How do you measure success? What would you tell a recent highway grad???

Are you successful? Would other people consider you a success? Are you happy? How do you measure that success? That happiness? All too often we are comparing ourselves, comparing our children to others that we aspire to emanate. We see parents spending their entire retirement savings driving their children all over the country to different leagues and clinics just at the rare chance of them being the next David Beckham or Alex Rodriguez. Let me save you a lot of the mystery... The guy with the bad skin who dips the fries into the oil at Wendy's has a better chance at banging a supermodel than you average child has at making the big leagues. I am not trying to be a d**k, it is just pure statistics. And, with that said, there is nothing wrong with being average.
As a society, we have gone so off track when it comes to what we consider a successful person that it is downright sad. Each year people make a big deal out of Forbes' list of the wealthiest people. If I cared any less about that list you would have to check me for a pulse. And what does such a showing of excessiveness show our youth. Make more money than everyone else and you will be admired? Pablo Escobar was a multi-billionaire, a Columbian drug lord, but a billionaire nonetheless. Should he have been recognized for his determination and ingenuity? How come there is never an article in a major publication recognizing those who volunteered the most? Why is it that we never get to see the news showcase the best soup kitchen worker? the best foster parents? Class mother? The news has spent a great deal of time and energy discussing how wrong it is for a pregnant Snooki to be wearing stilettos but they couldn't care less about some community group going around handing out sandwiches and water to the needy.
I would like you to picture a single mother, holding down waitress gigs at two separate diners, keeping a roof over her head and putting a healthy meal on the table all while ensuring her teenage daughter has the newer threads. Now, ask that young girl who she thinks is a success... she'll probably name some celeb reality freak who would have crumbled under the pressure the her mother has been enduring for years.
Let us think about some of the people that are showcased as being successful. Sports : Alex Rodriguez - Steroid Abuse and extra marital affairs with paid escorts. Kobe Bryant- Affairs. Michael Vick - Animal Cruelty, gambling.. Entertainment: Kim K- Haha... Twice divorced, sex tape, etc..., Bill Cosby - Racist, affairs, etc... I could play this game all day.
We need to get back to the basics. We need to let our youth realize that success can come in many different forms. Being a good friend to others, being a good parent, teaching your students that honesty and integrity are the measures of a man. We should preach that the ends do not always justify the means. It is in my opinion that the successful man goes to sleep at night with peace of mind and a clear conscience. He owes nothing and writes off the debts that were owed to him. He is able to go to his grave with no regrets only the knowledge that he did his best and made the world a better place for others.
Of course, I am not a success and just maybe way off base... Maybe I should go apply for that fries opening at Wendy's???
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

Welcome to Arizona...License and Registration please....

Hispanics in Arizona are pissed and I do not know why? The supreme court overruled three out of four of Arizona's immigration laws, keeping only the law that requires law enforcement to ascertain the legal status of  people they pull over or question for possible connection in a crime. So? What is the big deal? Why is everyone in an uproar?

Before I continue let me just say to those who do not know me that I am the furthest thing from racist. I am an American of Italian, Columbian, Irish and Swedish descent! I am a mutt! With that said, if I get pulled over for any reason, I will be asked for a driver's license. Not because I am a mutt. Not because I am a large scary looking tattoo freaky freak. I will get asked to reveal my identification because that is the law of the land!!! When did we get so caught up in being concerned about everyone's feelings? If you are in this country legally, which a driver's license says you are. Or if you are in the process of being in this country legally than you would have nothing to worry about. If you in this country illegally, then you do not have the same legal rights and therefore should be dealt with accordingly. It is almost as if we care more about the ones who are not supposed to be here in the first place than those who have a right to be here by either birth or naturalization. If you and a group of your friends are up to no good at three in the morning in front of a 7-11, hey we all been there, there is a good chance a law officer will ask to see identification. Is he busting your balls because of the color of your skin? No, he is just doing his job because you are loitering and it is illegal.

Now, I am not saying that these people should be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment. I believe that all human beings deserve to be treated like a human being regardless of their citizenship. However, this country is at a very sensitive and critical time in its existence. We are stretched way beyond our means as it is. We are at the risk of financial collapse at the same time of being a constant target for terrorist groups.

Everyday there is an article or news segment involving racial profiling. You know what? When it comes to the safety of myself and the rest of the law biding citizens of the United States, I am all for it! When was the last time you saw or heard about a ninety year old trying to blow up a plane with her girdle bomb? I don't give a damn if they subject me to a body cavity search by Edward Scissor Hands, if I am able to hop on that plane with a clear conscience I am dropping draws...

Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

Who haven't we given guns to???

According to the New York Times it appears that the C.I.A has found a new group of rebels to arm with the tools of the trade. My question to you is... haven't we learned our lesson yet? Do these so-called "covert" operations ever work out as planned? Does anyone recall Somalia?  How about the government that the C.I.A installed in French Indochina? For those of you that forgot, that one led to the Vietnam war. I would rather have a vasectomy performed by blind Stevie Wonder using a rusty fork than to see us get caught up in another mess again, which is exactly what this looks like from the early reports. This is the problem with being a world power, we always feel the need to police the entire planet and put bullies in their place.
Now, I am by no means saying that the actions be taken by the Syrian government are anything short of atrocious, what I am saying is that maybe it is time for us to stop getting up in everyone else's affairs and pay more attention to what is going on right here on our own soil. We are sitting in a pretty precarious position as it is, do we really want to push the envelope by getting involved in another conflict? Have we forgotten about the boys and girls we already have in the deserts of the middle east engaged in two wars?
Syria is also an ally of Russia. The Russian government has been repairing the helicopters of the Syrian army and has publicly avowed to continue doing so. Great!!! Let us get that whole cold war thing up and running again. Who wants to live in peace anyway? Maybe if we are lucky the British are still sore about the revolution and are now looking for a rematch!!!
Being the biggest kid on the playground will always come with its responsibilities. The feeling that we should be doing more to ease the pain of those being brutalized will always be there. Pressure from the rest of the world to help those in need will be a constant. Staying on top, now that is a completely different animal. To stay on top you must learn to pick your battles. You must decide which fights are worth risking lives for and which ones you'd be better off turning the other cheek to.
For those of you who think that I am wrong, for those of you who think that it is our duty to police the rest of the world I would like you to think back a little. Think about us helping a small group of afghani rebels fight off the supposedly big, bad Russians. We armed them and schooled them in the art of tactical warfare. They paid us back a few decades later when their current leader, Osama bin Laden decided to wage a holy war against us and took down the twin towers...
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy???

We Have Become Weak Generation...

This country is falling down... and I will tell you why.
Recently my wife and I have been having dinner about twice a week with my 88 year old grandmother and some very important things occurred to me. 1) I will never live to be that old and 2) I will never be that strong. And it is not just my grandmother that I am speaking of, but her whole generation who makes us look like a bunch of wimps.
Have you ever listened to your grandparents? I mean truly listened. They have seen things and experienced things that most of us would never be able to handle. They have lived in times that we could not fathom and do not even like to talk about. They not only lived through these things, they fought and strived.
I remember that horrible day of September eleventh and the reaction of my grandmother and my wife's grandparents. I am not saying that they were indifferent, they are in fact very warm people, yet neither were they destroyed like the rest of us. Why not? Because they have seen it before. They remember when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they recall the threat of Nuclear War and the air raid drills, they shipped their spouses off to war with nothing more than a ream of paper, some envelopes and a book of stamps.
Nowadays we get watery eyed watching a Hallmark commercial and change the channel when the news is too depressing. Our grandparents watched their President get assassinated, they dealt with polio, race riots and the red scare.
We fear a recession and hope that our we get our raise this year. They had the depression, waited on bread lines and were forced to choose between putting food on their table or clothing their children. They worked two hour, sometime three jobs, twenty hours a day. They did not have the aid or the option of Prozac, no one wanted to hear their sob story because everyone had their own. They made due with what they had and shared with their neighbor when there was excess.
We are in a severe state of emergency here and no one wants to talk about it. For the first time in a very long time this country is at the risk of not being the strongest nation in the world. We do not make things like we used to. We do not dream as big as we used to. And we do not dare to take the chance like we used to. We need to get back to the toughness of our grandparents and restore this once great country to what it once was. We need to take pride in our work, regardless if we are splitting atoms of scrubbing toilets.
It is not too late. There is still time to change. But if we do not change, and change in a big manner, soon we will be the ones on the bread line asking if there is any more bread left.
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

Father's Day!!! A Tribute to Dads...

As most of you know today is Father's Day. I am one of the few people who cannot honestly say that I have the greatest dad in the world. As I have grown up my father has become one of my best friends and the person that I go to whenever I have a question. So with that said, here are a handful of funny stories to back up my claim...

