teach your children how to stand up to a bully. Teach your children they MUST stand up to a bully, even if they aren't the ones being bullied. Make the decision to stop the man with the knife robbing the liquor store, even if it's just by making a lot of noise and throwing bottles at him.

Accept your complicity if you see wrongdoings and allow them to happen.

Every citizen of Canada has the right to be heard by their government. If you see the police enforcing a law you disagree with, your beef is not with the police. Your beef is with your local political representative. Change the law. If you do have a beef with the police, write a letter to their superiors. Get off your ass and do something.

Keyboard warriors create modern lynch mobs from behind the safety of their computer monitors. If they don't like something someone said or did according to a 150 word article, they actively try to destroy the person's life through cyberbullying, sending flaming messages, and even pressuring their employer to remove their livelihood to punish their entire family for something they said or did. All this from behind the anonymity of the internet mob. If you don't like something, get off your ass and go handle it. Learn the whole story before reacting.

I'm very concerned about the direction we're headed. Our people are getting weaker, the stupid are getting louder, the dangerous are getting braver, and we are handicapping our peacekeepers because we think rainbows make effective weapons against evil.

Please think on this. Please don't stop at thinking on this. Please get off your ass and do something about it. Write an email to your Member of Parliament. Write a letter to your Member of the Legislative Assembly. Call your City Alderman. Stop by the police station and ask to go on a ride along. Speak up when something uncool is happening. You have the power to create change. Use that power for something positive.

Why I Call Myself a Jedi

I take part in religious discussions almost as often as political ones. Inevitably,  this leads people to become curious about my  own faith, and for several years  I’ve claimed to be a Jedi. Invariably, this causes people to look at me funny. What varies is the meaning in the look. Sometimes it’s accusing me of being a wise-ass, sometimes it’s judging me to be a Star Wars fanboy. Either way, it destroys all my credibility on the topic and kills the conversation. While I can be a bit of a wise-ass, and I do like Star Wars, neither of these is the case. I’ve put a lot of thought into this version of faith. To understand how I came to this decision, you first must understand how I define God, and then how I interpret the Old Testament and the New.
God is not some dude sitting on a throne in the clouds with a righteous beard, as he is often depicted in pop culture. I think this is how churchgoers, Hollywood, and even preachers have come to picture him over the centuries. Not that I think our religious leaders picture him as the only 5-fingered character in the Simpsons, but they picture him as physically a man. The Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a depiction of 3 separate entities that function interchangeably and simultaneously. Of course God must be a man, because we were created in His image, right? I’ll come back to that.
God is an intangible entity. God is love. God is goodness. God is life. You cannot see Him, but you can see evidence of Him, and if you open your heart and mind, you can feel Him. He is in everything, and every person. He is your conscience, your good idea, your urge to hold someone who is crying. The Chinese concept of chi is actually more accurate than the Western idea of a man. When we were created in His image, it doesn’t mean we were created with our eyes, hands, toes, and buttocks in the same place as the Almighty. This means we were created with His love, goodness, life, and conscience.
God’s angels in similar fashion, are not winged humans. That is an artistic representation by Michelangelo that was adopted by the subconscious of western culture. Angels are agents of God. They are his fingers, working for the goodness and love that is God. When someone feels like something isn’t quite right, so they check it out, that is angelic inspiration. When the investigate, find someone in need of help, and help them, they are an angel for the time being. If you’ve been stranded on the side of the road, but someone stops to help change your tire, you were helped by an angel.
The Bible is also very much taken too literally. If you’ve ever opened it, you’ve noticed it is subdivided into Testaments, Books, chapters, and verses. These individual verses are then taken out of context, studied, and argued about. Wars have been fought over individual verses of the Bible. The Old Testament was written by barely literate Hebrews living in the desert, based on divine inspiration and their own spin on life. It was written by them, and for them. Genesis, the story of creation, was written in such a way they could understand. There’s no way to explain eons, dinosaurs, ice ages, and evolution to them. If you lie the timelines of Creation and the Big Bang side by side, they look pretty similar. First, there was nothing, and God said, “Let there be light.” First, there was chaos in the form of an electron field, until electrons managed to bump into each other at just the right force and angle that a photon was created. It continues from there. Leviticus was written to help them survive and prosper. At the time, procreation was absolutely necessary for survival, so homosexuality was a bad thing. Tattoos were forbidden because they would die of hepatitis. The New Testament was written after Jesus of Nazareth denounced the old teachings, and the old churches, and taught his followers that times had changed and that it’s okay to not fight. It’s preferable to love one another.
Sometimes, we forget that science and religion are not exclusive of each other. Science is a method of study and discovery, not a belief system. Science has neither proven nor disproven the existence of God. It has proven the existence of goodness, and love, and conscience. That is God. That is the intangible entity that is God. That is the intangible force that makes us want to do good things. That intangible force is simplified to the Force, and my belief in that doesn’t make me a Christian in the traditional sense of the word, so I don’t identify with that definition. What can you call a man that believes in, and strives to understand, commune with, and serve the Force? The only way I could answer that question is: I am a Jedi.

