I recently sent this to the Seattle P I. I doubt that it will get published. What do you all think?
Rex.
Wonder why people don’t like to vote yes for public transit measures that come up?
Let me explain how my trip on the Sounder from Edmonds to the Seahawk game went last Sunday.
I took the 11:45 out of Edmonds and had a wonderful ride to King street station. I arrived around 12:30, and had plenty of time to get to my seat and get ready for the National Anthem, raising of the 12th man flag and kick off. It was truly a great way to get to the game. No parking problems, no traffic, and only $3.50 round trip. I had the same pleasurable experience for the ride home.
Here’s the rub. I only saw half the people at the Edmonds station buying tickets at the electronic kiosk. It became apparent why when we boarded the train. No one took anyone’s tickets, or even checked to see if they had one. There was an announcement over the P A that stated, “ If anyone didn’t have a ticket they could purchase one at King Street station”. Again no one checked when we arrived to ensure that people without tickets was doing this. The same scenario was repeated for the return trip after the game.
There are 2 round trip trains from Everett to king street as well as 2 round trip trains from Tacoma to king street for every home game. I don’t think I would be exaggeration to say that 50% of the riders did not pay.
I sure don’t want to fund a system with my hard earned tax dollars when they don’t even attempt to take the fares from the riders. Guess the just figure we’ll pony up again and again and again.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Baghdad poem
I wrote this poem for my wife while I was stationed in Baghdad implementing the Foreign policy of the United States of America.
MY TEARS WHISPER YOUR NAME
Late at night I reach for you, and your not there.
Your memory kisses my face as I dream.
I can still feel your heart dancing against mine.
As I awaken you are gone…
And my tears whisper your name.
Guilt tortures me when you cry on the phone.
Anxiously I count the days until I can look into your eyes once more.
Oh, how my arms beg to hold you.
Yet, time seems to be sleeping here.
I miss the invitation in your smile and, the silent ways you convey your love.
We could speak a thousand words with a wink or a nod. Mostly I miss the things we didn’t have to say.
I never realized how much was said in that comfortable silence.
I remember the softness of your neck against my lips.
The way your eyes sparkle when you get excited.
I miss holding your hand and saying I love you.
I visit you each night as I dream…
And my tears whisper your name
MY TEARS WHISPER YOUR NAME
Late at night I reach for you, and your not there.
Your memory kisses my face as I dream.
I can still feel your heart dancing against mine.
As I awaken you are gone…
And my tears whisper your name.
Guilt tortures me when you cry on the phone.
Anxiously I count the days until I can look into your eyes once more.
Oh, how my arms beg to hold you.
Yet, time seems to be sleeping here.
I miss the invitation in your smile and, the silent ways you convey your love.
We could speak a thousand words with a wink or a nod. Mostly I miss the things we didn’t have to say.
I never realized how much was said in that comfortable silence.
I remember the softness of your neck against my lips.
The way your eyes sparkle when you get excited.
I miss holding your hand and saying I love you.
I visit you each night as I dream…
And my tears whisper your name
My Big Brother
By Jessie Stensland (Whidbey Island News paper)
Jun 23 2007
Island County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Davison didn’t think it was any big deal.
The deputy was the first emergency responder at a two-car accident on Highway 20 north of Oak Harbor March 22. He found a horrific scene with the driver of one of the cars clearly dead.
Gasoline covered the roadway and pooled around the crumpled vehicles. The deputy shooed a large crowd of onlookers away, knowing that a deadly and explosive fire could spark at any moment.
The driver and passenger of a van were injured and cried out for help. Davison went in through the windshield and carried the adult male passenger away to safety. He returned to help the driver, but the man was pinned behind the steering wheel. Instead of retreating to a safe distance, Davison stayed with the injured man and gave him medical assistance until aid arrived.
“It’s just my job,” Davison said about the incident. “You don’t think twice. If someone needs help, you help them.”
He was genuinely surprised earlier this month when his colleagues in the Fraternal Order of Police North Cascades Lodge 18 awarded him with the distinguished service medal during a banquet. The organization is for members of law enforcement in Skagit, Island and San Juan
counties.
“Deputy Davison exhibited extraordinary courage and physical strength when he unselfishly risked his own self-being to render aid to strangers who were trapped in a highly volatile situation,” his certificate states.
Davison is no stranger to heroics. He was highly decorated during a 21-year career — 10 years active duty and 11 years in the reserves — as a helicopter rescue crewman for the Navy. As a search and rescue swimmer, he served in Desert Storm and spent two tours at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, which involved a lot of mountain and wilderness rescues.
In 2002, Gov. Gary Locke awarded him the Washington State Lifesaving Medal and the Island County Chapter of the American Red Cross presented him with the hero in law enforcement award.
In that incident, Davison saved a 1-year-old child.
As Davison explains it, he was driving to a nonsense call when he noticed two children sitting close to the edge of Timberline Road in Clinton. Something made him stop to investigate. He picked up a tiny girl, who went limp in his arms and stopped breathing. He removed what turned out to be a wad of skin cream mixed with grass and gravel from the child’s mouth and throat. He administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, bringing the child back to life.
It later turned out that the children’s babysitter had passed out inside the home, he explained.
While Davison will reluctantly admit that saving lives is a pretty big deal, he said he’s always surprised and humbled to get attention. “I’m just a guy doing a job,” he said.
U DA MAN ROB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rex
Jun 23 2007
Island County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Davison didn’t think it was any big deal.
The deputy was the first emergency responder at a two-car accident on Highway 20 north of Oak Harbor March 22. He found a horrific scene with the driver of one of the cars clearly dead.