1) When I was sixteen years old my father acquired a car to use for work. Though used, it was in great shape and would make a perfect station car. He picked up the car around noon that perfect summer day. About nine hours later, I took it upon myself to drive a buddy home with some other friends coming along for the ride. Mind you, I had no experience and no license!! About ten minutes into our little road trip I take a sharp turn way too fast and smack up his newish car!!! (Thank you Brian for blaming the landscape design of the turn and not my driving) This had to be one of the worst phone calls that I ever made. Of course this was about eight years before cell phones so after walking my fat a** to a pay phone I finally got in touch with my dad. Did he scream? Did he flip out? No, He asked me if everyone was okay... them told me to walk home. Being extremely out of shape I think I would have rather he balled me out then picked me up...

2) My father's dad was not the dad of the year. Having a second family in Jersey he did not spend too much time with the one he left behind in Queens. My dad was forced to either buy a pizza on credit or eat a mayonnaise and onion sandwich. I have never been subjected to a mayonnaise and onion sandwich. As anyone who knows my dad will tell you, and all my friends growing up who saw it first hand, my father was the hardest working guy they ever met. Averaging about four to five overtime shifts a week an addition to his normal forty hours. To put it in perspective we work for the same place, and though dad retired making six dollars an hour less than I do now he somehow more than doubled my salary fifteen years ago. He did not do it for fancy cars, designer clothes or exotic vacations... he did it to make sure that we never had to live the childhood that he did.

3) Dad showed me that it was okay to party all night but make sure that you are up for work, regardless of how crappy you feel. It told me to never, ever be a snitch and take it like a man. Regardless of what you are threatened with. He never raises his voice or lifted a finger to hit me or my three siblings. He does not judge anyone and could break bread with princes and paupers alike. He told me not to make the same mistakes and make sure I spend more time with my wife and that the money can be made tomorrow if needed. He showed me how to always dress like a respectable man and to never disrespect a lady, even one who deserves it!!!

4) The most important thing my father has ever told me: "Don't tell me where you've been... show me where you're going." Those few words have stuck with me more than anything. I do not give a damn if you were valedictorian of Yale or if you spent the last five years of your life in Sing Sing Correctional facility. I don't care how much money you made or how fancy your zip code is... show me what you are doing to be a better person.

Other notable fathers who I have seen set the bar higher for the rest: My Father in law: Doc Scotto, My brothers Ron, Pete and Bob, my wife's grandfather Doctor Sapienza, My uncles Pete, Artie, Tom and Frank, The late Mister Anthony S who taught me so much during my daily visits to his house, a great man. Mister Phil D and his son Brian following in his footsteps already. I am sure I forgot one or two but you know who you are and that you are an example of being a true dad!

Sandusky Trial... Oh Jerry, Jerry, Jerry

The trial of former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky started this week and already it is stomach turning. The amount of people who are coming out of the woodwork who says that they have seen something are piling up faster than disco singers are dying off (Robin Gibb, Donna Summer are now at Studio 54 in the sky in case you don't read the paper). What bothers me the most is the amount of people who actually stood by and allowed this to go on for years and years.
Now I will let Joe Paterno off the hook a little because he is dead and cannot defend himself. I will say that knowing he was aware of the numerous allegations against Sandusky yet chose to go to the University brass instead of the police makes me lose all respect that I ever had for the man. I do not care how many games he might have won, he chose to sweep this under the rug to avoid any controversy and now his legacy has forever been blemished... No biggie, I am a Notre Dame fan anyway.
Here is where I start to get a confused. First, the parents of these accusers. Why on earth were your children ever allowed to spend so much time with another adult unsupervised? Where were you when all of this was going on? If an older man asked to take me out my parents would have laughed in his face after they kicked his a**!! Sleepovers??? Are these people insane? You would actually let your child spend the night at some man's house?
Second, his wife. She could not have been blind to all that was going on around her. No woman would find it normal if their husband spent more time with little boys than he did with her, regardless of what his profession or charity was. How long did she think something was going on? Did she ever confront him about it? Why did she stay with the guy? Why didn't she ever go to the authorities? As anyone who watches college sports knows, coaches and the staff are treated like God around the University. Could it be that she put the lifestyle that she became accustomed to before the health and well being of those boys?
Third, and this is my biggest problem, is assistant graduate coach Mike McQueary. I do not care what anyone says, but this man deserves to be in prison. He says that he actually witnessed Sandusky in a compromising position in the showers with a young boy. Why did he not do something right then and there? Why did he not smash in that man's face? I do not care that he told his superiors. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a pacifist, but if I was to witness such a thing only one of us would have left that shower alive. How could he have possibly walked out of that shower knowing what he saw, knowing that he left that young man to be abused and still look at himself in the mirror???
The sad part about these stories is that everyone overlooks the victims. We talk about the University, we discuss the honor of their sports program and we dissect endless tape video trying to spot something. It is a sad day when a man can get away with playing in the underoos of little boys because he can strategize on the football field and bring his school money.
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

The Week in Review!!!