Why I Hate Gender Neutrality

At the risk of being offensive, I'm going to share my feelings on the Alberta government's new "gender neutral" policies.

I believe strongly in equal importance of the sexes, and I believe that men and women's respective strengths and weaknesses complement each other in a yin-yang effect that is important to embrace for a successful and happy life.

I believe that men and women are intellectual equals. Women are naturally more compassionate, and men are naturally more analytical. This makes for an excellent balance in a society of equal rights.

I believe men are more physically suited for hard labour. Women are more physically suited for administrative, academic, or domestic roles. I say this while I work in an administrative role and I am the main cook at home, so I am fully aware that this is an over-generalization, but that doesn't make it less true. I'm definitely better suited to go throw square bales into the back of a truck than my wife is. This is true for most couples. Men's domination of leadership roles is strictly a leftover of the patriarchy, but is slowly lessening.

I believe that being a manly man is something to strive for and be proud of. I believe that being a womanly woman is something to strive for and be proud of. Being a manly man includes being in complete control of (sometimes out of touch with) his emotions, being a leader, some form of physical prowess, commanding the respect of betters, peers, and subordinates in equal measure, being able to put food on the table, and being responsible for the protection of loved ones. I also appreciate the "rites to manhood" like swimming in a mountain river, snaring food, hunting, fishing, camping, building fires, shaving, growing a beard, etc. I'll admit complete ignorance in what it takes to be a womanly woman, but I think it has something to do with being awesome in ways that I can't fathom while still having time to do her hair, but I don't know. I don't think men are meant to understand that. However, men can still tell on a subconscious level how womanly a woman is, and respect her for that.

I believe it is a positive thing to encourage children to learn to be manly men and womanly women. It's more important to encourage happiness of course, but there's nothing wrong with gender roles! My very young son likes to wear nail polish. That's fine, when he's old enough I'm still going to teach him how to sharpen a hunting knife. He'll just have to take it off when he's learning how to stalk a deer because I don't want the deer to smell it.

I believe the best successes are had in parenthood when there is a mother and father both in the household. Single parents or same-sex couples can do just fine, but I think it's more difficult for them.

I believe male and female emotions are very different in how they must be managed. It's a man's job to teach his son how, and a woman's job to teach her daughter how. This is one of the most important lessons of parenthood, because understanding the difference between delayed satisfaction and instant gratification can be the difference between a happy, successful life, or incarceration.

I believe that males and females should only be nude in the same room if they are consenting adults, or young children who don't know the difference but are accompanied by a trusted guardian. Adult men and women want to be nude together? Cool, where's the hot tub? Adults think it's okay to put boys and girls in the same change room? Nope, and I'll take a hard line on that.

I believe it is wrong to compel the overwhelming majority to make lifestyle changes for the comfort of a small minority. The minority must be protected from harm, and they are free to do what they wish as long as it hurts no one. However, it is up to the minority to adapt and compromise, not the other way around.

