America’s Future Frightens Me!
I’ll go out on a limb today and say this: America’s future frightens me! However, this isn’t the first time I’ve feared what’s ahead for us as Americans. I’ve seen it for years and now the truth is becoming a reality: Record foreclosures, record bank failures and record deficits.
Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Bank of America will acquire Merrill Lynch. Fannie Mae is due to bailed out by the U.S. Government. Socially, Americans are at increasing odds with each other, thanks to divisive politics and a mainstream media known for hype, spin and lies.
The truth is being withheld from the American public on a daily basis. The full story is nothing like we understand it today. It’s far worse. Some Americans saw the writing on the wall years ago, where they packed up and moved abroad to countries such as Canada, Denmark and the U.K. I even considered doing the same.
What’s most frightening of all is America’s blind faith in the media. Sarah Palin is a perfect example of this fact. Palin came from nowhere to become a frontrunner in American politics. How does anyone become an overnight sensation without any concrete information? It is our blind trust that leads us astray and we’ve repeatedly shown this blind trust countless times over the last 100 years.
Our economy and social fabric is paper-thin strong. If we continue adding more rocks (debts, unchecked spending, unrealistic promises) to our failing infrastructure, it will tear and swallow its burden whole. From our pocketbooks to our government, we have a runaway freight train with no end in sight. Eventually, it will derail. We cannot continue on our present course and it might be too late to correct it.
In the next 30 years or less, America could very well become the failed empire it desperately attempted to maintain. China will topple us in innovation, science and technology and socio-economic prowess — If they haven’t already. With a middle class that numbers America’s entire population, we have much to consider as our future quickly erodes before our very own eyes.
The threat is real. This isn’t a dream. It’s reality.
Taking off soon for Denver
I’m seated and ready to go here in Chicago for my final leg to Denver. I started the morning at 4am today in Detroit. We had a quick 50 minute flight to O’Hare.
We’re flying out on a Boeing 777.
First Widebody Flight This Sunday: Boeing 777
I’m looking forward to my first ever widebody flight this Sunday morning. I’ll board a United Boeing 777 in Chicago for my final leg to Denver from Detroit. Now that I’ve decided to fly United more often out of Denver (American Airlines, Southwest and United are my top three carriers), there’s a good chance that I’ll have more widebody flights in the future.
I’ll be posting pictures along the way here on my blog.
‘Titles’ Are So Yesterday
Just wanted to say that I’m officially done with titles now. My new ‘lifestyle card’ (aka ‘the business card’) will not feature a title, but the usual contact information, along with some other interesting details. I’m no longer the ‘global generalist,’ or ’social media producer’ or anything else. For me, it’s difficult to define someone with such a broad range of interests and skills. My spirit and lifestyle is like a bird, and I want to be free of a self-imposed cage to describe only one of literally dozens of competencies.
I’ve never been comfortable with how society define things and this is especially true for our professions and things we love. Just because something’s widely accepted and practiced doesn’t mean I need to follow it. So, I’ll be updating my bio, pages and such around the tubes to reflect better who I am, my lifestyle and so on.
An Unpleasant Encounter with Windsor (Canada) Police
Please pardon any typos, grammatical errors and such. I wanted to post this while the experience was still fresh in my mind.
I just returned home after a very unpleasant experience with Windsor police. I am currently in Detroit attending to family matters and spending time with family and friends from Denver. At about 1:45 AM Eastern today, some friends and I decided to drive around Detroit, eat and talk. We then decided we’d continue our late-night cruise of conversation and fun into Windsor.
At the border stop, I asked the attendant if a passport or birth certificate was required in addition to a license to enter Canada. His response: “No”. Now, I do recall there being changes to the border crossing process which requires an American to have a passport (I’ve always traveled into Canada with my license and/or birth certificate), but I didn’t think much of it after assuming we’d be okay with the confirmation that additional documents weren’t necessary. We then proceeded to cross, drive around, check out the night life, etc.
Just before our arrival to the border to return to Detroit, we were stopped by Windsor police. 15 minutes earlier, I noticed a patrol car trailing us and figured it was a bit odd. The officer approached us and asked everyone for their identification. 15 minutes later, she returned to the car to return our ID. Confused and slightly pissed about the traffic stop, I asked the officer the purpose of the stop. She responded that Windsor police have the authority to stop any car, for any reason, whether it’s to ID passengers, check for stolen cars, etc.
I then requested information to police headquarters, because at that point, I was ready to speak to her superiors. I proceeded to record the conversation, asking her to state her name, badge ID, and the appropriate information. When she noticed that I was recording, she walked away. It just so happens that we were both heading in the same direction, so I flagged her down and asked for the location of the headquarters. Her partner responded, “See you there.”
Anyway, I had a long conversation with her superior and he re-iterated the same thing, which I felt was just complete BS. We didn’t do anything wrong. We were minding our business. One thing that really pissed me off about the traffic stopped is when the officer questioned why we passed the tunnel if we were going home. Gee, maybe I didn’t see the sign? Maybe we changed our minds to get something to drink?
I have to say, I’ve been to Windsor many times over the years. I’ve traveled all over Canada by air, rail and car. I’ve lived in Calgary. Yet, I’ve NEVER experienced anything so absurd and bizarre before. I’ve NEVER been stopped by police in Canada for ANY reason. So, what was the reason for this traffic stop? At the police HQ, they claimed that Wyandotte (a major thoroughfare for the small Canadian city) was a hotbed for prostitutes, drug dealers, etc. Well, that’s fine and dandy, but we’re none of those things. Why was this admission even necessary? To justify why they stopped us, beamed their floodlights on us and treated us like shit?
Is this how Windsor PD treat residents of the city or American visitors? Is it frowned upon for Americans to drive the streets of Windsor late in the morning with their friends? I’d really like to know what their procedures are and if anyone has experienced this as well.
I cannot re-iterate enough how uncomfortable and angry this encounter made me. It was completely unwarranted and totally unacceptable. The entire incident was just wrong. Then, we were heckled further by U.S. Customs due to our lack of a passport or birth certificate. We were being lectured about September 11th, how they’re protecting us, etc. (I so badly wanted to mention why the owners of Building 7 at WTC decided to ‘pull’ the damn building).
Anyway, I’m home, but still pretty pissed. There’s a part of me that really wants to give City Hall a piece of my mind and raise some awareness around this experience. It really irks me when law enforcement steps out of line.