As those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know, I like to review some of the more crazier stuff that happened over the weekend that I might not have had a chance to discuss. So, here it goes...

1) An al Qaeda affiliate located in Somalia has put a bounty on the head of Obama and Clinton. How much you ask? The life changing sum of 10 camels for the leader of the free world and 20 chickens for his secretary of state. For real? Are you telling me that the President of the United States is not worth more than that? Damn, we'll give al Qaeda 30 camels if they just go away. I for one would be insulted. Even worse, how do you think Hillary feels? For twenty chickens you can't even buy an ugly non-virgin for a wife in some of those areas. Then I stop and wonder... If they would attempt to kill American leaders for such a paltry sum, how is it that we cannot get them to give up their al Qaeda leaders. I think we have been going about this the wrong way. We have spent billions of dollars in the capture and killing of Osama, Hussein, etc.. when are we needed was to run down to Costco or BJs and stock up on bulk produce!!! If they are willing to kill for camels and chickens and can't even fathom what they would do for jalapeno poppers or mozzarella sticks!

2)The United Nations is concerned about the number of "baby boxes" that have been set up around Europe. The purpose of these boxes is that parents who do not want their infants any longer can safely and secretly drop off their little ones and then go on with their European life; smoking cigs, drinking wine, cafes... Not only am I for this program, hell, I think that it should be expanded! Why should we stop at crying infants????  I say if the kid is a pain in the a** dump him off regardless of his age. I don't care if the kid is sixteen, if you outgrow them, recycle them. And set up the boxes for more than just unwanted rug rats! Too many miles on that old car? Drop it off. Dog barks too much? Ditch it? Husband doesn't earn enough? Trade him in... no questions asked. I don't know but I think we are on to something here...

3) Hardware stores throughout the country have hopped on the zombie bandwagon by promoting zombie apocalypse items. This is just strange, it is actually making light of a serious situation as reports of the drug nicknamed "bath salts" continue to rise. So far we have heard of the young man in Florida gnawing off another man's face and also of another man cutting out his own intestines and throwing them at the cops. Is business that bad that you need to market for something like this? Exactly how many items are needed to survive this incoming zombie invasion? At what point are you stretching this sales pitch? Flashlights... okay. Generator... okay. Fire pit and outdoor furniture... mmm I don't think so. What are we going to pitch next? The slap chop for the upcoming Mayan calendar prediction?
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

If Your Country Was So Great... Why Did Your Ancestors Leave?

When I was a kid my mother told me something that has stuck with me to this very day. "If some one asks you what you are, tell them that you are American." I believe that now more than ever and wish that more people would instill this feeling into children. Now, I am not saying that one should forget where they came from and the many great traditions that their ancestors brought to this country, those are what make each of us unique. Those beliefs and customs intermingled is what this country is supposed to be based on and therefor are more than welcomed.
Here is where the problem lies. Where is your allegiance? When someone asks you what nationality you are, what do you say? What flag do you have hanging from your rear view mirror or tattooed on your arm? Everywhere you look you see shirts that say "Kiss me I'm Irish" or "Full Blooded Italian". People do more for the holidays of their home country than they do for this one. The Puerto Rican Day Parade attracts more people than any Fourth of July celebration will ever see. Nationalities of the world come here and spend more time fighting for the signs to be translated into their home language than they do learning the language of the land.
When I sit and talk to family and friends about their grandparents they beam with pride about how hard they all worked to assimilate themselves into the country, how they always held special the day that they became a citizen and how they were able to do all this while not losing their identity. Now, I doubt many people even bother becoming citizens. Most I hear about get a visiting Visa and when that expires, they get lost somewhere in the shuffle.
But these people are not the ones who get me angry. The ones who make my blood boil are the ones who go on and on about how much this country sucks. How many things this country does wrong. The people who talk about their country like it is Nirvana, as it is heaven on earth. How beautiful their landscape is and how cultured their fellow countrymen are. To them I say... Go Back! If your country was that great you or your ancestors would have never come here in the first place. Your family left for one reason or another, didn't they? Be it religious persecution, lack of work, starvation, war, etc... They all came here in search of different things that were not available to them in their home land, and how do you repay them for taking that risk? You badmouth the country that offered them that opportunity. And a second thought, these are usually the same people who take full use of all the programs available to them, the same ones that "their" country is still decades away from offering.
I am not some nationalist extreme freak. If you are a visitor of this blog them you know that I have questioned authority often, including decisions made by my own government. (To be honest, this would please the forefathers of our country) And I am not naive, I am well aware that many atrocities have been done in the name of God and Country. But you will never hear me say that I would be better off somewhere else or that my allegiance is to another land. If I did utter such nonsense you have my authority to slap me across the face with an apple pie and choke me out with an American Flag.
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

Bin Laden Died Broke??? Damn Jihad Is Expensive!