What I Want From My Government

I think of myself as a free market socialist. Here's what I want from my government:

- Stay out of my life. It's not your business what I put into my body, or do/have in my home. However, if you ask politely, and have a legitimate reason, I'll gladly give your agents a tour.
- Stay out of my business. Unless it has a direct effect on public safety, what I sell and how isn't your concern. How I run my business and what I'm willing to pay is also none of your concern, unless I am doing evil, like defrauding my customers, employees, or tax collectors.
- Keep me safe. Give police and military the training and tools necessary to protect me from people who would do me and mine harm. Allow them to perform their function, and hold them accountable with fair consideration for the position they're in.
- Don't waste time and resources. Pass legislation that makes sense and has a purpose. Don't just pass laws to keep the media saying nice things about you.
- Educate me. Education certainly isn't my right, but it is an investment that will almost always pay huge dividends to the community.
- Keep me healthy. Also not a right, but definitely an investment in the community. I can't contribute if I'm ill or injured, so give me a boost.
- Tax me fairly, in a way that makes sense. Current taxation is far too complicated. How many resources are wasted in simply interpreting the policies and procedures?

Know What You're Voting FOR

I have noticed a trend floating around social media. Canadians are displeased with Stephen Harper. Every time someone posts something about the Liberals or the NDP, it says, "Vote for [insert party] because Harper..." This is very dangerous.

Everyone forgets that you can't vote against Harper. In fact, you can't vote against anyone or anything. You have to vote FOR someone. Who are you voting for, and why? You don't have to answer the question for me, you have to answer the question for yourself. If you can't answer that question without the word "Harper" in the answer, then you're voting for the wrong reasons.

Don't vote NDP because you're mad at Harper.
Vote NDP because you want higher taxes, believe there aren't bad guys hiding among the refugees that want into Canada, you want to spend $1 billion so rifle owners who already have licenses should have to register their rifles, and you believe the Canadian economy will flourish without primary industries like logging, oil, and food production. Everyone needs higher wages, not jobs!

Don't vote Liberal because you're mad at Harper.
Vote Liberal because you want to legalize weed, pay higher taxes, negotiate with people whose only desire is your death, and you also support higher taxes and a $1billion registry to tell police that licensed gun owners do, in fact, own guns.

Don't vote Green because you're mad at Harper.
Vote Green because you believe that Elizabeth May was the only one in Parliament to vote against the mission in Syria, not because she's wrong, but because she's the only one who isn't. Also, oil pipelines are bad because trains don't actually do any damage when they derail.

Please, vote Conservative. Then, call your MP and tell him/her why you almost didn't, so they don't piss you off again. Get involved. Speak to your representative once in a while. If that doesn't work, then vote for someone who will listen to your phone calls.

Retraining our Society of Victims is Necessary for Survival

When I was studying Terrorism Survival and Crime Survival, we learned the difference between a soft target versus hard target, and a low value target versus a high value target. The worst situation of course is to be a soft target of high value.

Now, you take a soft target like a Pokemon tournament. Typically not very high value, so you don't need to worry, right? Wrong, apparently. Whiny little bitches who haven't been taught how to manage their emotions now target places like schools, movie theatres, and goddamn Pokemon tournaments just to make themselves feel better.

What's the world coming to? It's coming to a place where the criminals are treated like the victims because they had shitty upbringings. The police are neutered by both the court of law and the court of public opinion, so they are completely powerless to protect us. Simultaneously, our legislators continue to pass laws restricting our rights and abilities to protect ourselves from the bad guys. We don't learn to stand up to bullies in school anymore. We're taught to comply in an armed robbery. Our emergency response procedures involve appeasement and cooperation. The bad guys are being given all the cards.

If we change how we think, if we make the conscious choice as a collective to stand up to bullies, we can make a real difference. I don't just mean stand up to bullies when you're being bullied, but when anyone is being bullied. That is the best way to discourage bullying. Youth suicides will all but stop, because they will feel safe and protected.

Continue this new mindset to the "real world." If everyone makes the conscious decision to stop the armed robber when he shows up, they'll stop. If everyone makes the decision to learn how to defend themselves, when someone shows up to shoot up the Pokemon tournament, someone is going to stop him before the body count gets high.

