Every time I hear someone, usually either black, or a white leftist go on ad nauseum about slavery and how we can never make up for it, I want to scream. Simply put, I can't make up for it, nor will I try or even worry about it. It happened. ALL OVER THE WORLD, WITH EVERY RACE, AND IT STILL IS GOING ON. I didn't do it. Blacks of today were not victims of it. Instead, many use it as an excuse for their own failings, or for many in the black community who would rather blame everything on something that didn't happen to them instead of seeing that their situation is their own fault. Their bad choices put them where they are. When a woman of any race has several children, most or all with different fathers, the odds are high that she's going to be on welfare. Whitey didn't cause that, nor did slavery. The disdain of family and morals by those in the black community, and her buying into it caused it. Opening your legs to easily caused it. Knowing that you'll get money for being loose, rather than earning it and being more cautious in what you do sexually caused it. In other words, YOU are to blame. Same goes for men. YOU choose how you'll live your life. At some point, you're no longer a child.

I made many mistakes as a young man that I'm paying for now, and will continue to pay for into my declining years. Do I blame others for my situation, or expect others to support me? No. Hell no! I know my late years are going to be ugly, barring a miracle. That's my fault for not preparing. No one else's. MINE. I make an effort now to change that, but I doubt I'll be able to retire. At some point, when I'm no longer able to work a fair paying job, I'll be that guy in the room at a flop house with a 2 burner hot plate heating a can of soup and listening to the radio or reading a book because I can afford nothing else. Does that make someone else responsible to take care of me? No. I will live the consequences of my actions and mistakes. As it should be. I am not daunted by this, for the next life is so much better. That said, MY choices, MY responsibility. No white privilege, or white guilt here. Just too many poor choices. Many of my friends are doing quite well. Do I envy them? Maybe a little. That's human nature, fallen as we are. Do I begrudge them, or do I want a piece of their pie? No. They made better choices, walked a different path. I am happy for them. My life, my choices, my consequences to bear.

The black community, as a whole, have made many bad choices. They, almost en masse, have chosen a path that tells them it's not their fault. Go ahead and be promiscuous. Go ahead and be violent. Go ahead and destroy the black nuclear family. It's whitey that's keeping you down. Specifically, white conservatives, or republicans that don't tow the leftist lie. Er, line. I feel sad that you've bought the lie for so long, but I am not responsible for your choices. YOU are. Only YOU can change it. Only if YOU want to. I doubt that they will. After a while of being taken care of, being kept, even at barely subsistence levels, a person can become used to it. A person will stop fighting after a while and just accept. THAT, is a fate worse than death.

Just my opinion.

Why is it that so many in this country have a problem with getting old? Botox, hair coloring, dressing like the younger generation, using their weird verbiage and trying to act like them. What is so bad about aging? Sure, it sucks some times, and it'd be nice to be free from responsibilities, but, you can't run from reality. This was brought to mind last week when, in a truck stop, I saw this couple. They looked to be in their early 50's, a little older than me. The guys hair was 3 different shades, and it looked like a mutant mullet crossed with an attempted Highlander pony tail. He was wearing clothes not suited to a man with chest and drawer disease. The woman had the same problem. Rather than look young, it made them look silly and sad. We all age. That is how it works. 60 is NOT the new 40. 60 is 60. You no longer bounce, or bounce back after bouncing like you once did. It's much easier to injure yourself. Your reflexes are slower. Ideally, the knowledge, and, if you're lucky, the wisdom you've accumulated over the years helps you to avoid these injuries by working or playing smarter.

These days, our society seems to worship youth, to idolize it. This is society's loss. There is a lot of wisdom available from older folks if you simply take an interest and listen. Listen to their stories. There are lessons in them for one who listens. Not all, but many. Sure there are some nuts you'll run across, but, more often, you may find you've found a mentor. I have. Even as I age, I've found those older than me who I've learned from. Use their knowledge. Respecting ones elders can be accomplished without being an a$$ kisser. Just take an interest. You might even find a new friend.