Gasoline covered the roadway and pooled around the crumpled vehicles. The deputy shooed a large crowd of onlookers away, knowing that a deadly and explosive fire could spark at any moment.
The driver and passenger of a van were injured and cried out for help. Davison went in through the windshield and carried the adult male passenger away to safety. He returned to help the driver, but the man was pinned behind the steering wheel. Instead of retreating to a safe distance, Davison stayed with the injured man and gave him medical assistance until aid arrived.
“It’s just my job,” Davison said about the incident. “You don’t think twice. If someone needs help, you help them.”
He was genuinely surprised earlier this month when his colleagues in the Fraternal Order of Police North Cascades Lodge 18 awarded him with the distinguished service medal during a banquet. The organization is for members of law enforcement in Skagit, Island and San Juan
counties.
“Deputy Davison exhibited extraordinary courage and physical strength when he unselfishly risked his own self-being to render aid to strangers who were trapped in a highly volatile situation,” his certificate states.
Davison is no stranger to heroics. He was highly decorated during a 21-year career — 10 years active duty and 11 years in the reserves — as a helicopter rescue crewman for the Navy. As a search and rescue swimmer, he served in Desert Storm and spent two tours at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, which involved a lot of mountain and wilderness rescues.
In 2002, Gov. Gary Locke awarded him the Washington State Lifesaving Medal and the Island County Chapter of the American Red Cross presented him with the hero in law enforcement award.
In that incident, Davison saved a 1-year-old child.
As Davison explains it, he was driving to a nonsense call when he noticed two children sitting close to the edge of Timberline Road in Clinton. Something made him stop to investigate. He picked up a tiny girl, who went limp in his arms and stopped breathing. He removed what turned out to be a wad of skin cream mixed with grass and gravel from the child’s mouth and throat. He administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, bringing the child back to life.
It later turned out that the children’s babysitter had passed out inside the home, he explained.
While Davison will reluctantly admit that saving lives is a pretty big deal, he said he’s always surprised and humbled to get attention. “I’m just a guy doing a job,” he said.
U DA MAN ROB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rex
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM
THIS IS MY FIRST POST ON THIS BLOG.
TELL ME WHAT U THINK.
Why can’t we have a bipartisan State Children’s Health Insurance Program?
If we had real statesmen we could. It’s to bad that what we got is a bunch of partisan politicians stirring up hate, and drawing party lines in the sand.
Let me explain this in a simple manner because; well…because it’s simple.
The republicans enacted the SCHIP program in 1997. We as taxpayers spend 5 Billion a year to run it.
1. The democrats proposed and passed a bill to increase it to 12 Billion a year.
2. The President is willing to increase it to 6 Billion a year.
3. The president has stated a willingness to negotiate this increase as well.
4. No negotiations of the amount of increase occurred.
5. Democrat’s sent the Bill to the President with a 7 Billion dollar increase over current funding
of the bill.
6. President Veto’s Bill.
This quote is from the OCT 4th article By David Espo, an AP Special Correspondent
“ Democrats, sensing a political advantage, said they were in no mood to compromise. Several officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing strategy, said Pelosi and Reid seemed set on sending Bush successor bills that are nearly identical with the one he just vetoed. The goal would be to force him - and his congressional allies - to repeatedly expose themselves to criticism that they were denying health care for kids”.
It’s too bad this is an election year where the Democrat’s seem more interested in setting up an “us (the good guys) vs. them (those inhuman Republicans)” situation for political gain. I think we could easily compromise in the 9 billion dollar range.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. Republicans do this crap too. I just think we deserve more out of them than this. I know the kids do.
Don’t get me started on the fact that the Democrats proposed funding source for the program is from a tax increase on cigarettes. The government spends tons of money each year trying to get people to stop doing that. What happens to the kids if they succeed?
Lignarius Rex
TELL ME WHAT U THINK.
Why can’t we have a bipartisan State Children’s Health Insurance Program?
If we had real statesmen we could. It’s to bad that what we got is a bunch of partisan politicians stirring up hate, and drawing party lines in the sand.
Let me explain this in a simple manner because; well…because it’s simple.
The republicans enacted the SCHIP program in 1997. We as taxpayers spend 5 Billion a year to run it.
1. The democrats proposed and passed a bill to increase it to 12 Billion a year.
2. The President is willing to increase it to 6 Billion a year.
3. The president has stated a willingness to negotiate this increase as well.
4. No negotiations of the amount of increase occurred.
5. Democrat’s sent the Bill to the President with a 7 Billion dollar increase over current funding
of the bill.
6. President Veto’s Bill.
This quote is from the OCT 4th article By David Espo, an AP Special Correspondent
“ Democrats, sensing a political advantage, said they were in no mood to compromise. Several officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing strategy, said Pelosi and Reid seemed set on sending Bush successor bills that are nearly identical with the one he just vetoed. The goal would be to force him - and his congressional allies - to repeatedly expose themselves to criticism that they were denying health care for kids”.
It’s too bad this is an election year where the Democrat’s seem more interested in setting up an “us (the good guys) vs. them (those inhuman Republicans)” situation for political gain. I think we could easily compromise in the 9 billion dollar range.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. Republicans do this crap too. I just think we deserve more out of them than this. I know the kids do.
Don’t get me started on the fact that the Democrats proposed funding source for the program is from a tax increase on cigarettes. The government spends tons of money each year trying to get people to stop doing that. What happens to the kids if they succeed?
Lignarius Rex
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