We learn in biology class about the Fight or Flight response to fear. There is a third option: Submit. The accurate response to fear is Fight, Flight, or Submit. I think you'll find that in most situations, people will simply submit. This is partly because of how we're hardwired, but this is also largely because of the society of victims that we are raising. Everything is always someone else's fault. Blame society. Blame the Jews. Blame the government. Blame the police. Blame the whites. Stop it. Stop being pussies and take it by the horns. It's on you to fix the problem. Do you know what to do if you're standing in line for the bank teller and someone pulls out a gun? Are you going to submit? Probably.

I'll probably submit, too. Any level of martial artist, soldier, or police officer out of uniform and in that situation will probably submit. The difference between us and most of you is that while we submit, we'll be looking for a tactical advantage. If and when we find that tactical advantage, that sunuvabitch will no longer be an entity unto himself. We will own him.

The world needs more people who think that way. Right now, the bad guys do what they please because they know we'll all submit. We, as a society, need to teach them that we will not submit. That we will own them. We will take away their power, and we will lock them in a cage to consider their life choices. If they truly repent and make amends, then we will forgive them and allow them to reintegrate into our society, but we will not forget. If they think we will allow them to fool us twice, they're done.

There, in a few short paragraphs, I have solved violent crime in North America. Now the problem is convincing people. Seek out some classes. There are classes for everyone. If you have years to learn and want to master something, there are traditional martial arts out there that can adapt to real world situations. If you like to compete, there's competitive arts like Taekwondo, MMA, Boxing, and Kickboxing. If you just want to learn some self defense, seek out Reality Based Personal Protection or Krav Maga. It's not the techniques that matter, it's the mindset. It's the conscious decision made ahead of time to take action, and the conflict rehearsals that prepare you to do so.

As one of my instructors always says, Be a Hard Target. I'll see that and raise it to Make Everyone a Hard Target.

The Warrior Creed

by Robert L. Humphrey(Marine Rifle Platoon Commander on Iwo Jima
& Bujinkan 10th Dan)

Wherever I go,
everyone is a little bit safer because I am there.

Wherever I am,
anyone in need has a friend.

Whenever I return home,
everyone is happy I am there.

Policing Freedom

On the day that America celebrates its Independence Day, I reflect on the main tenet America was founded upon - freedom. Canada was founded in a much different way, but on the same basic tenet. What happened to our freedom?

Sure the United States passed its Bill of Rights, and we passed our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Now, slowly and democratically, we are giving our freedom away. Especially in America, we have recreated the aristocracy. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, just like so many times in history before violent uprisings.

We elect our representatives, considering a 40% turnout to be an excellent turnout of voters. That means that the majority of the minority is actually electing our representatives. The rest of us can't be bothered, because we simply can't be bothered. Even if we do vote, we fill out our ballot, and stop paying attention. Whomever we elected can do whatever the hell they want, and we don't pay attention. We are actually happier being told what to do... until someone tells us what to do.

When someone tells us what to do, it is usually a police officer, speaking on behalf of the democratically elected government, which was "democratically" elected by the majority of the people who could be bothered to give a shit and vote. Then we vilify the police officer, who is obviously being an asshole and infringing on our freedoms because he is a jackbooted thug with a gun who feels entitled and is powertripping. Right? Right?

When a democratically elected government, whether municipal, provincial, or federal makes a stupid law, don't fight the guy who has been told by that government to enforce it. He is going to win. It's not his job to debate with you, or explain it to you, or reason with you, or even decide if it's right or wrong. It's his job to impose the will of the government on you. If the will of the government is stupid and unfair, it's still his job. He doesn't have to like it, but he does have to win the fight. Period. The police officer's job description in two sentences: "Impose the will of the government. Period." Fortunately, we live somewhere that the government's will is usually benevolent, so Community Policing, involvement, serving, and protecting, is part of that will.

Before you get pissed off at a police officer for enforcing a stupid ass law, maybe take a look at the jackasses that voted for the people who passed that law. Then go have a chat with the elected officials. Take part in the democratic process. Don't complain that the rules are stupid and get mad at the guy whose job it is to enforce them, get involved and help CHANGE THE RULES.