Every year it seems that the general public's driving skills deteriorate. Of course, that includes truckers, as well. There are so many gadgets that people can't seem to leave be while they're driving, that I am surprised there are not more fatalities. Whether texting, reading, or the old standby's of putting on make-up, etc, recklessness abounds. Their concern is for themselves, and their getting to their destination only, not what effect their poor driving has on others. This, of course, is human nature at it's baldest. The highway is human nature exposed. In a vehicle, for the most part, you are anonymous. When you feel that kind of freedom, your fallen nature can shine, should you CHOOSE to let it. You read that right. Should you CHOOSE. Each of us makes a choice in how we act.

When I'm driving my rig, my options are such that I have to be careful. My size and weight can cause considerable damage if I drive recklessly, with total disregard of those I share the road with. Think on this, gentle reader. In perfectly dry conditions, fully loaded, it takes my 75' long, 80,000lb rig approximately 330 ft to stop from about 65mph. Think on THAT before you cut me off. To my fellow truckers, I'd say Think on that before you tailgate someone else's family. The worse the road conditions, the longer the stopping distance. It's even longer if I'm lite or empty. Not enough people consider this anymore. The safest following distance for a semi is 7 seconds. A little more in rain or snow. Do I always maintain that? No. I need to remind myself, like anyone else, from time to time. Mostly, I do maintain it. I get quite pissed when another truck runs up my backside like a proctologist before pulling out to pass me. The guy that does that is either an asshole, or has a problem with depth perception. Either way, he should get off the road before he/she kills someone.

Yes, I said she. Ladies have proven they can be the equal of any man at aggressiveness and assholia. There are women drivers in this industry who are damn good at what they do. Better than some men I could name. Of course, there are the 'poor little me' types out there, always trying to use their being a woman to get an advantage. Others that cuss and swear like some of the men, then get upset when you call them on it. I once called a woman who was swearing up a storm on the cb a slut. Man, did she cuss a blue streak at me! When she took a breath, I calmly told her "If you want to be treated like a lady, then act and talk like one. You want to be treated like a cheap Lot Lizard, keep talking like the ignorant fools around you." Back then, most agreed with me. Not so much these days. These days, many feel entitled to talk and act anyway they want, and still be taken seriously. Hmmm. How about, NO! People judge you on how you carry yourself. It's not always accurate, but usually so. Someone can fake gentility only so long. There are still many people out there whose bs detector still works just fine.

The best rule to live by? Work on being a decent, trustworthy and honest person all the time. Yes, you DO have to work at it. Being an asshole comes easy to anyone. Being decent takes hard work. Especially these days.

I drive for a living. I enjoy it, and it suits me. I've been doing it for 25 years now, though some days it seems both longer and less. One of the blessings/curses of trucking is the time you spend alone. You can't escape from yourself, or your thoughts. This may be the biggest reason so many try and leave the industry. You have to have a high capacity of self-containment to do this job. You have to be able to handle the time alone, with nothing but your thoughts for entertainment. Oh sure, you have a cb radio in the truck, but, take my word for it, there are a lot of, to be polite, weird people driving trucks who talk about some off the wall and sometimes vile things. Also, on the cb, you'll find many who can't speak more than one or two sentences without swearing. 

You will also encounter racists of every color. Whites that use words like nigger, spick, kike, mick, wop, etc. Blacks that hate whites, Hispanics that hate non-hispanic, the whole panoply of human failings are on display. You will run across nice people, and people who should have no responsibility beyond turning on a light. You will run into honest people, and liars and scammers who'll rob you blind if you're not careful. That's just your fellow truckers. We haven't even gotten to shippers, receivers, the DOT, and the company you work for. Oh, and the general public? They don't like you, for the most part. Your size intimidates them, gets in their way and their view. Also, they my have run across one of the miscreants I mentioned above, and, in true fallen human fashion, which we all do to one extent or another, they decided ALL truckers are scum.

Now, if you can deal with all of that, and have the capability to think, not only on your feet, but around corners as well, and be on time, as well as take care of your equipment, you can find that this job can be rewarding. The pay isn't too bad, depending on who you work for, yet, that isn't what I'm speaking of. The reward I speak of is one of knowing that what you do IS important, and has meaning. You will be one of the few who keep commerce moving. If every truck, union and non-union, Owner Operator or company driver shut down, this Nation grinds to a halt. The railroads can't do it all. They are confined to the rails, where we need only ground hard enough to support the weight of the truck. If a road goes someplace, odds are, a truck can get there. So, in that respect, it's rewarding.  

That's all for now. Many thoughts are bouncing, but it's best to start slowly.