A recent report revealed that celebrity terrorist Osama Bin Laden was practically broke when the United States sent him to meet Allah. Really? This was a man whose net worth at one time was estimated to be in the ballpark of 300 million dollars. His family was in the billionaires range. So where did all that cash go? 

Though this man was a despicable creature I would have loved to have a sit down with him for a few minutes just to get into the mind of a religious fanatic terrorist. Why would this guy choose this life when a much more enjoyable one was in his grasp? The money that this man once possessed was enough to ensure that he could have whatever he wanted just for the taking. With that kind of wealth there was no limit to the lifestyle Bin Laden could have lived. I am not talking about the flash in the pan money that you see these reality "stars" have, I am talking about Rockefeller money. Mansions, women, cars, jet setting around the world at the most luxurious resorts. You could spend the morning studying art in Italy and the nights learning surfing in California. So with all of that infinite wealth did he do any of these things? You know the answer to that... no.

Instead, this man funds a holy war. Why? What can drive someone to be that extreme about anything? What would compel someone to blow their whole fortune plotting, planning and devising acts of terrorism that would only wreak havoc on the world and put a bulls eye on their own head? And what did all of this money spent buy him? Put it this way, after his biggest terrorist act, 911, the man was forced to spend the next decade in hiding living in caves and filthy compounds!!! Running from hideout to hideout with his kidney dialysis, covered in filth and bugs. I cannot imagine the amount of his own personal money this man spent on arming and training his army. Then you must ask, did he ever really think, at any point, that he was going to win? Can you picture him sitting in that decrepit broken down complex, looking at his assets and thinking, "What they hell did I do here?"

He was not the first and he will not be the last. There have been men throughout history who've lost their empires in pursuit of their extreme hatred. All I know is that if I ever had that kind of money, I would be living it up as if I was a member of the Rolling Stones or shortstop for the New York Yankees. I am talking about weekend trips to Versailles and Prague, strip clubs, motorcycles, prostitutes in Amsterdam, double fisting Dom Perignon at the super bowl, yachts with Victoria Secret Models making me pigs in the blanket, tattoos, comic books, guitar lessons from Eric Clapton, a lap dance from... you get the point. I know what I would not be doing... blowing my cash on teaching a bunch of crackpots how to hijack a plane and blow up buildings half a globe away. But that is just me...

Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?

Man was not meant to live this way!!!

Are you tired of busting your a** every day? Being out of the house for twelve or thirteen hours? Only to try the impossible task of fitting in a week's worth of fun during the weekend? And what is your reward for all this? The opportunity to do it all over again come Monday morning? How many of you have been reduced to the likes of zombies, just barely going through the motions of your day? When it comes the the daily hustle and bustle we have become as numb as the genitalia of one of those porn stars who are always attempting to break the world's gang bang record!
Is this how we are really supposed to be living? F**k, this is not even living... it is surviving, poorly for that matter too. People are tired of being broke. They are tired of stressing about paying their bills. They are tired of having to say no to their kids for those little extras. They are tired.... of being tired. The saddest fact is that we are the first generation of Americans who are not projected to make more money than our parents. Though more of us have college degrees and graduate degrees than the generations before us, our life is actually expected to be harder to survive than theirs. That is an utter outrage. Our quality of life is going down, not up. People are working like dogs with absolutely nothing to show for it except for the roof over their head... if the bank hasn't repo'd it yet. Those of us who are still fortunate enough to have a roof over our head are never there to really enjoy it, we are at work. If I spent any more time out of the house I would be a f**king gypsy.
People who are employed should not feel guilty about buying the occasional latte or treating their wife to a night out on the town, but they do. They should be able to ensure their child could have the proper equipment to play a sport or an instrument, but they cannot.
This may be a stupid example but think about it, in Dirty Dancing those people spend the whole summer at a resort. As a kid, my mom's family would leave for Lake George two days before Memorial Day and come home the day after Labor Day... for real? I worked the fourth of July for the last five years!!! S**t, I didn't even get a hot dog.
This life is beginning to suck. The degrees have never paid off and the patience is starting to wear thin. I am at the point where I would rather get ball cancer than continue being a hamster in the wheel...
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?